Friends restore soldier's classic car while he's overseas

Restoring old cars is nothing new, but one Knoxville man's restoration project has evolved into an all-out mission that has received help from the whole community.Elmer Grimes' garage is full of car parts."It's a '64 MG Midget," Grimes said.Grimes and fellow church member Lynn Grubb claim they've put thousands of hours into fixing the car."I don't know that you can actually count the number of hours that's been put into it," said Grubb. "Just yesterday, we put in 22 hours between three of us," he said.But, the one thing they won't be able to claim is the car itself. It belongs to Sgt. Ted Golec, currently on his second overseas tour with the Army National Guard. He's been gone for almost a year."I asked him if we should sell the MG and he said "Sure, go ahead," said Golec's wife Emily. "He loved it and really wanted to restore it, but he realized he didn't have time for that," she said."I got to thinking about that and it was his high school car and I didn't think a man deserved the need to sell his car," said Grimes."(Elmer) told me that God had called him to restore the car for Ted and present it to him when he returned," said Emily Golec.Last October, Grimes rescued the aging car from Golec's mother's basement and began the extensive repair process."When I first saw it, I was thinking maybe Ted was over there for another 5 years or something," said Grubb. "I figured it would take us a while to do," he said.Close to 30 businesses have helped Grimes restore Golec's MG, supplying paint, body work and man hours."God's opened every door we've knocked on," Grimes said. "They realized that Ted's over there taking care of what he was called to do and I think that's the only way they think they can help and it's been tremendous," he said."This is just a piece of metal," Grubb said. "Eventually after we're all dead and gone, this is going to turn to rust and fall down and be part of the Earth again, but we're building relationships, not just building a car," he said.With the car nearing completion and Golec scheduled to return in just a few weeks, his friends and family say he has no idea what's waiting for him."He is going to be overwhelmed," said Emily Golec."I imagine he'll be speechless, knowing Ted," said Grimes. "He won't feel deserving for it, but he is," he added.Golec's fully-restored 1964 MG Midget will be presented to him at a "Welcome Home" party in May.If you would like to contribute to the car's restoration, contact Elmer Grimes at (865) 556-7021 or Lynn Grubb at (865) 742-6003.