Family Affair: 1956 Buick Century

While many folks build cars as a hobby when not at their 9-5, there are others who do it as a full time job. Travis Haynie is one such full-timer and has been at it since he was eight years old. It all began at his grandfather’s shop in Canoga Park, California where he started off being the “hand-me kid.” I think a lot of us who helped our pops can relate: “Hey kid, hand me the 5/8 open-end/box-end,” or “hey kid, hand me a flathead screwdriver.” I wonder what young Travis would have thought if someone would have told him that his career of automotive work would someday lead him to having his creations on TV and a successful car building business?

Well, if someone would have told him that, they wouldn’t have been lying. You see, today, at age 37, Travis is the owner and operator of Classic Customs LLC in Tempe, AZ. Classic Customs is a full-service, custom build hot rod and metal fabrication shop. Some of the cars Travis has built have even been featured on Speed Channel’s My Classic Car and have received Street Rodder’s Top 100 awards, in addition to other prestigious awards.

While Travis spends most of his time on customer cars, he does find time occasionally to get a project or two of his own done. It happened that his wife, who also helps at the shop, has always had a fondness for Buicks. One day they decided it would be fun to do a project together that the whole family could enjoy. So they wandered down to a buddy’s scrap yard, Southwest Towing, and it just so happened that he had a 1956 Buick sitting among the old iron. They hauled it home and the fun began. Eight months later it was done.

For the most part the car has been brought back to factory specs. However, being the custom kind of people the Haynies are, they decided to add a few touches to the Buick. These include shaved door handles, deleted trunk emblems, a custom grille, Lancer hubcaps, and an extra porthole on each fender with custom trim. Under the hood is a 322ci Nailhead mated to a column-shifted three-speed. Everything else on this fine ride was restored or replaced. Travis did the required bodywork and laid down the factory Buick Blue. Angel’s Auto Upholstery in Phoenix then trimmed the interior in white vinyl tuck and roll.

With the number of cars Travis has worked on and built for other people, it only seemed right that his wife Jennifer should have a classic of her own to cruise around in. So when they completed the project, Travis handed her the keys and said, “Happy anniversary, the Buick is yours.” Jennifer couldn’t think of a better anniversary present. She drives the Buick on a daily basis everywhere she goes. The couple’s boys, Deagan and Parks get dropped off to T-ball practice in style and both dream of following in dad’s footsteps someday and building cars themselves. We’re sure they will, as car building seems to be a family affair when it comes to the Haynies.

Read the rest of this article in ISSUE 25: Hot Rod Revolution