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17th Annual Heartland Nationals - Goodguys Roll Into Des Moines
Goodguys Roll Into Des Moines
By Eric Geisert
Though he didn't have to drive... Though he didn't have to drive far to get to the event (living just down the road from the show in West Des Moines), Bill Post showed up in his vibrant purple T, which looked like it could have rolled in off the lil' pages of long ago. Besides the wide whites and the white-pleated interior, the '23 is powered by a 283 Chevy. With the 2008 presidential race having just been decided, you can bet the folks in the Midwest had a large say in who will occupy the White House this January. An integral part of the country since the mid-1800s, the Midwest has always been where you can get a no-nonsense approach to the American way of life. The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association has known this for some time, which is why they've held their annual Heartland Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, for the last 17 years. Open to pre-'73 rods, trucks, and customs, the event was something of a question mark as torrential rains flooded the downtown section of the city and threatened levees only a few weeks prior. But neither rain nor record gasoline prices could keep the thousands of car owners and spectators from flowing into the 160-acre Iowa State Fairgrounds facility for the three-day event. A "full service" type of hot rod show, you could spend time in any number of areas and sections, from the Car Corral (cars for sale) to the swap meet or the vendors' exhibits (set up in the air conditioned buildings). Specialty parking was available throughout the weekend for some of the more unique groups of rodders and their cars in the Trick Truck Corral, Deuce Doin's, Pro's Pick, or Mighty Muscle categories, and finalists for Goodguys' Custom Rod of the Year, Truck of the Year (early and late model), and Muscle Car of the Year were picked, as well. What's more, 10 more cars were added to the 2008 STREET RODDER Top 100 group of vehicles at this show. Goodguys prides itself on providing an event atmosphere that is conducive to getting people out driving and enjoying their hot rods, and to that end, a poker run was organized for the day before the show. By Friday, if you were in the facility, you could either hang out with friends around your favorite parking spot or join the hundreds of other car owners who didn't mind idling around the grounds at $4-plus a gallon checking out other cars while spectators lined the roads to watch them cruise by. On Friday night there were stock and sprint car races at the on-site dirt track, Saturday night a party with live music, and fireworks filled the sky each evening. Jason Rains from Des Moines... Jason Rains from Des Moines must have wanted something different, and he got it with his '49 Plymouth, which was set up with a Flathead six and twin carbs. But even with the high gas prices and the questionable weather predictions, the 17th Heartland Nationals went off without a hitch, and all that attended came away from the event knowing they've seen the best Midwest America has to offer. Turtle Wax Tech Tips
Waxing And Polishing
Waxes and polishes serve three primary purposes: cleaning a car's finish, improving the shine, and protecting the surface against Mother Nature. Most waxes/polishes contain very mild abrasives, along with chemical cleaning agents, lubricants, and waxes. These abrasive services remove surface oxidation while leaving behind a high gloss shine. Recommendations:
1) Never apply wax onto surfaces that cannot be easily buffed.
2) Ideal waxing temperature is between 55F - 85F.
3) Always apply paste wax in thin coats.
4) Soft terry cotton makes perfect polishing cloths.
5) Only wax a recently washed surface.
6) Do not apply wax in direct sun (unless you are using ICE Synthetic Liquid or Paste Polish) on dark finishes. This makes polish and wax removal difficult.  All Anglias don't have to...  All Anglias don't have to be Gassers. John and Cathy Skoff from Farmington, MN, set their '48 Ford up as an ultra-cool tangerine street driver. |  Steve Sullivan owns this ride,...  Steve Sullivan owns this ride, which could accurately be described as modified. The cut-down '35 Ford grille, the speedster body, and the '30s-era suspension and wheels all looked right, but the motor-a Flathead hopped up with an inline pair of Weber IDF carbs-really looked like it belonged on the dry lakes. |  |  Cruising around his hometown...  Cruising around his hometown of Pleasant Hill, MO, is probably easy for Pat McCarthy, as his '51 Ford was converted to a 351 powerplant with an automatic trans. The gray five-spokes lend just the right amount of "vintage" to the exterior. |  Wagons are still cool, and...  Wagons are still cool, and you can usually find a handful of them at any Goodguys show. But you won't find too many '58 Nomads done up like the one owned by Dave Carnock. Powered by a 348, the four-door looked great with all of the trim (including the roof rack) still intact. |  We don't know if the Outta...  We don't know if the Outta Control '38 Chevy owned by Mason Eggleston ever saw time at any track near his Des Moines home base, but it looked the part with its straight axle and slicked-down tires. |  Identified only as "Rocky,"...  Identified only as "Rocky," the owner of this just-completed '30 Ford coupe had it up for sale for $20,000. Channeled 4 inches but left unchopped, the Model A used '36 Dodge truck wheels, '56 Dodge gauges, a '73 Chevy engine, and a grille that was made from parts from a '35 Ford, '22 Overland, and a '38 Ford hood. |  You don't have to have gloss...  You don't have to have gloss to look the part, as Marion and Virgie McCannon prove with their '54 Pontiac Star Chief. |  A 364 Nailhead could be found...  A 364 Nailhead could be found in the engine compartment of Tom and Sandra Ulrich's '61 Buick. The big-inch fives are tucked up nicely under the four-door, which hails from Aurora, CO. |  Flame up! That's Mike Poland's...  Flame up! That's Mike Poland's severely chopped '31 Ford sedan parked in the foreground, and it's equipped with a 401 Buick Nailhead motor backed to a 400 trans. The satin-black-with-flames paint job looked good, too. |  Four doors on a '32 can look...  Four doors on a '32 can look good-just check out Denny Estes' Model 18 all done up in bright orange paint with cream 'n' striped wheels wrapped in wide whites. |  The swap meet section of the...  The swap meet section of the show had a few diamonds in the rough. The pale green '50 Chrysler Royal had only 48,000 original miles on it and was for sale at $4,100 o.b.o., and the '51 Pontiac wagon (which needed a little more work) was offered for "best offer by Sunday noon." |  |  Roger Burman, who owns and...  Roger Burman, who owns and operates Lakeside Rods and Rides in Lakeside, IA, was in attendance to hand-select some of the top cars for this show's Pro's Picks. Lakeside has been responsible for many fine hot rods, including one that won the Ridler and AMBR awards. |  Ed and Kathy Lindsey's '39...  Ed and Kathy Lindsey's '39 Ford looked pretty contemporary from the outside with its mint and black paint scheme and updated wheels, but the motor was old school: a y-block topped with a trio of carbs. |  |  Turtle Wax presents Street...  Turtle Wax presents
Street Rodder Top 100
The candy green paint on Jason Crook's coupe hits you square between the eyes, but don't let it distract you from how well this ride was put together. With a chassis built on his own jig, Jason also fabricated all of the crossmembers and mounts himself before the LS1 (with a six-speed trans) went in. The wheel wells were raised 5 inches, the rear part of the frame stepped 5 inches, and the whole chassis lengthened 3 inches to get the proportions right. |  If there was ever a guy who...  If there was ever a guy who could appreciate and understand what the word "vintage" really means, it might have to be Duane Storch, out of Des Moines, Iowa. His beautiful black Model A roadster was built using only vintage parts, including a '32 Ford frame with original K member, a '56 Merc 276-cube Flathead, a '39 tranny, a Halibrand quick-change, and a set of Kelsey Hayes wires. |  Classy and elegant wouldn't...  Classy and elegant wouldn't be the normal terms used to describe a '37 Chevy pickup, but that could change because of Don Rinne, who lives in Fremont, NB. Painted a sunset pearl, the bow-tie was built from top to bottom with all of the best aftermarket parts he could find, including Tea's Seats, a Pro Pick box, an LT1 motor, Heidt's suspension, Coddington wheels, hidden hinges, and a whole lot more. |  A homebuilt car, Daniel Olsen's...  A homebuilt car, Daniel Olsen's '37 features an interior completed by the owner and his dad. Friends helped Daniel with the chassis, to which a Ford 302 (with an AOD) was added. Daniel also added the flame job himself, and drives his cars to as many events as he can from his home near La Vista, NB. |  The Corvette C5 drivetrain...  The Corvette C5 drivetrain and suspension under Bill Baron's '54 Chevy had to be narrowed in some places and stretched in others to fit and work correctly. The C5 LS1 engine was outfitted with an intercooled Magnason supercharger and an Air Ride Technologies system is controlled with Intellaride controls. To top of the interior, a 1000-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system was also installed. |  You can't hide this one in...  You can't hide this one in a parking lot! Al Anderson's '30 Chevy pickup hits on all cylinders with a intense Orange Glow candy paint job and a 555 cid, 980-horse Merlin motor (topped with Enderle fuel injection and a pair of Brodix heads) stuffed up front. Based in Overland park, KS, Al had Vintage Fabrications in Independence, MO, do most of the construction work on the truck, including the interior. |  Growing up in Wichita, KS,...  Growing up in Wichita, KS, Dick Price always had seen many a car come out of local customizer Darryl Starbird's shop. Years later, Dick had Devlin Rods assemble his '55 Ford Customline with a custom flare and incorporated many of today's upgrades, such as a Fat Man Fabrications suspension (with Air Ride Technologies 'bags) and a Strange rear end. A Ford 429 went in (backed by a C6 trans) and the car was chopped a little over 1 inch. A '56 T-bird interior was installed, and a hand-built rear tray and console highlights the interior. The car recently received Best of Show and a Fine Nine award at two of Starbird's shows. |  A rare vehicle to start with,...  A rare vehicle to start with, Ed Klein's '36 Chevy three-window combines the stylish look of the '30s with contemporary parts. It's all-steel and painted with a PPG blue color, which offsets the two-tone tan interior. An LT1 V8 (Hey! A Chevy in a Chevy!) gives the coupe its go, and the Budnik 17-inch wheels are wrapped in Bridgestone rubber. |  Bill Kullbom says his '30...  Bill Kullbom says his '30 Ford sedan has got parts from more than 25 cars, but the major ones include the Model A body, a '64 Buick Nailhead motor, a '54 Packard dash, and a steering wheel from a '54 Caddy. Andy Didio did the fabrication alongside Suicide Axle Hot Rods and Kustoms in Sycamore, Illinois. Jerry Kissenger of A1 Upholstery stitched the threads. |  Lots of work went into Ken...  Lots of work went into Ken Frasier's lil' pickup-least of which was the grafting of the '29 two-door sedan body section to the rear of his car. He cut off 25 inches, along with the roof section, to get the rear right, then cut the well wheels out before raising them 5 inches. It's got a Jag rear and is set up on a shortened (9 inches) and kicked (13 inches) '32 chassis. | |
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