A dream has come true for Neil Stumbris.
The classic 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS automobile he bought in 1988 has finally been restored and customized after sitting in a barn for three decades. And the finished car is something to behold, thanks to Carriage House Automotive Restorations in New Lenox and other Southland automotive businesses.
“I wanted to work on the car for years, but life kept getting in the way,” Stumbris said. “Every time we turned around, there was something, and the car just kept getting put on the back burner. Finally, my wife Dorothy and son Dean said why don’t you do something with it.”
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Stumbris, who has been into cars since his youth in the 1950s and ’60s in Chicago’s Roseland community, meant for the car to be a family project with his son. One of the first things they did was look for a shop to do some body work, and they approached Carriage House.
In 2018, Stumbris became one of Tom Anderson’s first customers after he bought Carriage House. Soon a friendship developed.
During a visit, Anderson learned from Dean that Stumbris was a Vietnam War veteran, something Stumbris generally avoided discussing about himself.
Soon after, the Impala’s next round of work was put on hold — once again, life had intervened. The Stumbris family now had medical expenses that took priority over the car and everything else.
Anderson and his staff decided Carriage House would take on the car’s restoration as a gift to the Stumbris family.
Stumbris was reluctant at first to accept the offer — he was not looking for charity. To Anderson, however, this was not charity. This was a “thank you build” for Neil’s military service and for his early faith in Carriage House.
“Neil, Dorothy and Dean had become like family to us — they are some of the most genuine people I have met in a long time,” Anderson said. “We didn’t want the car to go back into mothballs and probably never get done.
“The Thank You Build for us had double meaning. First, to thank Neil for his service in the Vietnam War. The other part was to thank him for being one of our earliest customers. In the beginning, a new business or owner doesn’t thrive because people wait to see how you’re going to do. Neil is a ‘car guy’ at heart. He’s skilled, he knows quality and he had confidence in Carriage House, so this was a thank you for that.”
After Stumbris accepted the offer, Carriage House announced its “Veteran Thank You Build” on Veterans Day 2018.
Stumbris admitted he “watered up for the first time” — translation by his wife Dorothy: he cried — when Anderson’s offer became reality.
‘I did my best to forget about it’
Stumbris never talked much about his experiences as a Vietnam War veteran.
He married Dorothy in 1963 and then a few years later was drafted and sent to Vietnam, where he served for 10 months. He was stationed at Pleiku Air Base with the 630th Engineer Company, where he worked on vehicles and heavy equipment.
“A lot of us came back withdrawn and disillusioned. Some ran into people at the airport who spat on them. A lot of guys just muddled through, and the way they were treated coming home did not help. When I was being processed, the young person doing the paperwork asked if I would give up my ribbons because he wanted to keep them. I pretty much stayed withdrawn — I got into family and work and did my best to forget about it,” said Stumbris, who went on to work for the Chicago Transit Authority for 34 years before retiring as a unit rebuilder.
The Impala project was always meant to be a family affair.
“I decided when I started dating Neil, if I was going to be in his world, then I had to totally get in his world. I love cars as much as he does — I drive them, I work on them,” said Dorothy Stumbris.
An important part of the restoration for Stumbris was that he and his son work together to build the engine of the Impala themselves, and according to Anderson, they did an impressive job. They even helped install the engine into the car.
Anderson said restoration of vintage cars can go in two directions. They can be restored back to exactly the way they were produced by the manufacturer, like a time machine to the past, or they can be “custom” builds designed to fit the individual desires of the owner. The 1966 Impala SS has been restored primarily to its original stock look, with some mild customization, like the car’s color, flame red metallic.
“Neil wanted the interior to be a time machine, and it’s pretty accurate,” said Anderson.
Restoring vintage cars is an expensive undertaking. Anderson reached out to other local automotive businesses to invite them to be part of the Veteran Thank You Build and the response was good.
Probst Collision, LLC, a repair shop in New Lenox, signed on right away.
Beth Seberger, office manager, immediately asked what Probst could do,
and boxes of parts started showing up at Carriage House. Probst donated the bumpers, the front grille, the chrome trim, and much of the interior — the “beautiful parts,” according to Anderson.
“How do you not be part of something like this?” asked Seberger. “When it comes to good causes my father and grandfather and I want to help. “
“Carriage House does phenomenal work. … They did the work, we helped fund it. We have absolutely no qualms about the Probst name standing next to that of Carriage House,” said Seberger.
Another company that participated was Arnie’s Auto Body & Supply, Inc. in Joliet, owned by William Munchalfen, which donated sealers, primers and paint.
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“It was a good cause to do this for a Vietnam veteran,” Munchalfen said. “Tom was the initiator and coordinator of the project and was a great salesman in getting the rest of us involved.”
Contributions also came from Midwest Wheels in New Lenox, Tony’s Transmissions in New Lenox, Mac Tools distributor Ray Bulick, Glass Guy Chicago, and personal donations from Richard Tharp and Mike Pawelek.
In total, Anderson estimates about $52,000 in parts, supplies, and labor, mostly donated, went into the car, on top of the $10,000 in engine work Neil and Dean Stumbris completed themselves.
The Impala is scheduled to be formally presented to Neil Stumbris at the Frankfort Car Club show Friday evening at the German American Heritage Center, 25249 South Center Road in Frankfort.
“It took some time; it was a priority, but we had to get through the pandemic. We worked on it after hours. We wanted to do something good for good people so they could enjoy the car, take it to car shows, have some fun with it,” Anderson said.
The Stumbris family is grateful, and not just a little overwhelmed by the project and goodwill.
“It is like a new family and they embraced our son, Dean, too. I still can’t believe Carriage House is doing this for Neil, it’s so heartwarming, such a surprise. We appreciate it so much,” said Dorothy, who admits a little apprehension about driving this “fine jewel” of a car but says she will definitely get it out there. She said her son also was looking forward to driving the Impala.
As for Neil Stumbris, the Veteran Thank You Build “makes me feel better because it’s like a validation that we existed.”
“Carriage House is a phenomenal business,” he said. “They are making dream cars come true — they are making boys out of old men, taking their dreams, and making them a reality.
“None of this would have been done without Tom Anderson starting this project — we might have had it out in primer, fixed up at least enough to drive — but it never would have turned out like it has. And I am very grateful for that. They are great people to work with and they do a fantastic job.”
Carol Flynn is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.