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itsworn · 6 years

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2018 NSRA Street Rod Nationals … Bigger & Better

The first weekend in August has long been the time we set aside to go to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. If we can’t make the drive there is always following it online or go old-school and begin to count down the days until it appears in our favorite magazine (STREET RODDER, of course!).

And why should this year be any different as the 49th annual get-together was served up at the Kentucky Exposition Center where it has been since 1997 … I believe. (A little background on the KEC: It’s a large multiuse facility originally built in 1956. It’s the sixth largest facility of its type in the country with 1.3 million square feet of indoor space. It also houses two arenas, Broadbent Arena and Freedom Hall, where the Sunday award-winning vehicles are shown, almost 700,000 square feet of Class A exhibit space (of which there were 273 exhibitors), nearly 500 acres of outdoor planning space (on grass and concrete). A majority of the 1.3 million square feet is contiguous. (So finding a place to park shouldn’t be an issue.)

And for those of you who enjoy celebrating anniversaries be prepared for next summer when the 50th comes around. We haven’t been made aware of what the NSRA might have in store but being the 50th I’m guessing we will see lots of cars and street rodder types we possibly haven’t seen in some time.

Aside from the weather being outstanding (which is saying something for Louisville in August!) you could feel the added excitement in the air … for whatever the reason. We could tell the spectator crowd was big, 62,201 people walked in, and this was especially noticeable on Friday and Saturday. As for the car count we did see window stickers at 10,190, making this one of the largest in years … another sign that all is right in the world of street rodding. To this we noted cars parked in areas we hadn’t seen street rods in for some time. There was no denying this was a good year.

When you say an event had “… everything from soup to nuts …” that’s generally interpreted as a good thing, meaning there were all sorts of goodies going on to keep your interest. The 49th NSRA Nats had it all from the world of entertainment with the likes of Sawyer Brown to the Endless Summer Band … and who hasn’t heard Wings Kallahan and his daily sunrise to sunset playing of the oldies but goodies from his remote station located outside the center doors of the main exhibit building.

If wandering the acres of grounds looking at every manner of hot rod doesn’t wear you out then make sure to wander the nearly endless aisles of exhibitors inside. To this you should have seen the Builders’ Showcase in the main hall inside the exhibit building where for the past 12 years (since 2006) you can see about 30 of the best examples from a myriad of builders our industry has to offer.

There is also the NSRA Super Prize Program and this year (the 31st year) the Nats package was worth $66,867 (featuring 44 companies—meaning over $28 million in prizes has been given away to rodders over the past decades). That’s an achievement. However, the prize everyone has their eye on is the NSRA Giveaway Car (featuring 50-plus companies). This year Waycool Customs in Pittsfield, Illinois, built the Brockmeyer Designs 1932 Ford Victoria. In order to win you must be a registered participant with your car on the grounds of the Expo Center at the time of the drawing. You must be present at the drawing, and if your lucky entry number is drawn you must verify ownership in your name of the registered vehicle. Taking home the Deuce was Charles Senn of Louisville (short drive home!). His ride to the Nats was a 1968 Firebird; now he has an early and late hot rod; can life get any better?

There are fan favorites, such as Pro’s Pick sponsored by Classic Instruments, where a dozen outstanding rodding examples are selected by an industry judging panel, 29 Below (for younger builders the program is now in its 32nd year) sponsored by Vintage Air, Mopar Country (in its 43rd year), new products section (this is a must for all hot rodders in attendance), and a really good program the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) Education Days. These hourlong seminars are designed with you, the homebuilder in mind, to help you with virtually every aspect of car building in an effort to make you better at your hobby. Time well spent. Other favorites are the Safety Inspections, Powermaster Testing, Commercial Way (sponsored by UPS), and my personal favorite … Michigan Hot Rod Association Rod Repair Shop. For many, many years they have come to the rescue of countless street rodders who have found themselves behind the proverbial “eight ball” when things go wrong at the Nats. A special thanks to these guys helping all those in mechanical need.

On the subject of New Products this year’s winning companies were JJ’s Rods for their firewall boots ($0-$200 category), Classic Instruments for their 1964-1966 Chevrolet pickup direct replacement instrument cluster ($201-$1,000 category), CarCapsule for their indoor car capsule ($1,001-$5,000 category), Fatman Fabrication for their 1963-1966 Chevrolet pickup complete chassis ($5,001 and up category), and Watson StreetWorks for their backup camera console monitor (Safety Related category).

As for the more physical among us there was the Streetkhana (autocross NSRA style) that was aptly handled by the American Streetcar Promotions and ran Thursday through Saturday. There were awards handed out for three classes that were broken into Pre-1949, Post-1948, and a Vendor Class (guys who know how to drive and have the horsepower to make it happen).

And to wrap things up there was the Circle of Winners held at noon on Sunday and it is here the 48 outstanding vehicles from the show are honored in the arena for all to see. And what a way to wrap things up; it’s one of the last four-day shows in the country and it still provides plenty of excitement to keep rodders interested. We are always amazed at how many rodders arrive early in the week and are all set up and ready to go by Tuesday and the show doesn’t start until Thursday. Like we mentioned earlier you could feel the added excitement this year and the number of entrants and spectator crowd coupled with the great weather made this a special year. And writing about special, all of us should be excited to see one another next year at the 50th … now that’s saying something.

Painless Performance Products Top 100 (Indoors)

Jon Hall | Saginaw, MI | 1927 Ford Starting with a body and chassis from Shadow Rods, students from Washtenaw Community College’s Custom Cars and Concepts Program created this elegant roadster. Complete with a nailed-to-the-ground stance, Holley Sniper-equipped 355ci Chevy mill, and decadent PPG Deep Maroon Gloss, it rolls on bronze wheels from The Wheelsmith topped with Diamond Back rubber.

Sonny & Debby Freeman | Lafayette, LA | 1957 Chevy Rolling on an Art Morrison GT Sport chassis, the team at Mike Goldman Customs added a 900hp Whipple-supercharged LS7 V-8 from Mast Motorsports to lay down the power to a set of custom wheels from Curtis Speed wearing Pirelli tires. The body features a coating of Axalta Butter Yellow vibe while inside a custom interior by Paul Atkins adds comfort with cool from Vintage Air.

Bruce & Judy Ricks | Sapulpa, OK | 1963-1/2 Ford Bruce’s Galaxie 500 is the ultimate sleeper. Built by Steve Cook Creations it features a ground-grazing stance, subtle coating of Axalta deep green, and rolls on steel wheels with caps and red line tires. Punch comes from an all-aluminum 496ci Ford FE with 622 hp from Craft Performance with comfort courtesy of Sculpt Garage and chrome from Jon Wright’s Custom Chrome Plating.

Seth Wagner | McHenry, IL | 1950 Ford There’s just something cool about a classic mild custom. A perfectly shaved body glows in PPG burgundy while a 312ci Ford Y-block V-8 wearing an Autotrend Tri-power EFI adds plenty of go. Inside a classic bench seat adds comfort with Vintage Air setting the temps and a Ford Crestliner wheel navigating the course.

Mike & Glenna Young | Derby, KS | 1949 Buick With over 120 custom body modifications by Chris Carlson Hot Rods, this Buick Sedanette is all class featuring a mild chop, 1956 Buick headlights, peaked and extended quarter-panels, and Martin Senour graphite color. A 383ci Chevy mill with EFI from Imagine Injection Systems adds power linked to a 700-R4 trans while inside vintage T-bird bucket seats are covered in fawn leather.

Tom Simpson | Knoxville, TN | 1925 Ford Packing 239 ci of Flathead power breathing through a two-pot intake while singing through a set of lake pipes is totally wicked. Rolling on a set of bigs ’n’ littles with red wires and a polished black suede body completes the look. Inside, plenty of custom aluminum sets the pace, complete with gauges from Speedway Motors monitoring the vitals and a tall Lokar shifter pulling gears.

Suzy Bauter | Thompsons Station, TN | 1963 AMC Rambler Built at home in a two-car garage, including all custom fabrication, this wagon sees plenty of autocross action. Coated in PPG Washington Blue with a custom-sewn interior by Suzy, it’s all business in the engine bay thanks to 5.3L Chevy V-8 for go-power while Baer brakes add plenty of stopping power. The package rolls on 18-inch US Mags shod with BFGoodrich Rival S tires.

Curtis Hofstetter | Mechanicsville, VA | 1933 Willys Gassers are guaranteed to raise your adrenalin level thanks to their mile-high stance and endless attitude. For plenty of impact a 355ci Chevy V-8 wears a 6-71 supercharger topped by a pair of 750-cfm Holley carbs dumping gases through custom headers. A razor-sharp body wears PPG custom blue metallic gloss while classic Halibrand-style wheels sport Mickey Thompson tires.

Robert Anderson, Savannah, GA / 1936 Pontiac A custom chassis from Roadster Shop with an IRS from Kugel Komponents adds a perfect stance, especially when combined with one-off wheels from EVOD Industries. Built by Legens Hot Rod Shop the body features an endless array of custom updates and is covered is custom-blended white pearl from Axalta. A Chevrolet Performance supercharged LT4 brings the go with 650 hp.

Dale Carpenter | Birmingham, AL | 1930 Ford coupe Another awesome homebuilt hot rod was this cool Model A sporting a perfectly balanced chop, Deuce grille, tombstone taillights, and two-tone paint scheme. A Ford modular V-8 adds plenty of visual impact and sets the pace topped with an Autotrend EFI dumping spent gases through homespun headers. Inside it’s a cool tiki theme with Classic Instruments monitoring the vitals.

Painless Performance Products Top 100 (Outdoors)

Ronald James | Paducah, KY | 1933 Ford coupe Pure tradition never goes out of style. This Falkstone Gray Desert Tan 1933 coupe retains a basically stock body but a proper stance, yellow steelies, and a well-dressed flathead motor leave no doubt that this coupe is pure hot rod. Inside you’ll find tan leather and a shifter leading to an early Ford tranny.

Bob Oney | Lebanon, OH | 1932 Ford roadster Bob Oney’s latest hot rod carries a heavy Lobeck look with a blood-red body, subtle louvers, and traditional big ’n’ little stance. Pete and Jakes front and rear suspension along with American Rebel wheels provide the proper stance. Power comes from a 383 stroker topped with a FiTech injection system. Inside a simple leather seat, Classic Gauges, and a Bell-style wheel complete the package.

Gary Gregory & Fred Graffe | Stewartstown, PA | 1962 Ford Galaxie convertible The superclean lines of the 1962 Ford convertible make a perfect platform for hot rodding. The team at Lucky 7 rod shop stuffed a dual-turbo Ford Coyote underhood and filled the interior with deep burgundy leather, making for a 600-plus horsepower, comfortable top-down cruiser.

Jim Talaga | Plainfield, IL | 1947 Ford Sportsman The Ford Sportsman is seldom seen in hot rod circles. This burgundy beauty has a 4.6 Lincoln motor underhood and rides on a Heidts IFS. Tan leather, Vintage Air, and Autometer gauges update the interior while Coker wide whites on 16-inch Vintique steelies complete the look.

Bruce & Judy Ricks | Sapulpa, OK | 1956 Ford Victoria Most people don’t notice this Ford has been wedge-sectioned 4-3/4 inches beginning from the front fender and tapered back to the quarter-panel. A 427 Ford Racing motor is fed by eight-stack EFI and a TREMEC six-speed mixes the gears. Inside two-tone brown leather covers the bucket seats, Classic Instruments monitors the motor and Vintage Air keeps it all cool.

Bill Wynne | Royal Palm Beach, FL | 1932 Ford Victoria Black Deuce Victorias always catch our eye and if they happen to be powered by a 246-inch Flatmotor that’s even better. Vintage Air, Classic Instruments, and several red cows cover the inside of the car. Pete and Jakes parts and Wheelsmith wheels combine to create the proper rake.

Bob Bosse | Nicholasville, KY | 1936 Ford Cabriolet Cabriolets bring the best of both worlds: open air motoring and roll-up windows. This superclean 1936 relies on traditional mods like red steelies, wide whites, and black and white rolled and pleated seats behind a 1940 dash. Haneline instruments, Vintage Air, and a Lokar shifter complete the package.

Bill Cheek | Lancaster, PA | 1940 Ford Tudor We just don’t see enough 1940 Tudors finished to this high standard. Under the flawless black body you’ll find TCI suspension and a 401 Nailhead Buick nestled between the rails. Inside black rolls ’n’ pleats combine with Vintage Air, Classic Instruments, and a Lokar shifter connected to the 200-R4 tranny. It is simply a perfect package.

Gregory F. Denk Jr. | Overland Park, KS | 1932 Ford three-window coupe Hot rodding is all about attitude and this coupe has plenty of it. From the 402 big-block Chevy with over-the-frame headers, to the Wheelsmith wire wheels wrapped with Coker Excelsior tires, this is one bad coupe. A B&M shifter grabs gears and VDO provides the vital signs.

Tim A. Kinslow | Wanamaker, IN | 1951 Plymouth Suburban Post World War II America took to the open road traveling in station wagons. Today hot rodders are doing the same thing, often in the same cars. Of course modifications like a modern Mopar 360 EFI crate motor hooked to a TC518 tranny beats that old flathead-six. A Mustang II suspension provides stance, handling, and ride. Inside red and white upholstery matches the Cherry Red PPG paint.

Best Ford in a Ford Terry Gervasi’s Model A Coupe Written and Photographed by Gerry Burger

Hot rods and mathematics go hand in hand, and yet somehow when I was taking geometry my high school teacher forgot to mention the relationship. You see, geometry is a branch of mathematics concerned with questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space. While my teacher may have failed to connect these angles to important things like chopped tops, over the years I have found cars that work as great geometry textbooks. The car on these pages would be considered an advanced geometry textbook, so let’s take a quick lesson.

Terry Gervasi had owned a Model A coupe for a long time. He had always dreamed of finishing the car and having a traditional chopped coupe. As the years went by he decided it might be best to bring the old coupe to a professional shop. After doing some research and seeing several Hot Rod Garage cars, he contacted Ray Bartlett in Denton, Maryland, to do the build.

When the car rolled off the trailer and into The Hot Rod Garage the team discovered a poorly chopped 1931 Ford coupe. As a matter of fact the top had been cut so poorly it was beyond help and it was quickly determined a new top would be required for a proper top chop. A search for a new Model A top showed that most good tops were attached to good bodies. Not wanting to cut up a good car just for the top, Ray looked for other options. It was time for some basic math. Since there was a Deuce five-window in the shop a quick study with a tape measure indicated a 1932 Ford coupe roof could be made to fit.

Now every hot rodder knows 1932 parts cost more than Model A parts but this time that theorem proved wrong. Thanks to United Pacific you can now buy a brand-new stamped steel Deuce five-window coupe. A quick call to United Pacific and all the required panels were on their way to The Hot Rod Garage. A complete roof and the cowl top panels were all they needed.

Now comes the geometry lesson as The Hot Rod Garage set about doing some incredible geometry work, and after spending well over an hour looking at this car we can tell every angle, shape, and relative position is spot-on. As a matter of fact, the contours, angles, and shapes are so perfect many rodders have no idea the number of modifications on the car. The top of the doors are a combination of 1931 and 1932 parts, the rear Deuce window remains unchopped while the windshield frame has been cut and laid back on the perfect angle. The Deuce cowl has been meticulously blended with the Model A cowl. The fenders are 1932, the grille shell is a 1932, and mixing and matching continues throughout the car. When the car was finally back together again the laser-straight panels were covered with PPG black urethane.

Inside the car a 1932 dash is filled with Classic Instruments and Vintage Air. A Lokar shifter finds the gears and black leather fills the cabin. Yet another critical angle is proper hot rod rake. This is accomplished by the use of a Super Bell dropped axle with Pete and Jakes hairpins and shocks. Of course the American Rebel wheels are the proper diameter, with 16×8 rear wheels and 16×4 fronts. Take a quick look through those wheel windows and you’ll find Wilwood brakes on all four corners.

When it came time to power the coupe, Terry knew he wanted a traditional Blue Oval motor under the hood. To that end a 302 small-block Ford motor now displaces 347 ci. An Edelbrock carb feeds the Ford motor and a C4 Ford transmission passes the power back to 9-inch Ford rear, completing the all-Ford driveline.

In the end it was the incredible packaging, subtle yet major modifications, and the overall attention to detail that drew us closer to the car, but when we saw the great Ford driveline we knew this car was the perfect candidate for our Best Ford in Ford Award at the 2018 NSRA Street Rod Nationals.

The post 2018 NSRA Street Rod Nationals … Bigger & Better appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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itsworn · 6 years

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Painless Performance Top 100 Winners at the NARA Nats…Indoors

Jon Hall, Saginaw, Michigan / 1927 Ford Starting with a body and chassis from Shadow Rods, students from Washtenaw Community College’s Custom Cars and Concepts Program created this elegant roadster. Complete with a nailed to the ground stance, Holley Sniper-equipped 355ci Chevy mill and decadent PPG deep maroon gloss. It rolls on bronze wheels from The Wheel Smith topped with Diamond Back rubber.

Sonny and Debby Freeman, Lafayette, Louisiana / 1957 Chevy Rolling on an Art Morrison GT Sport chassis, the team at Mike Goldman Customs added a 900hp Whipple-supercharged LS7 V-8 from Mast Motorsports to lay down the power to a set of custom wheels from Curtis Speed wearing Pirelli tires. The body features a coating of Axalta Butter Yellow vibe while inside a custom interior by Paul Atkins adds comfort with cool from Vintage Air.

Bruce and Judy Ricks, Sapulpa, Oklahoma / 1963 ½ Ford Bruce’s Galaxie 500 is the ultimate sleeper. Built by Steve Cook Creations it features a ground-grazing stance, subtle coating of Axalta deep green and rolls on steel wheels with caps and red line tires. Punch comes from an all-aluminum 496ci Ford FE with 622hp from Craft Performance with comfort courtesy of Sculpt Garage and chrome from Jon Wright’s Custom Chrome Plating.

Seth Wagner, McHenry, Illinois / 1950 Ford There’s just something cool about a classic mild custom. A perfectly shaved body glows in PPG burgundy while a 312ci Ford Y-block V-8 wearing an Autotrend Tri-power EFI adds plenty of go. Inside a classic bench seat adds comfort with Vintage Air setting the temps and a Ford Crestliner wheel navigating the course.

Mike and Glenna Young, Derby, Kansas / 1949 Buick With over 120 custom body modifications by Chris Carlson Hot Rods, this Buick Sedanette is all class featuring a mild chop, ’56 Buick headlights, peaked and extended quarter panels and Martin Senour graphite color. A 383ci Chevy mill with EFI from Imagine Injection Systems adds power linked to a 700-R4 trans while inside vintage T-Bird bucket seats are covered in fawn leather.

Tom Simpson, Knoxville, Tennessee / 1925 Ford Packing 239ci’s of Flathead power breathing through a two-pot intake while singing through a set of lake pipes is totally wicked. Rolling on a set of big ‘n’ little’s with red wires, a polished black suede body completes the look. Inside, plenty of custom aluminum sets the pace complete with gauges from Speedway Motors monitoring the vitals and a tall Lokar shifter pulling gears.

Suzy Bauter, Thompsons Station, Tennessee / 1963 AMC Rambler Built at home in a 2-car garage including all custom fabrication, this wagon sees plenty of autocross action. Coated in PPG Washington Blue with a custom-sewn interior by Suzy, its all business in the engine bay thanks to 5.3L Chevy V-8 for go-power while Baer brakes add plenty of stopping power. The package rolls on 18-inch US Mags shod with BFGoodrich Rival S tires.

Curtis Hofstetter, Mechanicsville, Virginia / 1933 Willys Gassers are guaranteed to raise your adrenalin level thanks to their mile-high stance and endless attitude. For plenty of impact a 355ci Chevy V-8 wears a 6-71 supercharger topped by a pair of 750cfm Holley carbs dumping gasses through custom headers. A razor sharp body wears PPG custom blue metallic gloss while classic Halibrand-styled wheels sport Mickey Thompson tires.

Robert Anderson, Savannah, Georgia / 1936 Pontiac A custom chassis from The Roadster Shop with an IRS from Kugel Komponents adds a perfect stance especially when combined with one-off wheels from EVOD Industries. Built by Legens Hot Rod Shop the body features an endless array of custom updates and is covered is custom-blended white pearl from Axalta. A GM Performance supercharged LT4 brings the go with 650hp.

Dale Carpenter, Birmingham, Alabama / 1930 Ford Coupe Another awesome home-built hot rod was this cool Model A sporting a perfectly balanced chop, Deuce grille, tombstone taillights and two-tone paint scheme. A Ford modular V-8 adds plenty of visual impact and sets the pace topped with an Autotrend EFI dumping spent gasses through homespun headers. Inside it’s a cool tiki-theme with Classic Instruments monitoring the vitals.

The post Painless Performance Top 100 Winners at the NARA Nats…Indoors appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/painless-performance-top-100-winners-nara-natsindoors/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

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