“It was a day I’ll never forget…I was 15-years-old,” says Sgt. Will Conyers, Ret. “My uncle was a car guy and always had nice looking cars, and I loved to hang around with him. One day he offered to take me for a ride in his chopped hot rod. I was so excited, as I got in on the passenger side. The seat was only inches high, almost like sitting on the floor. I will never forget looking out those small windows and how powerful the engine sounded. It seemed like all eyes were on us, as we rode around the city.”

Will says that is was then that he was hooked forever.

He says it wasn’t long after that initial ride that he started saving for a car of his own. Right around the time he got his license, he found a 1949 Plymouth 4-door that “needed a paint job, but ran really good.”

Will says that he couldn’t pay for the car out-right, so he paid in installments from a job bagging groceries.  He’d stop by the lot to make his payments, and he was able to drive around the block, from time to time, until he paid off the car. 

“It seems that from then on, throughout my entire life, I have had some nice looking street rods-- some I built myself,” adds Will.

He says that he can’t even count the number of cars that he has owned.

“It was a standing joke that I’d go to school with one car and come home with another,” he says. 

Some of the nicest cars that Will has owned include a ’48 Chevy Panel Truck, a ’41 Chevy 2-door and some vintage patrol vehicles, like his current pride and joy.

“When I was in the Air Force, I became a deputy sheriff on the east coast of Florida. And, my passion for beautiful old iron was always with me, during my 22 years of service. I always wanted to have a classic police car, and after some time, my dream came true.”

Will owns a 1950 Ford 4-door, with a 239 engine, and he says it turns a lot of heads as he “tools on down the road.”  He adds that people blow their horns when passing the car, and some people even slow down, because they are unsure if he’s driving an actual patrol vehicle or not!

“But, the cops give me the thumbs up,” he says.  “I don’t have an department listed on the car and I don’t use the siren.”

Will adds that he takes the Ford to a lot of car shows, and the car has won several awards. 

“But, my biggest kick is having the kids come by for a look and answering all the questions I get.”

He says that he makes it even more special for children by handing out personalized sheriff badges and 911 stickers.

“The kids of today never saw a flathead engine or an old police car in person," he says. "I enjoy working on and driving my patrol car. It’s kind of like what I need to do, now that I am retired.”

Story by: Becky McLaughlin