Hot Rod Chocolate - The Great American Nationals

It's the small things that...        read full caption It's the small things that count--Harvey Beers had his '38 Dodge Brothers pickup featured in our Jan. '06 Classic Cruisers as part of a Mopar trio with a couple of small photos. That single-page appearance was enough to be part of his huge show display board, though!

Even though the Goodguys had staged the first Great American Nationals at Hershey Park the year prior, this was my first trip to the sprawling woodlands of Hershey, Pennsylvania. And what a great place it was--the entire area reminded me of upstate New York, where I spent many a summer growing up years and years ago. Small-town communities surrounded by huge trees, winding two-lane roads, and quaint little Mom 'n' Pop corner stores. Oh, and of course, Giant Center. Yeah, we didn't have anything quite like that in good old Cincinnatus, but then, we never had a couple thousand hot rods, customs, and classic trucks flooding the town. Nor did we have the world-renowned Hershey Chocolate Factory--along with its museum, theme park, etc.--for tourists to flock to, either.

My initial descent into the seemingly small town of Hershey did indeed bring back great memories--until I finally came upon a huge new shopping center, complete with a Chili's and a sushi restaurant (yep, sushi!). And once at Hershey Park, where modern times settled back in, childhood nostalgia was all but gone from the memory banks...which was fine, as there was more than enough to mentally take in with all the pre-'72 American iron displayed before my eyes. Despite impending Northeast storms, folks from far and wide came out for the Great American Nats to show off their four-wheeled pride and joy and see all the fine rides on display. Even the manufacturer's midway was crammed full of big-name companies, from GM Performance Parts to Ford Racing & Performance, Billet Specialties to Vintage Air, Coker Tire to BFGoodrich Tires. In short, you could have left the show with pretty much everything but the kitchen sink if your wallet permitted. Come to think of it, I believe there was an old cast-iron sink for sale in the swap meet area!

The three-day event (held May 19-21) was sure an enjoyable trip. It was also the second stop for the CLASSIC TRUCKS Top Ten, which as you will see turned up a great variety of good-old pick'em-ups, from wild to mild and a little bit of in between. If you're thinking of making this a stop on your itinerary for 2007, visit www.good-guys.com for more info (specific event listings for next year won't be posted till late summer). In the meantime, enjoy CT's offerings from the second Great American Nats.

Can you say cool custom? Bob...        read full caption Can you say cool custom? Bob Speece sure can with his '49 Chevy five-window from Mohnton, PA. Chopped top, suicide doors, nosed, decked, frenched, and shaved everything--can't get more custom than that, can you!	On the other end of the spectrum--but...        read full caption On the other end of the spectrum--but no less cool--is Harry Weimann's '54 Chevy. Harry is a WyoTech instructor (an interior specialist), so you can probably figure where most of the work on his 3100 was done and "what" kind of help he got!	This month's cover model,...        read full caption This month's cover model, Danny McPeak's slick '71 Cheyenne, was of course a Top Ten winner from Hershey.
Another CT feature candidate...        read full caption Another CT feature candidate (yet to debut here) is Charles Kocher's very rare '50 Olds pickup. Can't remember Olds ever offering a commercial vehicle? Neither can we--nor Charles, for that matter. Truth is, he had some leftovers from an actual Olds project he thought would be cool to incorporate with a Ford F-1. We think the result's pretty unique.	We couldn't pass up Linda...        read full caption We couldn't pass up Linda Gibble's '56 Dodge B-100 from Quentin, PA, for a Top Ten award. The cool blue pickup features a 440/727 drivetrain along with a '68 Charger seat and console and a Volare subframe--the perfect Mopar mix.	Back to basics. Nothing over...        read full caption Back to basics. Nothing over the top or outrageous about Larry Campbell's '59 Ford F-100--just a perfect little truck to cruise wherever and whenever he likes. A Fatman IFS, a C4 behind the original 312 Y-block, and radial whitewalls from Coker help make all this possible, too.
A hot rod to some (namely...        read full caption A hot rod to some (namely the builder, Hot Rod Garage!), a hot hauler to others, like us. Stephen Martin's '28 Model A closed-cab is spot-on inside and out. Full fenders discretely conceal a Total Cost Involved chassis, while a full hood keeps a fresh 350 safe from the elements.	Keeping with the Hershey Top...        read full caption Keeping with the Hershey Top Ten's cool factor, Kenneth Rooney's '41 Ford has plenty cool, and then some. On the outside it's got a chopped top and custom-made bed; beneath its Super Bell dropped axle (no IFS!), a 9-inch rear and a 350/350 combo.	More evidence that the Top...        read full caption More evidence that the Top Ten knows no boundaries--Larry Page's full-custom '49 Chevy. From the T-bird headlights to the Escalade taillights, fully molded bed to frenched glass, immaculate candy apple red paint to modern leather interior, this truck has gone the distance, to say the least.
The Top Ten wraps up on a...        read full caption The Top Ten wraps up on a nice note with Kevin Beatty's trick '49 Studebaker pickup. Done in a contemporary style, this rarity features Mustang II independent suspension, late-model Chevy power, a tan leather interior, a Budnik wheel package, and a Torch Red exterior with subtle blue and violet graphics.