Sure Bet

It takes a few key ingredients for a show to be a success. The show grounds have to be comfortable and clean. The surrounding area should be pleasant enough for an evening cruise. And there needs to be lots of classic trucks and hot rods. One event that has met all three of these requirements is the Goodguys Rod & Custom Nationals in Del Mar, California. Although only in its fourth year, this show has quickly became one of SoCal's must-do events.

The Del Mar show is always one of our favorites because it's close enough for us to drive some of our own hot rods and it's the kick-off for our Top Ten awards. The event is held at the fairgrounds and horse track and had several buildings housing some of the premier hot rods from around the country. The weather was a little questionable for those less adventurous the night before the show, but by Friday morning everything was as it should have been. The location right by the beach helps keep the temperature down to a comfortable level so you can walk and check out the rides without feeling like your going to get heatstroke.

After a couple of years of cutting the vehicle entry date off at '64, Goodguys opened it up to '72 this year, which is perfect for those of us with automotive tastes that venture out to anything with wheels. Not only were there more classic trucks in attendance, but the muscle cars also had a good showing.

Just when the show's over for the day, there's more fun to be had cruising along the Southern California coastline afterhours, taking in the sights and some good eating. What more could you want? I know we'll be back next year.

It wasn't too far of run over from Vista for Pete and Darlene Dimuzio and their Chevy-powered '48 F-1. The basically stock-bodied beauty had just enough little custom touches to keep onlookers busy.	The manufacturers row and exhibits always provide plenty of interesting things. Sitting in the No Limit booth was the chassis for the Effie that has become affectionately known as "The Princess." It's been a few years in the making, but mark our words, this truck will soon be one of the most famous F-100s around.	The year 1963 was a bit of a transitional year for Ford trucks. Most people's assumption when seeing the old slab-sided beds mated with the new cab was that the bed was swapped at some point. The story we heard was that Ford sold these trucks in rural areas (where a truck is meant to work) until they depleted their stash of older beds. No matter, Lindsey Karnopp loves her '63 all the same. She built it along with her father as her first vehicle to drive to high school and did a lot of the work herself.
Here's a combination that can't be beat. A pale blue '56 Custom Cab with steelies looks good today and will look good 20 years from now.	You didn't have to bring out a finished truck to enjoy the show. Jan Fick brought out this '51 F-1 that still needs some interior attention all the way out from Tucson. A 460ci big-block backed by a C6 provided plenty of power, if not MPG.	Dean Pavelich came from Arizona in his '68 Chevy to wow the crowd. The Light Aqua he chose is a unique color for this body-style truck, and the tan interior from a brand new Silverado was pretty cool, too.
We finally got Roger and Judi Bart's '57 Chevy on film (a Top Ten recipient from last year). Look for the BMW Atlantis Blue hauler in an upcoming issue.	Del Mar has a great cruise circuit. We saw some trucks that were on the move all weekend more than they were parked.

You might remember Doug Barnett's '57 Chevy as one of the big winners at the Brothers show last year. He has since added a custom airbag setup where the front shocks parallel the top of the frame. If we didn't see it ourselves, we wouldn't have believe it.	Biggies and 'bags can make anything look better, but when the truck already looked as good as Spencer Osborn's resto '71 C10, you have a homerun. Boyd Coddington 19- and 20-inch rolling stock and the Hugger Orange paint made for a combo that was hard to beat.	Plucked straight from the "Young Guns" section, Scott Tomkins' '57 Suburban has a total of 5 1/2 inches whacked out of the roof--3 out of the windows and 2 1/2 out of the crown. The truck sits at a nice height, and the Baer brakes are shown-off through the 17-inch Boyds wheels.
Leave it to a duo like Totally Polished and Kal Koncepts to make a '50 Chevy panel look this wild. Joe Freas' big-block-powered monster was MII clipped, four-linked, and 'bagged by TP before KK shot the bright yellow paint with pearl orange flames and tear graphics.	If you want to know just how straight your truck is, paint it black. Al Ubrun did just that with his '56 F-100 and couldn't be happier. No Limit Engineering built the pickup on a modified chassis fitted with 'bags and a 468ci big-block with a Street & Performance EFI. The 17-inch Wheel Vintique Cruzers drive the combination home.	Jeff Jordan showed up with his just-finished Torch Red '56 Chevy rolling on 20x10 and 18x8 Intros. A built 406ci small-block turned heads as he cruised around the grounds. The straight axle was ditched in favor of an '82 Camaro IFS.
Kenny Bowyer and his Gaylord-topped '71 Chevy shortbed were parked in a prime location for all the passers-by to ogle. The Canary Yellow pickup features a 350/700-R4 combo, 17-inch Boyd Coddingtons wrapped with Falkens, and a late-model Chevy seat finished in tan tweed.	Larry Thweatt's '48 F-1 was a family affair. The stock frame was beefed up in preparation for the tunnel ram-equipped 460 Ford big-block and Total Cost Involved four-link Pro-Street suspension with a Currie-built 9-inch rearend. Larry went out and salvaged a Mustang II frontend and built his own crossmember. He turned to his daughter when it was time to stitch the interior.	We see Jim and Karyn Cripps with their '38 Ford pickup just about everywhere we go, so we figured it was about time for an award. There's a 289/C4 combo under the hood and Radir wide white cheater slicks under the rear fenders.
Not only did this awesome '58 GMC owned by Steve and Pam Sourapus pick up a coveted Top Ten award, it's featured right in this very issue! Even with all the killer paint and interior work, it's the stance that had everyone stopping and looking twice.