If there’s one thing we here at Restomods enjoy, it’s hearing from our readers about their own projects. In previous articles, we’ve talked about Jay Delancey’s fine AMC Pacer X, and this incredible 1965 Mustang Fastback. This time, we’ve got not one, but three incredible cars, courtesy of Rodney Updegrave, Jr. and his father, Rodney Updegrave, Sr. The cars in question are a 1949 Pontiac Tin Woody, a 1954 Cadillac Series 62, and a 1949 Chevy Fleetline. The Updegraves have been building cars together since 1995, and Rodney Sr. ran his own one-man body shop until the early 1980s. Following that, he worked at an insurance company for many years before retiring, but as this article will make clear, his passion for cars has never died.

The passion for cars runs deep in Rodney Jr. too. Speaking to us, he told us how he grew up with a picture of a candy apple red Chevy Bel Air, as painted by his father, on his wall in the 1970s. When he was 20, they built a hot rod from a 1956 Chevy together over three summers. Since then, 22 years have passed, and they’ve been working on cars together ever since. Every inch of the cars, he told us, is built solely by the father and son duo, with the only exception being the Tin Woody’s interior, which was outsourced. Aside from that, it’s Updegrave Made, from top to bottom, which for Rodney Jr. is very important.

“For me its time spent with my Dad, it’s memories I’ll have forever, and I wouldn’t change anything. I’ve met so many cool folks at car shows. We love talking to people, answering questions, giving advice, and helping people learn from our mistakes. We’re just a small time father and son [team], but we’re pretty proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

Without any further ado, let’s talk about the products of their graft, because they are beautiful cars.

We’ll begin with the 1949 Pontiac Tin Woody Station Wagon, which you can see being built in the gallery above. The original front clip has been replaced with that from a late model Camaro, with the tuned port engine also coming from a Camaro, with this being mated to 700R4 transmission. To contain this newfound power, the front wheels have had disc brakes fitted, and four-link suspension with air ride suspension is also being fitted at time of writing. At the back, there’s a 3.42 posi rear end from a 1979 Camaro.

The original woodgrain has all been replaced by the Updegraves, which, as you can see from how it looked at time of purchase, was no mean feat. The interior, the only one to be outsourced, was left with a more stock appearance, but a few key changes have been made. The third row of seats was removed, with the rear bench being installed in the center, and a new console was created for the car, while the dash was customized. The door panels have also been redone, using African Mahogany, which has a look similar to the car’s original fittings. You can check out a couple of pictures of the car’s finished state below.

From one automotive treat to another, let’s move on to the 1949 Chevy Fleetline. This car is actually owned by Rodney Jr.’s mother, Marie Updegrave, and they’ve given it a little personal customization, but we’ll get on to it later. Just like the Tin Woody, there’s been a whole lot of changes carried out on this beast’s mechanicals. The front clip on this machine is a Heidts Mustang II example, but if you’re a GM purist you’re going to like what’s under the hood: an LS2 small-block V8 from a 2009 Pontiac G8, which is linked to a GM 4L60-E transmission setup. The suspension is a Ride-Tech four-link setup with 8000 Shockwaves, which is hooked up to an Accuair management system.

The interior was created by the Updegraves: the front seats were sourced from a 2000 Chevy Monte Carlo, while the rear seat is from a 90s Camaro. Rodney Sr. also built the new console by hand. If you look at the dash, you’ll notice it has two humps as opposed to the single original. The new one came from another 1949 Chevy which was cut out, installed in the Updegraves’ and the whole dash was then resurfaced. A new set of Dakota Digital gauges and clock were also installed. On the trunk, you’ll find that nod to Marie which I mentioned earlier, a “Lucky Lady” stencil on the paintwork. This is my personal favorite of the Updegraves’ cars: it’s a completely custom and absolutely gorgeous Chevy, and showcases their work beautifully. However, if you’re more of a Caddy fan, take a deep breath now, because it will take your breath away.

The last car is the first one which Rodney Jr. mentioned when reaching out to us on Facebook, and it’s an absolute beauty of a 1954 Caddy Series 62 restomod. Like the Tin Woody, this car has been left closer to stock in the interior, but it’s all change with the mechanicals. The feature piece is an LS1 engine from a 2004 Pontiac GTO, again linked to 4L60-E transmission. This time the front clip comes from a late model Camaro, and the suspension is Ridetech four-link with 8000 Shockwaves. The rear-end this time around is a 3.73 setup from a 1979 Camaro. On the exterior, you can also see that the car’s door handles have been smoothed, and the car is coated in Galaxy Grey Metallic from House of Kolor. You can also spot the Foose wheels that the car now rides on.

Inside, the original dash has been converted to a digital setup, with the dash also getting the smoothing treatment. The console in this car is another Updegrave original, and if you look closely, you can see heating and A/C controls have been added to the dash. The seats are the Caddy’s originals. What makes this even more impressive is that this was Rodney Sr.’s first interior, with Rodney Jr. telling us that his father “bought a sewing machine and said ‘I can do that,’ and he did.” As you can see from the shots below, he did a bang-up job.

While talking to Rodney Jr., we asked him if he regularly uses the cars, and were very pleased to hear that the family does. The 1954 Caddy, bought by Rodney Jr. in 2008, recently turned over 11,000 miles, and the cars regularly take trips with the family up to the Poconos during summer and to Ocean City, Maryland. The Caddy has made an appearance at the Syracuse Nationals too. They decent mileage, with the Caddy and the 49 hitting around 20 to the gallon. While Rodney Jr. says he’s a fan of the “big old cars” like the Caddy, he’s far from averse to modern cars, which is what he says drew him and his father to restomods.

“We certainly prefer classics, but driving a new Corvette, or Hellcat Challenger, is a great experience. The performance and reliability of the newer cars is second to none. That’s why we like taking a little bit of old and combining it with a little bit of [the] new.”

In the future, Rodney Jr. says he’s planning a rat rod, but that he’s taking a break. If there’s anything we love more than restomods, it’s a great restomod story, and the Updegraves provided that in spades. Do you have an amazing restomod we should cover? Send us a message on our Facebook page!