LILLEKER ANTIQUE AUTO RESTORATIONS

By Jennifer and Ross Lilleker

Many of us have been ready to take a vintage car out of the garage only to discover that there are problems that need attention. How fortunate we are to pick up the phone to call Ross and hear him say, "Just bring it over and I'll have a look at it." The Lilleker's business is located in College Station and we all count ourselves very fortunate to be able to leave our cars with Ross, knowing that there is no problem he cannot repair. Jennifer and Ross Lilleker explain the history behind their business - Lilleker Antique Auto Restorations.

What services do you provide?

If it concerns a Model T or Model A, we can do it! Ross regularly rebuilds engines, including pouring the white metal babbitt. Sometimes we get cars in the shop that just need to get running or have a little job done to them and other times we get full restoration jobs. We get whole cars and just engines, gas tanks and rear axles for repair. We have done upholstery work, body work and everything in between. Ross' favorite thing is to take a car that has stood for a while and just get it running again. He can usually do that in an hour or two. He enjoys the challenge of fault finding (discovering why a car will not run), too.

How did you become so knowledgeable about restoring Model T cars?

From a very early age Ross was involved with his dad in restoring Model Ts in England. He would sit on the running board and hand spanners, that's English for wrenches, to his dad, Bruce. As he grew, Ross began his own restorations and would often urge Bruce along in his. Ross broke his arm at age 5 by cranking a Model T and the rest is history. Other than his years of experience on the job, Ross has a formal education in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration. With over 100,000 miles (just an estimate) touring in a T under his belt, he also has a wealth of personal experience behind the wheel and under the hood. He is an expert in both American and British Model Ts, what makes them different and what details each year should have. Ross started restoring things like hit and miss engines, little lawnmowers and tractors when he was really young. He completely restored his first Model T, a 1914 right hand drive roadster, by himself when he was 17 years old. Ross owes his experience in the babbitt work to a former shop teacher who took him on as an apprentice in his local machine shop when Ross was in high school. The machine shop specialized in babbitt work on many English cars from Austin 7s to Rolls Royces.

How do your customers send engines or cars to you for repair?

We do work on cars and engines from all over the world. Sometimes people will visit and drop them off themselves, sometimes we drive to get them and get to see the countryside and other times we have them shipped to us. Engines and other parts come in crates and on pallets or boxes and whole cars come by transport vehicles. There are a variety of companies that specialize in transporting cars or heavy crates. Our favorite way to get cars is for people to bring them or for us to collect them. That way we get to know the owners and they get to know us.

What was the furthest destination to which you have shipped a restored item?

We have shipped axles and engines to Sweden, Holland, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, Alaska, and England.

What has been your most challenging restoration?

"A 1972 MG Midget. It was an English car that had failed inspection due to corrosion and by the time I had cut out the corroded panels there wasn't much left to work with. The car isn’t worth a lot of money so I was working on a pretty tight budget, not to get upside down with the car. It was my first year in college and I think I spent more time in the garage working on it than in the library studying. It turned out really nice once I was done. My family still owns the car in England.” - Ross

What is your greatest joy in owning your own restoration company?

The best part about owning our company is getting to do what we love for a living and finding it fun, exciting and different each day. We get to meet all kinds of people from all over the world. We have made friends with a lot of our customers and we often tour with them. We get to see lots of beautiful cars and, when we travel to tours or transport cars, we get to see the beautiful American countryside. Like the sticker on the back of Luke Cordes’ speedster says, “It’s not about the cars, it’s about the people.” It is also nice to see a job from start to finish. One of our biggest joys is to see a car transformed from a heap of dust and rust to a shiny car someone can enjoy and make memories with. It is also satisfying to have a customer come in with a car that won’t run right and leave with a nice running car and a smile on his face.

If you are near the shop, stop in to say hi and see Ross at work. If you are on tour, watch out for us - we would love to meet you and exchange Model T stories. You can visit our website at www.mrmodelt.com.

Ross, age 17, sits in his 1914 Roadster - before restoration.

The 1914 Roadster has been restored by Ross.

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