From The Heart

You gotta be careful out there on the plains -- you never know when a pack of wild Willys will come charging! Like all Goodguys events, the Heartland Nationals has cruising lanes that stay busy all weekend

Forget what Kermit says, this '37 Chevy ragtop makes it look easy to be green. Jack Downs cruised it in from Illinois under LT1 power.

Gary Anderson gets around -- we saw him and his '32 sedan at Americruise in Lincoln, Nebraska the weekend before Des Moines. The spot-on, '60s-style cruiser sports a Cornhusker Rod & Custom chassis, copper paint by Gary Gerberding, and Radirs wrapped in wide whites.

Rol Kinneer can really bring home the goods with this hunkered-down hammered hauler. The '48 Chevy Suburban, which looks suspiciously like the "Urban Suburban" built by RB's Obsolete, is based out of Burlington, Iowa.

Perry Siebert's '47 Chevy is a rod with the spirit of a custom, based on the numerous body mods. In addition to the top chop, the coupe wears a '47 Olds grille, frenched headlights, and custom taillights. To top things off, the rain gutters are shaved, door corners rounded, and nearly everything else smoothed or molded.

Ts for two? This neat pair belongs to Mitch Perry (roadster) and Steven Caswell (coupe). Both cars wear Henry's favorite finish and run vintage mills. The roadster sports a Model B 'banger with a Zepher intake and Thomas head, backed by a modern T5 5-speed. The coupe, meanwhile, relies on a '46 Flattie and '39 tranny for motor-vation.

You want something Willy neat? How about a hot '41 Willys with searing two-tone orange paint and a blazing, fuel injected, 528ci Hemi under the hood! Owners George and Sharon Saab apparently don't know the meaning of the word "overkill!"

We've been wondering lately where all the tubs have gone. Well, here's one. Dave Tellinghuisen's '29 Ford, out of Richfield, Minnesota, looks sharp with tan paint, maroon wheels, wide whites, and a cream-colored interior with Stewart-Warner gauges.

Des Moines local Leo Teraberry sure got things right when he screwed together this Deuce roadster. Bias-ply wide whites, pinstriped wheels, a Mexican blanket interior, and a three-carb small-block make this "basic black" roadster a standout.

Jody and Jim Bowman sure know how to make a '48 Chevy look slick. Just lower the lid a little, make the body arrow-straight, paint it black, and add some color along the beltline. The Stovebolt was slick enough to earn the K&N Performance Filters Pick.