Thursday, November 14, 2024

This 1948 Tucker, repaired by automotive restoration students at Pennsylvania College of Technology, won the First Junior Award at the recent AACA’s Eastern Division National Fall Meet in Hershey.


The vehicle won the First Junior Award, meaning it was ranked the best among all cars judged for the first time in its class: limited production and prototype vehicles through 1998.

“The award is a testament to the quality work and dedication of our students,” said instructor Roy H. Klinger, co-department head of collision repair and adviser to the Penn College Classic Cruisers club. “I’m very proud of what they accomplished in a short amount of time.”



Students in Klinger’s Vintage Automotive Mechanical & Applications I class — with assistance from club members — worked on the car for about six weeks. The course is one of several required for those seeking a certificate in automotive restoration.

The students focused their efforts on cosmetic and engine repairs.
“We had to do body work on both of the quarter panels, and lots of hoses and hose clamps were put onto the engine,” Klinger explained. “There were some parts that were the incorrect color. We had a color match made, and we repainted those parts to be correct.”

 Ty M. Tucker, of Columbia, one of the Penn College automotive restoration students who worked on the car, is Preston Tucker’s great-great-grandson.

Patricia B. Swigart, president of the William E. Swigart Jr. Antique Automobile Museum in Huntingdon, owns the car, 
Tucker No. 1013. She has been a longtime supporter of the college’s automotive restoration program, providing students with the opportunity to develop their skills on the museum’s large collection of vintage and antique cars.

“I’m honored that the students are willing to work on our cars,” Swigart said. “We have the oldest automobile museum in America, and the students have done so much to promote it. I’m over the moon with the work that they do. You can see their enthusiasm.”

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