“it’s crazy. i never would have thought he would be the biggest draw on my facebook page,” said Jerry patrick, owner of aka Junk. “we usually get around 3,000 hits for most of our creations, but we got about 20,000 hits. people really like mater.” you might not think creating a rustbucket like mater from “Cars” would be so involved, but patrick is confident he’s invested more than $10,000 on the project. “that truck started as a 1957 Chevrolet wrecker, but then i bought a one-ton 1984 fire truck that had only 30,000 miles on it,” patrick said. “We took the body off the fire truck and put this down on top of it. now i have power steering, power brakes and a much nicer, newer suspension. “it may look like a total piece of junk, but at the end of the day you’ve got a good, healthy 350 engine, a good drivetrain, and everything under it.” when patrick attempted to set the wrecker body on top of the fire truck bed, it turned out to be 14 inches too wide. “if you want to keep mater accurate, you’ve got to have that narrower look for the truck bed in order for it to look
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right. we had to split the bed right down the middle and bring the whole thing in 14 inches.” but, as patrick will attest, functionality is just as important as aesthetics. “after the bodywork was done, then you have to do the wiring — because if you’re like me, everything has got to work. all the brake lights, headlights and all the goofy little lights on top — they were all old and rotted, which is good because you definitely want that authentic look. so then we had to go in and install brand new light sockets, but we had to be really careful because it’s important we don’t destroy the original housing.” after all, children are his toughest critics, according to patrick. “i don’t want kids calling me out on my work. they’ll say things like ‘why is that headlight out on the wrong side?’ i had to break the chicken light that sits on top of the roof just right so it looked exactly like mater’s. kids have a keen eye for detail ... but i like that.”
byproducts of an almost mad scientist mindset. In one spot is a truck that sits on a dump-truck chassis, with the two beds welded together. Next to that sits a white Trans Am that has been transformed into a monster truck. “I mean, who doesn’t need one of those?” Patrick joked. Pointing toward a rust-covered 1969 Dodge Charger that was salvaged from the woods, Patrick is uncertain what to do with it. Usually, making a General Lee replica from “The Dukes of Hazzard” is the popular choice, but, according to Patrick, it appears someone has already attempted to modify the car into what’s known as a Superbird, with its distinctive, high-mounted rear spoiler. “I ran the VIN numbers on it and it was a stock Charger. But, you know, it might be fun to actually turn it into a Superbird. We’ll see.”
A NOD TO TEAMWORK While surveying his kingdom of creations, Patrick is quick to cast aside the notion he’s a one-man operation. “Let me tell you what. My wife, Valerie. She allows me to be ... me,” Patrick said. “While I live by the motto ‘I’d rather beg for forgiveness than ask for permission,’ my family and friends are incredibly supportive. My number one employee is Joe Metzger, who is also a Coweta County fireman. He can do everything from fabricating and welding to paint and body. Also, Michael Worth helps me with paint and body, and Jose Cervantes is my interior man. Without these people, AKA Junk could not exist.” What are Patrick’s ultimate goals? “If we could get a 20,000-square-foot building set up down here with really cool displays in the front of the building featuring all the TV and movie cars in their own settings, we could then use the back 80 percent of the building for fun birthday rooms, conference rooms, and a perfect place to show off and store all kinds of street rods and rat rods. It would