Suedes Car Club
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: racerjohnson on May 31, 2008 12:04 am
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So, I'm in California for a month. I thought I should post the trip notes here. On the drive out, I stopped at Bonneville, of course, and it rained when I got to the end of the road. The salt was dry and driveable, but I didn't drive on it yet. I'm waiting. It stopped raining when I got back to the Interstate, so God's talking to me or something. I'll be back. . .
For this weekend, I talked to Alan, the owner of the Billetproof shows (aka Choptop) who suggested the Goodguys show (yes, I know what you're all thinking, but chill out) would be a great show to go to in Pleasanton, CA on Saturday. He said a lot of traditional cars and hambers will be there.
Then on Sunday I'm heading to Infineon Raceway to watch the Sonoma wine classic, or something like that. I call it #1 in my book. It's vintage formula 1 cars, sports cars, CanAm cars, vintage NASCAR road racing cars, and other vintage racers. Basically a lot of really rich guys with priceless racecars running around a road race course. I guess it ain't a parade either, they really kick it up. It'll be like a dream. I'll have pics.
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Sounds like a great weekend......I hope you have a camera with.
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Fun trip...update us once in a while.
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The Goodguys show was pretty. . well. . good. The setting was amazing and just enough cool cars to make it not suck, basically. It featured everything from the 24" wheeled impalas to huge trucks, musclecars of course, and a few really nice customs. Someone even figured out how to make a '60s thunderbird look good. The hemi powered A coupe and the highly detailed A roadster were probably the best (only) traditional model A's there.
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and for 38k you can have yourself a high quality build ready for paint and interior. The car was QUITE well done. I have many more pics of that car.
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a nice thunderbird and merc. The thunderbird was on bags. Dig the sombreros. I loved it. Eyeball, how bout scallops on your merc?
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A young guy was working on this chevy in between customer cars. I dug the bumpers. Makes the car look sorta like that viper powered savoy "Sniper" from a few years ago. Trepanier's i think?
And whats with that triple mirror setup on the gasser? It had another rearview mirror on the door in the usual spot.
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does anybody else see a low "A" coupe second from the right, but upon clicking turns into a rear bumper and a dudes leg? Strange since I never saw nor took a picture of that green "A" coupe.
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i got a taillight
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Goodguys was cool, but the highlight of my car life thus far was the Wine Country Classic at Infineon Speedway. Absolutely unbelievable. The setting was unreal. I wish I had the words for it. All these cars are the originals that have been raced since they were new. No replicas. Many were unrestored. When a 63 Z06 race trim Vette hit a $6million dollar Ferrari GTO in the quarter panel and spun him, what could I do but laugh? Lightweight Jaguars, birdcage Maseratis, rows of original Cobras, Ferraris, Injected Big Block Can-Am cars, Vic Edelbrock next to all of his cars, David Pearson/Richard Petty's Talladegas, Junior Johnson's Impalas and Galaxies, Penske's Camaro TransAm cars, Smokey's Camaro. All racing. 110% pit access. Talked to the owners. I couldn't take enough pictures. It was too much. . . My head got fuzzy. No one else probably cares, but that was it for me. I could go on and on about it. . .
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more stuff. I'll try to keep it traditional. Besides the 200 unreal out of reach cars, there were also 200 30-80k spec racers, club racers, mostly teeny 4 banger stuff. A few Riley headed 4 bangers too. Neat stuff.
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i got a taillight
Thats so wierd. It still shows the green coupe on the little picture, then when I open it I get the bumper/taillight.
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Wow Pete, and all expens paid trip. Thanks for posting.
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That '39 sedan race car is SWEET!
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NIce stuff
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Great coverage Pete. That '39 stock car reminds me of going to the races when I lived in Cali. in 71-72. That's what all the cars in the races looked like. I don't remember if it was a special class or what, but that's the way they looked.
And the red A roadster is really nice. Good stuff.
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Looks like a ton of fun....thanks for the pics!
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The '40 was pretty standard and stock with single carb, save for the frankland quickchange and Iron bumpers. Hyde was the guy who built and raced it and eventually was crewchief for Tim Richmond in the '80s. These vintage stock car guys are trying to find people to build period correct stock cars so they can get to be an actual "group" instead of simply an exhibition race during the lunch intermission.
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Went to a car show on WEDNESDAY night. Man this state kicks ass. Called the Cappucino Cruise-in or something like that. It's on Folsom blvd in Sac. Highlights for me was the craftsmanship on a model A coupe and a transplant from Iowa who has a car shop in California now that chopped a '50 ford. Beautiful job on both counts. '64 Thunderbird wraparound seats are awesome in the back of the '50 ford.
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More detail shots. Though not neccesarily my style, the craftsmanship was excellent. Unique leather inserts on the interior done by the owner, and i think he made the no-grille-shell thing look all right. WHat do you think?
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Strombergs97 from the HAMB drove us there in his '35 ford tudor sedan powered by a beautiful 241 red ram. He rebuilds strombergs and builds progressive linkages and thats it. Knows what he's doing. Geardrive ( think thats his HAMB handle) in Minneapolis builds hemi 6x2 log intakes for him. The Red Ram runs perfect. Perfect. Among his intake and stromberg collection, he also has the same 4x2 edelbrock for Olds 324 as I do so we're going to build a linkage for me too. Sweet!! I'm going to try to buy the 6X2 324 olds intake he has for the engine that I haven't started on or bought yet. :roll:
I thought someone might like the eyeball pinstriping. I like the fade. The T pickup was someones. Had unique windshield posts fabricated into spiderwebs.
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Today I went to a pre-fathers day show in Elk Grove CA. Met a couple old flathead guys that have been running them since the '50s. Neat. One of them (name was dick, with the '50 convertable) had the ignition points closing on him to the point that it was running rough (missing), so I helped him readjust them (he had trouble physically), matchbook cover and all. No feelers around! It was surreal! Tom shea is the guy with the mercury. He runs 6V still and he told me about a guy who rebuilds those WWII looking sun tachs for electric only (6V even) so theres no box for it. $300 sounds cheap. Someone built that funky sun shield for it too out of a beer can. The funky hood thing is interesting. Tom collects fenton speed parts and finned 6v coils. Said the guy probably took the Y block intake I had off because 97s don't have ported vacuum for the stock vacuum advance distributor. Interesting. The tall air filters are oil filters for a late 70's omni. I just thought the NOS fenton heads and exhaust were awesome. This guy was the real thing.
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I thought the Hudson with a 392 was interesting too. Stock appearing A V8's are always cool, and I don't know what a golden hawk is supposed to look like, but I thought it was neat.
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I thought Ryan would like the hawk and Dallas would like the caddy's
I don't know if you guys care about some of these cars, they're just random. I don't really know how unique they are because I don't get to many shows in Minnesota, but. . . speak up if you want. Otherwise I'll keep posting neat pics of things I think are unusual or cool.
I don't know if anybody remembers when Ford came out with that new Mercury Marauder a few years ago, but Ford did a photo shoot with an original black on black '64 390ci/4speed powered 2 door Maurader and a new black one. He didn't have any of the factory pics at the show, but I learned this was that car from the owner when talking to him. Besides the fact that its pretty rare, this car was interesting because since the guy worked at the dealership when he ordered it new, he also bought the factory cast iron headers and installed them. They're about $1500 a pair now. The car piqued my interest because Holman Moody used them for stock cars and I thought something was peculiar besides the fact that it was obviously all original so I talked to him for an hour or two about stuff. It was like talking to my 55 year old self. Forgot to get a pic, but google it if you care. This car show shit is fun.
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Great stuff Pete. You must be having a blast!
My eye was caught by the '57 Nomad made into an El Camino behind the suede shoe box. My brother did that to a '55 Nomad in the late '60s! And then traded a pure '33 Ford three window coupe to have a guy finish the body work and paint. Hind sight is always 20/20.
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Holy cow, no doubt. The nomad/el camino was cool. Very well done too. You know how you see some cars that grab your attention on your way to do something else and you forget to come back and look it over better/take a picture? Yep.
I am having a blast. Tomorrow I'm either going to Modesto to an American Grafitti round up or to the Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland for another show suggested by one of the Poor Boys (for got Bruce's handle). All the originals will be at the American Grafitti show, i guess. Woodland, however, is 60 miles closer. Gas is $4.45/gal here. hmmm.
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Went to the road zombies bbq this weekend. Wow. Met all sorts of fun people. I had talked to Alex Gambino on Gambino Customs before the show (he and his club were hosting it), so I met up with him. Just a great guy. Went out of his way to show me around, buy me a corona, had me sign his car and his HAMB banner that he's brought to every car show hes been to (from the Messaround to the Lone Star Revival and everywhere in CA), then had me follow him first to his shop ot give me a tour, then brought me to the after party. His whole family drives Gambino custom cars and they were all at the show. The orange coupe is a customer car that is in "phase 1" i guess. Everything is mechanical (except the airbags) including the floor starter. It'll get a carson top eventually, and a few other things. I'm sure you'll read about it in the mags if you get them all.
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more random pics. Instead of most of the other car shows I've been to where it was relatively easy to pick the cars to take pictures of, this was harder because 95% of them were f'n awesome kustoms or rods. I turned to alcohol to sort out this problem. :D
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I think the highlight was seeing Pat's 28 roadster that appeared in Rodders Journal. Another super nice guy. I tripped out when I saw it, seriously. Its been an inspiration. The craftsmanship is as nice in person as it looks in the mag. I think hes added a "floor", a firewall, radiator shroud, and some other aluminum stuff since the feature. Phenominal car.
I also talked to Dave from the lucky bastards about his 28 roadster. It was a coupe until about a week ago. Not a clean part on the car. I loved it. My two favorite cars of the meet. My two favorite roadsters anyway (how do you pick?) You just know I now have a whole album consisting of just these two cars.
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Random's. It was hard taking good pics of some of the cars. The show was in the backyard of an Elks Lodge so the cars were packed in pretty tight. It was nice and cozy in a nice setting, surrounded by a 10 fool wall of flowers and plants.
I have more pics of the '32 including many of the top for Tim, more caddy pics for Dallas, and more of everything for anybody who has a request. I'll be setting up a photobucket.
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While I was at the BBQ, Al Gambino told me about the Blackhawk museum that happened to be pretty close. It was 10 minutes out of my way en route back to the barracks, so I couldn't pass it up. I got there, and they're having a Fathers Day car show in the parking lot!! Right on!
The steering wheel in that 32 coupe looks familiar.
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mmmm hmm.
A chevy coupe on 32 ford rails powered by a GMC inline. Just your everyday hot rod. :)
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Wow Pete, I never thought I would be envious of someone in the military . You got your uniform on when you go to these show. :wink: Man it’s super of this guys to show you around the way they do. You know Father’s Day is the LA Roadster Show at the Pamona Fair grounds.
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Now, if I had a 33-34 tudor sedan like someone I know, I'd copy this car down to the lugnut. Less is more, right?
Apparently Ed Roth liked surfing. He, of all people, was showcased at the blackhawk. THere were prints and drawings all over on the wall, rat fink statues and stuff.
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Wow Pete, I never thought I would be envious of someone in the military . You got your uniform on when you go to these show. :wink: Man it’s super of this guys to show you around the way they do. You know Father’s Day is the LA Roadster Show at the Pamona Fair grounds.
No, i don't wear my uniform. I bought some new digs at a surplus/clothing store in Santa Clara after the after party (after I woke up in my car, that is). Some dude was wearing 35X40 501 levis, so I asked him where he got them. Got a couple hats too, so I finally have hats to wear. You'll laugh.
I do have to wear my uniform to a race next weekend, I hope. The NASCAR race is at Infineon raceway next weekend. One of my classmates called NASCAR and apparently we're only one signature away from getting free tickets/pit passes to Dale Jr's pit. He's the National Guard car for you non-nascar fans. Theres another show next weekend called the Kulture Shock car show up in Northern California. Dollar beers, vintage circle track racing at night, bands all day/night, and traditional cars only. Heaven. Go to the car show on Sat, Nascar race on Sunday. Should work! :) Be jealous now Tom, you won't be when I'm sitting in Iraq in 2010 (maybe).
Here are some pics from the Blackhawk. Lots of multimillion one of a kind wood, silver, aluminum cars. Ferraris of course, but they were boring compared to the huge red caddillac V16 and the other swoopy '30s cars. That red caddillac is like 20 feet long.
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The B.A.T. cars were there too, along with the those Ghia bodied lookin dodges, a thunderbird concept car, etc. Pictures don't do them justice and my camera is not the way to photograph these cars. It was a huge black room with spotlights. I kept the flash off and practiced rifle marksmanship breathing methods to keep the camera steady. Putting that crap to good use. A few didn't turn out though.
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more. . .
I like the little tailfin on the dark maroon car that I cant pronounce. I was standing on a little glass viewing area that overlooked the whole room and this Jesse James looking dude walks up, looks around, and says, "Thats all I need to see of these cars" After keeping my hands in my pockets to keep my backhand in check, I thought for a bit about why I like looking at these unobtainable crazy luxury cars from the '30s and '40s. Besides my opinion of their beauty, one reason is because these builders tried a variety of designs on every aspect of the car.
Dashes, rear windows, fins, grilles, fender treatments. All are incredibly unique and absolutely the best example of an idea in someones head you'll ever find. We all know how sometimes a really good idea simply isn't crafted well by the amateur builder into a well crafted detail on a car. Not the case here. Ya, it may be ugly, like that goofy rear window on the silver car, but at least a particular idea got a more than fair shot at greatness. There are many really cool cues that can be found on these obscure autos.
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i had herd a bout the roth exhibit at blackhawk. and my father in law will be at all three days at infinion
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Man.....what a fun time! I'm envious. :D
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The ed roth part was disappointing. . . I was expecting an orbitron cuz thats what was on the flyer. They had his LT1 powered bubble car and the surf thingy on display. Oh well, the artwork was neat.
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yeah beatnick bandit II would be a bit disapointing if your looking for orbiton. but surflite if i were to clone a roth care it would be that or cpt pepi's
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Have you found me an apartment yet?? Nice job on the Suedes logo by the way.
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Good eye, Ryan, and thank you for reminding me about an apartment. I'll check it out. Dude, this is where you need to live. It's awesome and the things that suck here, suck at home too. They just suck a little more.
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Nice job on the Suedes logo by the way.
Ok................ what did I miss?
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look on the decklid
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Yeah that is kool Pete....you free handed our logo very well!! Go Speed Racer...Go ;)
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I was very nervous about both using our logo and putting it in permanent on someones custom, so I made it relatively small. Harder to mess up that darn crown. Why are those crowns so hard to draw correctly? I wanted our mark on that car though. You'll all have to sign around it when you see it. I think hes going to bonneville. He just drove that chevy like 4000 miles, so I imagine he'll drive it to b'ville.
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yep petes a regular vancaso
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This weekend it was the Kulture Shock show put on by the Los Diablos Car Club. Nice setting, right next to an asphalt circle track in some fairgrounds. Had a big stand set up where a few ladies were giving other ladies those big 50's hair do's for 20 dollars. Pretty neat, and a great idea, I thought. Were selling old dresses too. A few new cars that I hadn't seen yet. It was a pretty good show. The 2.5 hours to get there would've been prohibitive had the drive not been so darn beautiful, twisty, and therefore fun. So it all worked out. 1 dollar beers too!
Pinstriper, how bout that green sedan?
The black roadster belongs to one of the Los Diablos
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more
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Camper anyone? Needs everything. Dallas, what year is that caddy? I've never seen one like this.
I know Eberhama's 36 will look like this in no time!
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I saw two cars that shook me up a bit. They were both dark blue with a white firewall and red wheels. If i ever paint my car, this is what it'll be. Latex, baby. Its like primer and paint in one!
To be honest, the highlight of my three day weekend wasn't the car show but was working with Duane (strombergs97) on. . . thats right, strombergs for 2 days. Friday we rebuilt 4 carbs and worked on some others. Went to car show on sat, then on Sunday, we built a 2 carb progressive linkage and set up a flathead intake and disassembled 10 carbs and started working on a 4x2 progressive linkage for a 324 olds. Who's idea was that?:) The cool part about disassembling all those carbs with him is I learned all the million things that could go wrong on disassembly and how to overcome. You know, the little tricks that would take me forever and lots of wasted money to figure out. It was great. I'm all over this stromberg thing now. Even built a pair of 81's so I learned the differences in jet and power valve sizes. Had to run down the street about 10 blocks to Sacramento Vintage Ford to get some 81 parts and holy cow is that a store. It's a 50's restaurant/museum/parts store. I didn't bring my camera, but they have an open house on Friday so I'll bring my camera then. You'll recognize some of the cars!!
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amazing, you are on a trip of a lifetime. you have done more since you left than most do in a lifetime. too cool
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Did you get your potobucket set up yet? I would like to take a peek at the top pics......
Decklid artwork rules.
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Pete, that looks like a 42 Cadillac. I'm jealous of the experience you are getting. Bring it back home with ya!
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I'm way jealous too... I wish I could see all of those tits cars in person! Someday... I shipped out some strombergs to California and it sounds like racerj is going to get a schoolin' on west coast carb building... I'm sure there will be more on that later!