|
|
Goodguys Columbus - The Main EventGoodguys Gives Us 6,000 Reasons to Come to Columbus From the February, 2009 issue of Rod & Custom By Tim Bernsau Photography by Kevin Lee, Tim Bernsau
|
|
Each Goodguys event has its own distinct flavor, from the early season excitement of Del Mar to the kickback attitude at shows like Puyallup and Rhinebeck to the valley of iron in Scottsdale. For many hot rodders and custom car guys--about 6,000 of them to be sort of exact--the big show of the season is in Columbus, Ohio, in July. The fairground is expansive but spectator-friendly, the indoor and outdoor vendor areas are huge, the swap meet is first class, and even the food is great. But by far, the biggest reason we keep Columbus on our list of "must-go" shows is the outstanding number and excellence of the cars that show up. And Goodguys keeps the show running after hours with more show 'n' shine activity at the host hotel, where the parking lot gets packed with rods by dinnertime and the local streets become a parade of cruisers, with sidewalks packed with local spectators and the air thick with smoke from mysteriously melting rubber. You know how Rod & Custom feels about traditional rods and customs, so when we're here, we're in '40s, '50s, and '60s heaven. Fans of contemporary street rods also have plenty to look at, as well as the truck guys, the musclecar crowd, and everybody else. You might even find something completely unexpected, such as the world's coolest Studebaker Lark. You never know. While attending the Nashville show, we noted a movement toward two-door and four-door wagons. We noticed the same trend in Columbus, and we also spotted a huge number of hot-rodded trucks--from early roadster pickups to postwar Ford F-series trucks to weather-beaten (or faux weather-beaten) classics to handcrafted one-of-a-kind customs. As you can see from our sample of photos, they're everywhere. Enjoy this mini photo album of some of our favorites from Columbus.  Wilson Payne has owned this...  Wilson Payne has owned this '50 Merc for 15 years and just got it together last fall. It's got a 3-inch chop, skirts made from a '55 Chevy, '55 Chevy 210 trim, and '56 DeSoto bumper guards in the grille. The Jim Gilbert interior includes a '59 Chevy dash.  Nobody could've missed Jerry...  Nobody could've missed Jerry Conklin's '51 Fleetline, known around the event as "the yellow Chevy." The paint on this on-the-ground custom is even brighter in real life, tempered by some white scallops. It also features a small-block, off-white interior, Cadillac taillight cones, and, if you look closely, flying eyeball side-pipe plates. Rod & Custom Goodguys Top Ten  Prewar customs as perfect...  Prewar customs as perfect as John St. Germain's '36 Ford roadster are really rare. Extended front and rear fenders, '41 Packard grille, boxed '37 chassis, '37 Packard skirt trim, and '57 Olds dash clock bezels modified for rear exhaust tips are just the beginning of the details on John's ride. The Navarro three-pot intake on the Flathead runs 97s at each end with a Ford 94 in between.  This mostly homebuilt steel...  This mostly homebuilt steel '29 roadster pickup is the second car built by owner Jeff Eischen, and was just finished this summer. We liked the rear quarter-elliptic springs (made from '48 Ford springs cut in half), race buckets that remind us of sports cars more than bombers, and Wheel Vintique wheels modified with drilled holes. The car has 150 louvers and who knows how many real rivets.  Believe it or not, it took...  Believe it or not, it took Bill Layman 12 years to convince the previous owner to sell this '54 Mercury Monterey hardtop. He finally succeeded, and the nosed and decked custom Merc now sports a 3-inch chop, Frenched headlights, and a big surprise inside in the form of a 331-inch Cadillac engine fed by six Stromberg carburetors. It's a beauty.  Alex Test stripped his '64...  Alex Test stripped his '64 Ford Galaxie of all the trim parts and pieces, and drenched the rest with House of Kolor Sublime Green paint, which calls attention to the custom sheetmetal work on this clean car. Did you notice that the Galaxie side-panel spears have been extended all the way into the rear quarters? Imaginative details like that take this car to the next level.  You can't beat the looks of...  You can't beat the looks of Dale Renner's track nose '33 roadster, built with all the right traditional ingredients: Flathead, Toploader transmission with a Jeep trans top, quick-change rearend, and a two-tone paint scheme that would make the Pierson Brothers proud. A pair of LED '39 taillights and an owner-built windshield add to the style of this topless hottie.  Here's another sanitary, more-than-meets-the-eye...  Here's another sanitary, more-than-meets-the-eye custom--Jim Stockton's shoebox convertible, completed a couple of years ago. Jim mixed '50 Ford with Chevy power by adding a ZZ3 350 along with a reliable 700-R4 automatic transmission and a 9-inch Ford rearend. Hood emblems keep it looking deceptively conservative, and Air Ride 'bags hint at a slightly more radical personality.  After seeing Jack Matia's...  After seeing Jack Matia's '63 Impala at all the shows, we finally gave him a well-deserved R&C pick. Dave Rieger and the guys at Classic Revivals handled the construction and paint on this Ram Jet 350-powered custom, and just about everybody has figured out that it's a '60 Plymouth top grafted to the body, just like in Steve Stanford's Custom Rodder illustration.  There's a ton of traditional...  There's a ton of traditional East Coast style all over Matt Hayes' '31 Ford five-window coupe. Matt channeled the unchopped body 5 inches over the Brookville chassis, suspended with split wishbones in front and a four-link with coilovers in the rear. Triple Edelbrock two-barrels top the Chevy 350, matched with a TH350 transmission. The white top, firewall, and tire sidewalls set off the custom blue finish.  The newest addition to Bob...  The newest addition to Bob Phelps' Chevy collection, which contains either a cabriolet or roadster from each available year from 1930 to 1939, is this just-completed '33 cabriolet. The body is the original steel, mounted on a polished stainless chassis that has been stretched 9 inches, and beefed up Heidt's independent suspension on both ends. Power comes from an LS6.  Bill Taylor showed a lot of...  Bill Taylor showed a lot of imagination by taking a humble little Lark and cooling it up into a Stude rod. He did it with a 330-horse small-block, 4L60E electronic trans, Fatman IFS, an original interior, and 15- and 16-inch American five-spokes. The '60 Studebaker has 9,000 original miles on the odometer. We'll see how long that lasts once this car hits the road.  Lobeck's V8 Shop was set up...  Lobeck's V8 Shop was set up in its customary corner at Columbus. One of the mouth-watering rods on display this year was Barry's copper-colored Model A roadster pickup, fendered with yellow-spoke wheels, an engine-turned dash panel, and handcrafted leather seats.  Bob Appleman's '32 Ford pickup...  Bob Appleman's '32 Ford pickup is probably nicer than any truck running around in the '60s ever was, with extensively louvered hood sides and tailgate, big 'n' littles, hairpins, a 283, and lots of gold paint.  Scotty Gray always has something...  Scotty Gray always has something cool to drive. In Columbus, he had spectators drooling over this burgundy '33 Ford coupe. The original three-window body rests on boxed stock 'rails. The Flathead is dressed up with polished Offy heads and triple carburetors. The interior is genuine "pleather" tuck 'n' roll.  Designed by David Brost, built...  Designed by David Brost, built at Steve's Auto Restoration, and owned by Gary Coe, this handcrafted '57 F-100 is just amazing. The body got a 2-inch chop, 1 1/2-inch section, and 1-inch channel. The powerplant is a supercharged Ford SVT 4.6L DOHC Cobra. Suspension includes a Heidt's IFS and four-link. It's unbelievable.  Packard taillights, whitewalls,...  Packard taillights, whitewalls, custom interior, side pipes, orange and gold paint, and an in-the-weeds altitude are just some of the appealing elements of Gary Ritchie's '51 Mercury custom.  Ed and Bev Kurtzman are the...  Ed and Bev Kurtzman are the proud owners of this tasty '53 Ford. They removed some chrome by eliminating the door handles, bumper guards, and hood emblems, but kept the rest, and added a little with side pipes and spots. A '53 Flathead is right at home under the hood.  This daily-driven '46 Hudson...  This daily-driven '46 Hudson hauler is one of three cool vehicles that Glen Reeves brought to the Nats...  ...It tows a vintage Scotty...  ...It tows a vintage Scotty teardrop camper, and has a '59 Simplex motorbike loaded in the bed.  We kept coming back to Ed...  We kept coming back to Ed Gonder's brand-new, old-time, channeled '32 Ford pickup, packed with a '57 Olds J2 motor, and dressed up with red tuck 'n' roll on the bench seat and pie crust cheater slicks in back.  Every yellow fenderless '34...  Every yellow fenderless '34 three-window coupe reminds us of Jim Jacobs' famous Nailhead hot rod from our November 1973 cover, but this is the genuine article, as we could tell from the '37 Ford pickup grille, fat 'n' skinny tires, and four-link suspension (which Pete & Jake's championed 30-plus years ago). The license plate, Jake behind the wheel, and the cop following him were other clues.  This seemingly simple '64...  This seemingly simple '64 Falcon turned out to be not so simple. Merle Eschman kept the hood ornament to help make his 302-powered, five-speed Ford look low-buck, but he added Total Cost Involved A-arms and coils, Grand Am seats minus the headrests, Budniks, and all kinds of details, such as boxed doorjambs and Mercedes silver paint.  Scott Morehouse's '51 Olds...  Scott Morehouse's '51 Olds is a bona fide throwback to '50s sleds. We remember it as Joel Sheipe's custom, modified with '53 Buick headlights, '52 Buick front bumper, '55 Dodge bumpers, and '52 Kaiser rear bumper exhausts. A Camaro subframe, Chevy small-block, and four-speed are other details.  Another Jim Jacobs car we...  Another Jim Jacobs car we love is his yellow phaeton, plastered with magazine pages. Jeff, from Cincinnati, is moving toward that look with the decals and signatures on the firewall of his '32 "tubaroo." We liked the skinny Firestones on painted steelies, custom headlight housings, and--could it be?--Don Garlits' helmet from the '60s?!  Sure enough, Pete Chapouris...  Sure enough, Pete Chapouris and Jim Jacobs, probably better known as Pete & Jake, got back together in Columbus to sign autographs and talk to enthusiasts.  Here's a done-right Deuce...  Here's a done-right Deuce highboy roadster, owned and shown by Jim and Joan Krejci. The leather interior is complemented by a banjo wheel and engine-turned instrument panel.  Curtis Fisher's '54 Studebaker...  Curtis Fisher's '54 Studebaker wagon, built in a contemporary style by Randy Segar, started out as a four-door and ended up as a phantom, topped with a Pontiac wagon roof. A 500ci Cadillac engine powers the car, which is equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes, a Mustang II front end, four-link, and bags.  Mark Trostle's beautiful '32,...  Mark Trostle's beautiful '32, black with green interior, was built on a Lobeck chassis using a new Dearborn Deuce body, and features an SVO 351 with Holman-Moody valve covers, a Tremec 5-speed, Dayton-Dunlop vintage racing tires and wheels, and black-face gauges.  A combination of scallops...  A combination of scallops and flames accentuate the length of Jeff Gilger's '60 Olds 88, with a slammed stance, orange steelies, a Mexican blanket upholstery to cover the seat, and a For Sale sign in the windshield.  Another much-driven, primer-coated...  Another much-driven, primer-coated hot rod is this '32 Vicky. Al Mayer has owned the Deuce for 20 years. The current Chevy 350 is its fourth motor. Al drives the car anywhere and everywhere and plans on keeping it in primer. "Let the next guy paint it," he said.  Butch Fairfield shows off...  Butch Fairfield shows off his Street Rodder Top 10 '31 Model, built reminiscent of a car he remembers as a kid in the '50s. This 5-speed sedan is channeled 5 1/2 inches in front and 7 1/2 in back, over kicked-up Deuce rails. The small-block is disguised with Olds Rocket valve covers.  Another great wagon. The interior...  Another great wagon. The interior woodwork on Bob Wills; '49 Chevy four-door woodie is as nice as the rest of the car. Mike Mayabb's brush created the perfect exterior woodgrain.  Over in the import section,...  Over in the import section, we found this row of nice Anglias. Greg McRoberts' suede '52 came from New Zealand, then Great Britain, before making it to the States. The small-block-powered rod is an Ohio resident now, and gets driven all over.  Don Richardson achieved a...  Don Richardson achieved a great look for his '35 Dodge pickup, thanks to a four-inch dropped axle, and a '52 331 Hemi engine with four carbs, and three-speed transmission. Don started with the cab, followed by the frame, grille shell, and bed, and finished the chassis components in black.  We love to see Willys built...  We love to see Willys built in all kinds of different styles, as long as they never stop building them like this. We didn't get this guys name, but we sure liked the looks of his straight-axle Gasser.  We've always liked Paul Brewer's...  We've always liked Paul Brewer's '32 Ford Y-block pickup, built to replicate a truck he loved as a kid, but was never able to own. A copy of an old magazine story on the original is displayed with the tribute truck, and describes how the first one was chopped and channeled decades ago.  This fendered '32 three-window...  This fendered '32 three-window has been showing up everywhere this year, and has the traditional look nailed. Built on an Ionia Hot Rod Shop custom chassis, it's powered by a Cadillac engine with triple carburetors. Tim Thompson is the smiling owner.
|
|
|