As in years past the editors...
As in years past the editors of STREET RODDER picked two cars driven onto the grounds for awards. Unlike the criteria for trophies awarded inside the buildings, picking a winner outside is simple—if we like it, we pick it. Dick Piekerel’s ’28 Ford roadster from La Mirada was our choice on Saturday. It uses an original body and is period perfect from one end to the other; power comes from a stroked 21-stud flathead.
The Grand National Roadster show is unique in a variety of ways; take its name for instance. It started off in 1950 as the National Roadster Show but by 1963 the event program proclaimed it to be the Grand National Roadster Show, yet it may have been best known by a name it was never officially given: the Oakland Roadster Show.
Then there are the venues. The show opened in the Oakland Exhibition Hall, complete with pigeons in the rafters, then moved to the more modern Oakland Coliseum. From there it went across the bay to San Francisco first to the Concourse with its leaky roof then the Cow Palace and next it was down the road to the San Mateo Fairgrounds. It was getting so that where the big trophy was going to be awarded was as big a surprise as who would win it. But there was one more surprise coming; the next move was out of Northern California to a more southerly setting; under the leadership of the show’s current producer, John Buck, the show came to the Fairplex in Pomona, California.
While Buck has a great deal of respect for the rich history of the show’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award he has also been clever enough to add some interesting new elements to broaden the show’s appeal. There are a variety of special displays incorporated inside the various buildings, but our favorite addition is something no other show offers called the Grand Daddy Drive-In.
L.A. County’s Fairplex is a spacious facility and the show is held in multiple buildings on the grounds. Thanks to the show’s SoCal location, the weather is normally pleasant. So, taking the space available and the usual cooperation from Mother Nature into account, several years ago it was suggested by the SRM staff that the space between the buildings be used for specialty car parking--a rod run on the grounds, so to speak. Buck agreed and the show outside the show became a reality. This year close to 900 cars showed up over the weekend to pack the grounds and give show-goers even more to look at. Here’s a look at some of the cars in the show outside the show.
What’s not to love about a...
What’s not to love about a straight-axle ’55, especially when you grew up with it? After a 30-year search Kevin Wallauer found his father’s old gasser. A real time machine, it’s got all the right stuff—a dual-quad small-block, four-speed, Pontiac rearend, and five spokes—just a few of the reasons why it was the SRM pick on Sunday.
Allen Smits owns this ’34...
Allen Smits owns this ’34 Chevy coupe. Mostly stock on the outside, the running boards have been smoothed, it wears a billet grille and slick orange pearl paint on the timber framed body.
Here’s proof you don’t have...
Here’s proof you don’t have to go to extremes to have a cool cruiser. Kevin Peralta’s clean-as-can-be ’61 Ford Falcon is arrow straight, on the ground, and rolls on solids with stock caps and wide whites.
Ron Woodside from Orange,...
Ron Woodside from Orange, CA, owns this black-as-night ’57 Ford Ranchero. We can just see this hooked to a vintage race car on a single-axle trailer.
Al Zannino’s Garden Grove,...
Al Zannino’s Garden Grove, CA-based ’31 Ford Model A coupe runs a four-banger with a Miller head and intake manifold mounting Holley 94s.
The rocker cover cautions...
The rocker cover cautions that the high-speed head is designed to use anti-knock fuel and high-compression plugs.
Jorge Zaragoza has a collection...
Jorge Zaragoza has a collection of outstanding hot rods. Other than the dropped headlight bar the outside of his ’32 Ford five-window is stock, although it didn’t have a small-block Chevy with two-fours under the hood when it was new.
Mike Cole hails from Lakewood,...
Mike Cole hails from Lakewood, CA. His ’51 Ford ragtop has had the hood nosed, punched full of louvers, and fitted with a vintage bull nose trim piece. Other mods include frenched headlights removal of trim, badges, and handles.
Fellow four-banger enthusiast...
Fellow four-banger enthusiast Larry McKinney’s ’31 Ford Victoria has some interesting body mods, obvious are the deuce shell, E&J lights, and suicide doors; a little more subtle is the visor, which this body style lacked.
McKinney’s A also runs a Miller...
McKinney’s A also runs a Miller head but what caught our eye were the covers over the adjustment screws on the rare Winfield SR carburetor. Rare today, they were used to discourage racers from strolling by and making unwanted adjustments to the air/fuel mixture on competitor’s cars.
Bill Storer came from Huntington...
Bill Storer came from Huntington Beach, CA, in his ’36 Ford cabriolet. The unique hood treatment uses ’33 Ford-style louvers in the side panels.
Brian Bauers’ slick ’30 Model...
Brian Bauers’ slick ’30 Model highboy pickup rides an A-style frame, has a number of cool touches like the commercial grille shell and the smooth bedsides.
Jerry Booze owns this ’28...
Jerry Booze owns this ’28 Ford roadster pickup...
... under the hood is a small-block...
... under the hood is a small-block Chevy wearing vintage Edelbrock valve covers and Holley 94s on a staggered four-two manifold.
You won’t see many ’39 Ford...
You won’t see many ’39 Ford convertibles like Jim Smith’s—that’s because Ford didn’t make any—all the drop-tops that year were DeLuxe models. In retrospect, this is one Henry should have built.
What do you get when you cross...
What do you get when you cross a Studebaker and an El Camino? A Studemino of course. Behind the bullet nose is a 400-horse LS-2 backed by a 4L60 trans.
Albert Dust brought his ultra-sharp...
Albert Dust brought his ultra-sharp ’57 Thunderbird to the GNRS.
Under the hood of the Ford...
Under the hood of the Ford beats the heart of a detailed small-block Chevy.
Mike Podaca’s ’51 Cadillac...
Mike Podaca’s ’51 Cadillac is subtle, despite having been chopped, nosed, decked, frenched, smoothed, and slammed. The toothy grin comes from DeSoto teeth.
After a long day of looking...
After a long day of looking at cars some of us needed a little nap.
New to the Grand Daddy Drive-In...
New to the Grand Daddy Drive-In was a cruising circuit around the grounds. Where else can you go and sit on a bench and watch the car show go by? This is Orange County, CA ‘striper Tom Clark’s stovebolt shop truck.