Showtime in Charlotte

This past October, I ventured east to Charlotte, North Carolina, to give away our fifth and final CLASSIC TRUCKS Top Ten awards for the year. Held on the infield of Lowe's Motor Speedway, the 11th Southeastern Nats was filled with around 3,000 of the finest rods, customs, and classic trucks the region has to offer. Some of the featured parking areas (which meant parking along pit row) included the home-built heaven area; the Chevy corral; the muscle car reunion; Goodyear's "You Gotta Drive 'Em" for those that drove over 500 miles to get there; the Low, Smooth, and Cool area sponsored by Air Ride Technologies; the Young Guys area for builders aged 25 or younger; and the Garage Grown area for retro rods and cool kustoms.

Among the hundreds of cool custom trucks on hand, I was amazed to see the amount of '35-39 Fords in attendance. They ran the gamut from patina'd to pretty, and four of them ended up with Top Ten awards. This was by far the largest amount of these vintage trucks we've come across at any event, let alone picked for awards. I was also excited to see a good amount of Dodges and later-model Ford trucks at the show. We always say: If you build 'em, we'll shoot 'em. So look for features on some of these vehicles in upcoming issues. And if you think next year is your year to pick up a Top Ten, stay tuned to Showtime to see which Goodguys shows Rob and I have selected to give away the prestigious award this year in 2005. And for more information on the Goodguys 12th Southeastern Nats or any Goodguys show, log onto www.good-guys.com.

Jack Reid and his clean green '56 big-window looks awesome even though the exterior is completely stock. This is more proof that stance is everything.	Yet another awesome '35-39 Ford on-hand was this '36 owned by Richard Brown. This is one of those trucks we like to call "right."	A tribute to the man in black? The card on this low '48 Chevy said "J. Cash from Folsom."
Trent Painter added in a few trick mods to his mostly stock '67 C10 to make it stand out in the crowd.	Wayne Hawk gets the "faux-tina" award for the weekend with his cool red oxide shop truck.	This '65 Chevy had a crowd around it all weekend. That has to be one of the biggest small-blocks ever built.
The blue doesn't get any brighter than on David Freeman's big-block-powered '53 F-100.	Trophy girls Kassidy Porter and Paige Cooper were kind enough to strike a pose with Lugnut, the Lowe's Speedway mascot.	This sleek red Downs body '40 Ford belongs to Bruce Suggs of Fayetteville, NC.
Brian Bowers owns this chopped '47 International fire truck. It runs a big-block and gets more than its fair share of looks.	As a resident of the LBC, I thought I'd be a good samaritan and inform this gentleman that there is no surf in Long Beach.

Bryon Gwinn's Dad bought this '71 Ranger over 20 years ago, and Bryon recently restored it to better-to-new conditions. Every piece of trim on the truck is original or NOS.	This '57 GMC is called a Town & Country Suburban and only about 300 a year were made. Lou Calasibetta did an outstanding job with his Pontiac-powered "Copper Moondust" version.	Don Gray's '39 Ford pickup rides on a home-built tube chassis with coilovers and sports an amazing coat of HOK Candy Brandywine paint. The chromed TT II's are cool, too.
This '56 F-100 has garnered a lot of attention this year, but had yet to receive a Top Ten. Kevin Traylor's "Harley Davidson Edition" Effie rides on a Corvette suspension front and rear and is powered by a 502 big-block.	Richard Gregory found this '36 Ford in a barn on a farm in Louisville, KY. It now rides on a Total Cost Involved chassis and is powered by a potent 454.	John Venuti's '36 Ford was one of the nicest trucks in attendance. It features a highly detailed Lobeck frame, a ZZ4 with Tri-power, and Billet Specialties wheels disguised as Halibrands.
Hal Kinder's Torch Red '69 Chevy stepside has the right stance thanks to an Early Classic suspension with Air Ride Technologies 'bags and 18- and 20-inch Colorado Custom Wheels.	When's the last time you saw a '47 Dodge that looked this good? Heinrich Schifferer finished his 351-Ford-powered Dodge the night before the show.	Jimmie Steinberg owns both of these Ford pickups that were painted in his "Homestead Gardens" company colors. We gave the '39 1/2-ton the Top Ten, and Goodguys gave the flatbed another award so they could cruise through the awards together.
Joe Renaud's clean '56 Chevy big-window sounded as good as it looked thanks to the highly built and polished 502 under the hood.