Goodguys' Del Mar Nationals

Doug Mayfield's '42 Ford coupe was powered by a 302/C4 engine and trans combo, and the all-Ford rod had a simple look but was well done.

How low can you go? Paul Garrett, from Alpine, CA, had it figured out with his '31 Ford sedan, which runs 5.50-18s on the front and 6.50-20s in the rear.

Larry Johnson, from Grand Junction, CO, brought two cars to the show, including this '61 Chevy, which has a turbo-equipped 572 Chevy motor underhood. Larry's Bow Tie is a multiple award winner.

Another slick Buick belonged to Bryan Egan of Long Beach, CA, whose '33 Victoria featured spare tire mounts on both front fenders.

Dave Patterson's '37 Buick limo still had the glass partition between the driver's area and the upscale section out back. For the drivetrain, Patterson keeps it in the family with a 403 Buick motor butted up to a 200-4R trans.

Yeah, it's not a street rod technically, but you have to admit Ron Harris' '57 Flxible Starliner is cool. And the inside is just as nice as the exterior on the beast, which has a 534-inch engine backed to a six-speed trans.

We've been seeing more 'Birds showing up at events-both the square '58-60s and the more stylish '64-66s, like this red '66 owned by Gary Entrekin from Menifee, CA.

Dennis Hauswirth's '49 Pontiac was clean-shaven (without door handles or hood trim), but it still had enough old-time feel with the headlight eyebrows, a scallop paintjob, and wide whites.

Ryan Manson, the editor of Custom Classic Trucks (a sister publication to STREET RODDER that covers early trucks) was on hand in Del Mar to check out the stash of pickups at the event (of which there were many), including Andy Meeh's '51 Ford F-1 from nearby Vista.

Dan Merriman's '20 Ford roadster had a bunch of folks doing double takes, not knowing where he'd hid the motor. Being just a four-cylinder, the engine didn't need that much space.

A surprising number of Cadillacs (from all years) were out cruising the fairgrounds, but Trevor and Mike Lady made a statement by parking their long-n-low '65s next to each other.

Don "The Snake" Prudhomme retired as a race car driver in 1994 after 32 seasons, but his legend lives on. He showed up on Saturday with his restored Dodge car hauler with an original Snake 'Cuda on its back. Some of Prudhomme's earliest Funny Cars were built by the late legendary Lil' John Buttera.

Over in the Homebuilt Heaven section of the event (sponsored by Speedway Motors), Norm Schmidt's '27 Ford roadster rolled in from El Cajon, CA. Sometimes a simple look can be carried off quite well, as Norm's ride proves.

Gerry Reynolds' '29 Ford roadster pickup has been heavily channeled and, with its suicide front suspension, made even lower.

Marty Wells is a retired fireman who's having fun now building all sorts of cool customs, including his '51 Ford that featured a unique center console that flowed from the top of the dash and down through the center of the car.

We didn't see too many Model A coupes at the show, but we sure liked Mike Trussell's '31 in from San Diego. The aluminum Olds V-8 was topped with twin carbs.

Color combinations between the paint and the tone of the wood can either make or break the overall look of a woodie, and Ric Bonnoront's '41 Plymouth LX SW P-12 was done right. A 201-inch six-cylinder sits up front.

A unique choice of paint color sets Stan Matesich's San Pedro-based '47 Ford apart from the others.

Even though most of the woodies at Del Mar were fairly mild in the customization category, Brian Hill's '39 featured some rather radical bodywork to go with the bird's eye maple skin.

Good Wood was a separate area set aside for woodies at the Del Mar Nationals, and 58 of them obliged. It seems all years were in attendance, from the '20s to the '50s, and even a pair of rare Ford Sportsman convertibles showed up.

Later-model woodies, such as Gerry Gamet's black '51 (with a 5.0L Ford) and Rich Cravens' green '51 (with a 350/700-R4) were well represented too.

Sam Foose (father of Chip and a great car builder in his own right) just finished working on Ed Lambert's '47 Ford Sportsman, which has a well-detailed Flathead underhood. Only a few thousand Sportsmans were produced between 1946 and 1948, making the survivors quite rare.