N.S. man rebuilding classic car to honour late son, encourage mental health conversations

First at Five: Rebuilding And Remembering A year and half after his son took his life by suicide, Wayne Bishop has found some peace and purpose creating a custom car in his memory.

Waverley, N.S. — The garage at Wayne’s Hot Rods and Customs in Waverly, N.S., is lined with classic cars in various stages of work.

Among them, a 1968 Dodge Super Bee, with its new coat of glossy red paint, and a 1932 Ford Roadster, waiting for its new seats.

Wayne Bishop has been rebuilding classic cars for decades. But there is one in the garage that is especially close to his family’s heart.

It’s a 1970 Dodge Barracuda stripped down to its original body -- a project Bishop is taking on with the help of his daughter Kaitlynn.

It’s a symbol of the life he’s had to rebuild after his son, Chris, died by suicide in August 2020.

“It was a Saturday morning, and Chris was gone,” says Bishop.

The loss hit the Bishops hard, as they didn't know Chris was struggling so much.

Chris would have turned 21 years old on Monday.

Described by his family as athletic, outgoing, and witty, Chris shared a passion for vintage vehicles with his father and started helping his dad out by the age of 12.

“I think the very first one that I can remember him helping me, is he was helping me tape up a '68 Corvette, so that was a lot of fun,” remembers Bishop.

After Chris died, his big sister, Kaitlynn, knew what they had to do.

They decided to rebuild a car in Chris’ honour -- choosing the classic Barracuda, or “Cuda” as they call it.

“It's something that he would be so proud of if it was his,” says Kaitlynn.

“Chris liked the faster muscle car,” adds Bishop. “So, we figured that would be a cooler car for him.”

Along with larger tires and a new 6.4-litre Dodge Challenger engine, the car will also sport a racing stripe down the side, with Chris’ name at the rear, along with a shield from the family crest.

It will also be painted a new colour, custom made by Kaitlynn, which will look rich purple in daylight, and almost black at night.

“His favourite colours were pink and purples, and dad vetoed pink,” laughs Kaitlynn. “So, we went with a purple.”

Besides the original body, the rest of the car is being custom built from scratch -- with one goal in mind.

Bishop wants to take the 'Cuda to car shows throughout North America, starting with SEMA in Las Vegas, to get people talking -- first about the car, and then about the reason behind it

It’s a mental health conversation Bishop says more people should be having more often.

“I didn't at first, because my big thing was, what did I do wrong, you know? What did we do wrong? Now I know, we didn't do nothing wrong. I just didn't know, and how am I going to know unless I talk about it?”

Some of those conversations, says Kaitlynn, are already happening.

“I have a very close friend who has been suicidal in the past,” she says. “And she tells me all the time, after hearing mom and dad after that day, she couldn't possibly put her family through it, and that's one person we know for a fact, that we have touched.”

Their hope is to touch so many more.

Bishop says the car will likely take two years and upwards of $200,000 to complete.

The pair has been selling calendars and T-shirts to help raise money for the build, along with seeking help from automotive companies.

They say it will be well worth it, if they can help others who have been touched by mental health struggles, and continue to rebuild their own lives, one piece at a time.