’ve been a professional repair and refinish technician for over half my life. I love my career, and how cars and what they represent are intertwined with family memories from a very early age. My family is from western Canada, south-central British Columbia to be exact, and we grew up around cars. My uncle Herb Pinske’s antique auto wreckers, A&H Used Auto Parts, sold cars and parts from the 1920s up to the 1970s, with a vast array of makes and models. My brother, Blaine Tetz, and I grew up around these cars and learned life lessons along the way.

My Cousin Wayne Pinske was here in Tennessee for a visit earlier in the year and we were reminiscing about childhood memories, cars, tall tales, and family get-togethers. We (possibly over adult beverages …) hatched a crazy plan to drag my youngest cousin Allan’s truck (that he got from his dad) down to my shop to throw a quick paintjob on it and have a family get-together. Ultimately, that plan escalated over the summer and ended up in a weeklong event that started with Cousin Allan’s ’56 F-100 making the 2,400-mile/36-hour journey on an open car hauler with his brother, Wayne, their nephew, Brandon, and Shane Dacosta (Brandon’s brother-in-law) on board.

My brother, Blaine, and Wayne’s son Steve flew in and met us in Nashville just in time to attend the Triple Crown of Rodding, which is an amazing car show! Once we saw the sights, had a nice visit, and got reacquainted, we got down to business.

n the last article on the custom-built DIVCO truck being built at SaltWorks Fab, we looked at the early stages of the body fabrication. This time we’ll take a close look at several important details. SaltWorks specializes in metalshaping at the highest level, and you’ll see that reflected in every component they make, coupled with excellent design.

The shroud for the radiator fan is a perfect example. Even though it fits in the cramped area between the radiator and the engine, the details were handled in an exceptional manner. The supports for the fan motor are very slender to maximize airflow but are reinforced with wired edges to give them extra strength. All the edges and corners have been gracefully rounded, making it an elegant piece of metal fabrication.

The hinges and latches for the rear doors were completely handmade; the handle for the latch features the DIVCO logo. A pocket was made allowing the handle to fit flush, centered on the gap between the rear doors. Although everything looks seamless in the end, the construction process involved many challenging details.

f there was ever a perfect formula for creating an event it would be by fusing sun, surf, and classic trucks together in one cool package. There’s nothing like hitting the open road in your hauler knowing that once you arrive to your destination you’ll have reached a total state of nirvana at the 35th Annual Cruisin’ Ocean City. Located in the charming seaside community of Ocean City, Maryland, there was no better place to be for a fun-filled weekend of festivities where horsepower rules. Well-over 3,000 registered truck and car owners pulled into town, excited to cruise the 10-mile strip to experience what makes the weekend so memorable.

Once you’ve picked up your credentials at the convention center it’s time to hit the streets as you motor past miles of manicured beaches leading you to the Inlet, which serves as the epicenter of the event. It borders the beach and deep ocean with capacity of over 1,500 vehicles, which fills up fast, but thanks to a multitude of other happenings every day, it turns over regularly. Showcasing many of the region’s finest classic trucks, hot rods, muscle cars, and restos is easy with them all gleaming under the sun as they wait for you to check them out in detail. Regardless of whether you dig traditional or a contemporary of a fusion of styles, this event has them all. Adjacent to the Inlet, you’ll find a nostalgic boardwalk that extends for miles, complete with an old-time amusement park, arcades, Ferris wheel, haunted house, and plenty of neat beach-eats to make you remember back to when you were knee-high to a C10 bumper.