[Chrysler300] Re: Chrysler Collector Passes Away

["Wayne Graefen" <wgraefen@xxxxxxx>]

Jess Ruffalo became associated with restorer Bob Schmitt when Bob was getting started in the resto business in Wisconsin.  Bob then moved his business to the Phoenix area and continued to restore cars for Jess.  '91-92 Bob's shop handled the cosmetic upgrade of my 300F Special.  Around the early '90s a collector whose name I recall as " Glen Pax" (?) came to Bob having seen his work on Jess's cars and others Bob had done that went through the Barrett-Jackson auction.  "Pax" commissioned Bob to do a number of 1957 car restorations.  A '57 DeSoto Fireflight convertible I owned was one of the cars purchased and you have seen it in magazines restored in yellow and charcoal.  A number of cars went back and forth between the Ruffalo and "Pax" collections including the DeSoto.  Initially as I recall, "Pax" had in mind opening a museum in Florida but as Branson, MO, continued to boom, he reconsidered and purchased property there.  " '57 Heaven" seemed to be briefly Bob Schmitt's shop name in Arizona but once the museum opened in Branson, the name moved there with the cars.   A lot of this story would be tied up in whether Jess Ruffalo or "Pax" was a primary benefactor to Bob Schmitt's restoration business and I don't know all of those behind the scenes details.
Bob did some incredibly high quality restoration work.  From the beginning, not every car was totally about exacting authenticity and they were often restored with competitive show points judging in mind.  Bob particularly preferred #2 gold cadmium for most hardware, particularly under the hood, even though he knew most of it was originally #1 silver cad or painted over.
I spoke with Jess Ruffalo multiple times over the years.  A true gentleman and true auto enthusiast with a wide appreciation for automotive history including a very specific love of ForwardLook cars.

Wayne


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