We had just gotten the first...
We had just gotten the first copies of the June issue when I stumbled upon that month's '55 Ford cover truck. The Heintzelmans had no idea what I was about to hand them, but judging by their smiles, it looks like they liked it!
The Goodguys show in Del Mar is always a great show for us and everyone in attendance. Lots of top-notch builders debut cars and trucks they've done over the winter at the show and we usually scoop the first features on the new trucks, like Gary Coe's F-157 from a couple of years ago. This year was a whole 'nuther story! We knew that Kirk Johnson and Roseville Rod and Custom were going to bring down the silver '68 F-100 from our last issue--which was an exclusive--and we all thought it was a shoo-in for the Goodguys Truck of the Year late nomination. Much to everyone's surprise as well as those who hadn't seen the F-100 yet, there were two more trucks that arrived hoping for the nomination!
In the classic truck world this kind of heated competition isn't usually part of the game, but it just goes to show that more and more people are building trucks and some very high-quality ones at that. Even in the current state of the economy when the street rod and muscle car markets have slowed down, trucks are hot! Les Allen brought this month's cover truck, his just-finished '56 Cameo, down from Washington state for the show, and that along with Ironworks Speed and Kustom's C6-pinned, tube chassis, gloss black '57 Chevy, things looked wide open as far as judging is concerned. This again was weird because there isn't usually this much competition!
All three trucks sat outside together in the Trick Truck Coral on Saturday for judging and it was a nerve-racking day for those involved to say the least, but there were many other great trucks to look at in the show and the weekend weather couldn't have been nicer. All in all there were about 2,000 entrants in the show and new for this year was the inclusion of the popular Air Ride Street Challenge autocross--even though it was a bit out of the way for some.
In the end, Kirk Johnson's '68 Bumpside got the nod for the nomination from this show, but that doesn't mean the race is over since the season just got started. We'll bet the others will be doing a little traveling to other Goodguys shows to pick up nominations themselves--what a year for classic trucks! Go to www.good-guys.com for more info on this year's shows.
Panel trucks seem to be hotter...
Panel trucks seem to be hotter than ever and Ken Wilson's '53 Chevy had a flame job to prove it. He simply marked "yes" on his window sticker under engine and trans so we can assume it got there under its own power.
Del Mar is always a great...
Del Mar is always a great show for us since we usually snag the freshly debuted best of the best, but we also see many of our past features there. Here's T's Bobco-built '56 F-100, which was also a past cover model! It's good to see all these old trucks being driven!
As the smoke cleared from...
As the smoke cleared from the heated battle for the Goodguys Truck of the Year late nomination, Kirk Johnson and his Roseville Rod and Custom-built '68 F-100 were picked. By now most of you saw our August cover and feature of the finely crated Ford. We were happy to get the exclusive on Kirk's truck and pleased to present it with a Finest Five pick!
Rodger Lee and his team at...
Rodger Lee and his team at Ironworks Speed & Kustom in Bakersfield, California, had their recently finished '57 Chevy at the show. They built a full tube chassis with C6 Corvette suspension and LS2 transaxle drivetrain for the dare to be different Chevy. The EFI engine has a FAST ECU and a complete Aeromotive fuel system. Premier Auto Body finished the truck in a deep gloss black.
Getting farther away from...
Getting farther away from the fancy trucks picked, we brought it back to ground level with Ken St. Clair's not-so-common '57 Studebaker Transtar Deluxe. The '57 was actually rolled at one point and Ken spent many hours fixing it back to stock. The stock 289ci engine and four-speed reside under the hood and V-8 purrs like a kitten. The Stude also has an 8-foot bed and a rare side-mount spare tire. Looks like we covered quite a bit of bases with our picks in Del Mar!
Les Allen from Arlington,...
Les Allen from Arlington, Washington, brought down his brand-spankin'-new '56 Chevy Cameo to debut at Del Mar. The refreshing tri-five sits on an Art Morrison frame complete with Air Ride suspension. Les did much of the work including the Pro Charger-equipped 406 small-block. Maxwell Metal Works helped out on the bodywork. If you haven't noticed this month's cover, we have the exclusive full feature in this issue!