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Tim Hein poses next to a 1951 Packard that is still under construction at Classic Garage of Coeur d’Alene. (ANDREAS BRAUNLICH/Coeur Voice)
Every part, screw, gasket and nut taken out of the car during disassembly is photographed and documented. As Tim Hein reassembles the car, he makes sure everything matches in the paperwork to ensure proper reassembly.
Tim Hein works to replace gaskets and seals in the dashboard area around where the vehicle's steering column will be installed.
Tim Hein works on an F Bird, referring to this Thunderbird’s factory engine, that the owner intends to use with a supercharged 312 CID engine as a show car rather than drive it around.
Almost every vintage car driving on Coeur d’Alene streets has been touched by Tim Hein.
A third-generation car restorer, Hein practically grew up under the bellies of ‘57 Thunderbirds and ‘47 Chevrolet Business Coupes. The local vintage car restorer and mechanic has been in the restoration business for 40 years.
“The younger mechanics say ‘aren’t you like 80 years old?’” the 53-year-old said. “I sound 85 because I’m not bothered by a 1910 car. I just know a lot about vintage cars.”
He built his first car at age 12: a 1927 Ford Model T. He rebuilt the car that opened travel for middle-class America around just one part. Finding parts and putting them together took Hein 20 years.
“I tore that car apart four times before entering it in international shows,” he said. “Now I know I don’t need an award to know I’m good at what I do.”
Hein spends half of his time restoring cars at Hein’s Hot Rod’s, his home shop in Spokane, and the other half at Classic Car Garage, a vintage car restoration and service company at 1710 N. Fourth St. in Coeur d’Alene.
He “pseudo-retired” two years ago only to find himself back in the industry. Hein said he acts as Classic Car Garage’s “unofficial head mechanic” of a team of about 10 other car restorers. He oversees the assembling, documenting, painting and everything else that goes into making a rusty clunker a piece of art and history.
“Sometimes I can’t believe how many cars we’ve worked on,” Hein said. “Everyone in the industry agrees with me that the Pacific Northwest has more old cars per capita than anywhere else in the country. We are far enough inland for cars to resist rusting and aging and have a good market.”
On average, Classic Car Garage holds 10 to 15 cars at a time, each car requiring about a year to restore. Servicing and restoration costs anywhere from $15,000 to $300,000. But Hein said these costs mean nothing to some clients, even in times of economic recession. He said most clients would pay any price to see their childhood cars running again -- the memories more important than the price tag.
“Sometimes the restoration costs more than the car is actually worth,” Hein said. “Car restoration is a very personal, sentimental and emotional thing for most car owners. We see a lot of tears in the showroom--whether they cry over the beautiful finished car or the bill.”
Hein has lost track of his own car collection. He hasn’t counted the titles lately, but he’s pretty sure he owns at least 30 cars, including the first car he bought at 14. Part of his collection has been passed down to him by his father and grandfather.
His grandfather, a Washington farmer, restored steam cars during the winter. The whole family participated in restoring 100-year-old steam-powered cars. Hein said the family and friends who taught him how to service vintage cars as a kid were nearly 100 years old themselves.
“I’m an old-school car guy,” Hein said. “I know how to make hot rods and street rods. I know how to install the computers and wires, but when it comes down to the old stuff, I’m all in.”
As a high schooler in Reardan, Washington, Hein won the first Washington State Junior Achievement Award for restoring a vintage car he found in a manure pile while volunteering for a local rancher. His teachers saw his potential and sent him to art school, where he studied color and design theory. Hein continues to take art classes to perfect his craft.
“Restoration is my medium,” Hein said. “I work with paint, metal, glass, wood, linoleum, technology and more. To be a restorer, you have to be more than a mechanic. You have to recognize it as a lost art form. You have to be involved and love the process.”
Hein can do a full restoration in three months — that’s just what happens when you “dream nuts and bolts at night.” He has built and rebuilt hundreds of vintage cars, the oldest being an 1890s Studebaker.
Hein’s creations have been featured in magazines and the Northwest’s outdoor vintage car gallery, Car d’Alene, but Hein said he is shy when it comes to shows. He would rather help other restorers with their projects than compete with them.
With a few friends, Hein started a classic car club that reaches over seven states. Thee Inland Emperors, which has almost 3,000 followers on Facebook, acts as a classic car support system, providing parts and knowledge to restorers across the Northwest. To keep members from fighting over “who came first,” Hein decided to give the honor to a local punk band that shares the club’s name. Occasionally the band even comes to their meetings.
“I’ve never been one of those guys who goes to car shows, sets up their chair next to their car and brags to people walking by,” Hein said. “I would rather make connections with new restorers in the industry. I love being involved; pretty much everyone in the car world knows me.”
What’s next for the car restorer? Hein said he won’t stop restoring cars until someone brings in a 1930s Duesenberg SJ, the fastest car on the market at the time. Hein said what made this car special was its celebrity status. It was owned by celebrities like Clark Gable.
By the time Hein gets his hands on the 1930s speedster, he might just be a celebrity himself.