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Lonestar Round Up Number 10From the October, 2011 issue of Rod & Custom
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Man, I love this show. I was going to say “I used to” but honestly I still do. All the elements that made it so much fun and so cool are still there, but it may just have become a victim of its own success, as it’s grown amazingly in just 10 years, and with that is now attracting some cars that wouldn’t have entertained the show, nor it them, a few years ago. Snobby? Maybe, but I’d hate to see the Round Up turn into a fairgrounds type of event. We’re used to seeing three-window... We’re used to seeing three-window Lincoln Zephyr coupes, so this chopped ’40 five-window made us look twice. Different for sure! Left: Originally hot-rodded in 1948, don’t let the California plates fool you, Cathy and Jack Schmemann’s (forgive me if that’s wrong, the windshield sticker was hard to read) period-perfect ’32 roadster hails from St Louis, MO. The tri-carbed, Flatty-powered Deuce wore entry No. 32 too! Far left to right: The Garage Crawl took us to some neat personal shops and car collections, all tucked away on residential properties on the outskirts of town, and winding up at the local hospital so the ill kids could come out and enjoy the cars. Of course it’s so much more than what happens at the Travis County Expo Center, what with cruising on South Congress Avenue, Saturday night at Austin Speed Shop, the Ski Shores Café cruise on Sunday morning, and this year, the Sunday afternoon shindig at Mercury Charlie’s. But Friday and Saturday at the Expo Center is the core of the event, and to this author, it isn’t about billet, white tennis shoes, and lawn chairs. Whitewalls, bias-plies, vintage mags, mini-bike races, and oily jeans speak more to me, personally. For me, the Round Up is the new “Paso”; cool cars, neat people, and a whole weekend of non-stop activities that makes you want to take a vacation to get over it! Of course Austin itself is a great town with too much to do in a few days, and you can bet I’ll be thrashing on one of my cars to drive out there again next year, though I’m going to try not to do it non-stop next time. We’re used to seeing three-window... We’re used to seeing three-window Lincoln Zephyr coupes, so this chopped ’40 five-window made us look twice. Different for sure! Left: Originally hot-rodded in 1948, don’t let the California plates fool you, Cathy and Jack Schmemann’s (forgive me if that’s wrong, the windshield sticker was hard to read) period-perfect ’32 roadster hails from St Louis, MO. The tri-carbed, Flatty-powered Deuce wore entry No. 32 too! Far left to right: The Garage Crawl took us to some neat personal shops and car collections, all tucked away on residential properties on the outskirts of town, and winding up at the local hospital so the ill kids could come out and enjoy the cars. There and Back This job offers the opportunity to attend rod runs nationwide, but usually it’s courtesy of an airplane and rental car. Not quite the same as attending in your own hot rod. So for the second time running, the ’46 roadster pickup was pressed into service for the 3,000-mile roundtrip to the Round Up. Apart from a speeding ticket, two cautions for a missing taillight, and a brake light switch that bit the dust (thanks to Mark Gustaffson for the use of his shop and tools we got that taken care of before setting off for home), breakdowns were thankfully non-existent this time. Freelance photographer Tim Sutton was my co-driver this year, and graciously took the wheel for the first seven or eight hours, while I succumbed to sleep deprivation caused by several nights working straight through attempting to get the truck painted before the trip. Switching drivers thereafter at every gas stop (every two-and-a-half hours or so) and driving straight through saw the trip completed just in time to join the Garage Crawl around Austin on the Friday morning. Coming home we made it back to the Pacific Ocean in just over 25 hours. Taking a couple of days might be wiser, but it sure beats catching a plane! (There’s nothing wrong with taking a plane, Kev—at least I made the trip! -Ed.)  We’re used to seeing three-window...  We’re used to seeing three-window Lincoln Zephyr coupes, so this chopped ’40 five-window made us look twice. Different for sure! Left: Originally hot-rodded in 1948, don’t let the California plates fool you, Cathy and Jack Schmemann’s (forgive me if that’s wrong, the windshield sticker was hard to read) period-perfect ’32 roadster hails from St Louis, MO. The tri-carbed, Flatty-powered Deuce wore entry No. 32 too! Far left to right: The Garage Crawl took us to some neat personal shops and car collections, all tucked away on residential properties on the outskirts of town, and winding up at the local hospital so the ill kids could come out and enjoy the cars.  Ah, the mini-bike races. Fun...  Ah, the mini-bike races. Fun to watch, we can only imagine how much fun they are to participate in, though with plenty of spills like this, we’ll bet there were more than a few groin strain injuries suffered! For more mini-bike action check the blogs on our website.  We’re used to seeing three-window...  We’re used to seeing three-window Lincoln Zephyr coupes, so this chopped ’40 five-window made us look twice. Different for sure! Left: Originally hot-rodded in 1948, don’t let the California plates fool you, Cathy and Jack Schmemann’s (forgive me if that’s wrong, the windshield sticker was hard to read) period-perfect ’32 roadster hails from St Louis, MO. The tri-carbed, Flatty-powered Deuce wore entry No. 32 too! Far left to right: The Garage Crawl took us to some neat personal shops and car collections, all tucked away on residential properties on the outskirts of town, and winding up at the local hospital so the ill kids could come out and enjoy the cars.  We’re used to seeing three-window...  We’re used to seeing three-window Lincoln Zephyr coupes, so this chopped ’40 five-window made us look twice. Different for sure! Left: Originally hot-rodded in 1948, don’t let the California plates fool you, Cathy and Jack Schmemann’s (forgive me if that’s wrong, the windshield sticker was hard to read) period-perfect ’32 roadster hails from St Louis, MO. The tri-carbed, Flatty-powered Deuce wore entry No. 32 too! Far left to right: The Garage Crawl took us to some neat personal shops and car collections, all tucked away on residential properties on the outskirts of town, and winding up at the local hospital so the ill kids could come out and enjoy the cars.  With killer pearl white pleated...  With killer pearl white pleated upholstery, including the child seat, and subtle yet complicated paint, Chris Shuler’s ’61 Falcon was one cool wagon. The wagon is a rolling advertisement for Chris’ shop, Boerne Stage Kustoms, in Center Point, TX.  Ron Smith’s ’40 coupe was...  Ron Smith’s ’40 coupe was built by Dave Stuickey when he worked for Darryl Starbird and was featured in Hot Rod in the Dec. ’63 issue. Still with the lead bodywork and upholstery that was done in 1960, the Edsel grille is flanked by canted ’59 Chevy headlights. Power comes from a ’58 Vette 283 and B&M Hydramatic trans.  One of the more talked-about...  One of the more talked-about cars this year was Bucky Hess’ Hemi-powered ’33 five-window out of West Virginia. With its tinted glass and hefty chop, Buick drums, and piecrust slick-shod Halibrands, it harked back to the ’60s without going overboard.  No, Ronnie Dobson’s A on drilled...  No, Ronnie Dobson’s A on drilled ’n’ filled B ’rails isn’t unfinished, the radiator plumbing leads back to the trunk. The smoothed cowl featured studs for a tonneau cover, while the alternator was driven by a toothed belt.  Tim Sharp’s ’54 Customline...  Tim Sharp’s ’54 Customline Club Coupe lived up to its owner’s name in appearance, though Ford purists might wince at the small-block Chevy underhood. A cool mild custom was one of our faves.  Our kind of barn find! The...  Our kind of barn find! The Hawkins and Bunch ’35 Chevy Gasser coupe was shown as found, with the exception of a fresh, but period tunnel-rammed small-block, and a new rearend to replace the old trashed Dana 44.  Dropped and chopped and coated...  Dropped and chopped and coated in dark metallic purple, Johnny Torres’ ’50 Plymouth sure ain’t no staid Mopar no more. Check out the slanted B-posts and white fur headliner!  Skinny 12-spokes, a twin 4bbl-fed...  Skinny 12-spokes, a twin 4bbl-fed 6-71-blown small-block, and fat slicks made a statement on Damon and Laura Webber’s ’31 A coupe, backed up by a cage and ’flake race seats behind the green tinted glass, which extended to the headlight lenses. Left: We never tire of seeing ’40 Mercs when they’re done to this level. This one belongs to Buck Wilson from Oklahoma, and sports hood louvers, foglamps, and door handles!  Skinny 12-spokes, a twin 4bbl-fed...  Skinny 12-spokes, a twin 4bbl-fed 6-71-blown small-block, and fat slicks made a statement on Damon and Laura Webber’s ’31 A coupe, backed up by a cage and ’flake race seats behind the green tinted glass, which extended to the headlight lenses. Left: We never tire of seeing ’40 Mercs when they’re done to this level. This one belongs to Buck Wilson from Oklahoma, and sports hood louvers, foglamps, and door handles!  If you wanted prime parking...  If you wanted prime parking at Austin Speed Shop on Saturday night, you had to leave the show early, like mid-afternoon! With bands, food, and drink, as well as the opportunity to tour the facility and purchase merchandise, there was little need to go anywhere else.  To satisfy our journalistic...  To satisfy our journalistic curiosity, not to mention the fact we’d brought our hot rod out to Texas, we cruised South Congress Avenue for a while after leaving Austin Speed Shop. The action was still going strong into the wee hours.  Sunday morning saw us out...  Sunday morning saw us out at Ski Shores Café for breakfast. Turns out we were in good company, alongside Jake Moomey and Fabian Valdez’s Michigan- and California– based Chevys, respectively.  Mercury Charlie hosted a party...  Mercury Charlie hosted a party at his shop on the north side of Austin on Sunday afternoon, and not wanting to miss the chance to see Junior Brown play live, we headed over there before hitting the road back to California. Seeing Junior play “Hot Rod Lincoln” was one of the highlights of the weekend!  Finally in Texas on the way...  Finally in Texas on the way out to Austin, after being stopped twice for a missing taillight, we pulled into a gas station to fix it. Tim took the corroded lights apart—thanks Bonneville Salt!—while I roamed the truckstop store for replacement parts. He’d fixed it by the time I returned.  Eating on the road, and not...  Eating on the road, and not wanting to keep stopping for food, I kept this leftover Denny’s Grand Slamwich warm on the intake manifold for a couple hundred miles. Mmm, tasty!  The loneliest gas station...  The loneliest gas station in the world, or so it seemed in the dead of night. After hours of nothing except suicidal deer, this unmanned lone beacon of light offered gas and a leg-stretch.
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