This photo is courtesy of Nate Levine - Nathan Lavine Photography
More Than a Mural
Lancer Service, Inc. where hard work and honesty equals value
By Sheila Cain with Jim Thomas
A couple of months ago I received a call from Jim
Thomas, president and owner of Lancer Service, Inc.
in St. Paul, MN. He called to say that he liked what
we were doing with the covers on our publications.
He went on to mention that I might be interested in
taking a look at the side of his building. Jim told me
about a mural he had commissioned to be painted as
well as the three unique cars depicted. I was
intrigued especially after I saw the photos that Jim
sent me so we agreed to meet.
I was so impressed after meeting Jim, his staff and
seeing the business that I could probably do at least
three articles on them alone. I went to meet Jim and
take photos looking for a cover shot for this issue. We
were working together to bring you a story about the
mural and the cars in it. What I came away with was
a story of a business so much larger than just the pic-
ture on the side of their building. Here was a compa-
ny with a firm belief in quality, honesty, hard work,
and giving the customer a value for putting their trust
in Lancer Service.
Lancer Service, the company
Jim stated, “Hard work and Honesty equals
Value.” In everything they do, say, or print in their
company literature or website, a commitment to qual-
ity resonates with words like value, experience, con-
sistency, convenience, and friendship.
Located conveniently at 8th and Wall St. in down-
town St. Paul. Customers can drop off their car in the
morning for regular service and pick it up after work.
Entrance to the skyway is just a block away. If some-
one prefers to wait, there is a computer available for
their use or they can use the wireless access. The
lounge area is also filled with antique car memorabil-
ia that is unique and fun.
“Technology is common place at Lancer Service.
That can be seen as our loaner car is a 2010 Toyota
Prius serviced only at Lancer. The term “defining the
future of auto care, unlike any other” is more than a
tag line but a way of life,” says Jim. For over 33 years
Lancer service has been providing auto care in St.
Paul with their auto professionals having the highest
of technical experience and training. Their awards
include being one of two AAA “Top Shops” in St. Paul
The Auto Body Journal - Vol. 18, No. 4
and ASE has recognized them as a “Blue Seal Shop”.
A year ago they proved themselves to also be envi-
ronmentally responsible and were accredited with the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency “Green Star
Award”. By “fulfilling the strict requirements of the
MPCA environmental program audit exhibits our
desire to assure a cleaner tomorrow. With every serv-
ice we perform we are taking the environment into
consideration.”
I had an old teacher who taught me that every
product or service had three things, QUALITY,
DELIVERY, and PRICE. They all had to balance for
the product/service to be successful and you can’t
have one without the other. Quality doesn’t do you
any good if you can’t get the product at any price.
Delivery is good but if you don’t have quality it does-
n’t matter how fast you can get it. If you try to sell
just on price alone quality and delivery suffers. As I
listened to Jim talk about Lancer Service, I saw that
they had found the balance. Jim told me that they
were not always the lowest price but their customers
believed that the quality of their knowl-
edgeable service and the efficiency of
the work were worth the price
and having it done right the first
time. All you have to do is go
to their website and read
some of the customer testi-
Jim and Carl Thomas
June/July 2010
monials to see this. Jim believes that the people he
does business with are not just customers, they are
friends and it’s a lasting friendship.
Last year, to his friends, Jim announced his plans
to retire in July 2012. He brought on a new partner in
the business and they detailed a plan for the succes-
sion of the company. Carl Thomas, Jim’s son, will be
continuing the legacy and tradition of Lancer Service.
Carl had worked for Lancer for 12 years, 6 years as the
lead diagnostician, prior to taking on an ownership
position. The planning and forethought involved in
order to make this transition as seamless as possible
could easily be (and may be yet) another article.
The Mural
In early 2000 the city of St. Paul purchased the
property where Lancer Service sat on 8th Street
between Sibley and Wacouta in order to make way
for the development of a new housing project. This
required Lancer Service to relocate one block east on
8th Street. Their current location at 270 East 8th
Street required completely renovating the
existing building into one of the finest
automotive repair facilities in Saint
Paul. “It just didn’t look like a
auto service business from the
outside,” Jim said. So he
decided to commission Bill
Hueg III to do a mural of an
old time service station. Bill is a
June/July 2010
renowned artist who has painted various murals and
has been responsible for many painted signs in St Paul
over the last few decades.
In the mural Jim wanted to include some cars that
belonged to some of his friends as well as his own.
• 1949 Ford Woody Wagon – This car is cur-
rently owned by Greg & Anita Deloy. When
the mural was painted, it looked no where
near how it is depicted. Last licensed in 1962,
the Woody was found in a field in White Bear
Township and was purchased on December
25, 1999. A model car was used for the
mural and as the inspiration for the vehicles
restoration. Now, after a ten-year restoration
including a 4.6 liter computer controlled Ford
driveline and all modern upgrades this car is
nothing short of spectacular.
• 1957 Ford T-Bird - Currently owned by Dr.
Patricia Walker. In 1969, her father, Capt.
Frederick Walker “jumped at the chance to
buy a beautiful pearl white 1957
Thunderbird.” A car aficionado since child-
hood, Captain Walker was the chief pilot for
Air America, the CIA’s secret airline, and lived
in Vientiane, Laos. The car still has the Air
America decal on the windshield.
Dr. Patricia Walker recalls hearing the story of
the car from her father. “A member of the
Lao military, the original owner of this ’57
Bird, had purchased the car long distance
from Laos, in the middle of the Vietnam War!.
The story goes that he was so anxious to get
his new car that he couldn’t wait for it to
Captain Frederick Walker’s
1957 Ford T-Bird being loaded
on to a cargo ship for the voyage home.
The Auto Body Journal - Vol. 18, No. 4
come by boat to Thailand – so he hired a
Bristol freighter airplane to fly his 1957 T-Bird
directly to Vientiane, Laos!”
“After the Vietnam War ended, Capt. Walker
had the ‘57 T-Bird shipped back to the United
States on a freighter out of Bangkok, bound
for the east coast. The Thunderbird spent
many quiet days garaged in the family home
town of Fryeburg, Maine, as Capt Walker pre-
ferred to drive the 1960 T-Bird with more
kids to haul around than could fit in the ’57.”
Dr. Patricia Walker inherited the car in 1999
after the death of her father. “One of the orig-
inal tires finally gave out as the car pulled in
to our driveway in Minnesota. One car’s
amazing world-wide journey was over!” said
Patricia Walker.
• 1955 Chevy Bel Air Hard Top - Currently
owned by Jim Thomas, owner of Lancer
Service. The classic ‘55 was restored in 1983
and other than minor maintenance still looks
great and adorns the original black paint it
was covered with 27 years ago. The car was
featured by A.C. Delco in their 2006 calen-
dar as seen on our website www.lancerser-
vice.com.
Jim added that the mural is available on weekends
to use as a backdrop for your classic car. “All we ask,
if they do, is to please send us a copy or e-mail of the
photo.” All the contact information is on their website.
Beyond the Mural
“Although the classic cars depicted in the mural
are to bring some life to an otherwise plain looking
building the main services provided by Lancer Service
on a daily basis are maintaining and servicing late
model to the every day cars of today,” says Jim
Thomas. Lancer Service is available to take care of
any mechanical repair from the classics to the more
complex technology of today.
The mural may not depict the most common cars
that Lancer services today but Jim, Carl and the
Lancer Service staff come together and convey a
strong message of premium customer service, quality
workmanship, and providing value that goes beyond
the expected. Value that is timeless.
 Compliments of R.J. McClellan, Inc., The Auto Body Journal and The Auto Repair Journal
This article first appeared in the June/July 2010 issue of The Auto Body Journal
and in the July/August 2010 issue of The Auto Repair Journal.
The Auto Body Journal is an independent publication serving the Auto Body / Collision Repair Industry in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Upper Michigan, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The Auto Repair Journal in an independent publica-
tion serving the Auto Service / Mechanical Repair Industry in Minnesota, Eastern North Dakota and Western Wisconsin.
Published six times per year. All rights reserved. Lancer Service has the publishers permission to
reproduce for their own use. Contact the publisher for publication reprint permission.
Publisher: R.J. McClellan, Inc. • 445 Broadway Avenue #5 • St. Paul Park, MN 55071
(651) 458-0089 • 877-525-4589