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30th Annual West Coast Cruisin' NationalsThe 30th Annual Cruisin' Nationals From the November, 2011 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliott
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Friday night sees an organized... Friday night sees an organized cruise on Broadway, with a few blocks either side of the host hotel, the Santa Maria Inn, closed off to regular traffic. Though fun, it wasn’t hugely busy, and after a few passes we pulled into Shaw’s for a well deserved tri-tip meal, having been on the road for six hours and then joining the cruise without stopping! Thirty years. That’s a long time for anything continuous. It was back in September 1982 that the first West Coast Kustoms Cruise was held at Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles, California. Some of the biggest names in custom building showed for that first event, including some little kid named Chip Foose, who showed up with his dad, Sam. The show moved around a little as it grew (it went to Hollister in 1983) before settling in Paso Robles for many years, and now established in Santa Maria. Always primarily an event for customs, feathers were ruffled when traditional hot rod clubs, such as the Shifters, started turning up, then latterly an influx of lowriders in Santa Maria, but this year those numbers were down, and it was business as usual with mainly traditional customs and rods. Of note was a definite rise in numbers of ’60s-style mild customs with panel, scallop, lace, and ’flake paintjobs, cool interiors, and low stances. Just a different kind of traditional, if you will, and great to see, as this type of car represents an affordable starting point in what can be an expensive pastime. For the second year, Broadway was closed to regular traffic for several blocks between 7 and 9 p.m. for the organized City Cruise. Fashionably (or predictably, however you look at it!) late as usual, we rolled into town around 7:30, the new paint still tacky on the ’46 roadster pickup, and gate-crashed the cruise for some photo ops. Saturday followed the established formula of kicking back at the Fairpark, checking out the cars, bands, traders, model car show, and the Brush Bash. That was followed by an auction of the work created during the day in aid of the Alzheimer’s Association, a cause dear to organizer Penny Pichette, as her husband, and this show’s founder, Rich Pichette, succumbed to the disease last year. After hours, you had the choice of the party at the Rancho Bowl or dirt oval racing at the Santa Maria Speedway. Sunday saw the addition of a swap meet at the Fairpark, though a prior engagement saw us pointing the ’46 back south, glad the following day was a public holiday, offering the rare chance of a lie-in!  Chris James hails from Rosamond,...  Chris James hails from Rosamond, CA—yeah where the dry lake is situated, a fitting location for such a cool early style A-V8, though this one uses a Tri-power-equipped early Chevy small-block rather than a Flathead. Those huge brass-ringed headlamps set it apart.  You may recognize this ’55...  You may recognize this ’55 from its Hot Rod Deluxe cover appearance last year. An original Gasser, stored for almost three decades since the late ’60s after San Fernando Raceway closed, Lompoc’s Dave Miller purchased the car preserved as it last ran, then restored it without over restoring.  Bridging the lowrider/custom...  Bridging the lowrider/custom gap (OK, this time it’s my turn to get the lowrider hatemail. —Kev), this ’61 Chevy long roof featured subtle paintwork on the roof and hood, over a very straight black base.  Maribelle Franco’s ’36 three-window...  Maribelle Franco’s ’36 three-window may have featured stock bodywork, and an almost-stock stance over steel wheels, but her paint choice really sets off this curvaceous body style.  Stephen Wilson’s ’29 A sedan...  Stephen Wilson’s ’29 A sedan had one of the wildest-looking induction setups we’ve seen in a while, with four sidedrafts and another quartet of downdrafts. Are they all hooked up, we wonder?  Mark Sanchez’s just-finished...  Mark Sanchez’s just-finished ’50 Chevy looked like it was still wet, with gold ’flake over black. Extended front fenders hid heavily tunneled headlights over ’54 Chevy park light trim, while out back a quartet of ’59 Caddy taillights were frenched into the quarters.  Hot Rods by Glen Bolz, in...  Hot Rods by Glen Bolz, in Chandler, AZ, built Frank and Louise Ledesma’s ’48 Buick, using a 350/200-4R combo, Mustang II IFS, and third-gen Camaro rearend. Glenn Kramer stitched the Ultraleather interior while The Cobbler’s Shop laid on the dark Colorado Green metallic paint.  Gino Chackel’s ’40 convertible...  Gino Chackel’s ’40 convertible sure looks like a period custom, though it was actually built in the ’80s, with a Nova rearend, Olds 350 with dual quads, and a TH350 trans. Chackel was offering the ’vert for sale, on which the Carson-style top is removable.  Brian Nicri rolled in from...  Brian Nicri rolled in from San Jose in his ’40 Cadillac sled. This was the last year of Caddy’s lower-end LaSalle badged cars, ending a 13-year production run, which produced one of the most sought-after kustom grilles of all time!  Wearing House of Kolor Sunset...  Wearing House of Kolor Sunset Orange and white with flattening agent in the clear, David Marrero’s ’55 Buick sits low thanks to RideTech suspension installed by Elias Nuñez.  Alfred De La Torre brought...  Alfred De La Torre brought his stunning ’51 Chevy from Arizona, though he’s swapped the chrome bullets back for the stock lights in the grille since debuting the car last year.  We’re so used to seeing the...  We’re so used to seeing the Starliner that’s it’s easy to forget Ford made the Fairlane Club Sedan in 1960 too. Bakersfield, CA’s Mark Wilson didn’t though, and built one heck of a cool cruiser from this wraparound rear-window model.  A perfect example of what...  A perfect example of what you can achieve with paint alone (OK, so the door handles and hood trim are gone), Rob McDonald’s ’60 Chevy wagon has flames, panels, scallops, and ’flake, and coupled with a healthy altitude drop, make it look way more rad than it is (with all due respect, as that paint is a LOT of work!)  Known for his own Chevy and...  Known for his own Chevy and customer’s cars, hard-core kustom guy Brad Masterson has been tooling around in this time-warp T-bucket ever since discovering and purchasing it a few months back.  The hood’s unmodified, but...  The hood’s unmodified, but the remainder of the nose on Michael Walsh’s ’41 Ford has had a serious rework, now using a modified ’48 Caddy grille. Note the sweeping hardtop roofline too.  It takes some thought to get...  It takes some thought to get a hot rod looking this clean and simple. John Jordan hid his alternator down low, molded the windshield posts to the cowl, and tucked the front spring out of sight on his ’31 roadster, all contributing to the uncluttered appearance.  Unusual custom fodder for...  Unusual custom fodder for sure, but this ’38 Ford coupe with filled quarter-windows and reworked driprails sure looked sinister—in a good way.  Who’d have thought blue could...  Who’d have thought blue could be so eyeball-searing? Roy Smith was building this stunning ’57 with his father, who, sadly, died before it was done. Its debut at Santa Maria was clearly bittersweet for Roy.  A ’62 Ford Galaxie might evoke...  A ’62 Ford Galaxie might evoke visions of 427 Cammer motors or NASCAR racing, but they also make cool mild customs too. Just add Bellflower tips, five-spokes, a drawer pull grille, give it a shave, and cool paint.  I fell in love with Paul Cepeda’s...  I fell in love with Paul Cepeda’s ’40 DeSoto when I saw it at Paso years ago, and he’s done it again with his ’59 El Camino. This is the second chop he’s performed on this truck, and though I think I personally preferred the first, less radical, lid-lowering, I love that bed cover.  Shown in bare metal you can...  Shown in bare metal you can see just how much work has gone into this ’47 Ford coupe. The fade-away fender line starts above the front wheels and goes all the way back to the rear fenders, but the characteristic ’47 front fender bulges have also been removed, the front end’s totally re-styled, and the hood’s been wedge-sectioned. Oh, and it’s been chopped too!
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