It’s a short drive across...
It’s a short drive across South San Francisco from The Rodder’s Journal offices to the shop of Roy Brizio Street Rods. Roy has welcomed many of our Road Tours and again he and his staff rolled out the red carpet for all of us.
Don greeted us at his office and shop in Monterey. He proceeded to entertain us for the next two hours with stories of his search and rescue missions with some of the jewels of his huge collection. We were introduced to Jessie Cruz who handles the restoration and paintwork on the hot rods. Many of us had seen pictures of Don’s cars in the magazines or at some of the larger shows, but to actually stand next to them and hear their story from Don was truly amazing. We also got a look at the collection of vintage parts and accessories that Don has acquired over the years. Some years ago Don set out to reproduce the famous Ardun heads for Flatheads. He was very successful and did a limited production run that helped to preserve the Ardun history in our hobby. It was a fantastic morning with a man who has a passion for hot rods and loves to share his accomplishments with other folks who appreciate the history of our hobby. Many thanks to Don for his hospitality in Monterey.
From Monterey we headed south on Pacific Coast Highway. It is an incredible drive that goes along the beautiful California coastline. There was quite a bit of fog as we traveled south but we were able to catch some beautiful views as the weather cleared in spots. We stopped for lunch in Big Sur at the Nepenthe Restaurant and continued on south. Just past Cambria we headed inland and arrived in Bakersfield at dark. While our journey to Bakersfield on the Sherm’s Custom Plating Tour was completed, our fun at the NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion was just beginning.
The trip south on California...
The trip south on California Highway 1 was a beautiful drive and gave us our first look at the Pacific Ocean. We always try to build in time during these scenic cruises to take advantage of photo opportunities.
It was a great weekend at Famoso Raceway. The quality of the vintage race cars was fantastic and the history of our hobby was everywhere, from the displays and exhibits to the action on the track. Our AMSOIL/Street Rodder hospitality tent was set up in the grove area behind the grandstands. We were able to park our cars next to the tent and all of the Sherm’s Custom Plating Road Tourians spent the weekend recounting their adventures. Many thanks go out to Tony Thacker, Greg Sharp, and their staff and crew for again making us feel so welcome. We have already decided to make a return trip this fall as the California Hot Rod Reunion will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. Watch for all the details of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum Road Tour as we travel from the Pacific Northwest to Bakersfield in October of 2011.
It was a great week on the Sherm’s Custom Plating Tour. Many thanks to Gary Matranga, Art Holman, and Dave Dougherty from Sherm’s for making it all possible. It was the perfect wrap up to an amazing summer of the Road Tour. We traveled 24,500 miles from May to October and had a great time and saw many incredible sights.
Thanks to all of you who helped make it a wonderful 15th season on the AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour. Watch the website and the pages of Street Rodder for all of the news and schedule for the 2011 season. Call the Road Tour hotline at (800) 664-1362 for the latest updates as we see the United States in a very, very cool and very, very hot ’55 Chevrolet.
Among the many projects underway...
Among the many projects underway at Brizio’s was this trick ’27 track roadster. Being built for longtime Brizio customer John Mumford, this turtle deck T has a rare Ardun heads-equipped V-8/60 under the hood.
On Thursday morning Don Orosco...
On Thursday morning Don Orosco invited us to see his collection at his shop in Monterey. He took the time to give us some background on each and every vehicle in his extensive collection.
Just a few miles inland from...
Just a few miles inland from Santa Cruz is Scott’s Valley and home to Bruce Canapa Design. He greeted and provided us with a tour of the many cars on display. The styles of cars are exotics, sports cars, race cars, hot rods, and muscle cars. Many of the vehicles are for sale on consignment.
While the vintage racers attracted...
While the vintage racers attracted the attention on the track, the spectator’s rides were also vintage in their styling. A group of traditional rods always seem to gather in the grove area at the end of the grandstands near the swap meet section.