Page 49 - Issue 32

GEOFF JOHNSONOFF JOHNSONOFF JOHNSON
WITH
WITH
WITH GE GE
WITH
WITH
WITH
got his fi rst car at age 11, and thankfully, his dad himself. He called his wife before going home that
knew better and pulled the driveshaft out of that day (he didn’t even punch out early!) and told her
‘51 Ford to keep him from a few early close calls. she almost had the house paid off today. It goes
After he could drive legally, he found a ‘55 Chevy without saying that everyone should check your
he still drives today--that was in 1974. It was on equipment daily, especially if it is holding 8,700
this car that he learned how to really wrench. pounds above you. This was the closest call where
Dave said when he couldn’t fi x something, he Dave learned anything that was machined can fail.
would go to the junkyard, fi nd a car just like his, My jack stands are good —how about yours?
and practice until he got it right. The owners of
the yard didn’t like it, but they put up
with him because he was such a good
return customer.
Dave’s professional automotive life
began when his professional broadcast
career ended after the radio station he
worked for folded. A friend offered to
teach him how to repair radiators. He
quickly mastered his technique and
branched off to run his own radiator
shop in Buffalo, MN (DL’s Radiator and
Exhaust). Years later, after it became
clear newer cooling systems consisted
of throw-away components with plastic
parts, Dave added yet another skill:
exhaust. He estimates about 80% of his
business today is exhaust.
Dave’s close call began like any other
day. He was standing underneath a late-
model Chevy truck working on a custom
exhaust system. An old friend stopped by
and asked if he could have a calendar. He
noticed Dave was busy and said he could
stop by later. Dave dropped what he was
doing and offered to get it for him now.
While Dave and his friend were in the shop
offi ce, a huge crash shook the building. The
fi rst thought was the roof caved in, but a
quick look back through the doorway showed
the oil pan of that big Chevy diesel resting on
its side. A closer look showed a welded brace
meant to hold the lift arms to the lift’s frame
had failed. Some of the break was rusted
meaning it started to fail some time ago.
The truck had a little over $4000 damage Geoff Johnson
covered by insurance while the 10,000 pound geoff@ratrodmagazine.com
lift was repaired and even beefed up by Dave

RATRODMAGAZINE.COM RAT ROD MAGAZINE 49TRODMAGAZINE.COM RAT ROD MAGAZINE 49TRODMAGAZINE.COM RAT ROD MAGAZINE TRODMAGAZINE.COM RAT ROD MAGAZINE 49
RA
RA
RA
48x49_Downshifting_RR1509.indd 49 6/25/15 7:32 AM