Local Car Enthusiast Shares Passion for Restoring Classic Trucks
[PICKERINGTON, May 25th, 2024] – A man who has a lifetime of passion for the restoration of vehicles after a neighbor befriended him as a child, has turned their last project into a memorial. He won the Feast of the Flowering Moon car show on Saturday.
Dale Pearce, a Pickerington resident, shared his enthusiasm for classic truck restoration during an interview at a local car show. Pearce, accompanied by the memory of his friend Harley Cook, reminisced about their shared passion for building and showcasing vintage vehicles.
Pearce, known for his meticulously restored 1950s Chevrolet 3100, expressed his love for venturing around in his truck, driving it to various car meets, and interacting with fellow enthusiasts. “I drive it all over the place. I’ve been to Warren County. I’ll drive it 100 miles just to show it, meet new people, and explore new places,” Pearce shared.
Chevrolet’s Advance-Design Truck Series, launched on June 28, 1947, marked the brand’s first major post-WWII redesign for light and medium-duty trucks. Paired with the GMC New Design, it boasted a larger, stronger, and sleeker appearance compared to its predecessor, the AK Series. Spanning until March 25, 1955, when it was succeeded by the Task Force Series, these trucks included models like the Suburban, panel trucks, canopy express, and cab overs. Despite sharing similar front-end sheet metal and cab designs, cab over engine cabs differed significantly, necessitating custom cowl areas. This series dominated U.S. truck sales between 1947 and 1955, with GMC offering rebranded versions.
Pearce reminisced about their shared experiences in building the truck. “Harley and I, we built that truck together. It was a labor of love.”
The conversation soon turned to Pearce’s involvement in documenting car shows across the state. Pearce explained that he records videos of car shows and sends them to Mack Frank for broadcast on Ohio Car Shows and Cruise-ins, a popular car enthusiast Facebook page. “I do it for the guys who can’t get out there. I have some older buddies who can’t make it to the shows, so I bring the shows to them,” Pearce explained.
Reflecting on the origins of his passion for car restoration, Pearce credited his upbringing and his friend Cook. “I grew up around cars, thanks to my longtime neighbor Harley. He’s the one who got me hooked on cars. We’ve built several cars together over the years,” Pearce remarked.
The interview took an emotional turn as Pearce shared the story behind the restoration of his truck and its significance to him. He revealed that his neighbor and mentor, Harley, had recently passed away at the age of 92. “Harley and I built that truck together. When we finished it, it brought tears to his eyes. He was like family to me,” Pearce said, visibly moved, “He’s the one who chose the color turquoise, I fought with him saying don’t you think that’s a sissy color, he told me heck no that will turn heads, when we finished it, I had to admit he was right.”
Pearce said that’s why he takes this truck to car shows, to honor him, “I’ll never sell this truck it will be with me till I die. My daughters have already laid claims on it after that, so it will stay in the family.”
In addition to discussing his passion for car restoration, Pearce shared the heartwarming story of adopting two children. He explained that the inspiration for building a pedal car for his daughters stemmed from their desire to emulate him. “My daughters wanted a truck like mine, so I built them a pedal car. It’s just our way of making memories together,” Pearce shared, his voice filled with pride.
As the interview concluded, Pearce expressed his love for classic cars and the joy they bring to his life. “I just love old cars. They remind me of simpler times. And seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they see my truck, that’s what it’s all about,” Pearce concluded, his passion evident in every word.
Peace was selected as the top winner out of 130 vehicles that rolled into the Feast of the Flowering Moon Car show. He said it was the first time he had been to the show and plans to come back.
A video of some of the other cars is below
