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Hot Rod Car Show - California Gold

Precious Metal From The Goodguys West Coast Nationals
February, 2009
By Tim Bernsau
Hot Rod Car Show
In the 20 years that he's... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
In the 20 years that he's owned it, Mike Smith's channeled '25 Ford T bucket has become a favorite at Pleasanton.
Hot Rod Car Show
Gary Cedoline added a six-pack... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Gary Cedoline added a six-pack of Holley 94s at midnight the night before the show, giving the '58 283 small-block a different look than when we saw the car at Paso Robles earlier in the year.
Hot Rod Car Show
Our favorite wagon in the... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Our favorite wagon in the woodie corral was Gerry and Gail Gamet's '51 Ford.
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The European-looking hardtop... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
The European-looking hardtop in the pro area was, in fact, the smoothest Kaiser you'll ever see.
Hot Rod Car Show
Richard Diamond got help from... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Richard Diamond got help from legendary custom builder Bill Hines in the buildup of his on-the-ground, chopped '51 Merc.
Hot Rod Car Show
Phil Blodgett has owned this... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Phil Blodgett has owned this '36 Ford cabrio for 12 years, but it has only been finished since March 2006.
Hot Rod Car Show
Skoty Chops' chopped '30 coupe... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Skoty Chops' chopped '30 coupe is channeled over a custom chassis, and Z'd 6 inches in the front and 12 in back.
Hot Rod Car Show
When Rick "Zoomie" Hanson... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
When Rick "Zoomie" Hanson was a kid, he built a model of the Black Widow Model T roadster pickup, and has always wanted to build a fullsize version in the style of a late-'50s/early '60s show circuit vehicle.
Hot Rod Car Show
Maybe Buick pickups will start... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Maybe Buick pickups will start getting popular after people see Cliff Brace's '39.
Hot Rod Car Show
It's the ice pearl paint that... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
It's the ice pearl paint that draws people over to look at this '50 Merc, but there's plenty more to see on Chris and Bette Addington's custom, built by Chris along with Tim Robison.
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Peter Scialabba came to Pleasanton... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Peter Scialabba came to Pleasanton with a bunch of beautiful traditional-looking cars and trucks, but the one that really appealed to us was this original-steel '29 Model A roadster, built like it would have looked in 1962.
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We saw Keith Kaucher's '54... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
We saw Keith Kaucher's '54 Ford Victoria custom being built, featured it back in October, and love seeing it at the shows.
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Casey Tollini acquired this... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Casey Tollini acquired this '48 Chevy pickup when he was 12, finished it five years later, and has spent the past three years driving it everywhere.
Hot Rod Car Show
Abel Reyes made minimal external... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Abel Reyes made minimal external mods and kept all the brightwork on this sky blue suede '52 Chevy hardtop, including the hood ornament, but brought the body down to the ground.
Hot Rod Car Show
Soncy Road Body Shop in Amarillo... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Soncy Road Body Shop in Amarillo built this chopped '50 Ford woodie from the ground up for Mike Hamel, using the original wood.
Hot Rod Car Show
This '36 Chevy was already... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
This '36 Chevy was already hot rodded when Bruce Brincka got it about four years ago.
Hot Rod Car Show
Darin Houston owns this small-block-powered,... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Darin Houston owns this small-block-powered, suede-in-the-shade, chopped '32 five-window.
Hot Rod Car Show
You might not think of '53... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
You might not think of '53 Chevys as classy, but some beautiful bodywork, lowered stance, and Thundercloud metallic paint do the trick on Robert and Shelby Smith's two-door post.
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Larry Freeman went the other... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Larry Freeman went the other way with his snow-white '54 Chevy hardtop, retaining the body trim, and building a cool resto rod.
Hot Rod Car Show
Our prediction that Ts are... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Our prediction that Ts are making a comeback was supported in Pleasanton by Gary Hubback's '27 turtle deck roadster, with a pair of Strombergs on a Thickstun intake manifold (with a Thickstun air cleaner) feeding the '36 Bohnalite-head Flathead.
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It must be a blast to drive... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
It must be a blast to drive this cool Deuce highboy, owned by Dave Davidson.
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Russell Martin kept his '22... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Russell Martin kept his '22 Buick roadster true Bu, with the exception of the reshaped and boxed '28 Chevy 'rails.
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This Flathead-powered '31... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
This Flathead-powered '31 coupe was already a chopped hot rod when Garran Soohoo started rebuilding it.
Hot Rod Car Show
Lil' John Buttera has been... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
Lil' John Buttera has been setting trends for decades and drew a crowd with his '28 roadster, built by Steve Moal, Jimmy Kilroy, and John himself.
Hot Rod Car Show
This chopped and dropped '50... 
   
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Hot Rod Car Show
This chopped and dropped '50 Ford, the property of Gary and Joan Levering, looks great with spots, smoothed sheetmetal, side pipes, and a monochrome copper paint job.

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