The 2009 Amsoil/Street Rodder - Road Tour Leg 3

The starting point of the AMSOIL Road Tour was the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion with the end being the famous St. Ignace Car Show in St. Ignace, Michigan. After our Sunday morning driver's meeting the AMSOIL tour participants headed north on I-65 and made our first stop about 90 miles up the interstate at Jason Grimes' shop, known simply as The Garage.

Jason is one of the young builders who has brought a fresh approach to our hot rod hobby and has the talent to make his ideas a reality. The shop was filled with a wide variety of projects that run the gamut from old-school rods to muscle cars, and even a VW Beetle that is waiting for a big-block implant. After a quick walk around the shop and some juice and doughnuts it was time to continue our journey north.

The remainder of the morning and most of the afternoon was spent on interstates that took us past Louisville, Kentucky, Indianapolis, and around Chicago. Our destination for the evening was Rockford, Illinois, where we had been invited by longtime friend Kerry Hopperstad to visit his shop in nearby Belvidere, Illinois.

We checked into the hotel and met up with more AMSOIL Road Tour participants. We made the short trip to Kerry's shop together and were greeted by 20 local rodders. Kerry has been in the rod and custom business for over 30 years and his shop has completed many great vehicles. During our visit we saw projects ranging from a '35 Ford coupe to a modern update of a '55 T-bird. Kerry and his crew specialize in custom fabrication in all of his builds.

Kerry and his wife Darlene had arranged for a hot dog wagon to be on hand for Sunday evening and all the Road Tour enjoyed the shop visit and the great sandwiches. It was a good first day on the tour.

Monday morning started with our daily driver's meeting. At these brief get-togethers we go over the plans for the day and review the itinerary that each participant receives at the beginning of the tour. We answer any questions that folks may have and clarify some of the details of the day's travel plans.

Our destination for Monday evening was AMSOIL's headquarters in Superior, Wisconsin. We had arranged to meet more participants on the way to Superior so we planned a lunch stop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Some of the folks who were joining us were coming from the Back to the 50's weekend in St. Paul that had just ended the previous day. After some burgers and shakes and distribution of goodie bags, T-shirts, and itineraries, 16 cars rolled out of Eau Claire toward Superior, Wisconsin, and a big party at the AMSOIL Center.

The two-and-a-half-hour drive to Superior was beautiful as we traveled up Route 53. While we had been in record heat for the last week on both the Vintage Air Tour and the beginning of the AMSOIL Tour, all that ended as we rolled into Superior. The temperature was 52 degrees! What a change from the sweltering heat of the previous week.

We checked into our hotel, cleaned the cars, and made the short trip to the AMSOIL Center. We were greeted by the staff and given a very interesting tour of their facilities, where many AMSOIL products come from. We got a very up-close look at the entire operation from start to finish. AMSOIL's growth since their beginning in 1972 has been incredible, and they have plans in place for added growth far into the future. After the tour of the AMSOIL Center we were treated to a delicious catered dinner.

Outside, special interest vehicles started to stream into the lot for the evening car show. The final total of vehicles in attendance topped 300. AMSOIL is a major supporter of the Road Tour program all year long and it was fun to be able to visit their headquarters and see all the local vehicles.

Tuesday morning we stopped back at the AMSOIL Center for coffee and pastries as day three of the tour began. Our destination for the day was Iron Mountain, Michigan, and Randy Hallman Specialty Cars. The drive across the upper part of Wisconsin on Route 2 was beautiful, and we pulled into Randy's shop at about 2 p.m. Randy, his wife Jackie, and the crew were waiting along with some local hot rodders. The food was all set out, and we had a relaxing few hours at the shop enjoying the food and the vehicles on display. By 4 p.m. we made the short drive to our hotel.

The Wednesday morning drive on the tour took us along Route 2 in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was a beautiful morning as we traveled along the coastline of Lake Michigan, taking advantage of the many photo opportunities. We reached the Mackinac Bridge in St. Ignace just after noon. The lake was fairly foggy and the huge bridge loomed in the distance as we took photos at the north end before we crossed over on our way to Charlevoix, Michigan.

After checking in at the hotel in Charlevoix we had a little time to explore the quaint lakeside village and the shops in the area. Wednesday evening we were guests at the Ellsworth, Michigan, facilities of Time Machines Unlimited and its sister company Rod Tops. We were greeted by Owner Dave Draper, and Sales Manager and Engineer Chad Draper. Dave has been involved in the automotive industry for many years and has used his vast knowledge of the convertible top business to expand into retractable top manufacturing for the luxury boat industry. Rod Tops manufactures removable convertible tops for '28-34 Ford roadsters. Time Machines Unlimited specializes in complete restoration and fabrication on all types of vintage vehicles. Rod Tops and Time Machines Unlimited will be doing the top and interior work on next year's Road Tour roadster. After our tour of the facilities we were treated to a great meal before heading back to Charlevoix for the evening.

Thursday morning we visited the facilities of Great Lakes Motor Works and Classic Instruments in nearby Boyne City, Michigan. Great Lakes Motor Works is owned by Mike Stowe and originally offered complete restorations on all types of special interest vehicles. Mike's personal collection and interests have expanded, and Great Lakes Motor Works services Mike's fleet exclusively and offers limited service on customer's collector vehicles. Some years ago Mike purchased Classic Instruments and moved the operation to Boyne City. John McLeod has been at Classic Instruments since the original move to Boyne City and recently took over ownership of the company that still operates within the Great Lakes Motor Works complex. Besides its line of gauges for special interest vehicles of all types, Classic Instruments also does restoration and updating of all types of original and one-off gauges.

While in Boyne City we also got a look at an incredible Mopar collection owned by Browney Mascow. We rounded out our morning with a visit to a private collection of racing motorcycles that boggled the mind. The internal combustion hobby is alive and well in Boyne City.

By noon it was time to get to St. Ignace, our destination for the weekend and the site of the famous St. Ignace Car Show. We arrived in St. Ignace at about 2 p.m., and the town was already beginning to fill with all types of street rods, hot rods, collector, and special interest vehicles. Thursday evening the cars gathered at the Kewadin Casino and headed out for a parade through the streets of St. Ignace. After the parade, awards were handed out and a lucky participant won a Classic '34 Hot Rod pedal car provided by Classic Automobilia.

Friday morning the tour participants were special guests at the annual VIP brunch. Grand Marshal, automotive journalist, and contributor to Street Rodder Ken Gross was introduced and gave a great talk about the street rod hobby. Also in attendance was John Schneider of Dukes of Hazzard fame, Linda Vaughn, and Ed Reavie, who has been responsible for the success of the St. Ignace show for 34 years.

Great food and the chance to meet and greet some of these celebrities was a fun way to kick off Friday in St. Ignace. Cars gathered again on Friday evening for the Memory Lane Cruise down Main Street, which included floats and dignitaries from surrounding areas-plus even more cars showed up as people arrived for the Saturday show. Color commentary for the parade was provided by Top Hat John from Detroit, and I even took a turn at the microphone during the parade.

Saturday is the big day in St. Ignace. The entire length of Main Street was blocked off and cars began to line up very early in the morning. There is no admission charge for spectators, and the street was packed all day long. The weather was absolutely perfect, and it was a great day at the St. Ignace Car Show. Awards were presented at 4 p.m., and the weekend's activities wrapped up.

The St. Ignace Show was very enjoyable for all of us on the AMSOIL Road Tour. It is a laid back, mellow show that is fun for spectators and participants alike. Many thanks to Ed Reavie, the Nostalgia Productions staff, and the entire team who helped make the St. Ignace Car Show a success and made us feel so welcome.

Everyone on the AMSOIL Tour from the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion to the St. Ignace Car Show had a great time. The weather cooperated and the stops were all interesting and fun. With five more tours ahead we have plenty of miles to go before we end the summer in California.