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Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals - Sound OpinionsNotes from the Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals From the July, 2011 issue of Street Rodder By Chris Shelton
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Roy Rockwell’s name should... Roy Rockwell’s name should sound familiar; we featured his Bo Jones–style modified in the June issue. This is his latest. It’s a Chrysler Hemi-powered ’30 Ford coupe. Chopping and channeling a Model A coupe is a gamble but his modified proves he’s good at making room in small spaces. Traveling for work withers away at one’s soul but it has one distinct benefit: It offers the ability to test live prospective places to move. For the years that I worked directly for publishers I exploited that by taking stock of every town I visited. That I went those places to either cover an event or work with a manufacturer meant I never had to guess what a particular area’s car culture was like; it was all laid bare as if a real estate agent bent on shops and shows rather than school districts was my guide. I knew I’d found my next home on my first trip to Goodguys’ Pacific Northwest Nationals. The Northwest, to be specific the west, or more affectionately the wet, side, is incredible. The rain that burdens the Puget Sound area most of the year ceases for several months to reveal what is arguably one of the most glorious summers possible. And it was a dose of good thinking that led Goodguys to schedule the Northwest Nationals smack-dab in the middle of it. It’s sunny but not overbearingly so; the temperature during the days just nudges 80. Mosquitoes are practically unknown in the developed areas, and Mt. Rainier, which is within sight of the fairgrounds, is without a doubt one of the most dramatic backdrops a rainforest could ask for. We can’t explain how Scott... We can’t explain how Scott and Jan Burton’s Ridler Great 8 contender “Kraken” eluded us until the last day of the show but it did. More than the green is intense; it sports a stack-injected Mopar Performance 547. (Look for a feature on it in Street Rodder Premium.) That’s nothing to say of the cars. Whether international commerce or the medical, software, or aerospace industries, the Northwest—particularly the area around Seattle—has lots of disposable income. You couldn’t judge by the presence of hybrids but the area boasts one of the densest populations of collector cars in the world. Legend has it that this strip along Interstate 5 has more Classic Registry (that’s pre-Depression big cars like Auburns, Packards, Cords, and Duesenbergs, if you didn’t know) per capita than anywhere else. A well-connected enthusiast can name at least two private collections of nearly any marque within driving distance. Cars like that don’t exist without infrastructure. Within a few hours’ drive from the fairgrounds are world renowned panel beaters, trimmers, racing engine builders, and painters. We even have a Ridler-winning shop in our midst. A fine line separates whimsy... A fine line separates whimsy from corny but Roy Dunn apparently knows exactly where it is. Whether because of its size, its colors, or its judicious use of rattan inside and out, his ’48 Crosley wagon, appropriately dubbed “Tiki Taxi,” attracted a crowd. Every year around mid-July this immense enthusiast base and talent pool comes to bear on the Puyallup Fairgrounds. And every year it gets bigger. When I first attended about a decade ago, roughly 1,000 cars showed up, but this year boasted nearly 3,000. Despite extensive site renovation and expansion, parking remains a seriously rare commodity for late risers. Goodguys Goodtimes Gazette editor Kirk Jones revealed something to me this year; something I’d never given much thought in the past. This event is unique in the sense that activities extend well into the night. After-hour activities are nothing exceptional but most happen off site. Here, though, attendees have taken to staying later than formal event hours, a circumstance that Goodguys has exploited by hiring bands and staff to cater to reveling night owls. Even the campsite adjacent to the fairgrounds is a veritable party. That’s pretty glowing praise for a car show, especially from someone who admittedly isn’t really interested in shows. But I’d expect no less from anyone else talking about their stomping grounds. To anyone who can’t say as much, I suggest getting a job that requires lots of travel, finding an agreeable place to stay, and moving there. Painless Performance Products presents Street Rodder Top 100 For the Top 100 program, Street Rodder attends 10 particular car shows each year and picks 10 vehicles at each to make up the Top 100. For more on where those shows are and how they’re voted on, check www.streetrodder.com  Skip Andrews owns the Von...  Skip Andrews owns the Von Hunter ’57 Ford. It has Chrysler wires now but it resembles the way it looked when Car Craft deemed it one of the 10 Best Customs of 1963-64.  We always knew early Skylarks...  We always knew early Skylarks were cool but it took Al and Jan Perry’s drop-top ’62 to show us just how right we were. That the whitewall tires look so right on these 18-inch Intro Ripples is the exception to the rule.  Steve’s Auto Restoration gave...  Steve’s Auto Restoration gave Fred Reynolds’ ’47 Ford convertible a unique treatment: ’49 Lincoln headlights and taillights. The car rides on a modern IFS and parallel-leaf rear suspension and goes by virtue of a Ram Jet 350.  The tunnel-ram manifold is...  The tunnel-ram manifold is a tad anachronistic for an early ’60s-themed hot car and the fake Caddy rocker covers on the Chevy detract from the big picture, but we liked everything else—specifically the chop, stance, Hurst recaps, and flat-gold finish—about Bob Haas’ ’29 Ford sedan.  There’s something disarming...  There’s something disarming and cool about a DIVCO. Vern Rohn re-powered his ’42 with a sensible GM 4.3/TH350 running gear. We don’t know the suspension but we presume it has IFS considering the way it tucks those 18- and 20-inch Billet Specialties wheels.  Last year illustrator Jason...  Last year illustrator Jason Rushforth lowered an otherwise-stock ’65 Skylark, re-hooped it with a set of his wheels, and rolled it around. This year he re-powered it with an LS/six-speed and endowed it with big brakes and tight suspension.  With help from his brother,...  With help from his brother, Tyler, Luke Robinson built this five-window ’62 Econoline. He dropped it with a tube axle, reinvented the lower grille with additional headlight inserts, and clipped the top ever so slightly.  Don Willette, Tacoma, WA /...  Don Willette, Tacoma, WA / ’54 Chevrolet Seeing how Don Willette is Craig Morrison’s uncle, it stands to reason that his ’54 rides on Morrison underpinnings. The Corvette LS2 engine and Richmond six-speed tranny means it goes as good as it looks.  Pat Swanson, Lake Tapps, WA...  Pat Swanson, Lake Tapps, WA / ’32 Ford coupe Some say 12-port historian Pat Swanson can’t build a car without one of Wayne Horning’s heads. Swanson collected original rails, a Culver City Halibrand axle, Roto-Flow dampers, and probably the prettiest Auburn dash you’ve ever seen. The only non-period part is the five-speed T5 transmission.  Maurice Siermachesky, Port...  Maurice Siermachesky, Port Alberni, BC, Canada / ’27 Ford sedan Not many people have the courage to do a T sedan, much less channel one and not chop it as Maurice Siermachesky and his son, Neil, did. This one runs 383/350 power and rolls Vintique wires and double-whitewall Diamondback Classic tires. This is one of two Top 100 winners from Port Alberni, British Columbia.  Paul Harper, Roslyn, WA /...  Paul Harper, Roslyn, WA / ’51 Cadillac coupe That’s a ’50 grille in Paul Harper’s ’51 grille. He also shaved the running lights, molded the headlight rings, nosed the hood, eliminated the taillight bezels, and frenched the lenses into the body.  Duane Sorensen, Corvallis,...  Duane Sorensen, Corvallis, OR / ’56 Oldsmobile 88 Chances are you wouldn’t have noticed the pancaked hood on Duane Sorensen’s ’56 Olds had we not mentioned it. He clipped the car with a Chevelle stub, swapped the axle for a 9-inch, and powered the car with later 425 Olds power and a switch-pitch TH400.  Rich Stapf, Port Townsend,...  Rich Stapf, Port Townsend, WA / ’32 Ford coupe Rich Stapf Sr. has a Henry-bodied three-window runs a 327 against a Muncie in a SO-CAL Speed Shop frame. He ordered it unpinched and with holes so he could run it highboy or fendered.  Bill Lahmann, Salem, OR /...  Bill Lahmann, Salem, OR / ’49 Plymouth Bill Lahmann transformed his ’49 Plymouth Suburban with a Fatman front clip, RideTech air springs, and 17- and 18-inch Colorado Custom wheels. Yeah it’s got a Hemi, a late-model 5.7 with a five-speed automatic.  Dick Uhlenkott, Clarkston,...  Dick Uhlenkott, Clarkston, WA / ’60 Buick LeSabre You may recognize Dick Uhlenkott’s ’60 bagged Buick LeSabre; we featured it in the Nov. ’10 issue. If you haven’t read it, it rolls 20- and 22-inch Billet Specialties SL 75S and sports a 412-inch 401 Nailhead and a switch-pitch transmission.  Pat Sunnen, Puyallup, WA /...  Pat Sunnen, Puyallup, WA / ’35 REO Royale sedan Beneath Pat Sunnen’s stock ’35 REO Royale is the chassis of a modern touring car. He built it around an Art Morrison suspension and endowed it with big-block Chevrolet power. Wheelsmith modified the reproduction artillery-style wheels to accept the REO caps.  Russ Moen, Port Alberni, BC,...  Russ Moen, Port Alberni, BC, Canada / ’54 Chevrolet cabover Port Alberni BC’s Russ Moen made his cabover camper from a stripped motor home chassis, a ’54 Chevy cab, and a 12-valve Cummins diesel. The hand-formed aluminum camping box sports a birch cabinetry probably nicer than most high-end kitchens.  Ron and Lois Beard's '33 Ford...  Ron and Lois Beard's '33 Ford Convertible.  Ron Beard built the neatest...  Ron Beard built the neatest Ford-powered early Ford in attendance hands down. He started with a Speed33 body but lengthened the wheelbase and fenders 3 inches to center the wheels under the grille. They said it couldn’t be done but he crammed a 32-valve Lincoln Navigator in the engine bay. He did everything, including modifying the already trick top mechanism.  The chassis-design Ford introduced...  The chassis-design Ford introduced in 1954 means small-block Ford power practically bolts into those cars. Only Ford of Canada saw fit to build cars like Jim Radloff’s ’54 Skyliner on the earlier chassis. Still, he admirably pulled off the swap, red gut, Poncho trim, and ’54 Olds taillights.  The chassis-design Ford introduced...  The chassis-design Ford introduced in 1954 means small-block Ford power practically bolts into those cars. Only Ford of Canada saw fit to build cars like Jim Radloff’s ’54 Skyliner on the earlier chassis. Still, he admirably pulled off the swap, red gut, Poncho trim, and ’54 Olds taillights.
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