MOTORAMA!

SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2010, LONG BEACH, CA --First-Annual Motorama comes to the Long Beach Arena. Hot rods & Custom showcases as works of art, it beckons days of old...

It Was Awesome!!! I've never been to a classier customs show. I really thought it would be all customs cars (as of a week ago), but there were lot of great looking hot rods also on display too.

I only found out Thursday that Piero, one of the organizers, was looking for vintage hot rods & survivors to display at the entrance to the arena. Had I known earlier, we all know Daytons would have been welcomed. Heck, it's as Long Beachy & survivory a hot rod as they come!!! I even started to compose an email Thursday night, but stopped before I sent it, I already knew it was too late.

I know you can find pictures from show all over the net, so... I'll show you my very favorite cars at the show, and a few other shots.

It's just a coincidence both cars are pink... coincidence.  But my favorite custom of the show was the 1961 Ford Galaxy Starliner.  Looks like something the Jetsons would be driving.  And favorite hot rod was the Model A coupe below.  These cars just appealed to me.

By the way, I got into the show for free --by accident!

There were no postings for where the show was on the street. So I parked at the convention center, not the Arena. I asked the Korean lady at a parking structure "...car show?" she said yes and hurried me in. I go in the convention center, and there is a coin show going on. A guard directed me to the car show 5 minutes walk around the building.
OK, I walk behind the convention center and right though the back gate of the car show, I was holding a photographers c-stand to give Tim Sutton, and wearing non-typical car show attire --as I do. The multiple security people (about 8) I passed, just smiled at me. Before I knew it, I was already in the show!?!

My favorite paint job of all time. Winfield Jade Idol

Last show for Penny Loafer.  Totaled on the freeway a month later.

Jon Fisher's custom 1936 Ford 3-window coupe

Too much good stuff

You can find some more 2010 event coverage on the HAMB, click here.

***And for my 2011 Long Beach Motorama, here is a link to that.

Cesario's Roadster Pick-Up

This is a video Ed Gallagher shot (I was there). Ed, using his mad editing skills, also put the video together beautifully. The car is a roadster pick-up (RPU) he & I built in our spare time. Notice my A-bone is in the a couple of scenes. Our buddy Cesario Tio owns it now, he's a member of the AV8ers too. He has kept it looking the same.

Maybe someday...

Boy I would have really liked to have bought this! A real Italmeccanica Torino, supercharger. Italian made predecessor to the SCoT blower, commonly used on flathead & race cars of the 1940s & 50s.
Listed on ebay last week starting at $3000, I trying to find a good reason to bid on it. I resisted, mainly because I don't have $3000 in cash to spare at the moment. But most because I don't have $3000 in cash to spare at the moment!















It ended at $3750, still a great price for such a rare and celebrated piece of hot rodding history. In fact I've seen lesser SCoT blowers marked for double what this sold for. And this being older & rarer!

Also check out my post about Verne Hammond's car: Italmeccanica Torino Supercharger

"Terminator"

Building the T is getting exciting! While my friend Ed Gallagher in Denver is building his 32 roadster, I felt I needed to push forward on the T.



Work continued this Labor Day weekend. I used a scrap Model A frame for cross-member supports, they are extremely strong and should help stiffen the frame.

As you can see, I’m avoiding boxing the frame. Boxing frames is a newer construction technique; it was uncommon in the hot rod heyday and so will not make into my racecar. My goal is 100% vintage or hand-made parts --save for a maintenance parts like bushings, tires, filters, or little things like fasteners.



I also took some time to trim the blue T body to fit the frame. Two-thirds of the trunk floor is now missing so the rear kick-up has somewhere to go. The hot rodder I bought the body from also had a ramshackle steel framework in the cowl to support a sprint style aluminum steering box. I removed that and a floor supports also made of steel tube.
Now the body is lighter and more stock then when I bought it. The car is going to be a simple track car devoid on many trinkets & gizmos.