I always enjoy going to Texas. It gives me a chance to visit with a few friends, and the weather is generally pretty nice for cruising a hot rod. I've used San Antonio as my base the last couple of times I've gone out there for some shows and got together with some of the guys from Vintage Air who are always willing to jump in their hot rods and put some miles under them.
I twisted their arms this year and got them to lend me a '52 Chevy hardtop they had sitting around to use as my rental car for the week. If you can picture a Texas barn car, you get the idea. It's straight with faded and rubbed-through paint but has a 350 and 10-bolt. Up front, though, it still has the stock suspension and drums (a little more arm twisting and it might get some dropped spindles and discs for my next trip). Even with the heavy braking and steering, it still beats driving to a car show in a rented Grand Am.
We hit the road with four hot rods and made the required burger and ice cream stops along the way. It wasn't long before we pulled into Fort Worth and checked into the hotel. We still had lots of daylight left, which allowed those of us with the non-show cars to sit around, supervise, and commentate while the Deuce coupe among us had its under-carriage cleaned.
The next day, we headed into the Texas Motor Speedway and soon found ourselves surrounded with more show cars than we'd seen in past years. The numbers weren't the only thing going up, as the quality of cars keeps getting better. The weather held out, although it got a little hotter each day and finding shade wasn't always easy.
The trip home was made a little more exciting, as the slightly out-of-balance tire turned out to be a bad U-joint, which came apart and allowed the driveshaft to drop out. Kind of an odd feeling checking your rearview mirror and seeing your driveshaft exit the back of the car. A relatively quick roadside repair and we were back on the road.
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Looks like Mike and Sharon Brown went right down the hot rod checklist. Chopped? Check. Hemi? Check. Bright color? Check. |
It didn't look like it was going to rain to me, but these Texas guys come prepared. |
Goodguys Lonestar Nationals Top Ten
Gassers are hot, and one of the best I've seen lately is Joe Gateley's '55. He kept it simple and to the point. A 355ci small-block, Muncie M21 four-speed, and '59 Oldsmobile rearend with 5.14:1 gears give it plenty of strip flavor. | 
Not many people can say they own a real 1933 Ford roadster pickup, and we only know one who can say he owns a '32, '33, and '34. Bill Lindig's latest rides had just rolled out of Bruce's Rod Shop in Spring, TX, with a 308ci Flathead, T5 five-speed, 16-inch Kelsey wires (rears widened), Halibrand quick-change, Magnum dropped I-beam, and original Lincoln brakes. |
James McClelland's 3 1/2-inch-chopped steel '34 five-window looks like it's ready for the lakebed. A '60 Corvette 283 and T10 four-speed were dropped in the stock 'rails along with a Winter's quick-change perfect for those high-speed runs and then driving home afterward. | 
The Starliners were one of Ford's best designs ever, and Jack Benge knew a good thing when he saw it and left most of the stock exterior design as is. The drivetrain and interior were fair game though. Underneath, this Starliner is all '97 Lincoln, from the 4.6L engine to the rearend. Air Ride Technologies adjusted the stance, and 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties wheels fill the fenders. |
I like resto rods, and if I were building a phaeton, here's what it would look like. Mike Davis beat me to the punch with his steel '33 Ford sitting on a Total Cost Involved chassis with Heidt's IFS and a four-bar rear suspension. Power comes from a 302 Ford backed by a C4. | 
If I were looking for something to put a bunch of miles under and carry a group of friends, this would be it. Kenny Allen took a classic and improved it. The '38 Packard has had 3 inches taken out of the top and is now motivated by an Allison five-speed automatic shifting an '02 GM 8.1L big-block. A Fatman IFS and Currie 9-inch complete the chassis. Custom Boyd Coddington 18- and 20-inch wheels with SUV tires fill the fenders just right. |
Certainly not the most mainstream hot rod material, but Van Scalco saw something in this '63 Rambler American's design and made it work. A carbureted 302ci Ford resides under the hood now backed with a C4 auto and '80 Lincoln 9-inch with parallel leaf springs. A Fatman IFS was used up front. | 
Wayne Davis knows how to blend vintage parts in a killer combination. His steel '35 Ford roadster sits on the stock frame with a dropped axle and 9-inch rearend. A '57 T-bird gave up its dual-quad 312 and three-speed overdrive for power. Other modifications include the 2-inch chop, '40 Ford dash, and '40 Mercury seat. |
As if '38 Ford woodies weren't odd enough, Carolyn Smith swapped '38 Ford Standard front sheetmetal onto hers to make it even more so. The body still retains most of its original wood (the inserts have been replaced). The chassis features an EFI-equipped LT1 and overdrive automatic, early '60s Chrysler torsion bar IFS, and Ford 9-inch. | 
At first I thought Darrell Moseley's '40 Ford convertible was just another super-straight black street rod set off nicely with a set of ET mags. That was until he popped the hood and I was hit in the face with the dual-quad '57 392 Hemi. The convertible rides on a Pete & Jake's chassis with an MII IFS and 9-inch. |