It's not too often that the heat and humidity turn on us like they have lately in Southern California. We've been breaking high-temperature records left and right daily for what seems like months now, and since many of us aren't equipped to handle this Gulf Coastal barrage, what are we to do? Go to the beach? Too crowded and still hot. How 'bout the park, or better yet a Ford truck show at the park?
Great idea! Luckily, there was plenty of shade to hang out in at this year's Western All Ford Nationals at Featherly Park in Anaheim, California. Blue Oval Truck Parts (BOTP) puts a great gathering of Fords together, and this year highlighted the 50th anniversary of the King of the Effies-the '56.
There were Ford trucks of all shapes, sizes, and years on the grass while the fine folks from Pickups Limited got registration cards filled out. Larry and the rest of the BOTP crew were breaking a sweat selling parts out of their booth alongside the rest of the vendors in attendance as the smell and smoke from the barbecue wafted through the trees-mmm, barbecue.
For all you Ford fans or those who just like cool old trucks, don't miss next year's Western Nationals! Check with BOTP at www.blue- ovaltruckparts.com or call 866-258-6825 for the date and location info for 2007, and shop with them while you're at it!
One of the sights that stopped me and everyone else dead in our tracks was Mike and Chris Perez's slammed '61 Unibodys. The brothers have been building these together out of their garage in Sylmar, CA, and drive them as much as possible between upgrades like clips, C-notches, built Y-blocks, chopped tops, etc. Look for a full feature soon! | 
Stumbled on this sign at the park, but the only thing fierce at the show was the competition! | 
This water bag would have been useful for either the truck or the driver on a day like we had at the show, but Ron Jacobs and his red '54 F-100 from Cypress, CA, had no fear. |
Steve Stillwell's 4.6L SOHC modular Ford motor scoots thanks to BBK and a blower! | 
Ken Anderson, a local from Anaheim, had one of the few '57-60 F-100s at the show. His stock '60 still sported the Y-block, of course, and had an alluring two-tone red and white paint job. | 
Making the trek from Bakersfield for his truck's anniversary/birthday was Gary Naworski and his '56 F-100. Both belong to the De-Generators club. |
This flamed '56 looks good while hauling goods around south Orange County. The stakeside flatbed carries whatever Tony Sidoti ties down, and the flat black finish makes work time worry-free. The yellow steel wheels and spider caps are a cool touch. | 
Unusual in blue. Not often seen at shows are later-model Rancheros, but Jeff Stern brought his baby blue '72 to the park. From the clean paint to the Cobra-style wheels to the super-Spartan engine bay, this sport utility truck won new fans all day. | 
Copper comin' attcha! I'm not sure what the story is behind the engine compartment's copper theme on Fred Knight's '56 Express Delivery from Hesperia, CA, but it sure makes an impression on every passerby. Fred uses copper where most use chrome. |
This '56 Mercury was there for the celebration representing Fords from up north. Steve and Diane Meister cruised down from Whittier, CA. Their truck is so smooth! Bigs and littles are tucked in the fenderwells on body-color steel wheels with '50 Merc 'caps. | 
On the outskirts of the show was this silver '56 F-100 with no sticker on it, but regardless, it looked sharp with polished daisy mags, blacked-out running boards, and a splash of chrome. | 
Barbara Baxter's black '56 almost won F-100 of The Year in Knoxville last May, and she had it on hand at the BOTP show for all to see. Her husband Bob spent the last 15 years building it for her. Body Works by Jerry handled the body and paint, 80-year-old Eddie Jordan the lead work, Benny Gonzales the interior, and Lemon Grove Plating took care of all that chrome, and that's just the beginning. |
This 312 Y-block spins the Intro wheels on Barbara's '56 down the road with plenty of shine to boot! Not too many people have the guts to go this far with an older motor anymore, all show and go. Nice work! |  | 
Joe Burch snuck in the park with his sleeper of a '65 F-100. Behind those painted hubcaps are disc brakes needed to stop this beast when the built big-block Ford gets howlin'! There's a set of Edelbrock RPM heads and matching intake as well as a trick aluminum radiator under the hood of this unsuspecting longbed. |
Where would the F-100 be without the Model T? If you were so inclined and in the market for one, this little guy was for sale. | 
Another older brother was this '37 Ford from Long Beach, CA. Leaning low with those Americans really changes the attitude of an otherwise bulky truck. The might-be-stock green color worked well with the whole package. | 
Another for-sale truck was Steve Lyman's '54 F-100 that borrows more than a few things from a late-model F-100, like its bed and dash, just to name a couple. I think this could have been had for much less than it would take to build-look at all that metalwork! |
The team from No Limit Engineering had the Supernats giveaway truck they built at the show. It'll be at their shop while they put the finishing touches on it before its happy new owner Chris Seaton takes the keys. | | |