Pastor Jon Privett often greets his truck with a smile.

Though he’s worked for nearly a decade on restoring the flaming red 1970 Chevrolet C20, he said it’s not a “show” vehicle.

Instead, he regularly commutes to and from various destinations — often going to preach at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene.

He said that working on the truck has been a positive spiritual experience for him. He often uses it as a gateway to start conversations with people when they ask questions about his truck.

Before he began the project, his father-in-law’s death in 1994 brought a dark period to his family’s life.

“That was a tragic loss. It was a tough time,” Privett said of the late Russel Barnes. “That’s why it means so much — because (the truck) was his. It was part of our family.”

Russel originally bought the vehicle in 1988 at Eagle, Idaho, from a church organist.

“He just wanted a camper truck that would pull his trailer for a ride — for horses and hunting,” Privett said.

After Russel passed away, Privett’s brother-in-law, Rich Barnes, drove the truck in Lander, Wyoming.

The Chevy was involved in a snowstorm accident, and Rich was prepared to take it to the dump.

“I knew I wanted it, and I wanted to restore it,” said Privett. “I wish I could have bought it (when Russel died), because I used it all the time with my father-in-law, who was my best friend.”

Rich gave the worn-down vehicle to Privett in 2004, giving it a new life.

Getting the truck home was the first step in a decade-long challenge of fixing it.

A tow trailer broke off near Twin Falls, Idaho. He had to reweld it and continue the return to Oregon.

Later, two of the tires went flat in Ontario before he finally got it back to Baker City.

“All I got to say is it was a journey to go get it and bring it back here to begin a process,” Privett said.

He said the car was a mess when he was finally able to begin working on it. However, the body work is still original. He was able to pound out the metal.

But Privett wasn’t alone in his efforts to rebuild.

He said there are too many people to list who helped him work on the truck, and that he didn’t know much about car restoration before.

“It takes a church to build a truck,” Privett said.

As he has completed minor restorations over the years with his friends, he had a breakthrough beginning a year and a half ago. He fixed the dying engine.

Having driven it for 10 years up to 2015, Privett felt the motor was on the verge of “blowing up.”

See more in the Aug. 26, 2016 issue of the Baker City Herald.