HAWTHORNE, Calif. — Tucked inside a neighborhood in Hawthorne is a garage where classic American cars are being given new life. For builder Johnny Reid, however, the work represents something more personal: a life rebuilt after a devastating accident and a family legacy he hopes to carry into another generation.
Reid has spent much of his life around cars. Growing up in West Los Angeles, he began building vehicles while still in high school, working in a garage alongside his godfather.
His technical skills later followed him into the U.S. Marine Corps, where Reid said he worked on weapons systems aboard military helicopters, including Hueys and Cobras.
“Wiring is just my thing,” Reid said.
After returning to California, Reid continued building cars. Eventually, one client helped change the trajectory of his work.
Reid said an actor wanted a Camaro, so he found one online and helped him purchase it for $35,000. According to Reid, he told him that if the original engine failed, they would replace it with an LS engine.
Seven days later, Reid said, the engine failed.
That Camaro project helped launch more of Reid’s LS engine work and gave clients confidence in his ability to transform classic vehicles with modern performance and technology.
His builds include Chevrolet Chevelles equipped with upgrades such as air conditioning and hydro-boost braking systems, combining the appearance and character of vintage cars with newer components.
But Reid’s ability to continue building cars was put into question after a motorcycle crash nearly killed him seven years ago.
“I broke all my limbs,” Reid said. “I had to learn how to walk again. I had to learn how to talk again.”
The injuries were extensive. Reid said his helmet split during the crash, he suffered a head injury and damaged his teeth. His injuries required multiple plates and metal rods in his arms and legs.
The accident also changed the way he worked.
Previously right-handed, Reid had to learn to use his left hand after losing significant function in his right. Tasks that once required two hands had to be reconsidered and adapted.
Still, Reid returned to the garage.
Finishing a car after the accident became proof — both to himself and those around him — that he could continue doing the work he loved.
Reid said there were moments during his recovery when he questioned what his future would look like. With his legs unable to function normally and movement limited in one hand, he struggled with feeling that he no longer had a purpose.
His daughter became one of the reasons he kept going.
“You have to dig deep and just not give up and keep pushing forward,” Reid said.
Faith also played a central role in his recovery.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” he said. “And I just kept pushing.”
Today, the cars inside Reid’s Hawthorne garage are part of a story that stretches beyond his own generation.
Reid said his great-grandfather, known as RG, built a name for himself and shared the family’s love of cars. Reid’s father and grandfather also loved vehicles. Now, Reid sees that same fascination emerging in his son, who he said can often be found carrying several Hot Wheels cars at once.
“It’s not in the water, it’s in the blood,” Reid said.
Through RG Racing, Reid hopes to make his own mark while honoring the generations who came before him.
For Reid, keeping classic cars on the road has become intertwined with another mission: demonstrating what can be rebuilt when circumstances make the future seem impossible.
His own life may be the most important rebuild of all.
This story was produced by Inclusive Voices Media.
The segment was sponsored by R.G. Reid Racing.
