Goodguy's 4th Annual Del Mar Nationals

There are three things you can pretty much be sure of when attending the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals: fine rides, beautiful weather, and huge crowds. The fun-filled happenings start Thursday and run straight through till Sunday afternoon. This year's event happened to be the fourth annual at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, which is located on the Pacific Coast just north of beautiful San Diego, California. The fairgrounds are spacious, clean, and convenient considering the huge crowds that seem to gather at exactly the same time each day. To help the spectators out, there's a never-ending string of motorized trams that travel from the event to the parking lots and back. This is a convenience other large events, that shall remain nameless, should take note of. Once through the gate, the clean, cool air clears your mind for the sensory overload to come.

It's hard to image cars cruising through such large crowds in a relatively small area, but attendees do love seeing the mix of cars slowly rolling down the main street of the event. We do too, but there is so much going on at this show that it's hard to stay in one area for long. This year the swap meet section had an ingenious mesh tarp stretched over the area that kept the slow-moving shoppers from getting too sunburned. Thanks to whoever came up with that idea. Mixed into the swap section was a collection of cars for sale that was sure to have just what you were looking for. We spied high-end street rods, untouched originals begging for a new life, and some great "older" and unfinished projects. If you make it out of there alive, and your wallet's still intact, the food, cold beer, and Mecum Collector Car Auction are just around the corner.

Other cool attractions can be found in designated parking areas where groups of specialized vehicles are gathered. Goodguys sets aside special areas for these fine rides with appropriate names like "Homebuilt Heaven," "Deuce Doin's," "Good Wood," "Young Guns," "Muscle Reunion" (featuring '60-72 musclecars), and "Wide-White Way." Parking for these spots is very limited and open to anyone that fits the bill, but you must be there early Saturday morning to get a space.

Once the sun starts getting to you (Yea right, like that's ever going to happen!), there's the option to duck into one of the buildings housing everything from the finest show cars this event has to offer, to a plethora of aftermarket vendors showing off some of the best parts money can buy. The fun doesn't stop once the sun goes down, either. The Hilton (the host hotel) hosts a T.G.I.F. party at 6 p.m. Friday night, and the "Dance the Night Away" shindig at 8 p.m. Saturday. What about the kids you ask? Goodguys takes care of everyone that comes through the gate, including kids. Starting Saturday morning, kids can participate in the face painting fun, the Kid's Model Make and Take (which gets kids involved in building model kits, and is sponsored by Revell-Monogram), and the Monster Bus Rides (where kids can climb into a true monster truck made from an old school bus and be driven around a twisty-turny track, all the while being accompanied by the sound of a well-built small-block).

So, once again, we thank the entire Goodguys organization for putting on one of our new favorite shows to start the season off with. Now check out the real reason we all get up so early on a weekend, the cars. See ya next year!

This show hosts a great woodie corral dubbed, "Good Wood," which is full of every flavor of wood that ever rolled down the Pacific Coast Highway. However, it was this lone '46 Merc wagon parked right by the entrance that reached out and hit the shutter. Mike Aahl brought her all the way down from central California's Castro Valley.	One of the highlights for just about every kid at the show was the Monster Bus Ride featuring, without a doubt, the coolest, and probably the most fun, school bus we've ever seen.	I don't think we'll ever get tired of seeing Doug Balderson's '34 Oldsmobile from Henderson, NV. The red steelies and mild stance put this coupe in rare form.
Vic Young's "Bad News Travels Fast" coupe from Camarillo, CA, looked right at home next to Butch Calkin's equally stout looking '41 pickup from Chula Vista. Both Willys run blown motors and stellar resto jobs.	Goodguys events are well known for attracting the best of the best when it comes to classic steel, but the second we spied this bomb we were instantly in love. Dale Arrieta of Riverside, CA, did this '47 Caddy some serious justice when he dropped that perfect black body around those 14-inch laces.

We heard about Cliff Blackwell's '31 Ford pickup via the Web. Actually, he sent us photos of it some time back, but when we saw it we just knew it was Top 10 material. It runs a 302/FMX combo, a black body with burgundy metallic fenders, and ETIII 10 spokes. Believe it or not, this pickup's been in and out of the Blackwell family for decades.	Glen Bolz's '48 Buick sedanette is another Internet denizen, however, we spotted this one mid-build. Glen found it with a caved-in roof from a tree-falling incident, although you'd never know it was damaged now. It features a Mustang II-style IFS, a GM F-body torque-arm rear suspension arrangement, and air springs all the way 'round. It looks nostalgic, but this is quite a contemporary car.	George and Janice Himel's '34 Buick four-door sedan just plain melted our hearts. It looks stone stock right down to the wheels, but further investigation shows a Mustang II frontend, a later GM rearend, and a 350/350 combo. What appears to be a faithful restoration is actually a real driver. The Himels found the sedan hibernating in Hampton, VA.
Paradise Valley, Arizona's Dave McGary is a relative newcomer to the rod world, but his '39 Chevy sedan would make you think otherwise. Arizona Street Rods built it with a stout blown small-block and overdrive, clipped the top a few inches, and outfitted the leather-clad interior with tons of contemporary features. Dave's a high-profile bronze sculptor so he cast the hood ornament himself.	Don White isn't kidding when he says he drives his ultra-chopped '26 T-coupe every day. He's racked up several more miles on the car since we featured it in the May '04 issue. This car is even more impressive in person, so we felt fully justified to pick it for a Top 10.	We have a particular soft spot for '40 Mercury convertibles. The extra-long wheelbase balances the longer club-convertible top that it shares with the '40 Ford nicely. Fred Bowder outfitted his Merc with all Ford running gear, a Mustang II-derived running gear, and radials on 15-inch steelies. We could see taking a languid springtime vacation across the country in this car for sure.
This '41 Studebaker is long overdue for Top 10 status. We've seen the sharp sedan for years, but unfortunately never met its first owner/builder before he passed away. Jack Burns is the car's current custodian, and he digs it mightily. The sedan features a 401 Buick Nailhead/TH400 combo, Volvo seats, and the prettiest champagne spray you've seen in ages. This was one of Raymond Loewy's first works for Studebaker, and the details are Loewy-like elegant.	You can't help but notice a car that boasts--on its cowl in permanent marker--"built in seven days for under $500." The claim might raise a few eyebrows, but consider that Jay Dean built this lakes-inspired ride with nothing but castoff parts. He even scrounged an ultra-cheap 181-inch Mercruiser engine (Chevy Nova derivative) for the project. Necessity is definitely the mother of invention.	At first glance, Tom Conley's Deuce might look like any other Deuce--right up until you start probing around the car. This fendered one sports a later flathead with 59A heads, tons of cool speed parts, and even a vacuum wiper motor. It features 6.00 and 7.50 16-inch Firestone blackwall hides on '40 wheels and early juicer brakes. Way cool.
Make no mistake: prewar four-door sedans are cool, baby. Chuck DeHeras' Fordor sports all sorts of early stuff like '40 wheels, rag tires, and a well-thought chop, but it's under the hood that this little number really makes a splash. It runs a '60s-vintage Corvette mill complete with the attendant fuel-injection system and a '57 air filter housing that spins a four-speed gearbox and an early rearend. Bob Bowder gets recognition for this top-shelf build.