Peter worked at Pete’s Auto Repair through his high school and college years where he studied Automotive Design at WWU, with the goal of building concept cars for a big manufacture. During this time, Peter was finally able to purchase his dream car, a 1968 Ford Mustang which he worked on changing and modifying constantly. Even swapping in the fuel injection system and overdrive transmission off of a late 80’s Mustang, as well as running 17” wheels long before it was the cool thing to do. He was unknowingly at the leading edge of the Pro-Touring movement. After graduating college, Peter discovered that the automotive manufactures only wanted art students because concept cars don’t actually have to drive. Well crap!

While working full time at Pete’s Auto Repair and trying to determine a new career direction, The Learning Channel debuted a new TV show titled, Rides. Being a car nut with a special love of muscle cars and hot rods, Peter naturally watched every episode he could. When he finally caught the rerun of the episode featuring Chip Foose, Peter knew he had a new career goal. Chip was taking technology out of the new cars, putting it into the old ones, and getting paid to do it! Now, how to make that happen for himself…… By the time the show’s second season started, Peter began to notice a trend. It seemed like every young person working at the shops featured had graduated from the same tech school.

After a little research and touring two of their campuses, 24 year old Peter decided to pack up his college degree and move to Pennsylvania to attend a year of accelerated schooling. Peter timed his drive east from Washington so that he could stop in Las Vegas for the annual SEMA Show. The primary reason for attending the SEMA Show was to find all the cars he really liked and note what company or person had built them. He came away with a list of nearly one hundred places for potential employment after completing his time at the tech school. It turns out that the school didn’t teach him very much, but since he had been working at his parent’s shop anytime he wasn’t in school over the previous decade, it did give him an opportunity to practice some different skills and learn a bit about metal working. During his time in Pennsylvania, he also worked at the Sears Auto Center and achieved his ASE certification as a Master Technician.

Peter arrived in Las Vegas the day before the SEMA Show would open. Being a 24 year old who had never been to Las Vegas before, he set out on a walking tour to see as many famous sites as possible. On the morning of the SEMA Show, his legs hurt so badly that he could not get out of bed. Yup. Having never walked so much at one time, he was stuck in bed after his first day in Las Vegas for very different reasons than most people would imagine. Peter was feeling a little upset at himself and discouraged. Luckily the SEMA Show is four days long, and God works in mysterious ways……. He would find out later that his favorite car of the whole show, Hammer built by Pure Vision, was not even at the SEMA Show on opening day. If you have watched the third season of Rides, you will know the whole story there, but that’s not Peter’s story.

When it came time to send out resumes, Peter spent a lot of time on the internet narrowing his list of nearly one hundred down to a measly forty. Why forty? Well, that’s how many resumes, envelopes, and stamps that said tech school hands you to send out upon graduation. Of those forty sent out, three of them decided to give Peter a call. Unfortunately, between finishing up school and working at Sears Auto Center, Peter wasn’t free to answer his cell phone very often. Over three days, he kept seeing missed calls from one number, but never any voice mails. An internet search showed the number to be that of Pure Vision out in Simi Valley, California. The place that had built his favorite Muscle Car from the SEMA Show! So, on his break between work and school, Peter called the number and had a very nice chat with the owner Steve Strope. Steve invited Peter to fly out for an interview where Peter could see the shop and work with Steve for a couple days to make sure they got along.

Anyone who has met Steve, seen him on TV, or heard him on a podcast, knows that Steve is a very energetic and outgoing personality. On the other hand, Peter is much more subdued and introverted. The “interview” wasn’t so much about learning if Peter was a good fit for Pure Vision as much as it was Steve selling the idea of working at Pure Vision to Peter. When that sort of opportunity is handed to you, you take it! It turns out that Steve had lost his two employees in the preceding few months and was feeling desperate for good help. The upshot, is that Peter began working at Pure Vision as the only employee in February of 2006.

A few months later, Steve’s good friend Kelly Cox came on board temporarily to help the shop get ready for the next SEMA Show….. and he never left. Together, Pete (the Pure Vision crew dropped the R from Peter) and Kelly learned how Steve wanted things done and improved their skills through the years. Every new build coming out of Pure Vision was being featured in at least two different magazines. Pete himself has appeared in Hot Rod Magazine multiple times. They even built cars specifically for the magazines with promotional builds for the likes of Verizon, Timerwolf, Rust-o-leum, and Keystone Light. Pete was highly involved with complete projects for ARP, Mattel, Prolong, and Charles Schwab. During Pete’s time at Pure Vision, the shop was featured on episodes of Hot Rod TV, competed in a reality TV show called Ultimate Car Build Off, had cars in multiple movies, music videos, and even an AT&T commercial. In 2016, the Pure Vision crew got signed for a six episode TV show focused specifically on their work called, Hand Built Hot Rods.

The quality of workmanship performed by Pete and the others at Pure Vision saw customers in the Los Angeles area bringing them cars from other well known builders. Over the years, Pete has repaired and modified cars that were built by Ring Brothers, Hot Rods & Hobbies, Salvagio, Matt Delaney, Nelson Super Cars, Mark Stielow, and Rad Rides by Troy. He has even repaired cars that were built on the TV show Overhaulin’.

Peter’s passion for hot rods, classics, and muscle cars began by seeing them driving on the road. Purchasing a 1968 Mustang while in high school and using it as his daily driver for nearly twenty years has really fueled that passion. Building custom show cars was an awesome experience that he will always treasure, but having his completed works of art trapped in a garage and never driven was eating away at his joy of the work he had been doing. Then, within the span of three years many things happened in Peter’s life to help him realize that he was no longer following his passion. His wife, Shelby, was ready for a career change, his son was starting school, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and the family took a Route 66 road trip. The family did a lot of talking on that road trip, and they realized that it was time for a new life adventure.

After a few chats with his parents, they realized Peter was serious about making some major life changes and moving back to his home town. They suggested that he could use their storage building behind Pete’s Auto Repair to start his own new business. Most general repair shops don’t want to work on custom or classic cars and most custom car builders don’t have the time to do small upgrades or repairs and maintenance. Peter has the repair and problem solving experience of a mechanic, the fabrication, restoration and assembly skills of a builder, and he knows how to work on million dollar show winning pieces of automotive art. Now he wants to help keep the local car hobby alive by using those skills to help you complete, upgrade, enjoy, or simply maintain your pride and joy.

Welcome to Muscle Car Beach!