LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL
For some, street rodding has becomes a far more serious endeavor than it was ever meant to be. Some hobbyists pour every spare minute and dollar into building a car. While there's nothing wrong with that, the problem arises when the finished product is too valuable or fragile to be used. Having a car you spend more time worrying about than driving isn't our idea of a good time. Thankfully, there are those who still have a sense of humor about our hobby and aren't afraid to show it. Here are a few examples that make that point.
We were afraid to ask the guys from the Dust Bowl Moving Company what was in the box marked Mother-in-law. The pogo stick must be an alternative form of transportation in case of a break down. | 
Patina continues to be a theme on some of the trucks that show up at the nationals. It's a great way to have fun with a street rod. We may never know if Thunder Ridge Raceway existed, but maybe it doesn't matter. | 
Speaking of trucks, who knows when this Dodge touring car was made into one? All we can say for sure is that judging by the fun the passengers were having cruising the Nats, there doesn't seem to be a need to change it back. |
Of course when it comes to cruising the fairgrounds during the Street Rod Nationals a fire truck is the hot setup. This was one of the few times this Chevy was stationary during the entire event. | 
The old joke was, "What's a henway?" Would that mean in this case the question is, "How big is your rooster?" | 
This Model A may well prove that there is crime in street rodding. In this case, we're not sure who should be pressing charges. |
SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP
When we asked one of the Nat's participants if they were going to the swap meet he replied, "Naw, the prices will be too high and there won't be anything there anyway." As far as we're concerned, he was wrong on both counts. Granted this swap meet, like all others, had some inflated prices, but there were bargains to be had as well. But for most things, prices were about what we've seen other places.
As far as what was there, if we didn't have a shop full of unfinished projects and unused parts, there were several cars and lots pieces we would have come home with. Of course, there were a couple cars, and we're using the term very loosely, that we wouldn't have hauled home for free. Here's some of the cool stuff we found as well as a couple examples of optimism running wild. You decide which is which.
There was some pretty solid vintage tin up for grabs at the Nats. The '34 Ford Fordor had a $12.5 K asking price; the '36 pickup was available for $3,950. | 
This '31 Chevrolet Cabriolet had been hidden away in a barn for 46 years. It is indeed rare and a clean title was part of the deal, however, the 20K-plus asking price and the cost of the build would take someone who really loves '31 Chevys. | 
There was a surprising number of post '48 cars at the swap meet and most of them were nice cars. This running '49 Chevy was solid and carried an $8,500 price tag. |
The real problem areas were all the exit wounds on the other side. | 
The asking price on this '34 Ford pickup without engine and trans was 14K. When shopping for a project vehicle always remember, cash in hand is a powerful negotiating tool. | 
Here's a rare piece, a Klentz quickchange for '55 and later Chevy rears. Unlike the more familiar designs, the spur gears faced forward. Once the driveshaft was out of the way, the final drive ratio was easily changed. Tom McMullen had one under his original roadster at one time. |
Another roller with no engine or trans, this '50 Ford carried an asking price of $4,000 and came with a good title. Those are getting more valuable all the time and are often worth the extra bucks. | 
For those inspired to build something different, how about a 1934 REO Flying Cloud. The sign said $16K or best offer and it was marked sold. |  |