Keco Dent Tech of the Week: Eldon Crusha
Eldon Crusha is an inspiring, veteran collision technician and rebuilder whose courage and character sets him apart. Eldon entered the automotive industry at just 16 years old. His father owned a salvage yard, and he worked with his dad to rebuild 1964 Mustangs. If you want to be a successful rebuilder, you need to stick with one type of car, so you have extra parts. Since then, Eldon has switched to building Ford pickups. Eldon would build cars, drive them for a while, then resell them. In fact, he’s only bought one new car. “I’ve had one new car in my lifetime, and I had to have it at the time or I wouldn’t have bought it. I didn’t have time to build one.”
Eldon was first introduced to GPR at the SEMA Vegas show. Chris White vividly remembers the first time he met Eldon. He said Eldon was watching Johnathan work his magic, and he asked if Eldon wanted to try it out. Eldon replied, “I can do it.” Chris was confused and asked if he’d done it before. “Nope, but I can see it, so I can do it,” Eldon replied.
From then on, Eldon integrated GPR into his rebuilding process. He uses GPR to fix big dents in car parts, whether he is rebuilding an entire car, or selling the refurbished parts to other rebuilders. His favorite Keco Body Repair tools are his Robo and his modified K-Beam. Eldon’s K-Beam has an extra puller and a foot on one end, to act more like a K-Bar. His favorite tab is the centipede, which he also has modified by putting an eye bolt in the side to pull metal sideways. He even sells Keco tools to rebuilders who show interest in his process.
Eldon has been a husband to his lovely wife, Linda, for almost 60 years. They have two children, one of which used to help him in his shop, but has gone on to start his own business. He has several grandchildren that he enjoys building bicycles and chipping golf balls into the trees with.
Eldon’s hard work and tenacity is unwavering, even in the midst of incredible obstacles. In February of this year, Eldon was diagnosed with lung cancer. The cancer grew quickly, so he was pumped with as much chemo therapy and radiation they can give a person. Eldon lost nearly 40lbs, weighing only 100lbs at one point. Thankfully, by the grace of God, Eldon is now cancer free. He just completed his last chemo therapy treatment, and his scans came back clear. “The Good Lord took care of me,” Eldon said. He never stopped working, just took things slowly and rested when necessary.
Through trials and adversity, Eldon has kept on pushing. The threat of COVID-19 is real and frightening for him, but he just wears his mask and keeps on living. While Eldon has been through a lot recently, he stated that working from home and spending more time with his wife has truly been a blessing.
