Baker’s Bucket List 4: Illinois to North Carolina to Florida

Words by Jim Baker
Most photos by Brad Baker

My extended travel continues, but I have taken a little time away from writing to ‘catch up’ with family and friends around the nation. At Bartonville, Ill., just south of Peoria, Ill. we spent time with Tom Evans who has restored many prize winning cars from the frame up. His latest project was completed just in time for Father’s Day and was done as a tribute to his dad who flew B-29 planes during World War II.

The 1932 Ford Pick/up is a fully restored classic, all steel, all original ’32 Ford. Under the hood, however, lurks an LT1 Corvette second generation Chevrolet power plant! And the seats are from a surplus B-29 just like those in the plane Tom’s father flew in 1944. It was known as, Fifi and flown over Japan by Captain Curtis Wester.