One of the best philosophies for building a custom car is to avoid making changes just for the sake of change. Each alteration should be purposeful and beneficial with the goal of improving a car's shape and flow.
The same thing can be said about custom car shows. If you're going to make a change, make sure it's for the better.
Chris Ryan ventured all the...
Chris Ryan ventured all the way from South Carolina to showcase his stunning '48 Cadillac convertible, which sports a sectioned hood and frenched headlights among its many subtle modifications. A contemporary LS1 mill and Fatman front suspension with airsprings make cruising more comfortable.
For the 30th anniversary of the Leadsled Spectacular, KKOA President Jerry Titus decided to make the most significant change since moving the event to Salina, Kansas, in 2005. With encouragement from the city, Titus relocated the 2010 show from its edge-of-town home in Thomas Park, to the larger, centrally located Oakdale Park. Fortunately for all of us, the move was both purposeful and beneficial.
The most obvious benefit was size. Oakdale Park allowed the show to spread out much more comfortably, with plenty of room for continued growth. This is good news, since official entries jumped more than 50 percent over last year's show. The final tally was more than 1,500 vehicles.
Thankfully, the new locale still has plenty of shade trees, with the added bonus of being positioned where there's a little more breeze-an important detail when it's late July in Kansas! The park also has a great circuit of cruising lanes, plenty of room for vendors, and an amphitheater that was perfect for the pinup contest and musical entertainment.
It was great to see the Kopper...
It was great to see the Kopper Kart clone out in the sunlight and among the custom fans who can truly appreciate the effort that went into recreating it.
As always, there were plenty of things happening to keep car guys happy throughout the weekend. The Friday night drags have become a Salina tradition, and this year featured a cackle fest with historic front-engine dragsters and legendary drivers. A doo-wop concert on Saturday night brought a different kind of music to the air. And all weekend long you could find Linda Vaughan and Paul LeMat greeting fans, Gene Winfield chopping a top in the Godzilla Garage, or the KC Slammers showing off some genuinely cool scale-model customs.
For 30 years now, the KKOA has given custom car enthusiasts a much-needed national show to call their own. If they continue to make purposeful changes like they have recently, you'll be hard pressed to find anything more Spectacular than this annual custom gathering in Salina.
Jack Walker knows classic...
Jack Walker knows classic customs, having owned many great originals and clones. So it should be no surprise that his latest-this '41 Buick designed by M.K. John and recently finished by Dave Dolman-evokes the rich style of Westergard and early Barris creations. It won the coveted 777 Custom Crown award.
The news of Larry Watson's...
The news of Larry Watson's death may have dampened spirits at the Spectacular, but the presence of his influence was as strong as ever. The 'flaked top and panel painted body on John Tretten's '59 El Camino looked like they could have come straight out of Bellflower in the early '60s.
Bill Johnson's Michigan-based...
Bill Johnson's Michigan-based '49 Merc first debuted at a Leadsled Spectacular more than 15 years ago, but its classy, timeless lines still look fresh today. A tastefully chopped and padded top, rounded corners, and frenched lights are just a few of the well-designed mods that make this red 'sled so sweet.
Voodoo Larry brought his chopped,...
Voodoo Larry brought his chopped, sectioned, shortened, and very green Voodoo Idol '46 Ford and earned the Most Spectacular Leadsled award.
Top chops don't come much...
Top chops don't come much more perfectly proportioned than the one on Roy Fields' nicely sliced shoebox Ford sedan.
We can only imagine the cool...
We can only imagine the cool feeling of cruising from Illinois to Kansas in an open-air custom as smooth as Julius Alexander's frenched-light, shaved-trim, DeSoto-grilled, and Cad-capped '50 Ford.
You've got to dig the simple...
You've got to dig the simple '60s style of Lou Calasibetta's latest Pontiac, this '64 "Green Prix".
Mild custom Chevys don't get...
Mild custom Chevys don't get much more perfect than Ron and Wren Gallup's '52 Bel Air. Subtle touches include Olds headlight rings and hubcaps, extra grille teeth, shaved emblems and handles, and tastefully frenched Buick taillights.
A DeSoto grin and shaved trim...
A DeSoto grin and shaved trim is the formula for cool on Scott Webster's Texas-based Crown Vic.
Pinstriper Butch Tucker pulled...
Pinstriper Butch Tucker pulled out all the stops on his drop-top '51 Ford. Well-integrated Olds headlights, Pontiac taillights, a DeSoto grille, flared front wheel openings, and flush-fit skirts highlight modifications on a body that's tastefully two-toned with handmade side trim.
Don Beason's '54 Buick is...
Don Beason's '54 Buick is just what a real-world mild custom should be-clean, simple, functional, and fun.
Can you imagine seeing this...
Can you imagine seeing this candy-coated pair coming down the highway? Jake Moomey cruised his chopped '54 Chevy all the way from Michigan to Kansas towing Dorr Johnson's Model A on an open trailer!
The Friday night drags are...
The Friday night drags are always a blast. How cool is it to see something like Eric Myers' nose-up '56 Chevy blasting down an old airstrip?!
You can't have a Leadsled...
You can't have a Leadsled Spectacular without a chopped Merc or two. There were scores of them in the special Merc Gathering corral. We liked David Posson's textbook example.
After logging 97,000 miles...
After logging 97,000 miles criss-crossing the country, Bob Klessig's custom Chevy convertible earned a fresh paintjob before the 2010 cruising season. We rarely saw it parked all weekend.
You can always count on Dan...
You can always count on Dan Cuellar to make the trek from Southern California to Salina. His '57 Chevy pickup is loaded with custom tricks.
Don't mess with Jerry Schlemmer's...
Don't mess with Jerry Schlemmer's blue suede shoebox-this smooth Texas cruiser looks great just the way it is.