Above is Fillmore’s Lin Thomas who was able to leave his formal teaching career with pride when he retired in 2001 after over 37 years. During that time he restored a Model A Pickup, and drove it cross country in History Channel’s The Great Race. Inset is the car after being restored. Photos provided by Mike & Michelle Bly.

By Michael S. Bly

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
We all have passions. Passion for our spouse. Passion for our kids. Passion for family and friends. Passion for our country. Passion for our work. Passion for our favorite sports teams.
Lin Thomas had all those passions, in spades. But he also had great passion for two more things: God, and old cars. Most days, in that order.

Now, you say ‘old cars’ and some folks might have a different picture in their mind than Lin. He wasn’t thinking of cars from the ‘60’s or even ‘50’s (he’d spit and derisively call them “modern cars”). And, he didn’t mean cars from the ‘40’s; that was the lost decade, automotively speaking. For Lin, a 1939 LaSalle was about as new as he could stomach, and over the decades several ’39 LaSalles came and went, though there were always one or two lurking in a barn or behind an orange tree on his Fillmore, California ranch.

But to really get Lin going about old cars, start talking about cars in the ‘10s and 20’s, and you were guaranteed to be regaled with a story, perfectly timed to 57 minutes – he was a high school shop teacher by trade, and the decades of impeccably timed school bells trained him to hit his mark.
From time to time, a variety of cars from that era were towed, dragged, or trailered in pieces to the ranch, including (but certainly not limited to): a 1913 Model T Touring Sedan; a 1923 Model T Milk Truck; a 1927 Cadillac; and a 1915 Cadillac. Oh, and Model A Fords. Lots of Model A Fords.

“Train up a child in the way she should go…”
Now, at some point in Lin’s life his very active youngest daughter, Michelle, was nearing driving age and was going to need some wheels to get from point A to point B. There were lots of good choices, but one stood out: a 1928 Model A Roadster. Lin labored with skill, dedication, and love for many, many months to bring that car to life, and upon completion Michelle drove it with pride through a couple years of high school, and even some time in her Jr. College years steering it 25 miles each way on a busy highway. She drove it through rain or shine, and without side curtains, because according to Lin “side curtains are for sissies”.

Michelle loved her Roadster. She drove it everywhere, and loved the double takes she’d get from passersby. Afterall, it’s not every day you see a teenage girl smiling from ear to ear behind the wheel of a Model A.
Michelle learned many valuable lessons about cars and driving during those years. Such as, always check the gas, oil, and water. Make sure there is air in the tires. While driving, anticipate stops, and be sure to keep track of what other drivers are doing. Pointing a Model A in the right direction is easy enough, but as every old car driver knows, turns and stops are requests more than demands.

Well, it’s a story told too many times, but life happens, and eventually the need came to sell the Roadster and send it down the road to a new home. Sad time on the ranch.

Fast forward to 1998: Lin was still teaching shop at the local high school, which he loved, but the years of dealing with bureaucracy and miniscule budgets had worn him down, and he didn’t have much gas left in the tank. But he had a crazy idea: teach a car restoration class, restore a Model A Pickup over the school year, and drive it cross country in History Channel’s The Great Race.

Fast forward to 1998: Lin was still teaching shop at the local high school, which he loved, but the years of dealing with bureaucracy and miniscule budgets had worn him down, and he didn’t have much gas left in the tank. But he had a crazy idea: teach a car restoration class, restore a Model A Pickup over the school year, and drive it cross country in History Channel’s The Great Race. This was the inspiration he needed to finish his career out strong, so in 1999, 2000, and 2001, Lin and his auto restoration classes restored a Model A Pickup each year and took a team of students and adult drivers from coast to coast in the very vehicle the kids had restored and rebuilt from the ground up.

Lin was reinvigorated and renewed, and was able to leave his formal teaching career with pride when he retired in 2001 after over 37 years. The first of the pickups ended up at the Fillmore, California museum. The third one went to a private owner. And the 2nd pickup, the 2000 pickup, came back to the ranch thanks to Lin’s wife Judy.
Over the following years, Lin & Judy had a blast with that 1928 Model A Pickup. They drove it on tours (sometimes with the Model T Club…faux pas?), in parades, and around town and countryside. For many years, it was the best running, and sometimes only running, old car on the ranch.

“…and when she is old she will not depart from it.”
During that time, Lin had a mission to someday have another old car in Michelle’s garage. He suggested, he conspired, he pleaded, and he prayed. But the perfect intersection of right timing, right car, and adequate garage space just never materialized.

In 2019, Lin was diagnosed with cancer, and after a brave and gracious battle Lin went to be with the Lord on May 27, 2022. During the last weeks of his life, Michelle, along with her sister Lindy, mom, and many family and friends, was able to spend 6 weeks caring for her daddy. They had many conversations about many topics…but old cars were always on Lin’s mind. And, there was one thing Michelle could not stop thinking about: that old Model A Ford Pickup from the 2000 Great Race. She asked permission to bring it to a new home in Idaho, and daddy, with a smile, said “it’s yours, kiddo!”
In July 2022, with some expert help from a few members of the Ventura County Model A Ford Club, Michelle was able to drive her mom to Lin’s funeral and memorial service in the Model A.

In September 2022, the Model A was trailered up to Idaho. It was still fairly drivable, but it was very “tired” as a few wise men put it. In January 2023, the Model A was turned over to the pros at Rotten Leonard’s Jalopy Shop in Lewiston, Idaho, and a frame-off restoration began.