rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com
CANTON — Bill Spencer takes great pride in his auto business, Spencer’s Car Care. The business is located right off of Route 14 just outside of Canton.
Spencer’s Car Care specializes in rust repair, however, Spencer also works on patching, auto detailing as well as general mechanics when he has the time.
Rust forms when bare metal gets exposed to water, iron and air and starts corroding from oxidation.
Rust repair on a vehicle is important to fix because it can spread, and also lead to bigger issues on the vehicle. If left untreated, rust can eat right through metal, causing holes and allowing parts of the body to fall to pieces. A lot of vehicles rely on the body panels for their structural integrity.
Rust is no match for Spencer’s multiple decade-worth of skills. Though it’s time-consuming work, it’s what Spencer loves to do and why he has his shop.
“I was out helping my dad when I was younger. I can remember changing a radiator in the middle of winter with no garage (at the time),” Spencer laughs, “Which isn’t bad unless you get the antifreeze on your hands.”
Spencer bought his home and garage in May of 2012 to take care of his mother while still working from home in his garage.
He gained some skillset when he helped his father in the garage.
“I learned a lot from him,” said Spencer, who also spent many nights after his regular job teaching himself as well.
By high school, he was going to a vo-tech school in Williamsport for auto body repair in 1976-1977. He worked half days at a local body shop in Troy his senior year.
“I like the challenge of the rust repair, but the (human) body gets old,” said Spencer, who sometimes even has to worry about his health due to his job.
Still years away from retiring, Spencer and the business aren’t going anywhere anytime soon!
He works with other local mechanics in the Canton area, and they all help one another with specific aspects of what needs to be done on the vehicle.
At the time of the interview, Spencer was working on a vehicle for LeRoy Township. Local mechanic Brian Krise was working on the general mechanic aspect of the truck, while Spencer was tasked with the job to remove the rust from underneath the doors and panels.
“Seeing what it (the vehicle) looks like when it’s done after you’ve done your thing,” replied Spencer, when asked what his favorite aspect of the job is. Like seeing his own finished projects, he also enjoys watching restoration shows too.
“I like the old muscle cars. I’ll go to a car show just to see what they’ve done to them,” he said.
Spencer’s Car Care is located at 12018 Route 14 in Canton. To schedule an appointment, call 570-673-3739.