At 12, one of Dave Carr”s pastimes was scouring the junkyard for old bicycles.
He”d go home with a couple of “junk bikes.” And before long, his bike, a compilation of the best parts from each, would be the envy of the neighborhood.
Some things change: Carr, 45, now has moved on to bigger toys, mostly older-model pickups.
And some things stay the same: He still makes a habit of turning old, unloved modes of transportation into treasure.
Candy red paint glistens in the sun. Forte chrome three diggity wheels command attention. Elevated bucket, alligator-finish seats and wooden flooring in the bed of the truck are just icing on the cake.
“I passed by and saw this truck sitting in a guy”s yard, behind Columbus High,” Carr said of the ”77 Chevrolet pickup.
He saw a vision of what the truck could be, what he, four years later, transformed it into.
Carr spends his daylight hours at his detail shop, Pro Auto Detail, just off Gardner Boulevard.
He opened his own business 11 years ago, after more than two decades working for local dealerships — Sesser, Carl Hogan, Fitzner, Starkville Ford and Mercury. When Carl Hogan bought out Menotti Honda, his last employer, Carr decided to go into business for himself.
He opens shop at 7 a.m. and finishes his last vehicle at 5 p.m.
Before dawn breaks, he”s in the shop, working on his restoration projects. When he closes for business, Carr again returns to his own work, long into the night.
Carr has restored five trucks over the past 25 years, usually selling them and usually at a loss. Carr spends around $40,000 to $50,000 on restoring one vehicle. On the red Chevy pickup, he spent about $60,000.
“With restoration, you”re going to spend a whole lot of money, if you do it the right way,” Carr said. “And you may not make it back. It”s not all about the money. It”s just the love of the job … seeing the vision you had for it out on the road.”
The ”77 Chevy, he said, he may keep.
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