Once again we have a very local guy in our profile story. Remo Buti was born in Alameda and but grew up in Castro Valley and graduated from Castro Valley High. His father had bought property so Remo had a horse at 13, but by 15 the horse was gone and cars became his interest. The horse barn was turned into a nice shop with a concrete floor.

After High School Remo was headed into a career using his natural artistic ability. He attended art school in San Francisco and even spent 4 months in Rome, Italy, attending

another art school. He decided that the cold winter and school was not that much fun so he returned home. His artistic talent earned him money for car projects, when for $30 -$40 he would draw somebody’s car. He then got a job in the art department at United Technologies that lead to a job at Lockheed doing art work for missile system presentations.

It was 1968 when Remo decided that he was ready for a career change. He investigated and found that Tool and Die Makers had the highest salary scale so he decided that was going to be his new career. Because he had some drafting and machine experience from high school he was able to skip the usual path through the machinist apprenticeship, and went directly to “On the Job” training as a tool and die maker.

He spent 30 years in the Tool and Die business. He met Bob Trueax at the first shop in Oakland. Eventually Remo and Bob became partners with a third person in shop for a period of 10 years. For about the last 15 years Remo had his own shop. He says that the business has been very good to him, and it afforded him the ability to make a lot of car parts.

Remo’s interest in cars goes way back to his early teen years. He and his friends loved to take them apart and give them a custom look. His first car was a ‘49 Merc, a la James Dean. His dad helped him remove the moldings, finish and paint it. After an accident he sold it and bought ‘39 Ford driver. Later he bought a 4 door Chev street rod that got him interested that activity, unfortunately he got too many tickets and his father made him sell the car. In 1957 he built up a Chevy V8 engine, then installed the engine in a Henry J.  Before long he found a ’55 Chevy with no engine or front end so that became the next project car. The engine came out of the Henry J and went into the new project.

He finished the ’55 Chevy project only to decide that it was too common, so back to the wrecking yard where he found a ’57 Pontiac engine. He installed that into the Chevy and that made for a very nice package.

Remo married in 1964 and dropped out of the car project activity. It was some years later that he bought an old Corvette and fixed it up. That was the start of his love affair with Corvettes, he has bought 3 new ones and the current one is his fifth. Bob Trueax was responsible for getting him interested in old cars. In 1978 Remo joined CHVA and bought a ’47 Buick Sedanette from a member. He proceeded take it apart and gave it a restoration that he says now it really didn’t need. The completion of this project coincided with his divorce. His marriage ended in 1980, and he has one daughter now living in Florida.

His attention to detail and accuracy used in Tool and Die making has translated into his restoration work on cars. In 1980 he bought 3 cars about to be crushed for scrap. Two were ’41 Buick Coupes and the other was a ’41 Pontiac Coupe. He has since completed one Buick and the Pontiac. He showed the Buick a number of times and one year it won a first place at the Silverado Concourse de Elegance and the fellow who bought his ’47 took second place.

Remo’s current stable of collector cars include a ’36 Pontiac Coupe, street rod project, ’41 Pontiac Coupe, completed, ’46 Chevy 4 door, modified touring, and a ’56 Chevy 2dr hardtop, about ready to go.

Judy and Remo met in 1980, just after her divorce, and they married in 1983. That is the year they built their present home in the Hayward hills. This home comes complete with a detached 5 car garage including a hydraulic lift.

Judy was born in Willits, Callifornia and grew up and went to high school in Mendocino, she then moved to Oakland for her senior year. Her father was in the logging business so she knows her way around Northern California. She married out of high school and moved to Hayward. She has 2 daughters, 4 grandchildren, and one great grandchild about to arrive. Two of her granddaughters play college softball, so it looks like they will be following the teams to cheer them on. Since one of them is living in Tennessee that may well fit in with her love of touring.

CHVA has been the club that they have the most fun with. Remo says that when he looks back over the years he has many good memories of CHVA events and the good people that have been a part of it.

Published in AAN December, 2004