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Blackie Gejeian's 49th Fresno Autorama- Coming To An End?Will The 50th Be The Last? From the February, 2009 issue of Street Rodder By Eric Geisert
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Only one Best Custom Sweepstakes... Only one Best Custom Sweepstakes trophy gets handed out at the Fresno Autorama, and it went to Bruno Gianoncelli from Perth, Australia, for his Mercules '50 Merc. Power for the 'sled comes by way of a supercharged V-10. For most folks, it seems there has always been a Fresno Autorama. That's because Blackie Gejeian has taken it upon himself for nearly the past five decades to round up the best hot rods and customs from all over the country and give them a place to shine. An award-winning hot rod builder in his early days, as well as a dirt-track racer, racetrack owner, and car-show promoter, Blackie is already hard at work making sure the event's golden anniversary in 2009 will be the best ever, even though he says the 49th edition was probably the best one he's ever organized (and that's really saying something!). The 82-year-old has seen a lot in the past 50 years, especially the fads and trends that have gone in and out of style and, in some cases, come back in style yet again. Though his body may be telling him to slow down, Blackie's eagle eye can still spot the smallest flaw in a car's construction or paintjob, which is why getting a personal invitation from him to attend his show is such a special honor for anyone who has been asked. Attend his show and you'll always find more than one person who will comment, "You just don't say no when Blackie asks you to come." This year's event was dedicated to Blackie's 54-year-old son, Charlie, who passed away only a few weeks before the event. Understandably a particularly tough time for Blackie, he discussed with his family whether to do the show or not and, knowing Charlie would have wanted him to continue and with the blessing of his family, Blackie decided to honor his son's memory by dedicating the event to him. The Undisputed '32 roadster... The Undisputed '32 roadster built for Rudy Necoechea continued on its winning ways, having been crowned with the AMBR trophy at the Grand National Roadster Show earlier this year, by winning the only trophy for hot rods at Blackie's show: the Best Rod Sweepstakes. It's widely known Blackie travels all over the United States each year, selecting cars for his show. Once they arrive at the doors of the Fresno Convention Center in downtown Fresno, California, they all wait patiently for Blackie to place each car in its particular spot, as he takes into consideration its style, shape, and, most importantly, color. When finished, with all of the assembled multi-colored curved car roofs looking like a festive Easter egg basket, the main hall of the convention center contains the year's most significant and well-built cars in the country. One of the things that separates this show from any other is there are only two awards given out at the end of the three-day event: Best Rod Sweepstakes and Best Custom Sweepstakes. Blackie is of the "old school" mindset that believes a custom can be built from any year and any make. But, how do you go about choosing just one custom and just one rod in a hall filled to the brim (more than 170 cars this time around) with arguably the best cars produced in the last 12 months? Blackie leaves it up to his judging staff, which does its job of going over every contender with a fine-tooth comb. Those entrants who do not get picked for the top award all get an impressive 4-foot trophy just for attending-and it's a better-looking trophy than most First Place awards at some other show. When all was said and done, this year's Custom Sweepstakes went to Bruno Gianoncelli from Perth, Australia, for his Mercules '50 Merc, which was powered by a supercharged V-10 and finished with countless body modifications. In the Best Rod Sweepstakes category, Rudy Necoechea continued on his winning ways, after capturing the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award at the '08 Grand National Roadster Show, and was very happy accepting the 7-foot trophy for his champagne-colored '32 roadster. At show's end, Blackie announced some of his plans for the 50th Fresno Autorama, where he intends to assemble many of the show's past winners, along with another large collection of current vehicles, and some builders are already working on cars to debut at this event. It should be quite a show-where else will you ever get to see multiple Ridler and AMBR winners compete against each other? It will definitely be a passing of an era when it happens, and it should be quite a blow-out affair. Just like Blackie himself, the show has always been first-class and, for both car owners and builders, has always been the place to be. More details on the 50th show will follow in STREET RODDER, so stay tuned!  Blackie Gejeian (seated) signed...  Blackie Gejeian (seated) signed a handful of autographs on his promotional posters for a line of admiring fans in one corner of the Fresno Convention Center. Many came to meet Blackie, shake his hand, get a poster, and thank him for the years he's invested in the Fresno Autorama.  This two-tone '54 Chevy sedan,...  This two-tone '54 Chevy sedan, built by Roseville Rod & Custom in Northern California for Matt and Colleen Beckdolt, sure stopped a lot of folks in their tracks. That's an injected Bill Mitchell 572 under the hood, and the car sits on an Art Morrison chassis equipped with an IFS, a Currie 9-inch rear, and a set of 18s and 20s.  We've been seeing a lot more...  We've been seeing a lot more '50s-era wagons lately. This '57 Olds had the paint and body done at Oz Kustoms in Oroville, CA, which turned out to be a good choice for owner Roger Stevens, as the car turned out stunning.  Bob Bateman built this roadster...  Bob Bateman built this roadster in 1956, and it's straight from the Jan. '61 issue of Hot Rod magazine, with only a few changes. It was shown until 1965 and then sold and restored in 2003 by Roddy and Sally Moore of Ferrum, VA. The candy apple-red car still features the diamond-tuck interior and 338 Olds engine Bob installed decades ago.  Lots of impressive bodywork...  Lots of impressive bodywork went into Jack Putnam's silver 'n' black '35 coupe-nearly everything was modified, and most of it was almost unnoticeable, which is the sign of true craftsmanship.  That's a wild chop (6 inches!)...  That's a wild chop (6 inches!) on Cliff Tutelian's '35 coupe, which was built at Snow White Ltd., in Fresno, CA, and set up on 18- and 20-inch rollers. Check out the tiny turn signals in the bumperettes at the base of each fender.  The Kingpin coupe was built...  The Kingpin coupe was built by its owner, Bill Osiakowski, who lives in San Jose, CA. A vintage 283, bored 0.060, gives the '27 its go, while the House of Kolor candy Pagan Gold over Orion Silver paint really makes a statement.  Here's a pretty slick and...  Here's a pretty slick and slippery '49 Olds. Jeff Meir from Santa Maria, CA, owns this ride, which featured a Ron Mangus interior and an impressive paintjob done with DuPont paint supplies.  There is always a good helping...  There is always a good helping of traditional rods at Blackie's, and this year Jeff Bates, with his '29 track-nose roadster (background) was shown next to Larry Charette's red 'n' scalloped '27 roadster, which was equipped with wire wheels.  Ever wonder how they get those...  Ever wonder how they get those cars into those buildings? With those fat tires, Robert Collins' '34 roadster is 67 inches wide, while the door opening happened to have a width of 67 1/2 inches.  How 'bout a Plymouth roadster?...  How 'bout a Plymouth roadster? Dick Gilbert's '36 drop-top utilized a '41 Packard grille, '41 Chevy pickup headlights, and a 350 Chevy and 700-R4 engine-and-trans combo. Very nice and very different.  Rolling on 18- and 20-inch...  Rolling on 18- and 20-inch Colorado Custom wheels and in from nearby Manteca, Larry Molina's wild gold-colored '37 Ford hardtop (one of a few '37 hardtops we've seen recently) looked slick. The stunning paint and graphics were done by Steve Fernandez out of Lodi, CA.  Cimtex Rods in Jarrell, TX,...  Cimtex Rods in Jarrell, TX, sure builds a nice hot rod-this one for Bruce and Judy Ricks. Starting with a '57 Oldsmobile Fiesta wagon, with an original '57 J2 Olds motor, Cimtex did all the fabrication and paintwork and got Paul Atkins to stitch the interior.  Joe Bullock's Rat's Glass...  Joe Bullock's Rat's Glass roadster sported some major paint and graphic work, all done by Broke Neck Customs out of South San Francisco.  Red Hot Meltdown is what Mac...  Red Hot Meltdown is what Mac Bernd calls his oh-so-red '32 Ford roadster, which competed at the Detroit Autorama only the weekend before (that's some fast cross-country haulin'!). Based in Arlington, TX, Mac had his rod built all over the country, including Ron Mangus' shop in Rialto, CA, for the interior, the Roadster Shop in Elgin, IL, for the frame, and the Painthouse in Tomball, TX, for the all-red paint.  Wild Thang is what Ron Valiquette...  Wild Thang is what Ron Valiquette calls his '40 Mercury convertible, although he states there isn't an original panel on the car. Built at Tom's Classy Customs in Idaho Falls, ID, the Merc featured many body mods, including an '02 Mustang convertible top (widened 4 inches) and windshield. The paint is a DuPont Hot Hues Raspberry Candy over a Cosmic Dust.  Another '37 hardtop in the...  Another '37 hardtop in the show belonged to Fred Ede, who lives in Sanger, CA. Fred had B&T Custom Rod in Sparks, NV, do the work on his two-tone Ford, which included the Orange Crush and Hailey's Gold paint.  You might be able to indentify...  You might be able to indentify some of the parts used on Mike Yoder's pickup, but you won't guess all of them! Built at Kansas Kustom, and featured in our Mar. '06 issue, the truck used a '35 Ford pickup cowl and windshield, but the roof and rear cab section use '36 Ford sedan pieces, while the '41 Ford hood sides look like they belong on the rod.
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