As has been said plenty of times before, summer fun doesn't stop when the 4th of July fireworks end, it just means the time has finally come to join the Goodguys at their huge midsummer bash in Columbus, Ohio. This year's 5th Annual Goodguys PPG Nationals was attended by more than 5,000 participating vehicles and was again one of the most enjoyable and largest shows on the Goodguys calendar, as well as one of the premier events of the automotive season.
After making our latest trek to Columbus we were delighted, as usual, at the awesome array of cool hot rod trucks and cars in attendance and at just how much fun we had. But then, it is a Goodguys event, and they're experts at hosting fun, laid-back gatherings that provide a little something for everyone.
If you're on the competitive side, you're more than welcome to have your vehicle judged for a possible Boyd Coddington Pro's Pick, one of the many Goodguys trophies, or maybe a CLASSIC TRUCKS Top-10 Award. Content to just cruise? No problem! The massive Ohio Expo Center offered plenty of room for cruising around. And if you got tired of driving, there were plenty of places to power park and show off your ride.
Of course, with over 5,000 vehicles on hand, there was a plethora of sights to see and fellow gearheads to bench race with. If that wasn't enough, you could always check out the swap meet, manufacturer's displays, and the car corral. As usual, the Goodguys also staged a variety of technical seminars covering subjects like chassis, suspensions, and air conditioning. Where else are you going to find such valuable (yet freely given) information?
With thousands of pre-'73 vehicles on hand and great weather blessing the entire weekend, capturing a bunch of cool classic trucks on film was as easy as pie. If you ask us, you owe it to yourself to check out this awesome summer celebration. And if you live within a day's drive of Columbus, we fully expect to see you there next year!
Say what you will, but we think Tim Pieluch's '61 Corvair Ramp-Side is just plain cool. In fact, cool enough to perhaps institute a leisurely search for one ourselves. | 
The '47 Dodge has to be one of the nicest body styles of early Mopars, and Lou and Linda Poleselli's Somerville, New Jersey-based example is one of the finest we've seen. The couple's pickup is powered by a 350/400 combo and looks just right sporting a quartet of steelies and trim rings. | 
Paul Purtiman's two-tone blue '59 Apache drew a crowd all weekend. Perhaps it was its striking paint scheme, or its highly detailed 355-cube small-block, or even the knock-off centers on its slotted mags. Whatever it was that drew admirers, all walked away with smiles. |
Paul Hemminger's Tiffin, Ohio-based Smitty's Hot Rod Shop-built '58 Chevy was on hand for its debut and was a natural for a CLASSIC TRUCKS Top-10 pick. Paul's beauty was on the money with exquisite detailing and a plethora of awesome upgrades like an RB's Obsolete front frame stub, a potent 350/350 combo, and a lot of custom sheetmetal work. | 
You may recognize Doug LaRue's hot-licked '48 F-1 from its full-length feature (and cover shot) in the May 2002 issue of CLASSIC TRUCKS. Though the pickup's odometer is sporting a much higher mile count then back when we first featured it, Doug's F-1 is still pristine and as cool as ever. | 
Hot licks, custom bodywork, and wide whites--combine that with a '55 F-100 and you've got the formula for a Top-10 pick, in my eyes anyway. Bill Whetstone's chopped, pearl white "kustom" had all the right touches up to and including a frenched antenna and early Grand Prix door handlesLast time we ran into Rodney Payne he was drivin' a hot rod, primered, Tri-five GMC. At the time he told us it was just a daily beater and that his real classic truck was under construction. Well, we were bowled over when we spied this awesome, slammed '35 Ford--and even more so when we found out it was Rodney's! The '35 sports an LT1, air ride suspension, a ton of custom metal work, a glass-smooth black finish, and an eye poppin' Paul Atkins interior. |
Orange you glad we picked this '48 Chevy for a Top-10? Well, its owner, Dave Hougham of Daytona Beach, Florida, sure is. Dave's cool cruiser is powered by a stout 350/350 combo and rolls on a quartet of 17-inch Americans. | 
Jim Wasko's Altoona, Pennsylvania-based '47 Chevy sports a quartet of 17-inch Billet Specialties wheels, a custom console, and a dash full of Dakota Digital Gauges. A powerful 350 Chevy backed by a 700-R4 overdrivea tranny ensure that this classic cruiser goes as good as it looks. | 
I've always had a soft spot for F-1s and Steve Robertson's bright orange '52 is one of the finest I've seen in a while. Steve's unassuming Effie features a 350/400 combo, IFS, and digital gauges. |