The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

If you asked Sisters resident Bill Hall what he remembers most about his childhood, he’d say it was his grandfather’s shop full of vintage cars being readied for a custom build.

His grandfather, Sid Hall, was a legend among the prewar generation of hot-rod builders and probably bought his first steel car to customize when he was only 13 years old back in the early 1940s.

“My grandfather built them, and I grew up around them,” Hall said.

Hall is a fourth-generation custom car builder.

He noted, “My great grandfather was also into cars and restored early to mid-1920s cars and pickups.”

His grandfather, a brick mason by trade, used all his spare time restoring cars.

“They were mostly pre-war cars 1932 through 1940,” Hall told The Nugget. “He was very particular about the cars he picked. They had to be good quality cars, and all were made of steel. He was a street rod guy and he’d hot rod them out.”

Hall recalls that his dad, also a brick mason, and grandfather would get together after work and beat out the muscle cars they had bought for next to nothing, fix them up, and sell them for a few bucks just to buy quality vintage cars to turn into hot rods.

“My grandfather would buy good stock cars and strip them down to nothing. Then he’d rework the frames, maybe add independent suspension, and add a V8 engine. He would make them a little bit more modern but keep the appearance of the car as stock looking as possible, where the body and fenders would be stock but re-chromed and add wire wheels. The more he got into his hobby the more he began purchasing rare cars.”

He added, “My whole family loves building vintage cars so much, we call it a disease, a sickness or a great passion.”

Sid would give his souped-up cars to family members. He became recognized as a custom car builder through word of mouth and took on clients and built approximately 57 hot rods before passing away 10 years ago.

There was a signature look to Sid’s vehicles.

Hall noted, “He started off with all Fords from a 1932 coupe, 502 coupes and 1932 and ’33 cabriolets, roadsters, anything that he thought was neat and looked good. He’d have a certain color combination and a stance or a unique look to his cars. They are noticeable.”

After Sid’s passing Hall took on a quest to track down all his grandfather’s cars across the nation and has located over 15 of them through vintage car shows, hot rod magazines and a paper trail kept by his grandmother.

“It’s exciting and a piece of my history,” he said.

Recently, Hall acquired his great uncle Fred’s car built by his grandfather.

“My grandfather’s brother had the 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe for 65 years. We worked out a deal and now I own one of my grandfather’s rare and wonderful cars,” Hall said tearing up. “My great uncle still has another car that my grandfather built him, a 1935 Pontiac convertible.”

Then on July 4, 2018 something surprising happened for Hall.

“Last year at Sisters Eagle Airport’s Wings & Wheels Fly-in & Car Show, my wife, Karen, and I were walking in and about 50 yards away I spotted one of my grandfather’s cars. I just knew by the look of it. Sure enough when we walked up to the 1933 Chevy Coupe, the sign said the builder was Sid Hall! The owner is Bill Leininger, a Sisters resident.”

Hall explained to Leininger about his quest and how incredible it was in finding one of his grandfather’s cars without looking for it.

“Bill and I have since developed a special friendship together,” he said.

This year at Sisters Eagle Airport’s 7th annual Wings & Wheels Fly-in & Car Show Leininger and Hall’s vintage vehicles — both made by Sid Hall — sat side by side.

Hall brought photos to share of Leininger’s car during the restoration process that his grandmother had taken and saved all these years.

Leininger noted, “I purchased Sid Hall’s 33 Chevy in 2002 from a second owner. And over 15 years ago I had briefly met his grandfather at a car show in Tacoma, Washington and spoke a little bit to him. He was there as a spectator and remembered the car.”

Hall builds muscle cars and builds about one a year, with a little help from his son.

And an American tradition continues.