Kid In A Candy Store

Three days, 3,000 cars, one camera. You can see the dilemma. Hiking around the Goodguys Heartland Nationals at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, soaking in some of mid-America's finest iron is like being a kid in a candy store--but it's like being a kid with only enough money for a few treats. Hot rodding is huge in the heartland and Goodguys Des Moines is one of the best places for seeing them. Picking the sweetest is a tough job.

R&C hasn't attended this event since the 20th century, so there was a lot of catching up to do. In addition to all the new rods and customs present, there were cars familiar to Midwesterners that were brand-new to us. A 100-yard trek along the main drag of the show, or down one of the tree-lined side streets, or around the numerous Pros Picks corrals could take an hour or longer. Checking out every car on the grounds--that was pretty much impossible. But we had a ball looking at as many as we could, visiting the vendors, and hanging out at the after-hours parties. When it was all over, we had the further challenge of selecting a handful of the rods and customs at Des Moines to share with you. Here are some of our favorites.

Rod & Custom Top Ten

The whole place was buzzing about Tom Wahl's owner-designed-and-built '51 Ford woodie. Tom was still working to get the wood mounted on the original body only one week earlier. Subtle touches include the curved windshield, 2-inch chop, and recessed Continental spare. The '51 dash was modified and the original gauges were rebuilt with new workings. Drivetrain includes an LS1 and 4L60E trans.	That open hood provides a peek at the 454 big-block that pulls Terry and Shirley Nystrom's green '56 Ford F-100 pickup, heated up with some Dave Bell flames. The truck rides on a Suburban frontend and four-bar/ coilover rear. A Franklin quick-change, '48 taillights, '60 Impala wheels, and Moon gauges are other cool modifications. The upholstery is two-tone brown tuck 'n' roll.	Talk about hot rod history! Former Midget and Sprint Car racer Doc Parsons has been collecting parts for his '23 T roadster since 1959. The Offy Flathead's block assembly was in Calvin Rice's car when he won the first NHRA Nats in 1955. In 1962, Stu Hilborn gave Doc the intake he'd been running on his lakes car. The wheels and knockoffs, front hubs, and quick-change were given by Ted Halibrand. That's Doc's wife Suzy next to him.
You can't beat the overall eye-appeal of Ken Barnhart's traditionally styled, full-fendered, original-steel Deuce roadster, built at Ken's Street Rod Repair in Rockford, IL. Those American Racing Salt Flat Specials and knockoffs look great with the green paint. Lift the hood and there's the 350 GM Ram Jet with a custom injection setup and Moon valve covers.	Nineteen-year-old Derick Samson made a big splash in '04 with his '62 Chevy wagon. This year he's drawing attention with this topless, Galapagos green Bel Air with '50 Chevy gauges, Sunfire seats, and a '50 dash lengthened 8 inches and widened 5. The engine is a Chevy small-block. Derick did all the work himself and is shooting for the Goodguys' Custom Rod of the Year prize.	Jeff Sharer definitely went in a different direction with his '36 Plymouth. It was already a highboy when he bought it. He pinched the front 8 inches and added the '39 LaSalle grille, stretched the wheelbase 14 inches, and punched 253 louvers in the deck. James Crawford provided the pinstriping. A crate 350 with three twos, and a TH350 tranny spins the gears in a Winters quick-change.
George Poteet's '40 Ford truck, built by Dave Lane at Fastlane Rod Shop, has been causing a commotion all over the place this year. The knockout pickup is finished in gold paint with just the right amount of pinstriping. Under the hood, there's a 385-horse 350 small-block, hooked to a Tremec five-speed. White leather tuck 'n' roll and an elegantly cool dash complete the whole picture.	Bob and Mary Mitchell's '32 coupe mixes high-end touches (Italian leather interior) and old-time traditional inspiration (stance, Moon tank), and combines the look of a race car (SO-CAL-inspired paint) with street stuff (full fenders), and makes it all work. Ron Kester built the car, starting with an original body and frame. The 327 runs Enderle stacks converted to EFI.	For many people, a black, slammed, chopped '50 Merc is the ultimate custom. David Wolk from Leavenworth, KS, built this specimen in 18 months, customizing it with '64 Impala seats, '56 Olds dash, Corvette steering wheel, 16-inch Halibrands, and machine-turned interior panels and firewall. Mechanical mods include a small-block with a five-speed, and four-wheel discs.
It's been around a few years, but Randy Wilcox is starting to put some miles on his Troy Trepanier-built '62 Cadillac. The 500ci Caddy mill runs the first set of aluminum heads built for this application by Bulldog Performance. An Air Ride suspension drops the body over the one-off Billet Specialties wheels.