We don’t hear a lot about the Sinclair Community College Automotive Technology program, but the staff is working hard to get the word out, and what better way than to open the place up and have a cruise-in?

“We want to give something back to the community, something that’s free, fun, and that supports Sinclair. We also want people to come down and see not only our program, but the whole campus,” explained organizer Justin Morgan, an instructor in the program. “This is the 125th anniversary of Sinclair, so they donated all of the dash plaques. Plus, we also are collecting canned goods for the HomeFull Shelter, to try to help out those less fortunate.”

The weather was perfect, a little warm but sunny, as more than 100 cars made their way into the parking lot. Entrants were eligible for door prizes provided by NAPA, Genuine Auto Parts and Main Auto Parts.

“Performance Finishers, a paint supply company, is also a sponsor and we’ve got WTUE here broadcasting live,” Morgan said. “It takes quite a few people to pull this off, but everyone in the auto tech program is helping. This is a true team effort, I’m just the guy they say is in charge.”

About 20 students were displaying their cars, along with a number of high performance drag race cars. The Boss Bird, a recreation of the famous 1971 Trans Am funny car driven by Arnie Beswick, was attracting a lot of attention. Beswick’s racing shop was destroyed by fire, claiming the original car, but with the guidance and blessing of Beswick, this car has been faithfully recreated to honor the many fast passes on the quarter mile. Spectators continued to peer under the raised body to get a close look at the blown 482 cubic inch Pontiac V8.

Another piece attracting a lot of attention was the brilliant yellow 1955 Chevrolet pickup, a project by Mark and Dustin Holcomb of Brookville. According to the spec sheet by the truck, the father and son team spent five years building the custom pickup, and they did all of the work themselves, except for covering the seats.

The pickup features the original cab and body, but after that, things change quite a bit. The body and bed sit on a 1988 Chevy S10 long-bed chassis complete with S10 rear end and suspension. Up front under the original hood sits a 350 cubic inch V8 bored 60 over to produce 363 horsepower.

That power goes through a GM 700R4 automatic transmission with a shift kit and to the road on 20 inch American Racing Boss 304 wheels and Toyo Proxes tires.

A crowd was constantly around the truck, admiring the craftsmanship and paint, not to mention the polished and shiny lump under the hood.

One older gentleman explained it clearly: “When someone says hot rod truck, this is what they’re talkin’ about!”

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