Mike Geis does not consider himself a car junkie, but he knows quality service when he sees it.
Geis, who grew up in Beaver Crossing but now lives in Omaha, purchased a 1949 GMC truck over five years ago. The engine didn’t work, but Geis knew he wanted it restored.
“I started making calls to Lincoln but no one wanted to do the workmanship,” Geis said.
That’s when he knew he had to go back home to Seward County.
Geis first connected with Chris Heater of Code 405, who over the course of the restoration, gave the truck a home in his showroom.
“Chris really quarterbacked to project and stayed with me the whole time,” Geis said. “He was the one that really navigated everything, even when it was a long way from done.”
Eventually, Geis’s truck was transferred to Potter’s Repair in Beaver Crossing. Mechanic EJ wired the vehicle and was willing to put in the time to perform the workmanship needed to make it run.
Along with a brand new engine, wiring, cab and other instruments, the truck received a fresh coat of paint from Garland's Larry Hoeft and after five years, is ready to hit the road.
“The guys made the project fun and would always invite me in for coffee with locals,” Geis said. “That’s just something you don’t get with Omaha.”
Geis said the project was especially special for him because the building where Potter’s Repair is now located is the same building Geis’s dad had an old car restored years ago.
As of Feb. 25, the truck was officially restored and Geis made a vanity plate for the vehicle, which reads 5WINCAB to honor the vehicle five windows.
Geis and his wife Ginny hope by this spring to have the truck back in Omaha and are eager to take it for a spin or two to visit their children, who live in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri, and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
“We’re going to have fun on I-80,” Geis said.
