Summertime is the one word that all rodders can relate to regardless which coast they hail from. It's a time of year when you can literally drive the tires off of your ride, a time when long days and late nights out having fun are in order, and a season where barbeque, apple pie, and icy cold treats rule. Whether you travel alone, or with other car owners, one thing for sure is that when a group of rods and customs finally park somewhere to share their mutual appreciation for what they have created, an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie can easily be seen and felt. It's often said that you can measure the success of an event by how well it is received by its attendees and by its growth as it continues to evolve as the years pass. If this is the case, the Syracuse Nationals has hit a home run with its ability to almost double in size in the last five years, while bringing rodders an event that they can clearly call their own.
Syracuse is a city that is ever so rich in architecture, culture and history that it allows rodders plenty of enjoyable things to do during the day and lots of exciting nightlife to take in after hours. If you were lucky enough to plan an extended stay in the area, you could easily have taken in a multitude of sights. Like, The Museum of Automotive History that contains one of the world's largest collections of artifacts of automobile culture with over 10,000 pieces to be seen. Or, you could set a course through the breathtaking Finger Lakes region to check out some of the coolest shorelines in the East, while stopping by to tour some of the finest wineries on the Seneca, Cayuga or Keuka wine trails. There was also the chance for you to have made the trek out to Cooperstown to swing into the National Baseball Hall of Fame to check out a real slice of Americana. Then there was the free picnic for car owners at picturesque Oneida Shores on Wednesday. Let's not forget that the internationally known 13th Annual New York State Rhythm and Blues Festival was also in town for the weekend featuring some of the country's most well-known performers, like Robert Cray and Johnny Winter, who were in town to rip it up and leave the crowds in awe.
The Nationals are hosted at the New York State Fairgrounds, which is an expansive tree-lined venue with great cruising lanes that boasts 360 acres for visitors to checkout during their stay, and by the time each morning arrived, no one was wasting any time getting in and getting settled! Once you had your coffee and got your engines revved up, it was time to check out some of the 200-plus vendors, including PPG, Air Ride Technologies, Falken Tire and countless others who were showing off their latest wares and answering any and all questions that you might have had on their products.
While walking the fairgrounds your senses were on total overload thanks to the endless rods, customs and musclecars on display, covering everything from cutting-edge high-tech to traditional styles. Being that this is not a trophy-driven event, it allows rodders the chance to simply put on some suntan lotion, take that extended walk or simply hang out.
Throughout the weekend there were plenty of live performances from bands at different stages on the fairgrounds from such well known artists as "The Duke of Earl" Gene Chandler, Dunes and the Del Tunes, Souled Out, and the Fab Five, not to mention that you could have met up with Candy Clark and Bo Hopkins of American Graffiti fame. If this sounds like fun, take another breath 'cuz there was even more happening with both Friday and Saturday evening featuring members of the International Burnout Association melting tires till they exploded, flamethrowers lighting up the sky with pressurized fireballs, and the American Tractor Pulling Association creating immeasurable thunder with blown alcohol two- and four-wheel-drive pullers doing their thing. Cap off each night with spectacular fireworks and you barely have time to catch your breath.
Fast becoming known for its massive giveaway program that seems to grow even bigger every year, the Syracuse Nationals teamed up with Dave Tucci of Tucci Engineering in Marcy, New York, once again to create a totally wicked turn-key '37 Ford pickup to be given away to one lucky car owner attending the event on Saturday. Lucky kat on the block, Mike O'Brien of Collinsville, Connecticut, was able to claim the keys to the envy of every rodder in the audience! Sunday brought the huge products giveaway, which has also become a major attendance breaker.
By the time the event had come to a close, over 6,500 cars had driven the grounds and an estimated 73,000 visitors had checked out the incredible horsepower festival. As in years past, thanks to the overwhelming cooperation of the Central New York Car Club Association (who are the hosts of the show), donations were made from proceeds of the event in the amount of $15,000 to a number of local charities bringing the five-year donation total to $80,000!
This truly is one enormous show that has captured the attention of thousands of rodders from across the country and Canada who will be back to enjoy all of next year's festivities. It's easy to see that event promoter Bob O'Connor has a true hit on his hands. Do yourself a favor and make plans now to check it out next year! You can dig it at www.rightcoastcars.com.
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One of the hottest hardcore rods in attendance had to have been Jay Taylor's '32 Hudson sedan with its 4-inch chop, 8-inch channel, and 14-inch rear kick giving new meaning to how low can you go. Just check out where the rear tires meet the beltline, cool. |
It was easy to get excited about the 2004 giveaway car once again this year with the Tucci-built '37 Ford Wild Rod Factory pickup looking totally effervescent in its Citrus Yellow Pearl glow by Mike Blair, as it sat slammed to the ground on its big-inch Colorado Custom hoops. |
Modifieds are just plain cool and Jim Fleming's '26 Ford nailed the look with its combination of vintage parts, right-on stance and return to basic's feel. Cowl steering, lever shocks, ultra-long hairpins and a Halibrand quickie help seal the deal. |
It's not often that you see a '36 Dodge pickup transformed as dramatically as Julie Dikes' hauler with its 4-inch chop, widened rear fenders, blaze red glimmer and huge Colorado Custom wheels with Michelin rubber. |
If you dig old-school hot rods, Tony Muscatella's Deuce had the killer combination thanks to a '58 283 Chevy mill topped with a Dyers 6-71 breathing through a pair of Carter AFBs. Power gets slammed through a Saginaw four-speed to spin the massive whites...sweet. |
Making its debut at the Nationals, Dennis and Karyl Henderson's handmade aluminum-bodied '37 Ford roadster caused quite a stir with its dramatic styling, cantilever air front suspension, stroked 501-inch Ford power and meticulous attention to detail. |
Take a '34 Chevy sedan delivery, shave it clean, get it on the ground, dip it in chrome-yellow gloss, and treat it to a set of polished fives, and you have Rich and Joan Molinaro's sweet ride. |
Looking like it rolled in from the '50s, Gilles Bouchard's '41 Ford hauler was so magnetic with its salmon coating, smooth boards, neat skirts, Briz bumpers and perfectly restored vintage cruisers mounted atop the bed. |
Perfect in every way, Gordon Maxey's '47 Ford Club Coupe proved that fat-fendered rods are the ultimate in comfort when hitting the road, especially when they are jet black and sport just enough pop from the shiny vat. |
And now for something completely different, Pam and Gill Laroche's '46 Plymouth Club Coupe was loaded with tricks, like an all-steel tilt nose, frenched headlights, full shave, loads of Chrysler power and Billet Specialties wheels. |
Looking for terror in a small package, look no further! This '60 Morris Minor was loaded to the hilt with adrenalin thanks to a Weiand 6-71 huffed small-block making its power-to-weight ratio a winner in our book. |
When was the last time you saw a '37 Stude coupe, let alone one that was so full of style as Wayne Milne's? Adding plenty of deep wine color outside, he filled it with an ivory rolled interior and set it to roll on a combination of Astro Supremes topped with chubby whites. |
T-buckets are still coming on strong with styles from every era once again in vogue. Ron Parese's Fad T was running one of Total Performance's new bodies with an opening passenger door, neat ducktail and lemon twist icing. |
You just know that Rick Adams' '47 Merc coupe has got to be a blast to cruise with its attention-getting, arrest-me-red calling card, comfy interior and American Racing Salt Flat Specials mounted to aggressive rubber. |
We can never get enough of Neil Candy's Deuce five-window from Ontario with its fully dressed, BDS-huffed 409 Chevy V-8, raw five spokes, whitewall cheater slicks, white firewall and electric red body. Man this car leaves you breathless! |
Bob Gleason's fresh Coast to Coast '39 Ford roadster was a real looker thanks to its delectable spray-job by JT's Customs in a combination of argent silver and silver blended with violet and purple ghost flames. Rolling on Billet Specialties wheels and filled with a Portage Trim leather interior, this car was loaded with class. |
With a body that was long and full of style, Mike Russo's '39 Ford drop-top was total eye-candy with its alluring Merlot pearl body complementing its vibrant white top, while skirts, wide whites and customized Cad caps brought it all home. |
We caught Jack Driscoll over at the 5252 Performance Dyno putting his coupe through the ultimate test to check and see just how much horsepower he was laying down on the asphalt. |