A heavily patinaed 1957 Chevy 210 wagon is cruising across the United States to raise money for the ALS Association, which works to defeat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Behind the wheel and the initiative is Blake Evans, who owns a physical therapy firm in Texas.

RideTech and a bunch of other companies have contributed parts to help the 1957 Chevy 210 wagon complete its mission. The list of sponsors include Holley, Vintage Flatz, VP Racing Fuels, Betts Performance and Hotrods, Vintage Air, Painless Performance, Digi- Tails, Ciadella Interiors, Micah Doodles and others.

Cross-Country Cruiser

Evans recently founded the Sweet Patina ALS Road Trip Challenge with the goal of touring all 48 contiguous states in an effort to raise money and raise awareness for ALS, a degenerative nerve disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS may lose the ability to speak, eat, move or breathe.

Evans and his family will attend car shows along the way and speak with fellow enthusiasts about ALS and his fundraising project. Evans and the wagon have so far covered 13 states from Florida to Texas.

Evans and his dad found the well-worn 210 wagon three years ago on Facebook. They bought the 210 wagon and immediately took off on the the 2016 Hot Rod Power Tour where they broke down six times.

The original 283 has since been replaced with a crate 350, a Holley carburetor, Champion aluminum radiator, a C5 brake kit from Street Machinery, Auto Meter gauges and Vintage Air AC, according to RideTech. Evans also updated the car with upholstery from Ciadella Interiors and red carpeting.

“You may be able to spot a trend. Blake has replaced every part that has failed him on the road and is about to update the suspension with one of our performance-tuned StreetGRIP systems,” RideTech stated in a blog post. “The car still has its original wiper motor, original rear axle and original paint-what’s left of it.”

The Challenge

The ALS Association helps individuals set up fundraising pages on the ALSA.org page so that donors know they are contributing to a legitimate cause.

The Sweet Patina ALS Road Trip Challenge can be supported by visiting the SweetPatina.com website and donating directly to ALS or buying some merchandise. All proceeds go directly the ALS Association. The effort has raised more than $5,000 since its launch more than seven weeks ago.