|
|
41st NSRA Street Rod Nationals - Nats Showed 'EmThe Same, But Different From the January, 2011 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliot Photography by R&C Staff
|
|
There can't be many people, and certainly not amongst those who regularly attend NSRA events, who aren't aware of the new 1982 cut-off year for the association's events, replacing the previously set-in-stone pre-'49 limit. Concerns had been raised-and strong feelings voiced-at last year's Street Rod Nationals, forecasting doom and gloom for the future. But you know what? Sure, there were "late-models" present, but virtually all were nicely finished '50s and '60s cars, and the pre-'49 rods were still in the majority. The place wasn't overrun with Pro Touring Camaros, Donks, 4x4s, or anything else. There were still over 10,000 cars on site, but the biggest noticeable difference was how many families with young kids were in attendance. The average age of attendees must have dropped by 30 years in one fell swoop! The vendor building at the... The vendor building at the Nats is huge (and air-conditioned!) and takes more than a single day to see properly. Speedway Motors had a couple of T-buckets in their booth, this satin black version catching our eye. Designed to showcase the company's forthcoming traditional T-bucket kit-they already offer three different '23 T chassis-it uses a transverse rear spring and split wishbones; Nats participants could check out these finished examples. Whatever the reasons for and objections to the pre-'82 ruling, the Nats is still the Nats, with the biggest vendor display anywhere, and is still a great weekend. With the shift in participating cars it was hard to spot any new or emerging trends, though stock bodywork and straight subtle paint still seems in vogue. The popularity of traditional cars is showing no sign of abating, with a build quality just as good as the high-dollar stuff they've replaced. In fact they're probably just as high dollar now too! This was the 41st Street Rod Nationals, and followed the format of years past, with bands, seminars, Women's World, the New Street Rod Product of the Year awards, and the Builder's Showcase. Of course we spent the entire weekend either checking out the vendor booths, the swap meet, or shooting cars for event coverage and features. I know, I know, tough job huh? Fitting as they are a distributor... Fitting as they are a distributor for these stretched Model A closed cab bodies from Australia's Waddington Street Rod and Restoration, the Brookville booth housed a bare metal example on a rolling chassis. If you've ever owned one of these, you'll know how small they are inside, and this is the perfect answer, the stretch being behind the doors. This took the NSRA Best New Product Over $500 award.
Getting there is half the fun, right? And given the choice of driving across country with a bunch of other hot rods or flying back to Kentucky to cover the Street Rod Nationals for the magazine, I'd opt for the drive in a heartbeat. So the few weeks before the STREET RODDER Magazine Road Tour was due to depart, I spent night and day in the shop trying to get the project '49 Chevy finished for the drive. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans and all that? I didn't make it. Close, but no cigar. With the '46 pickup out of action too, it looked like I was flying to the Nats, but I ended up riding shotgun with a buddy, leaving a day late, and catching up with the Road Tour in Oklahoma. Driving long distance is always a blast, and at least I know my car will be ready for next year!  The vivid red exterior of...  The vivid red exterior of Andy Behro's '35 roadster is complemented by a stock dash, column, and wheel, and also has an interior stitched in red and black pleats.  I remember seeing a picture...  I remember seeing a picture of Cadillac Ranch, the 10 '49-63 Cadillacs buried nose down just off Route 66 near Amarillo, TX, when I was a kid. I finally got to visit during the Road Tour, though the now graffiti-covered cars are two miles from their original 1974 site, owing to creeping development in 1997. Graffiti is encouraged, though to me it was more impressive when the cars were in their original colors.  Out in the swap meet we stumbled...  Out in the swap meet we stumbled upon this old '60s-style show rod. We last saw it at the Detroit Autorama a couple years back, where it was displayed on Radirs, but otherwise the same. Built in 1956, it had been stored in a barn for decades, and was now for sale in perfect un-restored condition.  If you were after a radical,...  If you were after a radical, almost finished project you could have done a lot worse than this chopped 'n' channeled '39 Chevy pickup with a four-carbed Hemi and '59 Impala dash.  From an era when body styles...  From an era when body styles changed annually, the '62 Le Sabre was the first from Buick with boxy lines. For $13,500 you could've taken this one home from the Nats, where, thanks to the change in cutoff year policy, a number of big-wheeled low '60s cars were present. It's a cool look, and doesn't involve years spent in the workshop!  The Tour stopped for a visit,...  The Tour stopped for a visit, and a fine dinner, at Darryl Starbird's National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum. Here's the Predicta bubbletop, built by Starbird in 1960, starting with a '56 Thunderbird. With joystick steering, it is, like all of Starbird's creations, crafted from steel.  Patrick Hampton stretched...  Patrick Hampton stretched and kicked a Model A chassis to provide room for the tri-power small-block and get the low stance on his chopped highboy '30 coupe.  I've seen the future, and...  I've seen the future, and know what it holds ...  One of our personal favorite...  One of our personal favorite cars on the tour was this '33 roadster. Despite its traditional leanings, it uses an American Speed Company body with retractable roof and side windows.  Jim Evans knows how to put...  Jim Evans knows how to put together a clean car! The detailed engine compartment of his '49 Chevy still housed a straight-six, but with twin carburetors and backed by a five-speed. The sano fastback is a driver too; Evans cruised it down from Hammond, IN.  Ron and Connie Thacker's '59...  Ron and Connie Thacker's '59 Rambler wagon was out of Rollo's Rod Shop in Madison, IN. With an Edelbrock-fed small-block Chevy and dark tan interior, the stock-bodied long roof rolled on polished Americans. This is exactly the kind of car we were hoping to see at the Nats with the explained-year cutoff.  A very hot and stressed Jerry...  A very hot and stressed Jerry Dixey, who leads every Road Tour in a new car built for STREET RODDER magazine every year. For 2010 he's driving this Shadow Rods XL27 roadster pickup, with a Smeding Ford powerplant. The bad traffic into Memphis, 98 percent humidity, and triple-digit temperatures when we visited COMP Cams, had him a little flustered in his topless transportation.  Glen Baughs' '30 A coupe was...  Glen Baughs' '30 A coupe was channeled over a stretched wheelbase 3x2-inch box section frame and powered by a six-pack-equipped small-block. The nicely detailed rod ran Model T headlights, though the wire-reinforced safety glass in the side windows was slightly odd.  How did STREET RODDER Road...  How did STREET RODDER Road Tour leader Jerry Dixey relax after a week of driving a roadster pickup cross country? By spending what seemed the entire weekend cruising his personal T roadster! It was the first time out for the Buick 215-powered T, which runs a Jaguar IRS out back. He seems happy with it huh?  After lunching the motor in...  After lunching the motor in his Model A closed cab pickup on the tour, we spied Jim Rizzo eyeing up this John Force Racing Top Fuel motor as a replacement during our COMP Cams tour!  We couldn't leave Memphis...  We couldn't leave Memphis without at least driving by Graceland and snapping a quick pic.  There's something to be said...  There's something to be said for keeping things simple, though that doesn't make a build any easier! Bruce Vath stuck to a plan-and selected a great color-with his '36 Ford and ended up with a gorgeous five-window. Note the turn signals hidden behind the horn grilles.  You couldn't miss Chris Gifford's...  You couldn't miss Chris Gifford's searing green '65 Impala. With a totally smoothed body and wearing fender skirts 'n' wide whites, it works! The white pleated interior employed matching green piping and a painted dash, tying the interior and exterior together.  Having left a day late, the...  Having left a day late, the first Road Tour participants we came across were colleagues Jim Rizzo, editor of CLASSIC TRUCKS magazine, and publishers Ed Zinke and Tim Foss, somewhere along the side of the interstate in Oklahoma. Foss was piloting last year's Road Tour '52 Chevy, Zinke was in his own Chevelle, while luckless Riz had killed his motor and split his radiator top tank wide open. Despite it being the end of the tour for the A, Jim arranged to have it shipped home and completed the trip in the Chevelle.  Some of the STREET RODDER...  Some of the STREET RODDER Road tour participants at rest at Starbird's museum, where we caught up with the tour after a 25-hour thrash from California.  With a healthy chop and decent...  With a healthy chop and decent body, this Flathead-motored '34 coupe could have been yours for $30,000. At least it could if you'd been walking the "back field" looking for a new car!  Something that we can guarantee...  Something that we can guarantee we'll be seeing more and more of are LS motor transplants, like the LS2 motor in Kurt Blum's '59 Chevy Nomad. With plenty of power on tap from even stock motors, and good gas mileage, they're popular with the later model crowd and are making huge inroads in hot rodding.
|
|
|