We never would've made it...
We never would've made it to Lincoln without Peggy Vernon from Air Ride Technologies, who planned this expedition and was our combination tour guide/fearless leader/navigator/den mother for the first half of the trip.
East Coast Tour: Following the Sun on America's Back Roads
Americruise is back. The road trip Rod & Custom invented in 1993 had a phenomenal return this past summer after a year away. The fun started with one group of hot rodders leaving from the West Coast and another group leaving from the East Coast, both bound for Lincoln, Nebraska, right in the middle.
I decided to indulge my Eastern roots by cruising with the East Coast Tour, led and sponsored by Air Ride Technologies (thanks, Peggy!). Brent Van Dervort at Fatman Fabrications filled us with barbecue on the night before our departure. In the five days that followed, we covered more than 1,300 miles through eight states, with approximately 30 high-mileage, hard-driven hot rods and customs.
We avoided the interstate highways as much as possible. By keeping to the ambling, two-lane state routes, we managed to enjoy the ride-and see a lot more America-along the way.
We took our time, stopping at Air Ride Technologies in Jasper, Indiana; Jerry Bickel Race Cars in Moscow Mills, Missouri; Linville Caverns in Marion, North Carolina; the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri; and at rural gas stations, small-town restaurants, cruising spots, and (a few times) auto parts stores all across the Eastern half of the United States. We made friends with people we'd never met before, traveled to places we'd never been, and saw things we'd never seen. And you know what it felt like? Being home.
The youngest member of the...
The youngest member of the East Coast Tour was 9-year-old Derrick Adleman, on the road with his grandfather, Tommy Winkel, whose '35 Ford ton-and-a-half was a stake bed cement hauler before he bought it for $500 10 years ago. He added the longbed plus a 350/350 drivetrain. These guys drove from Wisconsin to Charlotte before heading to Lincoln.
On the first full day of the...
On the first full day of the tour, we stopped to visit Linville Caverns in eastern North Carolina. These caverns go on for miles and have only been partially explored. It was a cool tourist stop and a great break from the summer heat-but not for the claustrophobic.
Jim Hiatt and Jim Walker have...
Jim Hiatt and Jim Walker have been friends their whole lives and have traveled around the country together many times, including a few Americruise trips. This year, it was in Jim Hiatt's flamed '40 Chevy. The chopped sedan rides on a Morrison frame.
We're doing it again next year. Keep checking the magazine and the Web site for info on Americruise 2007-and sign up to be part of the fun.
The interstates are faster,...
The interstates are faster, but the two-lane U.S. highways and state routes take you through some of America's great small towns. When we stopped to eat in Carrollton, MO, we drew the attention of local citizens as well as the town newspaper. No wonder, when you pull into town with Will Ander's rodded '50 Seagrave fire truck. A Jasper 454 replaces the stock V-12.
Most race shops are kept closed...
Most race shops are kept closed up tighter than Fort Knox, but we had full access to Jerry Bickel Race Cars and got to spend all afternoon exploring every corner of the expansive shop. Donnie Cross explained that it takes approximately five weeks to build a race car like this one.
They say "getting there is...
They say "getting there is half the fun." We say it's 90-percent of the fun, and figuring out where to go next is the other 10 percent. This year is the 50th anniversary of the day Ken and Jean Wells bought this '36 Ford Club Cabriolet (Jean actually paid for it). It's been through "many experimentations, improvements, and failures" over the years, including dozens of family vacations.
What do famous NASCAR drivers...
What do famous NASCAR drivers do in their free time? Ted Musgrave cruises the back roads of America. In addition to his yellow '56 Thunderbird, which he's been restoring and driving for six years, Ted owns practically every imaginable model of '58 Ford and several other cars. This was his first long-distance cruise.
The other '40 Chevy sedan...
The other '40 Chevy sedan on our tour was this mostly stock version, Americruised by Bruce Estes and his granddaughter, Katie Trippet, who came from Oregon to ride with us to Lincoln. After buying the car in 2005, Bruce added a bored Chevy six-cylinder. He said the car has been done "all week."
On our last night on the road,...
On our last night on the road, the hot rodders in St. Joseph, MO, made sure it was memorable by showing up for a mid-week cruise night. We hated to leave, but by now we were eager to get to Lincoln to hook up with the West Coast Tour and hear their stories.