When most teens dream of their first car, they picture cruising with friends or impressing classmates. But for 17-year-old Connor Hedrick of South Easton, Massachusetts, the real thrill isn’t just driving his 1987 Firebird Grand Turismo — it’s the fact he rebuilt it from scrap metal with his 76-year-old grandmother by his side.
What began as a childhood love of Cars movies and Hot Wheels toys evolved into a full-scale automotive adventure for Hedrick and his grandmother, Deborah Luke. The duo, who once built a go-kart together, decided to tackle a bigger challenge as Connor neared driving age.
“I’ve always been into cars. Since preschool I’ve been watching car movies, Hot Wheels,” Hedrick said. Luke, a self-repair enthusiast, saw an opportunity to pass down skills she’d honed decades ago. “Instead of paying for things, you can do it yourself,” Luke said.
Connor Hedrick and his grandmother Deborah Luke have spent months together working to rebuild a car for Hedrick to drive. Photo by WJAR
Their project car — a rusty Firebird GTA T-top stick shift — was discovered on Facebook Marketplace and purchased by Hedrick’s mom. “The motor was done in it, just destroyed,” Hedrick said. Undeterred, the pair spent two years wrestling the engine into shape. “I would pretty much show up at her house and be like, ‘Alright, we’re going to do this today,’” he added. Luke, who grew up tinkering out of necessity, embraced the role of mentor.
He wanted to learn about it, and if there was something I didn’t know, we looked it up and watched videos,” Luke said.
Their teamwork hit high gear during the car’s electrical repairs. “The electrical — that was the most fun, the electrical right Connor?” Luke quipped. By summer, the Firebird roared to life, earning Hedrick bragging rights — and whiplash-inducing reactions. “Most time they’re like, ‘What?’ They don’t even know what to think,” he said. Luke, meanwhile, relished the nostalgia: “It’s wicked fun,” Hedrick said of driving it, while Luke said, “This is the icing on the cake. Doing it with my grandson makes it even better.”
Not every chapter was smooth. This fall, the car sputtered with faulty valve seals and low compression. Yet the pair remains unfazed, tweaking their masterpiece between laughs and grease stains. “It feels amazing, it’s like the best reward ever getting to just fly around in it,” Hedrick said. For Luke, the real payoff is simpler: “That’s the best part, to see him get so excited about it.”
Connor Hedrick and his grandmother Deborah Luke have spent months together working to rebuild a car for Hedrick to drive. Photo by WJAR
Between engine swaps and oil changes, the project became a testament to family grit.“It definitely brings us closer, we were hanging out almost every other day trying to get this going,” Hedrick said. “I’m super impressed. When we first started working on it, there’s mud all over the yard and she’s crawling up under the car helping me out. It’s crazy.”
As their Firebird nears its comeback, Hedrick and Luke agree the memories outweigh the horsepower. “It was absolutely the best time,” Luke said.
“It definitely brings us closer, we were hanging out almost every other day trying to get this going,” Hedrick said. “I’m super impressed. When we first started working on it, there’s mud all over the yard and she’s crawling up under the car helping me out. It’s crazy.” But for Luke, it’s all about the time spent with her grandson. “It was absolutely the best time,” Luke said.
