| BG man takes his cars & trucks seriously |
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| Written by HAROLD BROWN Sentinel City Editor | ||||
| Saturday, 28 July 2012 07:25 | ||||
Growing up in Monroe, Mich., along Interstate 75 between Toledo and Detroit, might have had some influence. Pinchoff took a vocational school program to become a mechanic. It wasn't enough for him to work on someone else's vehicles all day. He would work on his own vehicles at night and maybe spend the weekend at car shows, when he wasn't singing. He also enjoys collecting metal die cast cars. The asphalt driveway leading to the garage of his Bowling Green home has a yellow stripe down the middle and the concrete curbs along each side of the asphalt are painted white, like edge lines on a highway. "I've seen people drive by and give a thumbs up when they see the driveway. It's a conversation piece," Pinchoff said. Over the years his vehicles have gotten quite a few "thumbs up" from judges in the form of trophies. If the weather cooperates today, Pinchoff plans to debut his latest work - a 1990 Chevrolet 454 SS pickup truck, at a show Conrad Park in Waterville. "I'm picky about the weather. It takes a lot of time to detail a vehicle. Some of my friends say I 'Jeffieize' because I pay so much attention to detail." Pinchoff got the pickup truck last fall in Pennsylvania. "It was in good shape. It had been painted. I had ideas." He traded a Chevy Camaro and some cash to close the deal. Most deals today seem to be a combination of trades and cash. "To just spend $40,000 or $60,000 for a car, most people can't do it." He has been through the entire truck, redone the rear end (differential) and under the hood, at least partially, there is now a "blown" 502-cubic inch engine that Pinchoff said "will push close to 1,000 horsepower." The truck fits into the pro street class.
"I'm a Chevy person through and through," Pinchoff said. His first effort years ago was a pro street white 1977 Chevy Caprice that featured air-brushed multi-colored graphics. He often uses racingjunk.com as a source for new-to-him vehicles and parts. "I find a lot of stuff on there. I may drive 12 hours one way to get a car." Pinchoff said there's a lot of trading done in the market today, as opposed to more outright sales a few years ago. He said there are also scammers and admits to be duped by one when trying to sell a 1940 Willys Coop. "I saw a '63 split rear window Corvette. I got together with someone who wanted a trade and drove six hours. I called when I was an hour away and was told to meet in a church parking lot," Pinchoff said. "I pulled in and sat there about a half hour. No one showed up, so I called again and was told 'I'll be right there.' No one showed up and I called again but no one answered the phone. I hung around another 30 or 40 minutes and no one ever showed." He suspects the scammer was watching him the whole time because the church was in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Pinchoff said the experience changed his approach. "Now, I agree to meet a person halfway or they come to me." His least favorite tasks on a vehicle project are exhaust systems and electrical systems. "The electrical systems can be like looking for a needle in a haystack to solve a problem," he said. |
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