brown nose

Wow I can't believe it's already February.
I found out I was still tagging pictures 2013!
And guess what?
Now that a year has passed,
it's time for "oldies month"!

not metal finished

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I've got to kick it off with one of the top favorites here...
the floaters...float on...


So smooth...so good...
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big brown nose

This saturday marked a big step in the tres huevos game.
The hood was hammered out a little,
smoothed over a little with some evercoat filler,
and completed with a thick coat of brown epoxy.
It'll still needs a little fine tune smoothing,
but that constant nagging feeling seeing a hole is finally gone.

I'm hoping that that pie-cut or section was enough.
It looks a little pinnochio-ish.
If all goes as planned,
the hood will only be on there on the cold month or two.
Now time to figure out that grille.

TP

cheapskaters CC meets fiesta de Kustom Kulture

You'd think I'd be car showed out after the Labor Day Weekend up north,
and yeah I was.

fiesta de kustom kulture - side show - 2013

It would have been a shame to not make it to a local car show nearby,
the Fiesta de Kustom Kulture down in old town.

dutchman motorbikes

The day before I had welded up some business card stands for a friend,
which gave a little momentum to go.
A plan was texted up with a couple car friends.

cheapskaters  CC

We rallied up late morning to get there,
and totally cheaped out and found sweet parking next to the show.
Hey at $105 for 3 cars it was an easy choice,
actually it was 4 to 1 vote.
I could either get that tranny fluid or get stuck at a show til 6pm!

fiesta de Kustom Kulture - 2013

In a funny chain of events,
instead of checking out the show,
we bee-lined to a $2.99 breakfast special at O'Hungry's!
What the heck this was a free meal now that we were $30 richer...
Brandon even treated himself to a 10 am yard of beer!

cheapskaters CC - O'hungry's old town SD

The show had some good cars.
This 39 or 40 mercury was my top pick.

1939 or 1940 chopped mercury

Considering all the custom work that was done,
there was not a flaw on it.

1940 mercury

This 51 ford has been around a while,
and was another really clean custom.

1951 ford

For a fun drive this 49 or 50 ford would be a kick in the pants.

1949 or 1950 ford

While shiny cars are fun to look at,
they would be nerve-wracking to own.
This '56 studebaker pickup looked like a fun work truck.

1956 studebaker truck

This guy had every modification done on his stingray.
If you look closely there's actually an air-powered hydraulic system.
The spring would bump up the front end.

ultimate schwinn lowrider

This was the perfect wife car.
A ford galaxy 4-door with the original 6-cylinder.
Heck I'd drive this thing.

ford galaxy

This was a good San Diego event,
but seemed geared toward a tourist crowd.
Hard to compare with the blow-out Ventura Nationals the week before.
Within an hour of walking around,
our temporary Cheapskaters Car Club was drinking beers in the dive bar.

chief

I was ready to get to work on the green 40 by noon,

at this time it was still stuck in the side lot,

so parking on the side street was a good idea.

TP

a slice of ventura nationals 2013

Okay where were we.

ventura nationals - 2013

Oh yeah...
Chief and I had wrapped up the 200 mile drive up to ventura from san diego.
A little bumpy and slow at times,
and a little too fast at others.

sloppy and his chopper

In a stroke of great planning,
Sloppy (sophorn) had scrounged up a hotel room.
No hunting around for a bedroll spot tonight.
Waking up in a comfortable bed made for a late start.

chief

By the time we rallied to the store for our meal and drink ticket,
it was already past the 9AM entry cutoff.
Yeah that's how we roll...

ventura nationals - power parking

A good friend Monty was manning the gates,
and let us slide in around the short line.
I really didn't know what to expect as the show had been on a decline,
and our friend Holly had taken the reigns.
The place was packed!
We got lucky and eeked past the security gates,
and power parked right up front.
Did the steaming radiator help?

I've got to say that there's a phenomenon about a car show,
that is almost as important as the actual cars themselves.
It's being able to see friends and gearhead people you can relate too,
and a good show like this brings a bunch of us together.
Many I hadn't seen in years.
Writing this I'm kinda bummed to not take people pictures,
it's kinda awkward to do but next time I'm gonna try.

I am okay at taking the 3/4 view at non-moving objects,
so here's a little slice of what was out there.

1955 slammed chevy truck

This one's for you Ken!
Spending so much time on the hurtlocker truck,
I can appreciate a slammed 50's GM pickup.
We noticed that this one had some trick wheel covers,
toning down some way past trendy donk rims.
Should have taken a better look at the suspension setup.

1940 ford deluxe coupe

Out of all the cars in the lot,
I'll gravitate to the ones I can relate too.
This 1940 deluxe reminded me of our coupe,
the radials didn't even bother me.
There was the perfect blend of driver and shine.
I'll do a separate post on this later on when ideas dry up.

1940 ford deluxe coupe

This hot rod caught my eye.
A simple clean model A roadster.

1929 model a roadster with 32 frame

I've never had a hot rod without a flathead engine.
Some day...
This guy wedged in an early cadillac.
I'm surprised how some can keep their cars so clean.

model A roadster

Talk about clean.
This coupe had the shiniest black paint,
and the chromiest nailhead.

chris casny's model a coupe

On the other side of the show was this smoky coupe.
This had a quickchange and a flathead.
Reminded me of one of our earlier hot rods.

1930 model A coupe

Here's a non-ford roadster that caught my eye.
I still don't know exactly what it was,
it looked like an extra large 33 ford.
There was a bunch of metalwork done to make it look like this.
I bet it flies down the freeway.

non-ford roadster

Years ago I watched this sedan delivery progress.
The owner's uncle created the Hilborn Injectors.
Mike's had this thing since the 60's,
and it ran one of the first modified B&M hydramatic transmissions.

Mike Hilborn's 1930 ford sedan delivery

Ojai Rick brought down his swap meet special ford f600.
I remember when he got this it was all stock.
He's upgraded it with newer 4x4 axles and running gear.
Way better than having a new truck!

1953 ford f600

This power wagon was bitchin.
Someone had wedged in a little turbo diesel engine.
Another truck I'll post more pictures later.

dodge dual axle power wagon

I've always like the roundness of thes 50's studebaker trucks.
This guy really slammed his.

1953 studebaker truck

Can't not take a picture of the world's most photogaphed 60's econoline.
I saw this at the GNRS a couple years ago,
and somehow he's kept it as perfect as it was back then.

church's econoline

While standing in line for an overpriced burrito,
this gold 40 pickup was screaming for a picture.
I wonder if this was the same truck featured in the Rodder's Journal.
Super clean and straight.
Thanks Greg for the comida!

gold 1940 ford pickup

There were so many customs with crazy lowrider style paint,
and I only took a picture of this truck.
One of the problems was there were so many people walking around,
my patience for waiting for a clear shot wore out.

beatniks truck

Earlier this summer was Born Free,
and they had a raffle featuring dozens of custom motorcycles.
There were tons of choppers and bobbers,
but this one I am glad to have seen in person.

kiyo's radical cb750 motorcycle

This was built by Kiyo out of a honda cb750.
A work of art disguised as a race/show bike.

Jawa Speedway motorcycle

You'd think I'd take a picture of some more motorcycles,
but there were too many people around.
I escaped over to the Funky Junk Farms trailer area,
and found this early Jawa Speedway motorcycle.
What was I thinking when I gave up my Weslake/Godden.

shankers - chief & chopper

The show was great and bordered on overwhelming,
not in a Goodguys street rod way,
but in a traditional rod and custom way that brought everyone out of there cages,
including me.
It was great to meet up with old friends and acquaintances.
Way to go Holly!
Little did I know this was just the start of the epic Sloppy Sunday...

TP

king of clubs - 2013

My favorite San Diego hot rod event has got to be
the King of Clubs car show and drag race out in Barona.
The drive is under an hour,
the show isn't so big it's overwhelming,
and there are guys pushing there vintage equipment on the track.
What could be better,
other than bands like Deadbolt playing into the night!?

king of clubs car show - barona - 2013

This is the first time driving Chief (1929 RPU) out there.
A buddy Aaron filled the passenger spot,
and we were off to the races.

barona or bust

A couple other car friends met us half way,
and we sped into the hot hills of the Barona Indian Reservation,
where they had carved out the perfect 1/8 mile drag strip,
dirt track and campsite.
The flathead was sweating it out on the hot grade that's for sure.

hot rods

This show is extra cool as camping is allowed,
and the area is dominated by the racers needing pit space.
We were lucky to get a spot as the small car show area was packed.

kiwi-kevin perry's 1940 willy's coupe

There are some big time vintage race cars out there,
but most of the guys have mid-budget daily driver hot rods.
A couple engine mods and a rear tire swap,
and test out your christmas tree skills.

shade tree drag race team

This is the stuff that motivates my building addiction.
Shiny show cars don't seem to have as much fun.
The racing requirements are simple-
-helmet, seat belt, battery hold down, and a radiator catch can.
So what was my excuse for not racing?
I've got nothing other than being chicken.
The pickup runs so good right now,
I'm not ready to break it and have 3 car projects.
Yeah that's lame I know.
Next year!

1936 ford 3-window burnout

We sat through all the racing we could handle.
There is enough variety and competition,
the time flew by.

bean bandits - king of clubs - 2013

The 1/8 mile track is the perfect length for us bystanders on the bleachers.
Way better view than at the Irwindale Raceway.
I missed out on the pics of the mini-bikes.

SBF ford hauler

The line-up was short enough that each racer could get 10 passes in the day.
That's alot of practice to dial in both the car and the drivers foot.
That christmas tree light takes some practice.

1940 willy's vs 1940 ford truck

It was good to see Kevin's Willy's out on the track.
For years it was stuck under his lemon trees.

purple people eater

The PPE made a couple 100+mph passes.

hayabusa drag racer

This guy had a really trick Hayabusa.
Check out the extended trailing arms.
The track is probably too short for him,
I think he got to 127MPH under 6 seconds.

hot rod ford trucks

This 1940 ford pickup was my pick.
The girl driving babied it a bit too much,
but what can I say she was on the track and I was drinking a coors tall!
Really made me want to get our rusty 40 on the road,
and hopefully on the track next year.

1937? chevy truck

I had seen this truck smokin' the Mooneyes Xmas drag race.
It has a built GMC 302 6 cylinder engine and hauls butt.
Check out the electric motor for the water pump.

302 Jimmy 6

I'd love to have this engine in an open wheeled hot rod.

purple people eater - busted

This is the downside of racing.
The Purple People Eater lost a pulley.
Good thing it didn't spin through the radiator!

Shifters - King of Clubs - 2013

This orange Chevy pickup was Aaron's pick.
The airbag setup was very trick.

Aaron Vandemark - 2013

This 49-53 chevy pickup was also really cool.
I've always liked this style truck.

1949-53 chevy truck - slammed

This little 29 RPU was a shocker.
It had been in mothballs for 4 years.
One of the first hot rods of the revived younger generations.

Jonny Guilmets - 1929 ford roadster pickup

I remember Jonny hauling ass coming home on the way from Paso.
Nothing like a hot rod at speed.

Joey Guilmet's  1932 5-window coupe

Jonny's brother Joey has a bitchin' survivor '32 coupe.
Lucky to have found it locally in almost the same condition.

Big Nick

And the "badass award" has got to go to this guy Big Nick.
I've been talking to this guy for a couple years now online.
He packed up his motorcycle shop and moved out to San Marcos.
See that shovelhead he's got next to him?
He actually rode it all the way from New York,
and since his move that is his only transportation.
Great to finally meet him in person.

1929 ford roadster pickups

We packed it up early and didn't stay for the night bands.
I'm sure we missed a good time,
but this ride was gonna turn into a pumpkin.

hot rod view

The drive home was mellow and thankfully uneventful.
I had warned Aaron that there was a possibility of getting stranded.
Anything can happen with a 6-volt flathead and this time it didn't.

Aaron Vandemark & Travis Perich

My skin took the worst beating.
I had some serious raccoon eyes for a couple days.
So now you may realize why I'm a bit more mechanically stimulated.
It's so easy to get bogged down,
and forget that a car project is meant to be driven.

Later!

TP