Indy GoodGuys Post #3

Wow! It's hard to believe today is the last day of June! The summer is going quickly. Fortunately, I've had the opportunity to attend lots of the best June shows in the Midwest so far, and I've got lots and lots of pictures waiting to make it to the virtual pages of Suede and Chrome.

I'm not normally a big fan of the oversized rims with narrow sidewall tires, but on the right vehicle, I'll have to admit, they look pretty cool. This Firebird was part of the RPM display. I just got to wonder how that rim and tire combination would ride on Indiana county roads? hahaha

Now this is MUCH more MY speed. This little "number" may look familiar to you. I've seen it on several magazine covers and in several articles over the past year. I believe it won the GoodGuys 2009 Hotrod of the Year last season. Now this would look right at home sitting in my garage next to the Nifty Fifty.

This car probably had the largest crowd around it of any cars at Indy. Unfortunately, that kept me from getting a nice picture of it. It's a sweet little pickup truck with lots of chrome. If you want to see some real pictures of it, I think it might be on the cover of Street Rodder this month.

Well, this website tries to bring readers coverage of the traditional hotrod/rat rod/kustom kulture scene, and tries to stay away from the high dollar, billet-ridden, Boyd want-a-be scene. But at an event like the Goodguys, one has to at least appreciate the aesthetics of a finely crafted automobile. This silver roadster was one such vehicle.

And speaking of cool that are WAY out of my budget, how about this slick rear engined RPU!?!?!

And finally, thought I'd end today's post with a very sweet little ride. For some reason, of late, I've really been thinking alot about old International Harvester vehicles. Actually was bidding on a patina'd Travelall last week, but how cool would it be to own a little custom Scout like this one? My father owned one about this year when I was in high school. But it was just a donor for a sik and twisted little four-wheel drive project he built out of my first car...a 1976 Chevette. lol (yes, I'm admitting that my first pleasures behind the wheel of Detroit steel came from a mid-70s compact! But when your 16 the thrill of independence and the road outweighs the thrill of driving a classic. And certainly the high mpg's of the little booger was pleasant on a young man's wallet.)

Hope your summer is treating you well! Come back tomorrow and start July with more coverage of the 2010 Goodguys Hotrod Nationals at O'Reilly Raceway Park.

Indy Goodguys Post #2

We spent some time in the Gasser Corral before making our way to the vendor area. This '55 Chevy gasser was VERY kool.

Snap-On tools had the coolest display @ the show. Lots of cool samples of their tool and toolbox lines to look at, but also a couple of cool custom one-off vehicles that you could get "up close" and personal with. The Snap-On Glowmad is a custom '75 Chevrolet Nomad that uses ALOT of tools to carry a Snap-On theme throughout. Notice that the side trim and tailgate trim are made from Snap-On wrenches.

And check out the underbelly of the car. A custom from was built to include large crossed wrenches. Heck, even the wheelie bars are made from wrenches!

Another cool part of the Snap-On Tools display was the custom chopper built by OCC. I can remember watching the boys build this bike on American Chopper...(man, I miss that show.) The same themes of the Glowmad are carried through on the Snap-On Chopper, with uses of Snap-On tools and custom parts to resemble tools. Check out the cool custom wrench wheels.

It's back to pictures of Hotrod National participant cars tomorrow! Come back and visit.

2010 GoodGuy Hotrod Nationals, O'Reilly Raceway Park, Indianapolis

WOW! I hadn't made it down to the GoodGuys show in Indianapolis for several years. Everything seemed to fall in place this year in order to go, and my oldest son and father were able to go as well. When we headed out of Muncie, on Saturday morning, the skies looked pretty dark. By the time we hit New Castle, Indiana, we were in the middle of a heavy down pour.

We actually pulled into the New Castle WalMart parking lot and contemplated scrapping the trip and turning around to head home. But optimistic thinking prevailed, as we headed to Interstate 70 to make our way to Indianapolis.

 The "Gasser Corral" is always one of the first stops we make as we enter the show.

 Well, as you can see from the first few pictures in this set, the rain lifted by the time we reached Indianapolis, but initially it was still pretty overcast. Dad had packed rain gear for everyone, but my son and I both said optimistically, "We don't need no stinkin' ponchos!" lol

By early afternoon, the sun was out and it became very hot and humid. Lots more from Indy in the days ahead. Come back tomorrow to see more pictures from the Hotrod Nationals!

Mega Post from WGE

It's always kool to see vehicles from the early 1900s at shows.

I stood and talked with the owner of this Lincoln for a bit. Loved the suede blue paint, the metal flake roof, the low stance, the rear pipes, and the super sik scallops.

The only thing I didn't get a picture of on this car was the cool leather upholstery. Can you say gray with blue ostrich inserts?

Suede black and red is always kool in my book!

If you are into gold-plated chrome, this '53 Buick would have been right up your alley.

There is that Impala tubbed Impala again. My son was happy to see it, as it received "Kolson's Pick" at the Wheels for Williams show our club hosted back in May.

The WGE Credit Union show is always a good one. And it's for a great cause as proceeds went to the Relay for Life Cancer Fund. This may be the end of the pictures I took in Muncie, but have no fear. I'll begin posting pictures from this year's Goodguys Hotrod Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana starting tomorrow!