POCATELLO — Chrome in the Dome is held every March in the Holt Arena, but for the James family, being a part of the show is a new tradition. Father and son, Don and Dennis James, shared their history, journey, and plans for their 1940 Chevy Special Deluxe.

    In 1970, Don drove from Idaho to Nevada to pick up the Chevy to surprise his son, who was in high school at the time, with his very first car. Don paid a total of $250 for the used Chevy.

    Dennis treasured “his precious,” as he referred to his Chevy. It was with him through high school,  college, his move to Alaska. It was even present at his wedding.

    When Dennis went on an LDS mission for two years, however, the car could not come with him. It sat in his father’s garage for years and finally his dad decided it was time to give it to the junkyard. Dennis convinced his father that the car was too special and they could find the time to fix the car up together.

    When Dennis returned from his mission, he and his father ordered and picked up custom parts from all over the U.S. for the Special Deluxe. With a total of three paint jobs and being stripped from the inside out, three years later the 1940 Chevy was transformed.

    “It runs like a tiger but is actually a pussy cat,” Dennis said about his old friend on four wheels.

    The 1940 Special Deluxe is now worth $40,000, according to the James. Dennis still takes his rebuilt high school Chevy for rides with his wife to visit car shows all over Idaho. Dennis doesn’t plan on selling his car any time soon and plans to keep it as a family heirloom.

    “Chrome in the Dome was a fun weekend, it was nice to meet new people and tell them about the cars story.” Dennis said.

    The father and son look forward to doing the show next year as well to continue telling people about the 1940 Chevy’s history, journey, and their future plans for the car. They also plan on bringing a ’65 Chevy Corvette to showcase in next year’s event.