The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, the largest rod & custom association in the world with over 70,000 members, will stage twenty-three events in 2010. The event lineup features nineteen national events for rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage as well as four “Get-Together's” in California which welcome all years, makes and models of specialty vehicles.

The season gets started March 12, 13 & 14 with the brand new Spring Nationals at Westworld in Scottsdale, Arizona. The season also wraps up at Westworld in Scottsdale November 19, 20 & 21 for the season-ending 13th Southwest Nationals.

Notable date changes include the 4th Meguiar’s Orange County Get-Together which will move from its traditional March date to May 15 & 16. The 5th Nashville Nationals at LP Field has been moved up to Memorial Day weekend May 21, 22 & 23. All other dates will remain on the same weekends as 2009.

The year eligibility has been changed for the 24th West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton. The event now welcomes rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage.

Vintage drag racing is featured at select 2010 events as is the popular Street Challenge Autocross. Vintage drag racing will be held at the 22nd Hot Rod Nationals in Indy, the 9th Blue Suede Cruise in Norwalk and the 3rd Nostalgia Nationals in Bowling Green with Friday Night Drags in Columbus, OH, Puyallup, WA, Spokane, WA, Joliet, IL and Charlotte, NC. The Street Challenge Autocross will be held at thirteen of the twenty two events including a new course at the Colorado Nationals in Loveland.

Goodguys Rod & Custom Association
2010 Event Schedule

1st Spring Nationals
March 12, 13 & 14 - Westworld, Scottsdale, AZ
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, autocross & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

28th All American Get-Together
March 27 & 28 – Pleasanton Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA
American powered rods, customs, classics and muscle cars of all years, makes & models. Indoor & outdoor car shows, giant swap meet, car corral, vendor exhibits, West Coast Custom of the Year award & much more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

10th Del Mar Nationals
April 9, 10 & 11 – Del Mar Fairgrounds, Del Mar, CA
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, autocross, Street Rod ‘Elegance award, live entertainment & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

4th Meguiar’s Orange County Get-Together
May 15 & 16 – O.C. Fair & Expo Center Costa Mesa, CA
American powered rods, customs, classics and muscle cars of all years, makes & models. Car show, vendor exhibits, autocross, live entertainment & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

5th Nashville Nationals
May 21, 22 & 23 – LP Field, Nashville, TN
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, autocross, live entertainment & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

17th Summer Get-Together
June 5 & 6 – Pleasanton Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA
American powered rods, customs, classics and muscle cars of all years, makes & models. Car show, giant swap meet, car corral, vendor exhibits, autocross & much more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

13th Colorado Nationals
June 4, 5 & 6 – The Ranch @ Larimer Co Fairgrounds, Loveland, CO
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, autocross, live entertainment & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

22nd Hot Rod Nationals
June 11, 12 & 13 – O’Reilly Raceway Park, Indianapolis, IN
Rods, customs, classics, muscle cars and race cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vintage drag racing, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, Hot Rod of the Year award & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

19th East Coast Nationals
June 25, 26 & 27 – Dutchess Co. Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck, NY
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

19th Heartland Nationals
July 2, 3 & 4 – Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines, IA
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, autocross, fireworks & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

13th PPG Nationals
July 9, 10 & 11 – Ohio Expo Center, Columbus, OH
The biggie! Over 6,000 1972 & earlier rods, customs, classics and muscle cars! Car show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, street rod of the year award, street machine of the year award, live entertainment, Friday Nights Drags and so much more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

23rd Pacific Northwest Nationals
July 23, 24 & 25 – Puyallup Fair & Expo Center, Puyallup, WA
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, Friday Night Drags & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

9th Great Northwest Nationals
August 13, 14 & 15 – Spokane Fair & Expo Center, Spokane, WA
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, Friday Night Drags & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

9th Blue Suede Cruise
August 20, 21 & 22 – Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH
Rods, customs, classics, muscle cars and race cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vintage drag racing, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

24th West Coast Nationals
August 27, 28 & 29 – Pleasanton Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod award, live entertainment & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

9th Mid-Western Nationals
September 3, 4 & 5 – Kansas Speedway Kansas City, KS
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, autocross, track cruise & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

4th Peak Chicagoland Nationals
September 17, 18, & 19 – Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, autocross, track cruise, Friday Night Drags & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

6th Great American Nationals
September 24, 25 & 26 – Pocono Raceway, Pocono, PA
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, autocross, track cruise & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

18th Lone Star Nationals
October 1, 2 & 3 – Texas Motor Speedway, Ft. Worth, TX
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, autocross, track cruise & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

3rd Nostalgia Nationals
October 15, 16 & 17 – Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, KY
Rods, customs, classics, muscle cars and race cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vintage drag racing, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

17th Southeastern Nationals
October 29, 30 & 31 – Lowe’s Motor Speedway Charlotte, NC
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, live entertainment, autocross, track cruise, Friday Night Drags & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

21st Autumn Get-Together
November 13 & 14 – Pleasanton Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA
American powered rods, customs, classics and muscle cars of all years, makes & models. Car show, giant swap meet, car corral, vendor exhibits, autocross & much more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

13th Southwest Nationals
November 19, 20 & 21 – Westworld, Scottsdale, AZ
Rods, customs, classics and muscle cars through 1972 vintage. Car Show, vendor exhibits, swap meet, & more! Info (925) 838-9876 www.good-guys.com

I know everyone has had a bad day at the market but a UK man took his anger a little to far...more inside.

 A UK man was displeased with a Tesco supermarket and to get his revenge he downed two bottles of whiskey and drive his 1983 Rolls Royce though the store. No reports of injury but the man only got 16 months in jail. In my opinion that was a slap on the wrist.

Air Ride Technologies is one of the most respected names in the air suspension market and has been expanding the past couple of years. With there expansion to other lines such as TigerCage line and the Precision Coachworks accessory line, Air Ride Technologies is changing there name to RideTech... More info inside.

 With there website being ridetech.com since there opening in 1996 it made perfect sense to change the name to what it is.

Here is a list of thing that will and will not change:

Why are we changing the name from Air Ride Technologies to RideTech?

• The Air Ride Technologies product line has matured beyond just air suspension. The TigerCage line and the Precision Coachworks accessory line are the first examples of this.
  
  
• RideTech has been our website address since our beginning in 1996.
  
  
• RideTech is easier to say than Air Ride Technologies!

What will stay the same?

• Same owners – Bret and Sharon Voelkel – no outside investors, stock offering, etc.
  
  
• Same staff  - many of which have been here over 10 years.
  
  
• Same product quality, customer service, speedy shipping.
  
  
• You will still see us at dozens of shows and races all over the country demonstrating our products and gathering info about your projects!

What will change?

• Future suspension products that compliment air suspension, but are not limited to it.
• Even more advanced suspension technology to make your hotrod drive BETTER than your new car!

For those who were against Cash For Clunkers your prayers have been answered. For those who still want to trade in your clunker, your running out of time.

As of August 24th all dealerships are suppose to stop taking in your trade for the Cash For Clunker program. So if you want to still get your $4500 you better hurry.

 NASCAR driver Boris Said caught the classic truck bug a few years ago at Air Ride's Street Challenge in the Air Ride '56 F-100.

 So much in fact that he found a '55 F-100 and has been colaberating with No Limit and Air Ride to set the truck on one of No Limit's new BIG 10 chassis. Stay tuned for an exclusive on both!

 Bill DeGaine owns a powder coating business out in the desert and send me this email a photo:

Grant, You have GOT to check this out! My son-in-law sent me this pic of a new bar in Holtville which is near El Centro, California. Their bar is made of two beautiful '53 F-100's back to back!!

Bill DeGaine
First Place Powder Coating
www.firstplacepowdercoating.com

 I understand everyonewant to be different in the truck would but some people take it to the extreme...

For example this GMC Sierra has exhaust tips coming out of the sides and rear which is already pushing the limits but add 10 more exhaust tips coming out of the bed and you get this monstrosity.

Picture From: Jalopnik

 Here's another sneak peak at the features I shot in Columbus.

 This is a '55 Chevy First Series truck that was built by motorcycle builder Bill Steele from Oakdale, PA. as luck would have it, he also won Goodguys Hot Rod of The Year for 2009 with his Model A, see more of that over at STREET RODDER. See more of Bill's shop, Steele Kustoms HERE.

Bed Wood And Parts president  Jeffrey D. Major, just stopped by the office for a chat and dropped off a new catalog.

 He also gave me this picture of a real clean '62 Ford Econoline with ne of their new RetroLiners in it. It is a show quality wood cover for trucks with steel bed floors. Check out www.bedwoodandparts.com for more info on the RetroLiner and the rest of Bed Wood And Parts products.

Like I said, I am out in Columbus, Ohio, at the Goodguys show with over 5000 entries.

 Rain is no stranger to car shows and we usually get a little bit over the Columbus show, but it came down like cats and dogs for a couple of hours this afternoon! Once it settled down i found a few low spots in the vast parking lot that turned into ponds. Of course the sun came out later and has made for a beautiful, yet muggy evening. Check out www.good-guys.com for more show info and stay tuned in the magazine for our coverage.

 Well, I'm out at the Goodguys show in Columbus, Ohio and just got done shooting a few very nice trucks!

 Here's a sneak peak of David Neal's low, low '68 Chevy C-10. They finished it two days ago! I picked it for a CLASSIC TRUCKS Finest FIve pick and snagged it for a feature, stay tuned!

 We got to work this week on the aforementioned '55 Chevy shop truck over at Circle City Hot Rods in Orange, CA.

 Jimmy White and I tore the frontend out of the truck and replaced what was left of the butchered stock leaf springs with 3-inch dropped mono leafs from Performance Online. So far so good, along with the dropped axle already in the truck, it sits nice and low! I'm headed over ther ein a few minutes to finish up with the rear springs. Stay tuned for our November issue for the full story.

 So i took my first extended vacation in over four years recently. Went to Chicago to take in the city. saw lots of neat stuff, ate tons of food, and sweated a lot.

 That's what happens in Chicago, right? Also went to the famous Art Institute museum and amoungst the Monets, Warhols, and Picasos was much to my surprise, a photo of a classic truck! A Dodge at that! The picture is by Stephen Shore called Country Club Road.

After a hard days work of managing this site I went to the store to pickup a few things and I saw this truck in the parking lot my jaw just dropped.

At first I couldn't believe that someone would take the time to put all these stickers on there truck instead of getting a paintjob, but then again I've seen worse. I think this is a Chevy Truck and you can correct me if I am wrong. I want to assume that it's a GM truck with that Cadillac emblem sticking out of the hood but I really don't know. Anyways where's the classic truck police when you need them.

Now give your honest opinion would you ever do this to a truck you owned?

 Fatman Fabrication is helping with the 2010 F-100 Supernationals give-away project truck. 

Brent and the rest of the shop built the chassis and have done some metalwork on the truck that will be given away next year as a nearly complete project. This way the winner gets to pick how they want to finish it which is a good idea.

Brent sent in this picture of his '67 F-100 pulling the F-100 and a few words from the road:

"Here's the truck coming back from it's first big showing at the Lowe's Speedway Autofair.  I'll have that "gentlemans chop" done on time for the Supernats!"

Stay tuned for some coverage on Project Black Oval. Or check out Fatman's or the F-100 Supernationals' websites by clicking the links above.

 Not everyone needs to hear you and your truck coming down the road.

 Not only that, but it's so much fun to keep your foot in the gas pedal when the exhaust sounds mean! This is why i opted for much quieter and larger Flowmaster 50-Series SUV mufflers on the C-10 instead of the famous 40-Series. They still have a bit of a rumble when you step on it, but are mild otherwise. Stay tuned in the mag for the install along with the Flowmaster U-fit tubing kit.

 Just about everyone loves or needs a shop truck.

 Something to hual parts in, not worry about too much, but of course look cool in. Jimmy White over at Circle City Hot Rods in Orange, CA just picked up this '55 Chevy. It's good from afar, but afar from good like many old trucks that have been on the road for half a century. We'll be doing a few tech articles with Jimmy as he gets the '55 a bit more roadworthy. Stay Tuned!

Recent feature truck owner Chris Powell from Colorado, dropped me an email about my motor mounts in my '72 C-10.

Chris writes:

Grant,
Just wanted to comment on the engine swap story in the July issue. I'm sure I'm not the first '67-72 C-10 nut to tell you this, but the reason your engine was set so far back in you truck was because it had 6 cyl engine stands in it. they look close to the V8 stands but will not interchange positions. I just figured I'd drop you a line and let you know. Anyways, I'm enjoying the engine swap stories and am interested to see how you make the TV cable work.
 
On another note, I'm inclosing a pic of my truck out on the salt, Speedweek was a blast! The ol' girl made the 1000 mile round trip without even so much as a hiccup. The worst part of the trip was getting spanked at the craps table at one of the casinos, so not to shabby.
 
Chris Powell
 
 
P.S. Thanks again for the amazing features!


Glad you've been enjoying your truck Chris and thanks for the info. Being out on the salt is a whole 'nuther world, huh? I've been having fun driving my C-10 again too.  Hope you got a chance to check out our current August issue on sale now for the info on the TV cable.

I was cruising around the other day and an old co-worker of mine from Boyd Coddington's called and said he was working on a truck I might be interested in checking out.

Many of you probably know Duane Mayer from the show AMERICAN HOT ROD that was on cable until recently. Despite his bull dog character on the show, Duane is a down to earth dude. So i stopped by his recently opened shop, American Hot Rods to check out the '55 Chevy longbed he's been working on for a customer. Here's some pics.

Go to Duane's American Hot Rods myspace page HERE.

 It's been a busy month!

 In the pursuit of putting the C-10 back on the road, i had to acomplish a few things. One of them was the addition of Classic Performance Products trailing arm crossmember. The CPP crossmember raises the pivot of the trailing arms which is great for lowered trucks and it also has holes to run the exhaust through and keep it high up in the truck. I wanted to do this so I avoid destroying the exhaust by dragging it over every speed bump and driveway entrance. It worked out well, stay tuned!

Before the awards ceremony at the F-100 Supernations in Knoxville this past weekend they had a very good Elvis impersonator (or was he...) entertaining the crowd.

 Little did I know that Bob Ryder, a long time member of the Truckin' Magazine staff, seemed to be a huge Elvis fan. He was snapping more than a few up close pictures of the King and I snuck up behind him for a few myself...Don't be cruel Bob! For details on this past show stay tuned in Classic Trucks and for information on next year's, go to www.f100supernationals.com.

Nothing looks better on a freshly detailed vehicle than tires with a deep, dark shine. Now Meguiar’s®, the world leader in surface care technology, has a great new way give your tires ncredible gloss and protection without the messy application process of traditional tire shine products. The new Hot Shine™ Tire Gel Kit includes Meguiar’s cutting-edge concentrated tire shine gel, a convenient storage container and a foam applicator with finger guards for even application without the mess.

 Hot Shine™ Tire Gel is developed specifically for people that crave intense, long-lasting shine. Meguiar’s proprietary formula minimizes “sling” and will not run or drip during application. This thick, rich formula not only creates dazzling shine, it also stops tire browning and conditions the rubber for long lasting results that can withstand rain, snow and repeated washings. The kit’s new mess-less applicator allows for controlled application of the gel on tires, not your hands, and creates a smooth even shine. The thoughtfully designed applicator includes finger guards, which prevents the dressing from touching your hands or spilling, and the included container is a great place to keep your applicator clean between car washes.

 It has been a pretty monumental week to say the least!

 All of my long days and hard work are starting to pay off! JEsse Kershaw and Steve Bandy from Ford Racing in Detroit were out here last friday to help get my long overdue '68 F-100 bumpside fired off. This truck has been a guinea pig for them since the begining and we found out it would fire using their new stand alone engine harness. Steve, the electrical engineer, actually figured out a few more way to improve the harness for aftermarket use while working on my truck. Very exciting indeed, but I still have lots of work left to do! I'll try and get the short bit of video I have up.

 Well, after a few months on and off messing around with the '72 C-10 I got it running this week!

For those that have been following the 5.3L LS install in the mag, I'm wrapping up the part 4 finale for our September issue. Things went well and I  know the stock '01 junkyard engine makes at least 260hp/280lb/ft to the rear tires and we've only done one light dyno pull. I'll post video as soon as we figure out how!

Meguiar’s® new Ultimate Compound™ is a breakthrough product that has an exclusive first ever “scratch less” abrasive system. This means that stubborn surface defects such as oxidation and scratches will be smoothed away without using any fillers.

 The Ultimate Compound is the quick and easy way to cut defected surfaces and achieve results that surpasses the performance of both conventional rubbing and polishing compounds. This product features micro-abrasives that are strong enough to remove stubborn imperfections such as water spots, but contains a technologically advanced formula that doesn’t induce newer and smaller scratches.

The benefits to this compound is that with just one single step, below surface defects are safely removed and no harm and all types of paint and clear coats are preserved. Since this product can be applied using hand or a DA Polisher it is the perfect ally to achieve quality results from home with a finish that looks like it came from a professional detailer.

When applying Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound make sure to apply it to a freshly washed and dried car that is cool to the touch. After the product has been worked into the surface make sure to remove it immediately with a Meguiar’s Supreme Shine Microfiber Towel.