Jerry's Ice Cream Parlor Car Show, Parker City, Indiana 2009

Well, I was plesantly surprised yesterday evening when I drove the Nifty Fifty the 4 mile trip over to a local car show. Jerry's Ice Cream Parlor is a local "legend". It's been there for as long as I can remember, and everyone goes there after ballgames, school events, etc. It is located on Indiana State Route 32, in Parker City, Indiana.

I was expecting maybe 20+ cars, so I didn't leave home until about 6:20 (Registration was between 5 and 7 pm). What I found when I got there was closer to 100 cars! In fact, when I registered, I was #93. The '34 Plymouth pictured above took the "Jerry's Choice" trophy. It belongs to one of my neighbors and is one of th nicest coupes I've seen.

This GMC pickup took home one of the Top 20 trophies. I took a lot more pictures throughout the evening, so just like the Beatersville event, I'll be making daily posts!

Another great show at IVY Tech in Richmond, Indiana

Well, the car show/cruise in season in "my neck of the woods" got off with a BANG today. My father, son, and I have made the short trip to Ivy Tech in Richmond, Indiana for several years now. The show has always been one of the first of the season in this area, and seems to grow bigger every year.

This year's show did NOT disappoint. The weather was incredible ( a little windy, but pushing near 80 degrees and sunny). And the cars were out in record number. This year's event actually was held in a little different location than previous years. Ivy Tech has a brand new building on campus (You can see it from Interstate 70) that has a nice, large parking lot.

I was a little disappointed in the fact that there where NO rat rods, and very few "home-built" traditional hot rods at the show. (Although a friend of mine's hubby drove his "Rat" to the show, he decided not to enter it....I did however take some pictures as I was leaving....you'll see it posted here on Suede and Chrome in a few days). There were however lots of kool vehicles.

Because this blog is dedicated to traditional hotrods. I don't plan to post ever picture I took at this weekend's show. However, I have already posted the entire collection in an album in my virtual garage at: http://www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/scruffy50chevy.

I absolutely LOVED this little bobber. I would love to have something similar to "tool" around on.

Still Workin' Hard on the Bumpers of the Nifty Fifty

Well, the final step in the chrome-plating process is the chrome-plating itself. As my buddy Jim from Custom Metal Finishers lowered the nickel-plated bumper center into the tank, I asked him to pull it back up for a picture, You can see that initally, the chrome-plating gives the part an orange appearance.
After the piece is immursed in the chrome take, the electrodes attached, and the power swithed on, the chrome in the solution is attracted to the part. Once the process is complete, the part is removed and washed.

You can see from these pictures of Ol' Scruffy working hard, the goldish-orange color comes off in the rinse leaving a beautifully chromed bumper section.

Sometimes the process has to be interupted to address an imperfection. While I was working at the chrome-plating tank, Jim was in the other building copper-polishing and buffing out some imperfections in one of the bumper ends.

Come back tomorrow to see if Ol' Scruffy can FINALLY get his bumper sections completed.

Well....I Finally Found Some!

Well, for those who have faithfully read "Suede and Chrome" over the past couple of years, you are aware of my efforts to locate an Old Navy truck. For the rest of you, I'll try to get you "up to speed".

The corporation that owns the Old Navy stores has decided to remodel. In doing so, they had all of their "signature" Chevrolet pickup trucks removed from their stores. These trucks were built using actual trucks from the early 50's. The trucks have begun appearing on eBay, on discussion boards, and in places like the Indiana Auto and RV.

The trucks for sale have been all over the US. I've been trying to locate one that is fairly local. Well, a buddy of mine, we'll call him "Mr. Custom Hotwheel Builder" (see links to his auctions on this site), told me he saw a truck sitting on a lot in Muncie, Indiana, just 10 minutes from my house. (I think he told me that last Monday) Before I could get over there to check it out, he had driven by again. This time he told me there were 4 trucks.

This afternoon, I put a couple of my boys in the car, and we went to see if we could find the trucks and find out the story behind them. Well, as you can see from the pictures, the guy actually has 5 Old Navy trucks. He also had a 1959 Chevy truck, a '53 GMC, a '48 Ford, and the Ford you see lined up with the Old Navy Trucks... (is this a '40?).

At any rate, as I began looking them over, the owner of the place came out and we stood and talked for a while. None of the trucks have titles. Some of them still have the door jam plate with the VIN number. The trucks are all in similar shape. No pedals, no engine, or transmission. No floor in the bed...just a piece of plywood painted the same color as the truck. The owner told me he had a couple of straight 6-cylinder engines that he would part with if a guy just wanted to make a driver out of one. He said that one of the trucks was already sold, and the others will be listed in the Indiana Auto and RV next week. Bottom line....he will be asking $4,000.00 a piece for them.

Auburns, Cords, and Duesenbergs...

Alright, one would not expect a posting about Duesenbergs in a blog titled "Suede and Chrome" but thought I would post some pictures I took from one of my favorite museum visits.

I think I've visited the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum 3 or 4 times in my life (twice in the last couple of years). The museum is housed in the part of the original Auburn, Cord, Dusenberg corporate building in Auburn, Indiana.

These cars are nothing short of AMAZING! I will probably visit the museum again in the future. The last time I was there, the place was set up for a wedding! How cool would that be? I've got a couple of daughters and 10 years or so to work that one out!

Ivy Tech Cruise In - Richmond, Indiana

Here is another set of pictures I took several years ago at a cruise-in we attended. We've tried to go to this annual event held at the Ivy Tech campus in Richmond, Indiana.

I can't remember the exact year I took this photos, but they have to be several years old. My father looks the same today as he did in these photos, but my three oldest children are all teenagers now.

These particiular photos were taken before the whole "rat rod" crazy began.

It is apparent through the pictures however that there were several great examples of hot rods and muscle cars present. The annual event attracts approximately 150 - 200 cars. Not a big show, but always a treat to attend.

One thing I remember about this event is there has always been a section of 20 or so "tuners" that they make park on the outlying parking lot.