Overstocked

If you wanted to see classic trucks, hot rods, street rods, customs, musclecars, and restos, you would have had a hard time finding any place with more of them than the Goodguys Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. You're pretty much guaranteed to have a good time at any one of their shows, but if you can only make it to one, this is it.

A little bit of Midwest rain crept in on Saturday afternoon, but Goodguys pulled some strings and had it pass through quickly. A bit of cloud cover kept the temperatures down around manageable levels for most of the weekend but shorts were in order when the sun popped through. The swap meet has grown every year and was a great diversion when it did get hot, thanks to the overhead awnings. Everything from complete cars to door hinges were there if you wanted to scour the boxes.

Two other reasons not to miss this show, if your interests include street rods and muscle cars, is that you'll get to see firsthand the cars that get crowned the Street Rod of the Year and the Street Machine of the Year. These awards have really gained recognition in the last few years and have become some of the most prestigious titles to compete for. The nation's top builders bring out their coolest cars hoping to bring home the gold. The best part is that there are no ropes separating you from taking an up-close-and-personal look at these rolling works of art.

You may not have the money to play with these guys, but if you're talented enough, there's no way you'll walk away without gaining a few tips to make your own truck better. If you think your truck has what it takes or just want to go see some that do, you have just enough time to go to the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals in Fort Worth, Texas, and check out the Truck of the Year competition.

They really come out of the woodwork for the Nationals. Joe Dilkes brought his not-too-many-left '36 Dodge out from New Jersey. The chopped and smoothed Dodge features a 350/350 combo, leather interior, and huge Colorado Custom wheels.	An '02 Chevy 4.8-liter V-8 is nestled under the two-toned hood of Terry Neal's '49 Chevy, which provides plenty of reliable power for this sano driver.	Brian Wilbanks is one of those that believes that fun is in the run. Brian drove his '56 F-100 over 500 miles to get to Columbus. The 312ci Y-block backed by a C4 auto never missed a tick.
A mother is not the only one that loved Ben Baker's '39 Ford. The great stance and conservative wheel/tire combo and color made it a must-see.

Pro-Street is alive and well thanks to well-built examples like Bob Provin's '51 Chevy that not only features a 3 1/2-inch chopped top, shaved handles, and trim on the outside, but sports a detailed 468ci big-block under the hood to spin the wide-by-tall rear meats. A 700-R4, Ford 4.11:1-geared 9-inch, and Mustang II IFS round out the chassis.	We're seeing more and more classic trucks blurring the line between street rods and pickups at every show. Larry Strauch equipped his '56 Custom Cab with a Fatman chassis fitted with a Winters' quick-change out back and a Mustang II IFS up front. A 460/C6 combo provides plenty of power. The hot rod touch is driven home thanks to the Moon tank prominently mounted front and center behind the front bumper.	I have a soft spot for Model As, so when I saw Roy Patten's stretched '30 closed cab, it was an easy choice for an award. The cab has 12 extra inches of room and has been set down on a custom Arizona Street Rods chassis. The House of Kolors Burple paint contrasts quite well with the red Wheel Vintique wires.
We had been patiently passing the time until we would run into Ron Thacker and his '64 International Scout ever since we first saw it in its not-quite-finished condition last year at Pigeon Forge. A 305ci small-block, Turbo 350, and an S-10 rearend has updated the stock four-cylinder drivetrain. The VW Beetle green and polished five-spokes make it hard to pass up.	Julia Murphy and her husband Bob understand the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid) rule. When it came time for Julia to get a cruiser for herself, she found this '56 F-100 partially completed and decided to see it through. She wanted clean and simple and got it with a stock chassis outfitted with a '69 Chevelle subframe with dropped spindles and 'bags in front and an 8-inch rear hanging with the stock parallel leaves out back.	You'll have to search awhile to find a '40 Chevy pickup nicer than this one. Brian Sabo recently completed this House of Kolor Blue Blood Red one. A Street & Performance LT1 and 700-R4 gets it moving, and a Heidt's IFS and Chassis Engineering rear suspension keeps it well planted.
We ran into Bill Deese and his '55 Chevy big-window at Indy this year (check out the feature and his story elsewhere in this issue) and were blown away with the detail. The subtle custom-mixed PPG blue paint and 15-inch cast-finish five-spokes mask a 510ci Merlin big-block under the hood.	Jeremy is partial to patina, real or not. Dennis Lesky went to great lengths to make his '52 F-1 look worse than it really was. The bare spots that appeared to have suffered surface rust were in fact paint. A 350ci V-8, Turbo 400, Ford 9-inch, and an '85 Cutlass front clip makes sure it's more reliable than it looks.	You should remember Jim and Sandy Boruff's '53 from our SuperNats coverage back in the Sept. '04 issue. Their Top Five truck there earned a spot in out Top Ten here. The detailing on this truck has to be seen to be believed, and you'd better be prepared to get down to have a look underneath. The No Limit Engineering frame provides the foundation for a Fatman IFS and four-bar rear suspended on coilovers front and back.
Traditional shop trucks are in. Mark "Meatball" Portman bought his truck as a finished high-tech driver and has proceeded to remove all traces of its smoothie days. The result is a truck that has been more fun than anything else he's ever had.