The L.A. Roadsters Car Club was formed in 1957 and each year holds one of the largest roadster shows, swap meets, and commerical vendor shows in Southern California. This year was the 47th Annual Show and was held on the Father’s day weekend of 18th/19th June.
The show has earned it’s reputation as “the greatest roadster show on earth” and features more than 800 pre-36 roadsters, 1,500 pre-72 specialty cars, a giant swap meet, and commercial vendor midway. This year’s show had a slightly different layout that previous years which was met with mixed reactions.
One part of the show ground was limited to only pre-1936 Roadsters, another part was open to any pre-1972 vehicle which is to reflect the heritage of the L.A. Roadsters club.
There were lots of traditional looking rods at this show and from other reviews that I have read the show was all about the cars rather than centering around the “life-style” elements of hot rodding.
lowered Cadillac
The white-walls look great on this Rod.
It is good to see “Van Go” making an appearance in these pictures, looking great as always. Rat Rods are the pretty popular at the moment and this picture of this Ratty looking old Studebaker looks great being sat on the floor with those white-walls tucked up inside the arches.
Ratty looking truck
Radical Econoline
Hot Rod Roadster
Ford Roadster
You can see the complete set of photos at Primer Podcast’s Flickr page by clicking here. There are also some pretty nice pictures over at Speedhunters too if Primer Podcats photo-set isn’t enough for you!
The video below is worth watching too with all those rods and customs buzzing around it is quite surreal, a bit like it was filmed in the 50′s.
This article features Keith’s 1951 Kaiser Manhattan which he bought about 5 years ago after needing a change after spending most of his time previously building mini-trucks. He was going to build a Blazer as his next project until he saw the build of a 1954 Chevy on Monster garage and knew he had to try something different. A close friend was a big time Kaiser fan and in the Summer of 2004 they purchased the car in this article.
In the shots below you can see the car as it was when Keith bought it back in 2004 for just $150 and next to it is the start of a long list of modifications.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- The starting point...
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Roof Chopped
When Keith bought the car it was in a fairly bad way so the chassis and running gear was replaced with those from a 1995 9CI Chevrolet ex-police car. In the picture below on the left you can see the new running gear in the foreground and in the right-hand picture you can see the car after it has been mounted onto the new running gear.
The suspension that was used has also been modified and fitted with air-bags to allow the ride height to be adjusted and you may also notice that front door has also been lengthened.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Chopped!
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Fitted to new chassis
Here are some shots of the car when it was actually driveable and Keith actually took it along to some shows whilst it was like this. You can also see the airbags in action in one of the pictures.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Rear View
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Airbags up...
Keith did much of the preparation for spraying the car himself and once the guide-coat was sprayed onto the car he set about doing the final rubbing down to ensure that he got the final result that he was looking for.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Prepping
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Prepping
Once the car and all the various components were sprayed Keith set about buffing the paint to get a superb glossy finish. You can see from the trunk that the final result is truly outstanding.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Buffing the paint after spraying
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- After polishing
Keith and a friend installed the bumpers and grill which took a long time to get absolutely perfect. In the following pictures you can see how well the chrome and that gorgeous blue paint work together. Extra care was taken when installing the floating grill to ensure that none of the bolts or screws damaged the paint and Neoprene washers were used to prevent the damage.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan
1951 Kaiser Manhattan
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Fresh Paint
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Fresh Paint
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Fresh Paint
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Fresh Paint
Keith took quite a bit of time in getting the trunk fitted correctly. He wanted to be sure that the rear deck couldn’t flex and crack the paint so attached some special supports which fit to the hinges. Inside the trunk was cleaned and then painted with Duplicolor Truck Bed liner.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Fitting the seals
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Fitting the seals
He also did lots of fiddly small detailing in the engine compartment too such as shortening the oil and transmission dipsticks. Probably not that practical but giving a much cleaner look inside the engine compartment.
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Dipstick Shot
1951 Kaiser Manhattan- Engine
Here is a video of Keith’s car, although not finished, it looks amazing so far! If you want to keep up to date with Keith’s changes as he progresses you can see them on Jalopy Journal as there is a thread that he keeps updated here.
Creating a super cool Model T Roadster with a smoking hot engine is cool creating Roadster with 2 smoking hot engines is just showing off!
Introducing “Double Trouble” a Twin Engined 1972 Model T roadster build by Gordon Tronson. He has taken a fibreglass Model T roadster body and put it onto a custom designed and built tubular chassis. The chassis has been designed to house two all-aluminium Ford 4.6 Liter V8 engines together delivering up to approximately 1000HP.
Double Trouble - Twin Engine Hot Rod
Double Trouble - Twin Engined Hot Rod
The dashboard has a lot of dials on it with the extra gauges for the other engine.
Double Trouble - Twin Engined Hot Rod
Double Trouble - Twin Engine Hot Rod
The chassis is custom-built from 1.5-inch tube with all tube bending by the owner when it was completed it was powdered coated gray.
The engines are all aluminum Ford 4.6L modular V8s, DOHC, 32 valves and have custom made supercharger manifolds with B&M Teflon superchargers and Holley blower 4150 double pumper carburetors, with shotgun air cleaners. All this delivers approximately 1000HP through a 3 speed Ford C5 automatic transmission. The transmission is bolted to a triangular adaptor that was manufactured by Micar Fab Las Vegas. The power is then delivered to those huge Mikey Thompson 15×14 rear tires through a Jaguar IRS.
Double Trouble - Twin Engines and Chassis
Double Trouble - Twin Engines Mounted
Finally here is a video of “Double Trouble” going for a spin down the road.
You can see more pictures of “Double Trouble” at the website featuring more photos.
This is “Wazza” which is a 1936 Auburn owned by Gary and Janice Williams and build by Tim’s Rod Shop. The name “Wazza” when used on their sign about the car puts the name into context ie It “Wazza” 1936 Auburn.
The car was entered into The Grand National Roadster Show 2010 against some other outstanding cars but unfortunately lost out to Daryl Wolfswinkel’s ’34 Ford Roadster.
Wazza - 1936 Auburn
Wazza - 1936 Auburn
The amazing upholstery was stitched by Dave Putnam and the paint was supplied by BASF Glasurit with the color mixed by Dick Bennet then sprayed to that gorgeous finish by Richard Lindgren.
This beautiful roadster is owned by Jerry Magnuson and was designed by Chip Foose and hand-formed by Marcel. The car has justifiably been awarded the “Goodguys 2010 Classic Instruments Street Rod of the year” award and also the “Street Rod d’Elegance Crown” at the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals.
Magnuson is known for his product line of Magnacharger super-charger kits. Magnatude is fitted with an LS-1 Chevy with an intercooled Magnacharger, 6 speed Tremex transmission, chopped Carson roof and DuVall windshield. The front and rear independent suspension are both supplied by Kugel.
The car is painted using a two-tone butterscotch pearl with champagne metallic paint and features unique “bigs and little’s” (17 x 7 inches in front and 20 x 10 inches out back), and Scorpion Zero rubber tires that were designed by Foose.
Magnatude - Rear View
Magnatude - Foose designed rear wheel
Last year Jerry was recorded as saying “We’ve had a lot of fun with the car this year. Receiving an award like this here in Pleasanton competing against the best cars is as good as it gets.”
Magnatude - Super Charger
Magnatude - Super Charger
Magnatude is the first car ever to sweep the Goodguys Car Show Series and take home all three major awards having won the Goodguys Street Rod d’Elegance in April 2010 and the Goodguys/Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year in Columbus.
There can’t be many people that would choose a 1965 VW Bus as the basis of a Dragster but that is exactly what Wayne Allman has done. When asked he said “I have always loved installing powerful engines in the wrong cars” which couldn’t be true enough.
VW Bus Dragster - Side View
Allman’s VW bus is highly modified with only the cab remaining intact. The power is coming from an 8.4-liter super-charged Keith Black V8 Hemi unit that runs on methanol and delivers 1,700bhp.
During the first outing of the Bus at Bug Jam he managed to perform a few burnouts, followed by a sixty-foot run that netted a 1.2-second clocking. However there was an issue with the Lenco transmission that prevented him from making a representative pass.
VW Bus Dragster - Engine
VW Bus Dragster - Drag Racing
VW Bus Dragster- Front View
VW Bus Dragster - Front view with Allman
Below is a video of “Mental Breakdowns” first run at Bug Jam 24 in 2010.
Here are some pictures of Ken Derentz’s all steel 1932 Deuce Roadster. The car has been fitted with 350ci Chevy engine which has been mated to an AT transmission. The Roadster is finished in glossy red paint and this Roadster is exactly what I imagine when someone mentions hot-rod. The wheels are American Racing, and it is fitted with a Ford 9″ rear end.
The photos were taken by Kristopher Derentz and the location was Valley Of Fire national state park just outside Las Vegas. If you are looking for some similar pictures or your car the you can contact him through Flickr page.
The stance on this rod is superb and makes the ’32 look like it “means business” with the nose down slightly but not too much accentuating the rear wheels.
1932 Deuce Roadster
1932 Deuce Roadster
1932 Deuce Roadster
1932 Deuce Roadster
The billet style aluminum dashboards in a Deuce Roadster always look great and this is no exception giving a clean uncluttered appearance to the dashboard.
For the past 3 years I have attended the Hot Rod and Custom Drive-In day at the Beaulieu Motor Museum and so far I haven’t been disappointed with the high-standard of vehicles that are on display.
The Hot Rod & Custom Drive-In Day is part of South Coast Internationals and is a whole weekend dedicated to the art of Hot Rod, Custom and American vehicles that is organised by the Victory Wheelers and held at Beaulieu.
Yellow Chevy Pickup
Yellow Chevy Pickup
Red '34 Hot Rod
Red '34 Hot Rod
The people in the van below must have turned up last year and just never left – take a look through the windows!
Cool Resto-Lowrider
Spooky Van inhabitants
The photo below doesn’t really do the Karman Ghia justice. This car was one of my favorite cars at the show with its perfect very bright paint and incredibly low stance.
Very Low Karman Ghia
1930's Ford 2-Dr Coupe
If you want to see more pictures then you can see the entire set at the Just Customz flickr page.
Mike first acquired a 1953 Chevy Bel Air from a neighbor back in 1969 for a mere $60. As soon as he got the car back home he enlisted his brother to help in place a 1958 Corvette engine and transmission into it. However shortly after the engine transplant Mike lost his license and the car sat idle for a while which is where the cartoon below came from. His friend drew it as a joke because Mike had the cool Chevy sat on the driveway but was unable to drive it! Unfortunately he later sold this car but in 1977 he wanted to buy another 1953 Chevy to rekindle the memories of the car he had sold and came across the Chevy in this article.
The first job Mike did when he got the Chevy back was to remove the roof and start getting it back into shape. Mice had made their home in it and the A-pillars were shot and needed some work. After this he removed the body and fabricated a tubular chassis using leaf springs for the rear suspension and had it all welded up by a professional welder. However when it came to mate the body and chassis back together there was a problem that meant that the wheels were too far forward.
This is a picture that one of Mike's classmates drew for him back in 1971 when he had no license.
Here is the Chevy as a rolling shell with the engine in place
At this point Mike had to sit back and rethink the hole project. In 1982 he was put Into contact with a car builder named Greg Benson (not only was Greg driving a 1954 Chevy at the time but was an expert welder fabricator) A deal was struck up with Greg, a new frame was located and dropped of at Greg’s shop. Greg had talked me Into a nine Inch Ford rear end Instead of the 12 bolt Chevy and instead of leaf springs this time coil overs we chosen. He built the steering, mounted the trans, engine and front end and the final result was a work of art. Six mounts later I picked up the frame that would be the foundation of a very reliable and fun car some 29 years later.
Here is a picture of the roof after it has been welded back together.
Here is a shot of the underside of the chevy minus the propshaft.
From the pictures below you can see that the the lower chrome was removed and the holes filled to give it a smoother look. There have also been some extensive modifications to the mechanical systems as well to improve the handling and Mike is very pleased with the results.
The front suspension has been lowered and upgraded thanks to a Pete and Jake four bar front end with a 4 inch drop tube axle and disk brakes. It still has a 53 Chevy frame but it has been highly modified by Greg Benson.
The car has been on the street for almost twenty years and is still a super fun car to drive and still turns heads to this day.
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Front Side View
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Front View
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Bonnet Open
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Rear View
The engine is a Performance Concepts 4 bolt main super-charged 454 with a stage four 6-71 blower and Joe DeMars racing heads. The Turbo 400 transmission was built by Tom Hawkes. 9” ford rear end with 4.56 gears. Detroit locker. 31 spine Strange axles. disk brakes.33”x19.5” wide Mickey Thompson rear tires. Enderle Buzzard Catcher mechanical fuel injection system (on gas).
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Blower
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Blower Side View
1953 Chevy Bel AIr - Header
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Harness
The 8 point roll cage, rear wing and wheelie bars fabricated by B@B race cars.
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Gas Tank
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Spoiler
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Interior
1953 Chevy Bel Air - Interior
It took a few years to work the bugs out but It now Is very streetable (Idles good and great power) and there Is nothing like the throttle response, NOTHING. The system has been on the car for about fourteen years and I do not regret The chose of mechanical over electronic. The car Is not for the faint of hart or someone that don’t want a crowd around where ever they go.
The Grand National Roadster Show was held in January but I thought I would write a blog article to showcase some of the best rides that were at the show. The show is the longest running indoor event of its kind and never fails to please with the high standards that the show demands.
There is a huge wealth of photos on the photo sharing sites such as Flickr and Photobucket and we have trawled them all to find our favorites. You can click the links below the photos to visit the entire photo-set on the relevant site.
Vibrant Purple Cadillac
Crazy Econoline Dragon Paint
You can see more pictures from the album by clicking here.
'It Wazza' owned by Gary and Janice William
'Double Dozen' built by Steve’s Auto Restoration and owned by Jeff Chandler
1934 Ford Roadster owned by Daryl Wolfswinkel and built by Squeeg’s Kustoms
Amazing detailing on this lowrider
Now there is something you don't see at every show...
Very cool transporter
You can see more pictures from the album by clicking here.
The 2011 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award was picked up by Daryl Wolfswinkel’s ’34 Ford Roadster. I think you’ll agree it was definately worthy of the prize despite the fierce competition.
Daryl Wolfswinkel's '34 Ford Roadster
This 1934 Ford Roadster was created for Daryl by Doug Jerger and his team as Squeeg’s Kustoms based in Chandler, Arizona. It features a Jag Chassis, stainless steel exhaust, big block Chevrolet engine fitted with Dart aluminium block and heads and Hilborn injectors. The engine was designed and build by Mark Clark who is the owner of Speed Sports.
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