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Lifters Car Club King of Clubs
Run What Ya Brung In The Sun
January, 2010
By Kev Elliot
There are some shows that for whatever reason become a "must-do" on many people's calendars. The Lifters Car Club's King of Clubs event is just that. This July saw the fifth such event, and my third consecutive year. Held on a Saturday at the eighth-mile dragstrip on the Barona Reservation, just east of San Diego, it offers the chance to put your rod or custom up the strip-and inter-club rivalry is encouraged with trophies in three classes: street, flathead, and race, as well as five bands and a burlesque show on an outside stage. There are more vendors every year, with beautiful surroundings and some killer cars. While not a car show as such, by which I mean the cars are scattered throughout the venue, mainly grouped closely together in what is usually the pits area rather than parked neatly in rows, it's definitely a nostalgia-type event, and attracts cars and clubs of that ilk from as far away as the Los Angeles metropolitan area, though San Diego is a hotbed of traditional rodding anyway. While the huge, plush Barona Casino is a mere 6 miles away at the other end of the reservation, and ideal for those who want a comfy bed at night, many, including us, elect to pack a tent and stay on site, rising lazily on Sunday, wending our way down the mountain to Escondido, and hitting a cool old roadside diner for a much-needed hearty breakfast. And that's part of the fun of the King of Clubs run; the road trip there and back is through great country scenery and winding mountain roads. The "Run What Ya Brung" is friendly, and the whole event is laid back, yet never leaves one lacking for something to do or see. Now can we have it for two days next year please guys?  Host club, the Lifters, had...  Host club, the Lifters, had their rides assembled en masse between the pits and the vendor/stage area, pretty much the first thing you saw as you entered the venue. These guys worked hard throughout the event to ensure it ran smoothly, from assembling and disassembling the stage to helping the announcer in the tower on the track, and even manhandling an errant roadster back to safety when its owner decided performing brodies with no front brakes was a good idea at the top of an embankment! Top work guys. |  Though there was a Flathead...  Though there was a Flathead racing class, it seemed to consist of Bean Bandits club cars. The Fordor A sedan on the right, owned by Derby Patterson, won the class, also contested by fellow club member Aaron Oaks in his channeled '30 coupe. |  '53 Chevy Sport coupe featured...  '53 Chevy Sport coupe featured a number of subtle body mods, the most distinctive being the '56 Packard Clipper taillights in their stock housings, and a reworked bumper to suit, frenched headlights and a v'd 'Vette grille. |  Marky Idzardi brought the...  Marky Idzardi brought the Purple People Eater down to San Diego and silenced a few people who didn't believe the car even ran, let alone would make a pass down the strip, with squirrely, smoking runs the order of the day. You'll have to check out the video clips on the HAMB, 'cause I arrived too late to see it run! |  Butch Caltins (Lifters) and...  Butch Caltins (Lifters) and Dale Van Zant (Road Devils) face off in the final of the race, or El Mas Chingon class. Shame I wasn't on the other side of the track when Dale pulled this wheelstand in his Poncho-powered Chevy coupe, which has received a straight axle and primer repaint since last year. |  There's something about the...  There's something about the shape of a '53-54 Studebaker Starlight coupe that makes 'em great drag or salt racing cars. 'Course, fill the engine bay with injected Olds power and it gets even better! The Olds V-8 uses a 90-degree bank angle, which gives it the big-block-type width. |  You can bet with a big-block...  You can bet with a big-block and bias-plies this A coupe is fun to drive, and with that motor concessions to modernity such as disc brakes and a four-bar located rearend make sense. |  Thanks to Rich Benson's win...  Thanks to Rich Benson's win in the street class on the strip, the Cat Killers took the King of Clubs trophy. These guys were racing non-stop and deserved the trophy for their participation alone. |  For some reason T-buckets...  For some reason T-buckets aren't often built in an early style; though we love the slightly later '60s style too, the fact that this one runs split 'bones front and rear, early Ford binders and bias-ply tires makes it all the more appealing. |  You'd have to have vision...  You'd have to have vision to see the possibilities in a stocker, but look at what a neat kustom a '46-48 Plymouth coupe makes. Adding fender skirts and losing the squared-off rear wheelwells makes a huge difference, while this one's received extensive bodywork to fit a Packard grille, in addition to the roof chop. |  Last time we saw Terry Wallace's...  Last time we saw Terry Wallace's '39 Ford coupe was when we shot it in Santa Maria, though he's a San Diego resident, and member of the Turks C.C. Now missing the back bumper as well as the front, Terry won the Best in Show trophy, or as he put it when collecting his award, "Every time I take something off the car, I win something!" |  Just under 200,000 210 Chevy...  Just under 200,000 210 Chevy sedans were built in 1954, and it seems that 90 percent of those survivors have had their roof chopped! This black 'n' flamed 'n' chrome reverse rimmed version is a cool way to continue that trend. |  Rich Benson of the Cat Killers...  Rich Benson of the Cat Killers won the street class in his '30 Model A pickup against Victor Mack, taking the King of Clubs trophy, and managing to beat slick-shod cars while using bias-plies. This is the final, in which Victor's coupe spun the tires off the line while Rich headed for the finish line. |  With a hefty z'd rear and...  With a hefty z'd rear and kicked up front 'rails, this cut-down Model A-turned-roadster pickup sits low over its stretched wheelbase. Lightening holes were drilled everywhere from the backing plates to the engine mounts, though they probably defeat the purpose of the carb scoop somewhat! |  The crisp lines of a '65 Riv...  The crisp lines of a '65 Riv really don't need anything major to improve 'em, other than slick paint, and this one's got exactly that, with pinstriping and subtle silver leaf scallops. Of course, the full tuck 'n' roll white interior helps! |
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