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The Great Lakes Nationals - Hot Wisconsin Rods - Expanded for WebAnd Cool Wisconsin Customs At The Great Lakes Nationals In Madison From the February, 2009 issue of Rod & Custom By Tim Bernsau
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The cheese and the cars were... The cheese and the cars were hot in Madison. The weather was cool and wet-but that didn't stop anybody from having a great time. When Goodguys figures out how to control the weather, they won't have to worry about getting soaked at one of their outdoor events. Until that day, we'll all just have to take our chances, hope that it doesn't rain, and deal with it when it does. It was beautiful and clear when we got to Madison, Wisconsin, on the set-up day for the Goodguys Great Lakes Nationals, but the weather report warned us that the wet stuff was on its way. We got lucky on Friday and had a nice sunny day. The Alliant Energy Center seems custom made for a car show, meaning that there is plenty of pavement for the various Goodguys corrals-Homebuilt Heaven, Youngguys, Pro's Picks, Deuces Are Wild, Fins Are Fifty, and Mighty Muscle-and a big grassy area with willow trees and a creek, for rodders who prefer that scene. Mike Freund can be proud of... Mike Freund can be proud of his candy tangerine five-window. It's a Downs body, chopped and riding on a Super Bell front suspension with a rear triangulated 4-bar. Six 94s on an Offy intake top the 350 engine. The interior features a '34 Chevy dash and Glide seat. Best of all, Mike drove the car. We weren't so lucky on Saturday. It rained off-and-on all day (making it easy to tell which photos we took on which day). The showers probably kept some cars away, but we liked hanging out among hardcore enthusiasts who want to, can, and will drive their cars regardless of the weather. We had ten Rod & Custom Top Tin awards to give away. We try to honor owner-built cars whenever possible. That was easy to do in Madison, and many of our picks fit that description. We're always looking for regional trends, and a few things we noticed in Wisconsin were a high percentage of customs, a high percentage of drivers, and a high percentage of good Polish, Czech, and Slovak last names which we apologize for misspelling. When we got to the show on Sunday, the rain was coming down steadily, the vendors were packing up, and Goodguys was sending the hot rodders home. We were disappointed about not seeing our R&C Top Tin picks parked together, and missing the rest of the final day fun, but we'd already had two terrific days at the Great Lakes Nats. We'll forget the crummy weather soon. What we'll remember are the hot Wisconsin rods and cool Wisconsin customs.  Dan and Margie Larson took...  Dan and Margie Larson took the road less traveled with this completely reworked '35 Dodge flatbed truck. He dropped the stock body on a handmade rectangular frame with Pete & Jakes front suspension goodies. There's a 318 under the hood, and '89 Cutlass seats and a '78 Olds steering wheel in the cockpit.  We showed you Steve Hager's...  We showed you Steve Hager's ragtop '46 in last month's Louisville coverage. We liked it so much that we gave it a Top Tin pick in Madison. With a 7-inch stretch in the hood, and skirts built from the rood of this former 4-door sedan, and numerous other mods, it's a great owner-built custom.  Another Louisville alumnus...  Another Louisville alumnus in Madison was Jim Evans' '36 coupe, which got our attention again. The vintage-style LeBaron Bonney interior, Honda motorcycle blue paint, and '57 Thunderbird mill with a '57 Ford NASCAR air cleaner, are part of the appeal of Jim's homebuilt rod.  Ken Barnhart's sweet and low...  Ken Barnhart's sweet and low '55 Bel Air wagon is helping us get over our fear of 4-doors. Ken built it as a sleeper. Under the stocker exterior is nicely done custom cruiser, powered by a Ram Jet V8, with a 4L60 trans and Currie posi rear, plus a Heidt's tubular A-arm front suspension.  When it comes to homebuilt...  When it comes to homebuilt hot rods, it's hard to beat Dennis and Pat Shearer's '27 T modified. We especially liked the frying pan air cleaner, the horizontal shifter under the dash, the Halibrand champ car rear, and the homemade tubular rails. Not to mention the suicide front end, the Hallock windshield, and the bomber buckets covered in leather from an old sofa.  Who doesn't like a wet Willys?...  Who doesn't like a wet Willys? Especially a 392 Hemi-powered slammed '41, riding on an all-tube chassis built by Pro Stock builder Rick Jones. Owner Orland Koppes has 14,000 miles on the car, and says the way it sits right now is the way he drives it. That's awesome. Or crazy.  In addition to it's classic...  In addition to it's classic good looks, there is a mind-numbing amount of trick detail in Wes Johnson's Deuce highboy, starting with the spindle-mounted Torq Thrusts with custom centers. Specially fabricated special fasteners were used all over the small-block-powered roadster.  Of all the places to put a...  Of all the places to put a Hemi, an early Mopar is about the best. We gave Allen and Gloria Longmire's '33 Pymouth PD coupe an award for keeping it all Chrysler-powered, with a '57 392 running Street & Performance EFI, 518 transmission, and 8 3/4-inch rear. Even the purple is a Prowler color complemented by Lexus pearl silver (our secret).  At every show, there's always...  At every show, there's always a car we keeping coming back to. In Madison, it was Jerry Markiewicz' Tudor, another beautiful homebuilt rod. The body is in the condition he found it. The driver is equipped with a Weiand-blown flathead and a repro original frame, narrowed and notched.  There's a lot of history behind...  There's a lot of history behind Nick Kraly's full-fendered '32 roadster, which was a scrapped five-window when he pulled out of a junkyard 37 years ago. It's '70s-era vintage can be seen in the ET wheels, Pinto IFS, and the wooden boat steering wheel (which operated a turntable during the Manhattan Project).  With some sheetmetal shaving,...  With some sheetmetal shaving, tomato red paint, slammed stance, American five-spokes, and custom white interior, Jerry and Doris Johnson turned their '61 Oldsmobile 88 into a cool mild custom. The Olds went home from Madison with the Preacher's Pick award.  Jason Rains found a front-and-center...  Jason Rains found a front-and-center spot on the grass for his butterscotch-flavored '35 Ford Tudor, from Des Moines, Iowa. The LT1 in the mid-to-high tech rod draws air through a custom sheetmetal shroud. Those Budnik rims are a good match to the style of the low sedan.  Selecting one '32 to win the...  Selecting one '32 to win the Deuces Are Wild must've been tough, but Dean Wallarab's traditional highboy, painted Toyota green, was a great choice. The Kilborn bodied roadster rides on slicks and skinnies wrapped around Fish wheels (a one-time Halibrand competitor).  I guess George Pfalzgraf likes...  I guess George Pfalzgraf likes 'em stock. His '52 Chevy Deluxe still runs a 235 inline-6, the original three-speed, and torque tube driveline, plus a stock suspension. It was going to be painted coral, but he opted for PPG Caramel Brown for this shade of the past.  This '58 Rambler American...  This '58 Rambler American business coupe is one of 185 produced, according to owners Ron and Mary Hartnell, who modified theirs with some '03 Pontiac Sunburst Orange paint, and a Chevy drivetrain, Mustang II front and S-10 rear. Nice job.  Lancer caps on a Lancer-that's...  Lancer caps on a Lancer-that's wild. Terry and Nancy Czeshinski pulled about 800 pounds of chrome off the front of their 360 Dodge-powered '55 Royal Lancer, and extended the factory hood scoop all the way forward. The side pipes, frenched headlights, and LED '59 Caddy taillights are cool, too.  What if Chevy had started...  What if Chevy had started building El Caminos in 1955? Mike Poskie imagined the result with his "El Nomad" '55 Nomad, cut to keep people guessing. He took a taildragger approach to the problem and filled the engine compartment with a trusty 350. Whad'ya think?  Here's another used-to-be...  Here's another used-to-be coupe that now goes as a '30 roadster. The triangulated 4-bar rear uses quarter-elliptics as the lower bars in Ron Volla's lowboy. Ron mounted '31 Chevy headlights and '41 Chevy taillights. The paint is brushed on Rust-o-leum, with a 3M pad finish  A grille full of Corvette...  A grille full of Corvette teeth lightens up the look of the grille on Jim Franck's nosed and decked '55 Oldsmobile hardtop. Boat scoops flank the teeth and those wire rims are from Cragar. Jim has been driving the car for three years.  Tony Nardi from Nardi's Rod...  Tony Nardi from Nardi's Rod & Custom Shop had a hand in a lot of the rods in Madison, including his own '51 Merc. He paid $50 for the car in 1972 and pulled it out of a Missouri farmer's hog pen. Since then, it's been dressed up with purple metalflake and gray scallops, and rolls 'n' pleats everywhere including the wheelwells and under the hood.  Cory and Sue Schneider are...  Cory and Sue Schneider are just into driving it and enjoying their '54 Chevy 210. Since they also ride Harleys, they incorporated some HD stuff, such as brake pedals, exhaust pipes, and the air cleaner on the single carb 235 I-6 engine. Some traditional style striping decorates the chartreuse paint job, which pops even on dreary days.  It's got a '34 Hudson coupe...  It's got a '34 Hudson coupe body, but the heart of a Corvette. Wendell and JoAnn Sagendorf are the second owners of the LS1-powered antique rod, which is all original on the outside and loaded with all the available Hudson accessories-not including the reverse rims or Chrysler power seats.  Expect to see more T's like...  Expect to see more T's like Leigh Anne Lemke's '23 in the near future, offering a contemporary take on early '60s styling. From the chromed and polished chassis components, to the Mouse motor with triple Rochester carbs, and an interior that matches old and new, Leigh Anne got it just right.  Tom & Maria Frankenfield took...  Tom & Maria Frankenfield took their '51 Chevy pickup, dropped in a 350 small-block and TH350 transmission, dropped the body, mounted up those Cragars, painted it all candy tangerine and hit the road. Betcha a lot more work than that went into making an old hauler look so good.  Even Pontiacs are welcome...  Even Pontiacs are welcome at Goodguys shows, and Bob Fisher did a great job representing the marque with this tin Indian custom. We especially liked the '54 Chevy choppers filling the grille of Bob's '50 coupe. Lake pipes, frenched headlights, Americans, clean sheetmetal and a few flames add to the overall look.  We'll have to wait until next...  We'll have to wait until next time to see what lives under the hood of Jack Franks' '48 Plymouth Special Deluxe, from Roselle, Illinois. The sun was shining on Friday, so Jack could cruise his beautifully resto-rodded convertible with the top down.  Some 5-spoke Americans and...  Some 5-spoke Americans and a ground-hugging stance add a pile of personality to Torger Mikkelson's '64 Impala SS. The powerplant is a 300-horse Chevy 327 small-block with a Powerglide.  Dave Paszkiet threw some nice...  Dave Paszkiet threw some nice licks, some serious big 'n' little rollers, and a lot of nice details on this '31 Ford five-window, running a 350ci Olds engine.  This techy, two-tone '39 Chevy...  This techy, two-tone '39 Chevy is owned by Jan and Terry Johnson. The top was chopped two inches. The grille was custom laser cut, and the engine compartment loaded with a GM Hi-Po 350 crate small-block.  Cinnamon brown metalflake...  Cinnamon brown metalflake paint finishes John Feuerstein '29 Dodge 4-door sedan. Three sidedraft Webers on a Clifford manifold feed the I-6 mill, which runs an Offy head.  When it's not sitting lower...  When it's not sitting lower than grass level at a car show, Floyd and Judy Dorn's '56 Mercury Montclair can be found on the streets of New Ulm, Minnesota.
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