1927
Dodge Brothers
Four Screen Express
“PADDY WAGON”
This old Dodge Brothers truck was abandon years ago in a Goleta, CA neighborhood.  Well on its way to being reclaimed by Mother Nature, it had been towed by County Vehicle Abatement and stored behind the County Garages in Santa Barbara until it could be salvaged by a local Salvage Company.  Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Deputy Juan Tejeda spotted the truck, and despite it dilapidated condition, he knew that it shouldn’t be destroyed.

Tejeda began a quest to get the truck restored. First he had to have the truck accepted as a county vehicle, and then he had to collect donations, as he had not been given a budget to work with and was told that he would have to collect donations for the project.  After collecting sufficient money to start the project Tejeda heard that the California Men’s Colony in nearby San Luis Obispo, California, had a full Automotive Vocational Education Department as part of their rehabilitation training for inmates.  Tejeda contacted the Warden at the CMC and was assured that the facility had the expertise to successfully complete this type of restoration, which included engine and drive train, body shop, paint shop, upholstery shop, wood shop, and a machine shop that could manufacture parts, if needed.  The only cost involved would be for original equipment parts, and for materials to fabricate replacement items that were unavailable.

In the spring of 1988 the Dodge was delivered to the facility, and the restoration project begun.  In the Fall of 1990 (approximately 3,000 man hours later) the Paddy Wagon rolled out of the facility under its own power and looking better than when it was delivered as a brand new truck.

From the beginning, Tejeda visualized the old Dodge, “flying the Sheriff’s Department colors,” as a widely recognized and sought after display and parade vehicle. Since its restoration, the Paddy Wagon has been in numerous parades and car shows from San Diego to San Francisco and is always a crowd favorite.