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LA Roadster Show and Swap Meet - Topless TreatsAt 45, The L.A. Roadster Show May Be Middle Aged, But Shows No Sign Of Slowing Down. From the September, 2009 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliot Photography by Kev Elliot, Kevin Lee
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If it's Father's Day weekend it means the annual L.A. Roadster Show and Swap Meet has come around again. A well-established tradition for hot rodders in Southern California, this year marked the 45th such event for the club which was formed in 1957. The established format of only letting finished, painted, and upholstered 1936 and older roadsters into the main show area is the main draw. But at least double the real estate taken up by the finished roadsters is set aside outside the gate for the huge swap meet and specialty parking area, where pre-'75 hot rods, customs and other special interest vehicles are made welcome. This year saw a few new additions to the show, with ten or so vintage front-engined dragsters firing up for a Cacklefest on Saturday, wowing many spectators who'd never witnessed such a sight. Or smell! The Pinstripers Gathering for Charity-hopefully to become an annual event-raised funds by 'striping whatever was laid in front of them, with proceeds going to the L.A. Roadsters' favorite causes. Celebrating 75 years of the '33-34 Ford, Steve's Auto Restorations sponsored a corral for Model 40s, awarding 15 special trophies, while on Sunday there was apparently a special area dubbed the Traditional Rod and Suede Show, though many such cars had congregated together since Friday in the specialty parking area. If you were shopping for new hot rod parts, you'd have been able to assemble several differently-styled rods from the parts offered by the hundreds of vendors, selling everything from complete bodies and chassis, through paint and upholstery, to the smallest trim part. And that's without the clothing, lifestyle accessory, and artwork vendors. Celebrities in attendance included Dave Bell (you'll know his Henry HiRise cartoons from Street Rodder magazine) and Henry Winkler, aka The Fonz, both signing autographs and meeting fans, while several other well known hot rod personalities could be seen enjoying the show on what is, for many, a rare weekend off. Or not, as the case may have been, if they were working their booths. I know many people were pleased to meet and talk hot rods with the guys from Ionia Hot Rod Shop, who'd hauled a great rolling chassis out from Michigan. But the highlight of the show for me personally will always be the swap meet, with truly unique, desirable, and hard to find parts down each aisle. Maybe the effects of the economy were hitting home, but I saw very few people hauling large parts back to the parking lot, and many of the projects and cars for sale weren't selling, despite some favorable pricing. But smaller stuff was moving, and most of the people I knew with swap spaces selling realistically priced parts reported decent sales during the weekend. Though it didn't make for great photos, the overcast skies on Saturday were perfect for walking the show without getting burned, a bonus if you'd been to the open house events at both SO-CAL Speed Shop and Walden Speed Shop the day before, though Sunday saw SoCal sunshine of the finest caliber. With 885 roadsters to get around, plus the swap meet and specialty parking areas, there was simply too much to see in one day. And that's a good thing!  If you were looking for vintage...  If you were looking for vintage induction setups you'd come to the right place, so long as you'd brought what's left of your savings! From a McCulloch supercharger for a Flatty, injection systems, 4-71 blowers and tunnel rams, to a new six-carb setup for a small-block Chevy, you could take your pick!  How about this three-window...  How about this three-window '36 already chopped and dropped with a small-block Chevy installed? On a WEEDETR chassis, with the hard work done, there was even an R&C cover taped to the door for inspiration!  The Roadster Show always turns...  The Roadster Show always turns up goodies you rarely see at other swap meets. How about a pair of Halibrand V-8 quick-changes? One was an early Culver City-manufactured item. The one on the right was complete with gears and axles for $2,100.  We spent a good few minutes...  We spent a good few minutes drooling over this old '28 on '32 'rails. It definitely had some racing history, it featured a Model A front axle on an unsplit wishbone and a round tube front crossmember. The top of the roadster body had been modified for a tonneau and rollbar, but otherwise it was in remarkable shape.  Luis Loyola's A roadster has...  Luis Loyola's A roadster has been around for a few years, but we never tire of seeing that blown '63 Studebaker Hawk motor. A blown Hawk was unusual, as these engines were usually found in Avanti models. Owning his own interior shop meant tackling that new top posed no problems for Luis.  Looking like it drove straight...  Looking like it drove straight out of a Don Montgomery book, this '30/31 A wore splash aprons but no fenders, as removing fenders is easy, but you have to lift the body to lose the aprons, so many rode around like this back in the day. It was period perfect down to the seat upholstery, gauges, and Eddie Meyer speed equipment.  Can you work out what Ron...  Can you work out what Ron Williams' custom started out as? The Tucson-based convertible is actually a '36 Ford, despite the later front sheetmetal, and appears to have once been a two-door humpback sedan.  Roadster Show swap meet prices...  Roadster Show swap meet prices may be traditionally a little on the high side, but complete cars and rolling projects didn't seem to be selling this year. Five grand didn't seem unreasonable for a '36 five window coupe, however.  Peter and Jan Wendorf brought...  Peter and Jan Wendorf brought their '32 out from Arizona, and while brown may be subdued, there's nothing subtle about a two-fours-fed Hemi poking out where the hood sides once fitted. Check that cool exhaust too!  As befits a collector of vintage...  As befits a collector of vintage race cars, Tom Malloy runs some cool and rare parts on his '32. Knock-off Halibrands? Oh sure, but check out the Halibrand finned magnesium "lobster" brake calipers, straight from Indy and sprint cars in the Sixties. Malloy's interest in old race cars would explain that quartet of downdraft carbs too!  I could have spent much longer...  I could have spent much longer admiring the modifications on this Valley Custom-esque '40 Ford. It's an ex-sedan-note the radiused wheel openings, rolled rocker panels and lower fenders, sectioned body, and perfectly fitted hardtop. Can't wait to see this one come together.  Ted Jones' resto-style '32...  Ted Jones' resto-style '32 roadster looks like it just needs a set of wires and bias-plies to pass off as a stocker, except Henry's panel fit was never this good!  Make of it what you will,...  Make of it what you will, this A coupe had 'em gawping all weekend. Probably not what your mind conjures up when a twin blown Hemi-powered A coupe is mentioned. It was different, with a swing-away steering column and a hand brake in place of a foot brake pedal, and must have been a packaging nightmare. We'd love to know where those front wheel centers came from.  "The Original Wheelstander"...  "The Original Wheelstander" is how Bill "Maverick" Golden's Little Red Wagon is billed, though I'd rather have seen it on its original rolling stock. It was displayed to attract interest in the Icons of Speed and Style auction at the Petersen Museum in September, where it will be offered without reserve. You've still got time to cash in that 401k.  Roy Brizio and his crew always...  Roy Brizio and his crew always bring out a large group of cars, many of which are fresh. One of our personal favorites was Jorge Zaragoza's just-finished '32 Vicky highboy with a blown Ardun.  A B400 might not be a roadster,...  A B400 might not be a roadster, with its fixed windshield posts, but Ed and Linda Woody's stunning example made it into the show, and we're glad it did! An Offy-headed Flatty powers the Hemet-based drop-top.  This little chopped 'n' channeled...  This little chopped 'n' channeled Model A coupe caught my eye, thanks to its wide-five wheels and brakes, 1/8-inch overbored Flathead and cool stance. It was for sale too, but I was in the market to sell an A coupe that weekend, not buy one!  After competing in the AMBR...  After competing in the AMBR competition earlier this year, Boston-based Kim Vranas' '27 tub has been on display in the Petersen Museum. Husband Chuck drew the short straw (!) and flew out to drive it to the Roadster Show. Now back in the museum, it'll head home to the East coast soon.  With three carbs on a small-block...  With three carbs on a small-block Ford and a heavily channeled body, Jeff Thielman's aptly named Ship Shape Model A is based in San Pedro, near the LA harbor, and was painted by Starlite Rod & Kustom in neighboring Torrance.  Mike Smith took a few days...  Mike Smith took a few days away from his shop, California Hot Rods, to bring out this '25 roadster that looks like it was transported right out of the late-Sixties.  Back in the early days of...  Back in the early days of the L.A. Roadster show, brass-era T-buckets were more of the norm and wild ones like the T Kup built by Dan Woods were the top of the game. The Indy racing Weber-fed Gurney-Westlake 289 is the centerpiece of this retro ride brought out by current owner Brent Unger.  From its Divco wheels in back...  From its Divco wheels in back to the 4-71 huffed small-block under the hood, and rolling on skinny Firestones, Jamie Johnson's '32 five-window hit a nerve. With the price of good Deuce bodies these days, and this one's absence of filler, we thought the $70K asking price didn't seem terribly bad, even with our empty pockets.  This '26/27 T roadster was...  This '26/27 T roadster was powered by a Flathead with Offenhauser heads and a 2x2 Weiand intake. A peek inside revealed a Russetta timing tag from May 18, 1947 secured to the dash for a run at El Mirage with a speed of 108.30 mph.  Steve Legens of Legens Hot...  Steve Legens of Legens Hot Rod Shop wanted to prove that this '36 roadster does more than just look good and decided to drive it out from his shop in Martin, Tennessee, to attend his first L.A. Roadster show.  With a big 'n' little combination...  With a big 'n' little combination we don't see enough of these days, this Deuce roadster featured a Ron Mangus interior, Rod Bods body, and Dick Rodwell windshield and top. It also had its headlights way down on the spreader bar.  Despite the fact it's a cabriolet...  Despite the fact it's a cabriolet and not a coupe, and the flames are totally different, Bob Casper's '33-34 Corral participant is reminiscent of the California Kid. Must be the Halibrands.  We're not sure if Wayne Shantz...  We're not sure if Wayne Shantz and his '36 cabriolet made their way down to the show from their home town of Abbotsford, British Columbia, cruising or transporting but hopefully Wayne was behind the wheel enjoying the trip.
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