Hammond student's 'cool' ride, a 1950s sedan, draws lots of attention

It is old — older than the Interstate highway system.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” recorded by the late Gene Autry, was a hit single when Shuler’s 1950 Ford sedan rolled off the assembly line.

The car is a hand-me-down from his grandfather, Dan Paysinger, who bought it in 1960 for $250 and kept it stored on the family farm in Newberry County.

William and his grandfather have replaced the tires, gas tank, fuel line, brakes, wiring and rear axle. They’ve also cleaned up or rebuilt the carburetor, fuel pump and water pump on the classic V-8 “flathead” engine.

“The family joke is that it has a 100 percent failure rate,” Ann Shuler said.

And, as if refurbishing an old automobile isn’t challenging enough, William is building a pipe organ in his bedroom after seeing majestic instruments in some of Europe’s most hallowed cathedrals on a school trip.

“That’s it,” William said. “It’s just fun to drive.”