Just Keep Fabricating-1939 GM Futurliner is coming to Life at Kindig-It Design
Article/Photos supplied by Sherri Candland
When the 1939 General Motors Futurliner, number 3 of only 12 ever made, was delivered 6 months ago to Kindig-It Design, there was only one man to put in charge of that massive project. Ryan DeCol, a Utah native, was given the title of Project Manager of the Futurliner and he takes this very seriously. “This is a huge honor for me both professionally and personally,” says DeCol and he is putting in the time and the research to make this restoration possibly even better than when she rolled off the production line. This is not a restoration to be taken lightly, as the Futurliner holds an unbelievable wealth of automotive history, particularly for General Motors. The intent of the Parade of Progress, brain child of Charles Kettering, was to educate the masses with their traveling technological busses, focusing on small towns across North America.
The GM Futurliner was designed by famed head of design at General Motors, Harley Earl. Earl’s first creation was the La Salle in 1927, he is credited with the tailfin era of the 1950’s, and eventually the Firebird I, II, and III. His innovative designs and automotive styling for General Motors in the 30’, 40’s and 50’s led him to later becoming Vice President of General Motors. Earl was the first top executive ever appointed in design of a major corporation in American history. When asked to produce a caravan of busses to travel across country with intricate, technological displays, Harley Earl came up with the 33’ long, 8’ wide, and 11’-7” tall Futurliner.
As DeCol, project manager for the Futurliner at Kindig-it Design stood before this massive piece of American history, it was clear that he would need a crew to bring this restoration up to Kindig-it standards. He began looking for fabricators that would be able to take many rusted out pieces, work together on collaboration and have a passion for the project as well. Ryan has found 3 dedicated crew members, with varied levels of experience to breathe life back into the old girl. The Futurliner crew consists of Moses, Daniel Lewis, and Eric Larsen. Moses is happy to be a part of the team; he brings a great amount of experience to the project, but is still learning along the way. “I am enjoying getting more experience in metal forming on a massive scale,” Moses adds. Daniel Lewis, previously a bridge builder, was the first to come aboard as an apprentice to DeCol and is constantly amazed how much he is learning. Eric Larsen, with experience in ornamental iron work, loves the challenges and sheer size of the project. “I am looking forward to what working on the Futurliner brings to my future in this industry.”
For now, most of the work to the Futurliner has been an incredible amount of metal fabrication and hat channel framing. Number 3 came to the shop with a remarkable amount of rust damage, and many parts are almost unrecognizable. When asked what has been the most challenging aspect of this restoration up until this point, DeCol says “definitely salvaging what we do have, and making sure to do enough research, to recreate the pieces that we don’t have.” DeCol is confident that he and his crew will be able to restore the Futurliner, giving her the strength and longevity to last at least another 100 years. Ryan is happy to have the assistance of some local companies thus far in the restoration, giving credit to Metal Masters and Helix Machine. Where does the project go from here? DeCol is looking forward to having the pieces fall into place and work on the really fun stuff-like the Allison, J35 Jet Engine that will be housed inside. “I am honored to have been chosen by Dave, owner of Kindig-it Design, to head up this incredible restoration. The history, the research and the drive necessary to accomplish it are a great challenge. I have a strong commitment to the customer, Kindig-it Design, my crew and all of America in bringing her back to life,” comments DeCol.
We are looking forward to the next update on the 1939 GM Futurliner project and of course seeing the finished project for ourselves. We appreciate the historical importance of this project and are glad that it is happening before our eyes in Utah!
For more information on Kindig-it Design visit www.kindigit.com
For more information on Metal Masters visit www.metalmastersutah.com
For more general information on the Parade of Progress visit www.futurliner.com