Car enthusiasts help vandalism victim
Updated: Wednesday, 14 Mar 2012, 6:45 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 14 Mar 2012, 6:45 PM EDT

SPRING HILL - Maurice Paradise is still trying to figure out why someone would ruin his pride and joy, a 1942 Chevy truck.

"It's like dying, but life goes on," Paradise said, choking back tears.

The ten year restoration project is trashed.

"Maybe something good will come out of this," he said.

Wednesday, some good did come to Paradise. Members of the Never Done Custom Car Club dropped their own restoration projects to offer Paradise some help.

"It was pretty shocking, but it could bring some good people together and do something on it," said Joey Montague, with Never Done Custom Car Club.

For nearly an hour, the club members inspected every inch of the vintage truck. The head lights are smashed. Tail lights are ripped off, and the lines to them cut. Both interior and exterior are spray painted. Brake and air conditioning lines were cut.

"We can fix the brake lines on it, figure out what's wrong with the engine, wet sand, buff the paint," Scott Bednarke said.

Club members say they can get the old truck up and running again.

"Maurice is one of us. We're into cars. When something like that happens to one of those cars....you want to bring it back to life," Scott said.

The car guys work with their hands, and they get dirty. They say the work they do adds meaning to their lives.

"We do it on a daily basis, this is our life, this is what keeps you going," he said.

Hernando detectives are still search for the vandals.