You’d have to have built a...
You’d have to have built a car a long time ago if you wanted to affordably build a car with Kinmont brakes, ’40 Ford V-8/60 front wheels, and real Hartford friction dampers. Gary Harms scared up tons more neat old stuff for his ’28, including a Vertex mag and Evans manifold on his 59A, Klixon aircraft toggle breakers, and a perfect flanged-lip Bell wheel.
I should get excited when I’m paid to go to car shows but I admit I wasn’t exactly gleeful when I heard I was to cover Goodguys Great Northwest Nationals in Spokane. On one hand it was a blessing; I have lots of pals in Spokane and every year I use the show as a good reason to visit them. And to be fair the event is pretty good: it attracts a number of feature-worthy cars. But would it attract enough cars to warrant full-blown coverage, much less a Painless Performance Products/Street Rodder Top 100 selection?
Mine weren’t the only reservations. Goodguys established the show 10 years ago and for just about as long Spokane locals have pondered its fate. You see, Spokane is a neat-looking oasis in the middle of pretty much nowhere, a way station rather than a destination. That isn’t a critique, mind you; the city owes its existence to its proximity to really remote industrial areas. Case in point, investment by Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, Great Northern, and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific railroads once made Spokane one of the country’s most critical junctions. In fact the city’s 600,000 residents make it quite a populated place.
The Lincoln Zephyr engine...
The Lincoln Zephyr engine never caught on, hence a shortage of early speed parts. So when Bob Stredwick built his ’30 Ford coupe around one he bored two more openings into a stock manifold and made the finned head covers. For contrast, the old engine breathes through dummy Strombergs commanded by an Electromotive injection brain. Oh, and the splash rings on them indicate that the ’41 Lincoln backing plates are indeed genuine.
Unfortunately, you’d have to cast a net several hundred miles wide to double that figure, which is really necessary to underwrite a good event. Denver, for example, has effectively the identical population as Spokane, however, the metro area has 1.9 million more people. What’s more, west Colorado and most of Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and parts of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico are within half a day’s driving distance of the Denver Metro area.
But unless one lives in the immediate area, attending an event in Spokane is a fair bit of investment. For comparison, the Colorado Nats get about 2,000 cars. Spokane gets a bit more than half of that and somehow I recall that the threat of rain last year or the year prior seemed to discourage even more potential attendees. What’s worse, since so many come from so far away they often leave early on Sunday or even Saturday night, if only to get home early enough to rest up for the upcoming week. People simply flee the grounds on Saturday afternoon.
This sort of played on my nerves. It may seem fun at face value but selecting Top 100 cars is a real chore; to do it properly means striking a balance among early, late, high-tech, traditional, big-budget, and low-cost cars. Would I have the luxury of that variety? Anticipating the worst, I actually began scouting cars at the Pacific Northwest Nationals in Puyallup. And if I were to find 10 cars worthy of Top 100 status at Spokane would their owners stick around for the Sunday awards ceremony? For that matter would they stick around on Saturday night if I wanted to shoot their cars?
Dustin Reichel is a bit of...
Dustin Reichel is a bit of a vanguard if only that he isn’t willing to pigeonhole himself into one movement. A Magnacharger-blown LS2, drilled-and-slotted rotors, and oversized wheels make his ’65 Skylark decidedly modern. Only those wheels are interpretations of ’60s Rocket wheels and the car wears a primer-inspired matte-black finish.
I wouldn’t quite call it surprised but I was certainly relieved by this year’s turnout. The event was—at least based on my experience over the past few years—the best I’d seen. And I wasn’t alone, either. Attendees often judge events on where they had to park, a big deal if the promoter doesn’t pay attention to the grounds. Most people I spoke to were enthusiastic about this year’s event and even their parking places. And enthusiasm is sort of a consumer-confidence index; people are happy if they feel they got their money’s worth.
But that’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement. One thing that the Great Northwest Nats lacks is a center. Pleasanton, for example, has a really pretty main street lined with cafes and shops that fill up as the fairground empties. The fairground crowd hardly disperses at night during the Pacific Northwest Nats in Puyallup. Specifically Saturday night, attendees stick around well beyond the official operating hours. Goodguys capitalizes on it by hiring entertainment.
B/Gas survivor? Nope, Dan...
B/Gas survivor? Nope, Dan Ray just built this ’57 Vette to look that way. The 327 (now 331) has lots of pop and boasts a Super T-10 and a tach-drive Vertex mag for the Jones tach among other things. He achieved the stance with a C-channel spacer between the frame and crossmember. The Ansens wear Moroso DS-2s and Radir 8.20-15 slicks.
For years people told me how...
For years people told me how easily Chevrolets fit in early Studebakers. Well according to Kim and Chris Kussler’s ’53, a 360 Chrysler fits just as well. A Mustang II, Newport Engineering wiper conversion, and Corvette-style buckets suggest this is a real driver.
Speaking of Studes, lay your...
Speaking of Studes, lay your eyes on this dry, original-paint, V-8-powered ’54 hardtop. The inland northwest’s dry climate preserves such jewels. Reportedly this one sold for $3,500 but because we were the ones who didn’t get it for that price we hope it’s just a lie.
Our pal Len Bush always lusted...
Our pal Len Bush always lusted for a ’39 convertible sedan so when this one turned up he sacrificed his prized ’36 sedan to get it. He found the skirts, filled the hole in the pillar with another spotlight, and pulled a few rear leaves. Our other pal Chris Swenson probably put more miles on it than anyone else over the weekend.
As a kid Kalispell’s Mark...
As a kid Kalispell’s Mark Colby lusted for Dick Hampton’s T-bucket. Scott Young built the car in 1967 and typical for pre-catalog times he made or adapted rather than bought parts, such as the hairpins made from steel yokes. It runs a long-ram 413 manifold on an impressive-sounding 440. The car came with several sets of N.O.S. Michelin and Firestone Big Jelony tires.
Mary and Joe Wallace’s ’59...
Mary and Joe Wallace’s ’59 Impala walks a similarly fine line, this one between the custom car and lowrider worlds. The drop-top boasts a Tri-power 348, a pearl orange finish, pearl white trim, air springs, skirts, and a continental kit.
The Homebuilt Heaven corral...
The Homebuilt Heaven corral is always a treat when it’s stocked with cars like Jerad and Leann Marzano’s ’50 Tudor. The shoebox underwent a one-year transformation and its presence proves it more than worthy of the trip from Puyallup.
Brian and Vicki Osborn should...
Brian and Vicki Osborn should name their channeled Deuce coupe Rip, as in Van Winkle. Its plates indicate its registration expired in 1968. It runs a healthy-looking early Olds and tons of plating, including on the entire ’46-48 front suspension. Even the tires—triple red stripes on the rear—survived the slumber. Unfortunately, the green flake paint didn’t but we’d preserve it just the same.
The Tempest’s engine—half...
The Tempest’s engine—half of a 389—made the car unique. Rather than add four more cylinders Kennewick’s Dale Kintzley added a Procharger. Gone is the odd broom-handle-driven transaxle; in its place a 700-R4. He clipped the roof and leaned back the windshield for dramatic effect.
Jim and Kris Sooter exercised...
Jim and Kris Sooter exercised great restraint when they chopped their Model 40 Fordor. They followed it with a good dose of taste by finishing it in rich dark metallic green with tobacco-colored leather and wood-grained garnishes. The ’34 sports a California Kid–style nerf bar, ET III wheels, and a 327.
Our skirts blew up every time...
Our skirts blew up every time we laid eyes on Brad Gortsema’s ’63 Ford Unibody pickup. He and his pop, Rich (who brought an equally cool ’68 Chevy with C4 Vette suspension), built it with a 350 of a different stripe: Buick. A Fatman Mustang II crossmember, a GM tilt column, and color-coordinated bedliner makes it useful; lots of detail make it easy on the eyes.