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Grand National Roadster ShowGranddaddy Is Alive And Well! From the June, 2010 issue of Street Rodder By Eric Geisert, Ron Ceridono
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The winners of this year's... The winners of this year's America's Most Beautiful Roadster award are Mike and Dianna Dingham for their '33 Ford roadster "Possessed." For more on this ride see page 46. As the traditional kick-off to the yearly indoor car show season, the Grand National Roadster Show never seems to disappoint. And though it has been held in several locations throughout its 61-year history (from NorCal's Bay Area to SoCal's digs), its current spot at the L.A. County Fairplex in Pomona, California, might be its best. Always wanting to burst at the seams when held at the Oakland County Arena or Daly City's Cow Palace, the event now has the space to spread out between several well-lit and expensive buildings and showcase the best of what hot rodding is all about. For the show, some of the buildings are themed, with suede and customs taking up one room, while competition cars from several decades filled Building 9. In Building 3 a special collection of cars that made the covers of either STREET RODDER or Rod & Custom magazines were presented in a museum setting (with artwork on the walls and no ropes or stanchions to keep people away), and in Building 4 is where you'll find what all the hub-bub is about: competition for the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award trophy and honors. Donald Hamilton from Albuquerque,... Donald Hamilton from Albuquerque, NM, had Jamie Johnson at Hot Rod Haven put this '31 Ford coupe together with lots of custom touches, including flush-fit doors, a 3-inch chop, a '32 cowl vent, and lots more before Johnson sprayed the car PPG Lombard Blue. A '51 Caddy 331 supplies the power. Hamilton also won first in his Early Altered Street Coupe Pre-'35 class. As with any indoor car show, you'll find those things that are designed to bring "regular" folk to the show (i.e. TV's John Schneider or Playboy's Erika Eleniak), but for anyone interested in seeing nearly every type of hot rod known to man in one location, the GNRS is the place to be. In addition to all those great cars, attendees also had the chance to watch and bid on artwork that was being created in front of their eyes at the fifth annual Pinstriper's Reunion, where proceeds from the show-within-a-show would go to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. On Saturday and Sunday of the three-day event, hundreds of folks were able to drive their hot rods through the gates and into the Fairplex and park between the show buildings, and in doing so nearly doubled the amount of cars someone could go and see. Also on Saturday morning the Grand National Roadster Show's Hall of Fame held a luncheon where builders Zane Cullen, Keith Dean, Dick Jackson, Dan Woods, and collector Bruce Meyer were all inducted to the prestigious group. Any time you get the chance to hang out with your buddies and check out cars can only be classified as a good time. So imagine doing that with a few thousand more people and hundreds of cars and you'll soon figure out why the Grand National Roadster Show continues to be the place to be!  Michael Moal, son of famed...  Michael Moal, son of famed car craftsman Steve Moal, debuted his '29 Ford modified at the show. Besides a 327 Chevy, the roadster features front and rear torsion bar suspension, handformed rails, and an aluminum nose, hood, bucket seats, and much more. He also took second in his class.  Guitarist Eric Clapton wanted...  Guitarist Eric Clapton wanted a '49 Ford Tudor and contacted Roy Brizio for the build. Converted to righthand drive, the coupe received a 1.5-inch chop, the nose raked 2 inches, the decklid lengthened 5 inches, and a custom grille added. The motor-trans combo is a 402 Roush V-8 backed to a Tremec five-speed.  Pascal "Bugs" Jarrion rolled...  Pascal "Bugs" Jarrion rolled into Pomona from Burbank, CA, with his '35 Ford coupe that was built at Hollywood Hot Rods (HHR). Once a '36 sedan, it was converted to a three-window at HHR. Suicide doors, a 5-inch chop, '35 Plymouth front fenders, and a host of other custom touches lends credence as to why HHR's Troy Ladd was the featured Builder of the Year at this year's show.  Winner of this year's Brizio...  Winner of this year's Brizio Family award (for a street-driven street rod, '48 and older) was Ralph Berger from Chino, CA, for his '40 Ford coupe. His Ford in a Ford (302/AOD) also showcased an interior from Mark Lopez at Elegance Auto Interiors in Upland, CA, and a Ross Zie chassis. Berger also picked up first in his class.  Bruno Cirello's '61 Chevy...  Bruno Cirello's '61 Chevy bubbletop was stylish on the outside (thanks to the Rods by PG paint) but with some horsepower under the hood (thanks to the ZZ 502 engine). Ron Mangus did the smooth and cool interior in this ride too.  You can always count on Hot...  You can always count on Hot Rods and Custom Stuff (Escondido, CA) to produce some good-looking rides, and it really doesn't get any better than Roland Tittle's 427 Roush-powered '60 Starliner hardtop. This is what a post-'48 hot rod should look like.  Back in the day, if you won...  Back in the day, if you won it, you could actually take the America's Most Beautiful Roadster trophy home with you until next year's show. Around 9 feet tall, that would take up some space in the living room!  The 12-inch steering wheel...  The 12-inch steering wheel was made by the same folks who made the 18x7 and 20x10 road wheels: Genuine Boyds. Classic Instruments created the custom gauges, and they're set into pods that came from Headwinds.  A departure from the other...  A departure from the other cars in the AMBR field, James Hetfield's customized '36 Auburn boattail was the work of stylist Rick Dore and was nicknamed "Slow Burn." The deep Root Beer paint was courtesy of Darryl Hollenbeck at Vintage Color Studio.  Scratchbuilt from steel at...  Scratchbuilt from steel at Scott's Hotrods 'N Customs in Oxnard, CA, the idea behind Mike and Dianna Dingham's AMBR winner was what would it look like if the car Ford built in 1933 was blended with some of the design elements from the golden era of European coachbuilders?  Ron Mangus not only created...  Ron Mangus not only created the custom leather interior for the car, but also custom-fit the seats to the owner. The European design really comes out in the seating.  A 351 V-8 from Ford Racing...  A 351 V-8 from Ford Racing was bumped to 392 cubes and it was topped by an injection system by TWM Induction.  Jerry Magnuson, whose name...  Jerry Magnuson, whose name is synonymous with performance supercharger products, teamed up with Chip Foose to create "Magnatude." Starting with a one-of-ten steel Kugel Muroc bodys scratchbuilt by Marcel DeLey, Magnuson went all out in the elegance department with bird's eye Maplewood trim pieces for the interior and a well-detailed LS-1 underhood.  Two pieces of fitted luggage...  Two pieces of fitted luggage in the trunk (also from Mangus) lend a European feel. The car was prepped and painted (with waterborne BASF Glasurit Cabernet) at Palmer's Custom Paint & Body in Camarillo, CA.  The only car in the AMBR competition...  The only car in the AMBR competition from Canada, Wayne Halabura's Deuce roadster featured an all-aluminum and polished Chevy engine and many one-off billet aluminum parts.  "Stoked" is what Fred Stoke...  "Stoked" is what Fred Stoke calls his Black Apple-colored roadster. Teaming with New Metal Kustoms and Aces High Upholstery to build his ride, Stoke also chose a blown and injected 354 Chrysler Hemi to power his roadster.  Todd Stevens' '32 roadster,...  Todd Stevens' '32 roadster, done in a real hot rod theme (injected motor and slicks), rolled into the show from Mesa, AZ. Set on a chassis from Pinkees Rod Shop, the all-steel Deuce received its bodywork, fabrication, and paint at Squeeg's Kustoms.  Sidney Allen's red Deuce roadster...  Sidney Allen's red Deuce roadster certainly had a classic hot rod look to it; no doubt the result of it being built by NorCal's Tom Walsh. A Hemi engine with three-twos was underhood, and a Greek-style pinstripe broke up the all-red exterior. A quick-change was out back, and Sid Chavers did the interior.  One of three cars painted...  One of three cars painted black that competed for the big trophy, Floyd Williams' '32 was built at Dave Lane's Fast Lane Hot Rod Shop and has a '60s-era feel about it with a diamond-pleated interior, an injected small-block, and slicks.  Don Smith's stellar collection...  Don Smith's stellar collection of fantastic hot rods recently grew by one with the addition of his "Goldenrod" roadster pickup. Roy Pigford, of Roy's Body Shop in Beach City, TX, built the car and used an H&H-prepped Flathead, an interior from Gabe's Custom Upholstery, and wheels from Mike Curtis to get the job done.  In from Moline, IL, Brule...  In from Moline, IL, Brule Hampton had his Deuce highboy entered in the AMBR class. Starting with an all-steel Brookville Roadsters body, Hampton added a 502 Ram Jet motor, Foose 18- and 20-inch wheels, and topped it off with a paintwork from Mark's Rod Shop.  We've lost count as to how...  We've lost count as to how many hot rods George Poteet might own, but his latest is a result of work done at two shops (Stinger's Hot Rod Shop and Rad Rides by Troy). Poteet's "Miller Hauler Special" is a '32 Ford truck fitted with a hopped-up four-cylinder, a five-speed trans, a V-8 quick-change, Dayton wire wheels, an aluminum Miller-esque nose and, oh yeah, a whole lot of louvers! Poteet also won the Blackie Gejeian Award of Excellence trophy.  Not only has John D'Agostino...  Not only has John D'Agostino been attending the GNRS for decades, he's brought out a fine-looking automobile to show (either for himself or a customer) each year. Dave Walter, from Princeville, HI, wanted a car that would pay tribute to Elvis Presley's love of Cadillacs, so the duo built this '59 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible. The body was massaged by Aiello Customs while the paint was laid down by Art Himsl.  "The Lightning Rod" is what...  "The Lightning Rod" is what Ken Reister calls his '33 Ford coupe, which was designed with a '36 nose by Chip Foose. Reister's Rod Shop did the metalwork on the car, which includes 1,000 handmade parts. A Kinsler-injected 392 Ford stroker motor provides the go. Having won both a Ridler award (twice) and an AMBR award in the past with some other cars he owns, Reister picked up a First Place trophy in his class for this ride too.  Part concept car, part traditional...  Part concept car, part traditional roadster, Joel Cannon's '30 Ford lowboy rolled in from its home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The futuristic interior included a wood-and-metal slat seating and aluminum door panels.  You might think Zack Norman's...  You might think Zack Norman's Deuce fighter plane-inspired roadster was aluminum, but it's steel, just painted with House of Kolor Kosmic Chrome. Designed by the owner and built at Hollywood Hot Rods, the dash in this car was filled with aircraft-style gauges and a cut-down steering wheel that looked like it came out of the cockpit of a B-29.  Chances are good your '48...  Chances are good your '48 Ford pickup doesn't look like Tom Stephens' F-1. Chopped, channeled, and sectioned 2 inches, the truck now includes suicide doors, '37 La Salle front fenders used as rear fenders, and a heavily massaged '37 La Salle nose section that was treated to a lot of creative metalwork at Nissen's Hot Rod Garage in Williams, CA. Stephens calls his truck "Vendetta," and he picked up three awards, including first in a Radical Pickup category.  Bruce Ricks' '57 Oldsmobile...  Bruce Ricks' '57 Oldsmobile convertible, out from Sapulpa, OK, was one of two cars from Olds specialists Cimtex Rods in Jarrell, TX. The original '57 Olds J-2 engine was still in place, but now rides in a chassis prepped with Art Morrison and RideTech parts. The Dupont Hot Hues paint, applied at Cimtex, is a combination cinnamon flame with black copper.  Ken Ginnings created the "Zoot...  Ken Ginnings created the "Zoot Zooter" for Jim "Bones" Noteboom, a perennial car show participant. The custom is a '37 Packard, and it was covered in green metallic House of Kolor paint by Lopez Enterprises.  Things keep going after the...  Things keep going after the sunset. The suede palace was packed, thanks to great music all through the day and into the night.  There were a handful of Oldsmobiles...  There were a handful of Oldsmobiles at this year's show, including Marvin Landon's '49 coupe from Hidden Hills, CA. Landon's Olds won First Place in the Street Machine '49-64 class.  Didn't know International...  Didn't know International Harvester made woodies. Then David Dunkel's '54 International Harvester will set you straight. Reminiscent of the Marmon-Harrington four-wheel-drive woodies, big vehicles like this were used as high-occupancy buses for decades in the first half of the 20th century.  Vintage Color Studio's Darryl...  Vintage Color Studio's Darryl Hollenbeck had never done a panel 'n' lace paintjob before tackling Norm Ricardo's '59 wagon, and now he's gotten it out of his system! Ricardo won three awards for his car, including the Von Dutch Pinstriping award, awarded to a car that best represents the work of the late Von Dutch.
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