Sometimes the only way to get street rodders to follow the rules is to see what we’re doing and write the rules around that. A perfect example is the L.A. Roadster Show, where coupes, sedans, wagons, pickups, Vickys, customs, and just about every other variety of pre-’75 iron have been crashing this topless party for years. Nobody has the heart to kick them out on Father’s Day—instead the L.A. Roadsters Club relegates the non-roadsters to a designated area of honor known as Specialty Parking.
This year’s reconfigured show layout relocated Specialty Parking farther from the swap meet and closer to the roadsters and vendors. Seeing these cars parked where we expected to see roadsters pushed us a little out of our comfort zone. Then we remembered that this whole hobby is about taking something familiar and modifying it into something out of the ordinary. As usual, Specialty Parking was full of out-of-the-ordinary rods and customs—every one of them was an example of imagination, modification, and change.
The Hot Rod Shop in Yucca...
The Hot Rod Shop in Yucca Valley celebrated Father’s Day with this chopped ’28 five-window, built in timeless hot rod style—from hairpins and rear split ’bones to the Flattie with Sharp heads and triple 94s, and megaphone headers.
The X-51 was originally built...
The X-51 was originally built by Ron Courtney in the late ’50s, and has been one of the most famous customs ever since. It’s great to see the ’51 Ford still drawing attention. Blackie Gejeian, equally as famous, brought the car to Pomona. It’s always great to see Gejeian, too.
The X-51 was originally built...
The X-51 was originally built by Ron Courtney in the late ’50s, and has been one of the most famous customs ever since. It’s great to see the ’51 Ford still drawing attention. Blackie Gejeian, equally as famous, brought the car to Pomona. It’s always great to see Gejeian, too.
This great chopped-and-channeled...
This great chopped-and-channeled ’36 Ford pickup was built at Imperial Hot Rods in Riverside, CA. The Buick Nailhead is fed by an Offy manifold and triple Rochester 2G carbs with Maund finned air cleaners on with straight pipes for the exhaust. Not visible are the Cadillac taillights.
Those slicks aren’t just for...
Those slicks aren’t just for show. This ’32 three-window survivor was drag-raced in the ’50s, running that same McCulloch supercharger. Look for a full feature in a future issue.
Now that we’re on the lookout...
Now that we’re on the lookout for more Street Cruisers, we stopped for a look at this candidate. The ’56 Buick wagon body is restored, but the tires and wheels had us wondering if there were suspension and drivetrain upgrades.
There’s a lot of walking at...
There’s a lot of walking at this show, but this deep green ’35 five-window taildragger came to us as it cruised through Specialty Parking.
This chopped-and-slammed ’51...
This chopped-and-slammed ’51 Merc has all the never-out-of-style traditional custom cues, including DeSoto grille teeth, frenched headlights, wide whites, Cadillac sombrero hubcaps, and a satin black finish.
Shiny copper scallops on aqua...
Shiny copper scallops on aqua blue suede makes an interesting color combo on this ’53 Ford Tudor. Also interesting was the Flathead with Offenhauser heads, and a vintage-influenced Eddie Meyer Hollywood air cleaner.
The DeSotos have their own...
The DeSotos have their own devoted fan base and, like magenta paint, appeal to the “something different” crowd. This shaved ’55 mild custom is powered by the ’55 Firedome Hemi.
Some of the guys from Hi-Speed...
Some of the guys from Hi-Speed Customs in Tucson, AZ, were in Southern California to pick up this pair of woodies and then came to the show to show them off. The ’33 Ford and the ’41 Buick both came from the same owner and both are remarkably intact. Will we see these two back here next June? Hope so.
Some of the guys from Hi-Speed...
Some of the guys from Hi-Speed Customs in Tucson, AZ, were in Southern California to pick up this pair of woodies and then came to the show to show them off. The ’33 Ford and the ’41 Buick both came from the same owner and both are remarkably intact. Will we see these two back here next June? Hope so.