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Kid In A Candy StoreA Collection Of Heartland Hot Rods And Customs. From the February, 2009 issue of Rod & Custom By Tim Bernsau
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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.  Eric and Katherine Yohe are...  Eric and Katherine Yohe are close to finishing their '61 Biscayne project. Until the 350 small-block gets cleaned up, we'll just be impressed by the gold paint with early '60s-style scallops and pinstriping, bullet grille, spots, five-spoke Americans, and white tuck 'n' roll.  The whole place was buzzing...  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...  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!...  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...  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...  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...  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,...  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...  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,...  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,...  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.  This '36 three-window, powered...  This '36 three-window, powered by a full-race Flattie and three-speed, was Tom Satterfield's high school shop class project. He probably got an A for the torque tube rearend, '40 Ford hydraulic rear brakes with '53 F-100 front drums, red and white interior, and spun aluminum wheel covers. Tom graduated 30 years ago, but he drove the coupe to his reunion.  Rudy Ruedisueli thought the...  Rudy Ruedisueli thought the new Firestone dirt track rubber from Coker might make for a rough ride on the road trip to Des Moines, but they rode great. His flat-black roadster, running a 350/350 combination, recently got some new graphics, rims, and Josh Shaw 'striping.  If Watson-esque is a word,...  If Watson-esque is a word, then it could be used to describe this purple and silver '56 Chevy 210 hardtop, owned by George Duryea from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. George shaved the handles and custom-fabricated a grille, but kept the side trim and hood ornament. The engine/trans combo is a reliable Chevy 350 and 700-R4 automatic.  The guys from Meguiars picked...  The guys from Meguiars picked Seth Wagner's orange and champagne '50 Ford for the Magnificent Masterpiece prize. Tony Nardi built the coupe, which features a blown Ford Motorsport 351, Tremec five-speed, and 9-inch rear, as well as five-spokes from Billet Specialties, and some wild paint.  A dropped posture, some nice...  A dropped posture, some nice dark green and tan paint, Boyd Coddington wheels, updated custom interior, and just the right amount of sheetmetal shaving does a lot for the looks of Bob Moore's '55 Chevy, which sits in the perfect position between resto and overdone. An LT1 engine with a 700-R4 trans move the clean '55 along.  Terry McCanless' '33 Plymouth...  Terry McCanless' '33 Plymouth gives you an idea of what might have happened had Chrysler started building Hemi 'Cudas about 40 years earlier. Terry's highboy coupe has a 426 Chrysler Hemi riding on those dark copper framerails. Big 'n' littles and suede paint add to the look.  Randy Wilcox's new ride is...  Randy Wilcox's new ride is this '59 Cadillac, kept close to stock, right down to the 390 with the original Hydramatic trans. The obvious departure is the 2-inch drop and some 18-inch Intro wheels with Pirelli meats. Randy bought the car from the original owner, with 27,000 miles on the odometer and every oil change sticker still in the doorjamb.  James and Michelle Wolk treated...  James and Michelle Wolk treated their '37 Ford to a bunch of custom modifications, including a custom convertible top, '39 Merc bumpers, VW taillights, and leather buckets inside. The black and charcoal paint is separated by subtle red 'striping. The small-block-powered ragtop has been on the road for 12 years.  This '29 highboy Tudor started...  This '29 highboy Tudor started out as a complete, all-original barn car. Rich Holte turned it into a gorgeous hot rod, riding on Deuce 'rails and powered by a 331 Hemi with quadruple Strombergs, and a 727 Torqueflite. It was a Rodder's Rep Pick in Des Moines, and an R&C cover car in the July issue.  The Goodguys Street Sweeper...  The Goodguys Street Sweeper award went to Gary Garnick's on-the-ground, chopped '50 Merc, stuffed with a Flathead motor and punched with 192 hood louvers (if we counted right). Gary loaded his custom with all the mods a traditional leadsled should have.  We'll leave you with one more...  We'll leave you with one more pickup--Mike and Renee Jones' bronze '33, tattooed with a little bit of white scalloping on the front and rear fenders to match the megaphone headers coming off the 350 Chevy engine. The Jones' went home with the Chopped and Dropped Award.
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