Southeast Community College...
Southeast Community College showed off the talents of its students trained in the engine-building program. Two teams went head-to-head to build a complete engine from totally disassembled components.
The winning time: 18 minutes...
The winning time: 18 minutes and 34 seconds! The engine fired on the first try and the second team finished just after the first with a second roar of a healthy small-block.
In addition to all the rods...
In addition to all the rods and customs, Americruise draws plenty of vendors-everybody from big-name manufacturers to swappers. This cowboy, or farmer or whatever he is, might go home with some taillight lenses for his project car.
Getting Out Of The Lawn Chairs
The driving events were new additions to the Americruise program this year. Set up mostly for fun, the Autocross sponsored by Air Ride Technologies and the Go & Whoa sponsored by ABS Power Brakes Inc. gave rodders an opportunity to really see what both their car and they could do when they didn't have to worry about getting a ticket or other motorists getting in the way when their foot decided to get a little heavy.
The contestants for the Rod & Custom Rod of the Year and Custom of the Year also competed in these competitions as part of the selection process for the big titles, and the more they ran, the more fun each of the owners had. Look for even more fun on the track at next year's event!
Watching a Model A roadster...
Watching a Model A roadster twist its way through the cones could only be topped by actually hopping in the driver seat and piloting your way through the curves.
Jeff Patchin was the official...
Jeff Patchin was the official winner of most passes made through the road course, as he wrung everything he could out of his Flathead-powered '32 Ford coupe, much to the crowd's delight.
Even the sponsor of the Autocross,...
Even the sponsor of the Autocross, Air Ride Technologies, got into the fun and tore up the course with their '56 Ford pickup. Their '68 Pontiac Bonneville was a real crowd-pleaser because a land yacht isn't supposed to handle that flat.
Bruce Hartford dropped a 5.0L...
Bruce Hartford dropped a 5.0L Ford engine between the front fenders to keep his nosed, decked, and shaved '62 Falcon Blue Oval inside and out. He also added air conditioning and cruise control for long trips, but we're pretty sure he didn't need them while blasting though the Autocross.
This whole family works together...
This whole family works together as they strap down the battery in their ride before taking a shot at the Autocross.
Spinning tires and squealing...
Spinning tires and squealing brakes were part of the show in the Go & Whoa competition.