It should go without saying that the majority of CT readers are or should be fully aware of our friendly competition between rival Custom Classic Trucks by now, right? Dubbed the "Bumpside Build-Off"-a mutually agreed name between editors of both titles-our own Grant Peterson has been literally busting his hind end in an effort to complete his '68 F-100 in the allotted 12-month timeframe. If things continue on the same pace, he will do just that, too. However, it has come to my attention that maybe, quite possibly, his competition might not be on the same page-or even the same book, for that matter!
While Grant has stuck to his guns in a much disciplined manner, that "other" guy (I don't want to be too damning now, do I?) appears to sometimes forget the very name of the competition. I read in one editorial where it said, and I quote, "...as CT likes to call it, the Bumpside Build-Off." Well, yeah, that's what we like to call it-because that's the actual, honest-to-goodness name of the contest, not the "Bulletside Build-Off," as they often refer to it. Come on now, that's like calling Jeff Gordon a Nextel Busch Series driver! Beyond that, it's been reported that both trucks will participate in Rod & Custom magazine's Americruise (which, by the time you read this, will have already occurred a month prior), including some type of roadside ballot judging along the way. I scratched my head for quite some time on that one until I recalled that fact being brought up in the initial talks about the Build-Off. But once we all realized how little time that left each contestant to complete his respective project, we nixed the idea-furthermore, we never even announced that in print or on the Web sites. (In actuality, we have yet to determine a final destination, though it looks as if Goodguys Scottsdale will end up being the venue.) To give each editor a solid 12 months meant surpassing the Americruise date, but even as I write this, I hear rumors that CCT's entry will be present-good luck!
Beyond the silliness of completion dates and competition names (it's all ribbing in the name of good, clean fun-I hope), I usually take the time to compare build progress installments in both magazines. Problem sometimes is, there's nothing to compare to in the other guy's mag! And when there is something, well, let's just say it pales in comparison to Grant's blood and sweat efforts here. Sure, I'm doing my best to promote my team player, but when you've got a no-show team to face, how can you help but boast? The feeling I'm getting is that CCT just doesn't have its heart in the Build-Off. Ain't that a shame? I sure think so. The comforting thing is, I know who to place my bets on!
If you haven't had a chance to check out Custom Classic Trucks, I encourage you to even if it's just to keep up on the Build-Off status/progress. While similar in title, they have a different approach, and ultimately a different end product than we do, which you'll either like or not. Simple as that, and it'll only cost you $4 or so. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support where it matters most!