By PAUL WILLIAMSON
Reprinted courtesy of the Winnipeg Sun (February 3, 2006)

After hearing this story I think you will all agree my pal and local Mopar maniac Pat Kaniuga is the hands down winner for 2005 son of the year.

Pat pulled a whopper on his 75-year-old father Mill this Christmas, presenting dad with a near exact replica of the white 1967 Dodge Dart he purchased brand new from Century Motors on Main Street May 25, 1967.

"I always joke that I got into Mopars through osmosis because I was literally minutes away from being born in the front seat of that car," said Pat. A year and a day after purchasing the car, baby Patty was driven home from the hospital in it.

Dad's original Dart served the family well, it even pulled a tent trailer on summer vacations that are among Pat's fondest childhood memories. Time took its toll on the old Dodge though, and it was stripped and sent to the wrecker years ago.

"The car got real rusty in the '70s," said Pat. "I assumed possession in 1984 when I got my licence but when one is 16 years of age and influenced by the General Lee, one does more breaking than fixing."

Pat hung onto a few of the car's original parts before finally selling them off last year while he and wife Sherry prepared to move into their new house.

Over the years Pat has always had a warm spot for '67 Darts and wanted to find a clean one to restore for Mill. He thought it would be a nice way to not only recognize what a great dad he has always been but also thank him for inadvertently introducing him to the wonderful world of Mopars.

The search for just the right Dart proved tough. After years of looking Pat discovered this little sweetie with a for sale sign in the window at the Fabulous 50's Ford Club's Garden City car show last fall.

Pat quickly tracked the owner down and, in a typical Manitoba moment, discovered it was the same guy who had bought the few remaining parts from dad's original Dart the summer before. When the seller explained the grille on the car was actually from the Kaniuga's original car Pat knew it was the right Dart for dad.

Pat is no stranger to Mopar acquisition and restoration. In the last 20 years more than 20 Mopars have received the Kaniuga treatment. His present stable includes a bona-fide '70 Plymouth Superbird and a '69 Dodge Daytona clone.

Like the original Kaniuga car, this '67 Dart is a 270 two-door sports hardtop with a 225ci slant six under the hood. The car was in nice shape with only 48,000 original miles and a mint interior but, unlike the original white car, it featured faded red paint.

With time working heavily against him, Pat stripped the car clean and sent it to Ralph Sommerfeld of Auto Resurrection for paint and body. Ralph rapidly worked his metal magic, fixing a minor dent in the fender and repairing a few small rust spots before applying a crisp white paint job.

With the colour change complete the car was reassembled by Pat and his father-in-law Russ Kubara just two days before Christmas. The entire project took less than six weeks to complete from start to finish.

The car is almost an exact clone of the original. It even has a reproduced Century Motors decal on the trunk lid and the glove box contains an envelope stuffed full of the original car's documentation and service records that Pat has been hanging onto for years. The final touch was placing the family's vintage metal Pik-Nik cooler in the trunk.

The reveal came Christmas day when Pat tricked dad out into the garage and presented him with a plaque that featured an original Dodge Dart brochure and his old Certicard warranty card and an owner's manual.

Mill was pretty excited about that gift, but when he found his old "world's greatest dad" key chain complete with Dodge keys attached to the back of the plaque he began to get really excited. With the family watching Pat directed him to the car hidden under a cover and the magic was unveiled.

"I can't describe the joy and smile on his face when he peeled back that car cover," Pat recalled. "When he saw that Century Motors decal on the back corner of that white Dart his face just lit up."

Mill and Pat intend to spend some quality father/son time in the old Dart this summer and are sure to create some new memories. This story sure reminds me that cars are much more than inanimate objects -- they represent moments that no one can ever take away from us.

The other thing I was reminded of is that behind every good son there is a great father.