Issuu

Creationism

Mick Day’s ‘52 Austin Devon is a masterpiece of making something out of nothing

PLUS Ian Burton has been rodding forever – but he likes this Chevy C10 so much, he says it’s the last custom car he’ll ever build

1930 Lincoln Model L

“The 1930 Lincoln Model L is a rolling testament to an era in America where cars began to reﬂect personal identity, status and ambition. It stands as a symbol of luxury automotive history—a timeless classic that continues to catch the hearts of collectors.

This vehicle was imported from California by Dick Gladden American Classics. It is currently available for sale.”

- Richard Gladden

1972 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible

“I found the car in my hometown while visiting family back in the USA I fell in love with it so I decided to buy it and I got straight on the phone to Hills Shipping who organised everything for me to get it to England. Wonderful service!” - Richard Thirbert

News & reviews

TimeforT

The ever-industrious Craig Dixon at Altered Tee’s Apparel has been at it again. First up is the range of clothing designed speciﬁ cally for this year’s staging of Hot Rods and Hills. The T-shirts are priced at £20 each plus £3.50 p&p and are available in an impressive 16 different colours, as depicted on the swatch in these images.

Even more impressive is the range of 24 different colours his hoodies are available in, this time priced at £35 each plus £5

p&p. Both garments have a small front breast print and a full-size back print of the event artwork. A package deal is offered for one shirt and one hoodie for £50 plus £5 p&p, with both being available in all the popular sizes.

Next is a range of apparel created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Rainy City Cruisers. Following market research with several club members, the decision was taken to regenerate some of the club’s old artwork. Three different designs printed

www.customcarmag.co.uk

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on either T-shirts or hoodies are available, priced as above.

Should you want more, how about an exclusive No Prep design of T-shirts and hoodies? Available in black or white and printed with the witty ‘Just like sex’ artwork, they are also priced as above and really are better without the rubber.

Other garments are available, along with stickers. Check out the Altered Tees Apparel website for full details. www.alteredteesapparel.co.uk

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Every e ort is made to ensure the contents of Custom Car are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in Custom Car, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org

And the winner is…

As you can read in Tony Thacker’s SoCal Diaries elsewhere in this issue, America’s Most Beautiful Roadster 2025, as judged at the recent Grand National Roadster Show, is Ross Myers’ ’36 Ford.

Built by Rad Rides by Troy, the fenderless roadster features a scratch-built body exhibiting individual interpretations of the car’s original shape and proportions.

The Al Slonaker Award winner was also announced at the show, with this year’s recipient being Bill Barbato’s ’33 Pontiac sedan.

Built by Andy Leach and Cal Automotive Creations, the car runs a blown 400ci Pontiac V8 and was painted ‘Aurabella’ Gold by The Painthouse in Texas.

Congratulations to the owners and builders.

Flexible blocks

Power-TEC’s multi-angle 7-piece hand sanding block set is designed for precise sanding and polishing on flat, curved or contoured surfaces. The blocks are ergonomically designed and in various shapes, angles and sizes for use with hook-and-loop sanding sheets. Three of the blocks are 135mm long and the other four are 270mm long. All are manufactured from durable high-density polyurethane foam which gently curves and flexes in use to ensure optimal sanding.

www.power-tec.co.uk

Celebrating 74 years

Stop by showroomthe today to check it out.

News & reviews Something for the weekend?

Summertime blues

The American Auto Club UK presents its 2025 Summer Nationals at Upton-uponSevern in conjunction with the Upton Blues Festival. The dates are 19-20 July and trophies are up for grabs on both days. Attractions include trade stands, live music and kids’ activities. All American vehicles are welcome, at a cost of £5 per vehicle, and must be on the showground by 11.00 am. www.aac-uk.com

Knuckling down

Knuckle Busters at The Barns takes place over the Bank Holiday weekend of 22-24 August at Stonham Barns Park in Suffolk. The weekend offers

a figure of 8 dirt track, Saturday cruise, live music, DJs, jive dancers, hot rod movies, children’s fairground, trade stands and John Price on the mic. Sunday is show day with public admission from 10.00 am until 4.00 pm. www.stonhambarns.co.uk

Holiday jive

Bank Holiday Monday, 25 August, is the date for this year’s Drive & Jive Auto Show organised by Bay Cruisers C.C. The venue is Whitstable Bends, Kent. Entertainment will be provided by DJ Scotty Dog and live bands, and all American vehicles, rods, classics, customs and bikes are welcome. Show vehicles are admitted from 9.00 am, with the public gate opening at 11.00 am. www.driveandjive.uk

Making hay

This year’s Hot Rod Hayride takes place at Bisley Shooting Centre in Brookwood, Surrey over the weekend of 1-3

August. This cult weekend offers top-class machinery, top-class entertainment and

top-class beer and pies. What more could you want? Well, how about the opportunity to race around the oval track? Tickets are available now, and as there is only one Hot Rod Hayride don’t miss out. www.hotrodhayride.co.uk

Dig it

The Showground in Redbourn, Herts is the place to be for Petrolheadonism Live on 6-7 September. The show promises flames, thunder and burning rubber, and making an appearance will be TV Personality and car builder Dave Kindig of Kindig It Design. Tickets are available online from 1 March, with early bird offers open to registered subscribers prior to that. www.petrolheadonism.live

Flaming date

Full details haven’t been announced yet, but we can confirm the Flames ‘n’ Dice show will take place on Sunday 7 September. The venue is Wearmouth Colliery, Sunderland, SR5 2SD, and camping is available from Friday.

Facebook: Flames’n’Dice

Reunited fun

The date for this year’s Victory Wheelers Hayling Reunion is Sunday 11 May. As is the norm, it takes place at Funland Amusement Park, Hayling Island PO11 0AG. The fun kicks off at 10.00am, and all hot rods and customs are welcome.

Facebook: Victory Wheelers

Northern fins

Camping is available from 16 through to 19 May for those wishing to make a long weekend of the Fins’n’Chrome Car Show at Gypsy’s Green Stadium in South Shields. Attractions throughout the weekend include stalls, food outlets, a bouncy castle and live music from

The Glamz on Saturday night.

Sunday is show day, and prepaid admission for the weekend is priced at £30 per person.

Email: ﬁ nsandchrome@ hotmail.com

Weekend Rattle

The dates for this year’s Rattlers RoundUp are 4-6 July. Taking place at The Holman Clavel public house in Taunton, Somerset, the weekend offers a DJ and live music, a reliability run and a soapbox derby. Tootall Paul will be on hand for all your pinstriping needs, and the entry price is just £20 per person.

Facebook: Rattlers Rod and Kustom

Border control

Lilliardsedge Holiday Park and Golf Course is the venue for Hot Rods in The Borders on 15-17 August. There will be live entertainment on Friday and Saturday, with Saturday also seeing a midday cruise, and a show and shine on Sunday. All participants must pre-book at pitchchup.com stating they are attending Hot Rods in the Border. Lodges and Pods are also available via the website or by checking booking.com

Facebook: Hot Rods in The Borders

Somerset blues

The Blue Ridge Runners Weekender is on 29-31 August in West Huntspill, Somerset. The event is open to all classic, custom and American vehicles, with a party and live music on Friday. Saturday sees a noon cruise and a pirates-themed night with more live music, while on Sunday there’s an all-makes show and yet more live music. www.blueridgerunners.co.uk

Get down and hoe

The dates for the Hot Rod Hoedown in Cummertrees, Annan, are 12-14 September. All rods, customs, classics, and bikes are welcome, and Saturday offers a DJ, live music and a cruise. The weekend price with camping is £35 per person.

Facebook: Hot Rod Hoedown at The Steading

News & reviews

Joint venture

Having listened to what rodders want, the organisers of Hot Rod in The Borders and the Hot Rod Hoedown are joining forces to bring a new event to the hot rodding calendar. The Border Raiders Run takes place on 16-18 May at Bruce’s Cave Camping and Caravan Park, Cove Estate, Kirkpatrick Fleming, Dumfriesshire DG11 3AT.

Weekend participation is strictly by pre-booking only, and the price including camping on Friday and Saturday nights is £30 per pitch, or £40 should you require electric hook-up. Spaces are limited and 01461 800285 is the number to call to pre-book stating the booking is for the hot rod weekend.

The weekend offers a cruise on Saturday and an evening by the ﬁ re pit chilling, chatting and having some drinks. If you can play a guitar take it along and strum some tunes around the ﬁ re. As there is no bar on site it will be a bringyour-own weekend, and there will be a marquee in case shelter from the weather is needed.

The site has a toilet block with showers, dishwashing facilities, a launderette and a small shop for essentials. A bar / restaurant called The Station is located in the village a four-minute drive away. Booking is recommended by calling 01461 800410.

This event is in addition to the Jedburgh show in August and The Hot Rod Hoedown in September.

Facebook: Border Raiders Run 20-25

Ooh la la

The French Street Rod Nationals takes place at Parc de Cepoy, in the Loire Valley Region of North Central France, on 29 May to 1 June. If you fancy going continental for a long weekend rod run, this could be just what you need.

www.fsra.info

News & reviews

Wheeler dealer

North Hants Tyres and Wheels now stocks N.H.T. Classic Wheels. Available in either gloss black or chrome ﬁ nish, the steel rims are available in 14 and 15-inch diameters, with widths of 6, 7 or 8 inches. Prices range from £126 to £192 including VAT. www.northhantstyres.com

It’s all Yellow

You may already have seen the Big Yellow Car Show advertised in these pages, and if you’ve got a cool motor in the appropriate colour the organisers would love to have you along. The custom car section of the show is being supported by Custom Car, so we’d love to see you there too. It’s not every day you get the chance to attend a show that’s literally like no other. It’s on 5-6 July at the Cheshire Showground, so bring along your yellow metal and prepare to have it adored. bigyellowcarshow.co.uk

YELLOW CARS

What a GAS

GAS Bash is back for 2025, and it’s set to be even bigger and better than 2024 as it’s now being held on Monday 30 June – the day following Dragstalgia. Following the success of last year’s event, Goodale American Speedshop is pleased to announce that entry is now open for the most exciting private Bracket competition of the year. Spectators and competitors are invited to make a long weekend of Dragstalgia, staying on-site to catch the action at the

Bracket competition entries are open to all race classes at Dragstalgia and pre-‘85 door cars that ﬁ t within the 8.90-14.50 index. The entry cost is £150, which includes the opportunity to win some great prizes from Goodale American Speedshop – in addition to a whole host of goodies that will be given away on the day. Alternatively, a test and tune entry costs £100 and is open to vehicles manufactured in any year. Entry provides plenty of available private track time in between the Bracket rounds for teams to try out new modiﬁ cations and settings. Email Chris Goodale for the booking form and more information. chris@fgoodale.co.uk

JOIN US

FOR A CAR EVENT UNLIKE ANY OTHER IN THE UK

Thousands of yellow cars are coming together for the biggest gathering of yellow cars on record. Bear witness to the spectacle - it’s bound to put a smile on faces young and old alike! Take a look around our groups of display vehicles, including Super Cars, Classics, 4x4s and Custom Cars. And look out for some famous cars and faces you just might recognise.

Injection- Engines- see our Website for more items! Injection- Engines- see our Website for more items! Injection- Engines- see our Website for more items! Injection- Engines- see our Website for more items! see Website for

start then self tuning. self self tuning. self

Items include VAT & are subject to

Preparation- Remove all plugs from block & heads, acid dip. Replace all plugs, Core plugs to be brass. Pressure test to check for cracks. Line-bore cylinder block, machine decks parallel to crank centre line, rebore/hone block to pistons, commonly, +.030”. Replace cam bearings. Fit camshaft. Clean & balance all reciprocating p arts. Check clearances- main bearings, conrod bearings, crank end float, conrod side clearance, piston rings & pistons. [some engines have new conrods, others are recircled and fitted with ARP bolts]. Fit pistons to conrods & assemble bottom end. Fit timing gears & chain, time in camshaft. If it is a std engine, then the C.I. heads are fitted with guide liners if required, 3 angle seat job, new valves, springs, seals, rockers, collets. The heads are then installed with new lifters & pushrods.

News & reviews

Kickstart

The update on the Kickback Show is that tickets are now on sale priced at £14.95 each. The show takes place at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, over the weekend of 12-13 April.

www.kickbackshow.com

Slick shift

Due to its shorter, more direct throw, a quick shift gear stick improves the feel and speed of gear changes in transmissions such as the Ford Type 9 ﬁ ve-speed. Until now, the only complete quick shifts available have incorporated steel spherical bearings. While ideal for competition use, at certain RPMs the bearings can vibrate and rattle making driving long distances uncomfortable.

To solve that problem, while still retaining the gear shift beneﬁ ts, Burton Power’s redesigned quick shift replaces the steel bearings with ones made from high-vibration dampening nylon. The shift is CNC machined from high carbon steel and HE30 ali and is designed to be used in conjunction with an original Ford-type plastic gear selector saddle rather than the competition phosphor bronze type. The price is £137.50 including VAT. www.burtonpower.com

Surveying the future

The Federation of British Historical Vehicle Clubs is currently conducting its latest National Historic Vehicle Survey. This is your opportunity to have an input in helping shape future legislation that will hopefully keep old cars like ours on the road. The survey should take around 10-15 minutes to complete and closes at 23:59hrs on Saturday 31 May. It is relevant to all historic vehicles 30 years or more old, with speciﬁ c surveys being directed towards individuals, vehicle clubs, museums, trade/ suppliers and commercial event organisers.

The web address for the individual survey is shown below. Please take the time to complete it as your input is important, and don’t just leave it to others as they may not take the time either, and the more responses the more accurate the survey will be. https://survey.websurveycreator.com/s/fbhvcenthusiast

Benevolent effort

The BDRHOF would like to thank Colin Theobald for his sterling efforts throughout 2024 in fundraising on behalf of the charity. Despite the loss of his father just a few days earlier, Colin entered Street Weekend in his Camaro ‘Bruce’, raising a total of £800. He also came up with the idea of selling BDRHOF Benevolent fund stickers with the intention of seeing them on every race car, not only at Santa Pod Raceway but beyond too. He is well on his way to achieving this and his unconventional sales technique of £2 each or 2 for a ﬁ ver has gone down well. The sale of stickers alone raised over £800 with the promise of more to come in 2025.

If you believe you, or someone you know would beneﬁ t from the support of the benevolent fund, please contact Nicola Marshall via the BDRHOF Ben Fund Facebook pag e.

Edging it

Edge Performance

Transmissions will be offering £100 contingency prize money to all Edge customers who take the overall season win in their class at Santa Pod Raceway. To qualify for the prize money the vehicle will have to be ﬁ tted with an Edge Performance transmission and clearly display the company-supplied decals.

The company is also continuing sponsorship of Topspeed Street Eliminator to the tune of £250 prize money for the overall season winner, £50 for the quickest reaction time, and £50 for each event winner. In addition, they are also offering £250 prize money to any Edge customer taking the overall 1st place win of Street Weekend 2025. Again, qualifying conditions apply.

Facebook: Edge Performance Transmissions

New service

Webcon has reintroduced the original Weber service manual for the DCOE carburettor. Printed in Italian and English, this fascinating publication was originally produced by Weber in the 1960s and is packed with detailed servicing and repair information for this legendary carburettor. The price is just £9.99, which is VAT exempt.

www.webcon.co.uk

If taking a break from polishing and switching to patina doesn’t do it for you, the only option is to get some shine back in your life

Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Alan Kidd

Below:

Left: Now living the high life in the States, the ’33 sedan Ian built is also painted silver and runs a fully detailed 305ci Chevy TPI motor

Ian’s LT1 small block-powered ’34 coupe was initially painted purple, but that had changed to a silver hue by the time we featured it

Ian Burton has been into hot rods pretty much forever, with a number of his builds being the subjects of magazine features. Probably the most notable pair are the ’34 Ford coupe we featured in 2003 in its silver guise and the ’33 Ford sedan, also silver, that graced our cover in December ’09. Ian had the sedan for 17 years before selling it to a guy in California; it now lives in New York and is still doing very well on the show scene.

Ian then bought a patinated ’50 Chevy truck running an LS motor to ﬁll the void in his life and the space in his garage. “I had fun smoothing it out, including the interior, and adding air-con,” Ian explained. “I missed the shiny stuff though and after about a year I sold it to a nice guy from Belgium.

“I was then alerted to an unﬁnished project listed for sale on Facebook. I’d always wanted a C10 and this one ticked all the boxes, having supercharged LS power

and a purpose-built chassis. It was offered with a whole heap of parts and was just what I wanted.

“Together with my mate Charlie Watson and his trailer, I went to Leicester to pick it up from Ollie, the guy selling it. What I’d bought didn’t disappoint at all, and Charlie loved it so much he wanted to buy it from me even before I’d got it home.

“The rolling chassis had been fabricated by Hard Knocks Speed Shop in

Spit and polish

and

…before forming a new one along with custom inner wings using 18-gauge sheet steel. Note the Porterbuilt bonnet hinges

To ensure there were no hidden gremlins, Ian bare-metalled the pick-up before it was treated to new paint

Wearing full safety equipment, Ian carefully cuts out the original bulkhead…

The extent of the channelling over the chassis is clearly visible in this shot, as are the tubular rear chassis rails

The unfinished project Ian took on, loaded on to Charlie’s trailer in Leicester

Unloaded

unpacked, the job lot he’d bought pretty much filled Ian’s garage

Ian posing with the engine and trans’ standalone wiring, which works fine now it’s been interference shielded among other things

The LSA engine was left just as it came out of the crate, with it not having been fired up at this point

The rolling chassis part way through final assembly

Ian fabricated the 2½-inch polished stainless steel exhaust system himself. Note the tailpipes exit in front of the rear wheels, alleviating possible rear axle clearance issues

Resplendent in the gloss black paint applied by Scott Richards, the detailed rolling chassis truly is a thing of beauty

The original bench seat frame was cut and shut to fit within the roll cage, with foam then sculpted to form the contours…

Proof that not all the jobs were tackled without due consideration of health and safety issues

…and Ian then stitching up the upholstery on the sewing machine he’d bought specifically for that job

“Everything had been put together really well”

Bletchingdon, Oxfordshire. The cab had been channelled over the rails and everything had been put together really well – they had done a top-class job.”

Boxing clever

With the truck needing plenty of work to finish it off, Ian wisely decided to strip it back to bare bones to ensure everything was as it should be. He had Andy Robinson Race Cars give the rear axle the once-over and they gave it the thumbs up.

The bare chassis rails came next, with Ian boxing the C-channelled front rails for added strength and leaving the rear tube section just as it was. A 1¾ inch diameter roll cage ties the chassis sections together, running from the rear tubes through the cab and bulkhead to the front rails. The engine and transmission were refitted and Ian sourced a custom-made wiring loom and computerised controllers for the engine and transmission – which initially threw up a few problems but he got there with it in the end.

For improved clearance, Ian cut out the bulkhead and fabricated a new one along with a new cab floor and custom trans’ tunnel, both formed from 18-gauge (1.2mm) sheet steel. There

Left: The Mustang II-based IFS features tubular A-arms, Wilwood 6-pot calipers and 13-inch diameter rotors, with the brakes being actuated by an electric servo system. Suspension is taken care of by a pair of Shockwave integrated air springs and shock absorbers, the installation featuring level sensors, with a Ridetech RidePro E5 control system calling the shots

Right: The Ford 9-inch rear axle runs a limited slip diff and was given the nod of approval by Andy Robinson Race Cars. The axle is located by a 4-bar arrangement and a Watts linkage, with another pair of E5-controlled Shockwaves handling the suspension duties. The Wilwood 4-pot calipers clamp on to 14-inch diameter discs, while Wilwood electric calipers provide the handbrake

Prior to the interior being fitted, the inside of the cab was extensively covered in Dynamat

Paul at Wortec at work, with his fingers performing magic while setting up the electronics for the engine and transmission

More of that 18-gauge steel was used to form the pick-up bed floor which Ian coated in Raptor for durability

Mounted in the pick-up bed is an original cool box that Ian told us is ideal for stowing his sandwiches. The signwriting is the handiwork of Terry Bull

were no inner wings with the project, which gave him free rein when fabricating new ones himself. With this in mind, he ﬁtted a pair of aftermarket Porterbuilt bonnet hinges as they mount to the cowl rather than the inner wings like the originals.

The cab body was in really good order, although it had to be trial-fitted a number of times with Ian fettling along the way until he was happy with the fit of the bonnet and front wings. With those sorted, he fabricated the inner wings together with a new cab floor, making good use of the bead roller he

Raising the flap in the bed floor gives access to the Hard Knock Speed Shop fabricated ali fuel tank and the twin Viair compressors which feed the air tank mounted under the bed floor behind the cab. The seemingly spare electrical connector is for plugging in a battery monitor smart charger

bought. Although there was no pick-up bed with the project Ian had purchased, a pair of brand-new side panels still in cardboard boxes came as part of the package. A much-needed tailgate was sourced, and with help from friends Andy and Gary, then Ian fabricated a sheet steel bed ﬂoor which incorporates a lift-up panel revealing the rear axle, fuel tank and air ride compressors. With the bodywork then conforming to Ian’s exacting standards and prepped for paint, he needed someone to wield the spray gun. Having toyed with a 2-tone

The Billet Specialities Vintage Series rear rims measure 22 x 10 inches, with the fronts being a more conservative 20 x 8½ inches. Tyres are 325/35 22 Continental SportContact at the rear and 235/35 20 Continental up front

paint job, Ian had settled on a single colour and he knew exactly what it was to be. The truck was stripped down once again and shipped over to the small workshop of Scott Richards, who lives locally to Ian. Having signed up for the challenge, Scott then painted it all, panel by panel, with Ian complimenting him on the great job he did.

Extra hands

With everything painted, Ian reassembled the truck right down to ﬁtting the interior and sorting out the wiring using a kit from

The egg crate front grille is a repro item from LMC Truck, while the bumper is the one that was originally included in the package. The roll cage clearly visible through the ‘screen gives a strong hint that this pick-up means business

“As I always say, this is my last build”

The dash is home to a cluster of gauges from Dakota Digital and the Flaming River tilt column is topped off with a Billet Specialities steering wheel. At least it was, as Ian has recently swapped that for a new wheel he sourced from Sparc Industries in Texas. Creature comforts include air conditioning by Vintage Air, and the sounds are provided by a Pioneer head unit with a pair of rear 10-inch subs and 4-way speakers in the doors. Ian ﬁtted the carpet himself with help from a friend also called Ian

With help from Gary and Andy, along with former upholsterer Bill Swan, the seat base was modiﬁed to ﬁt and a new squab formed. Ian then stitched the diamond pattern leather trimming. With the centre section now home to a couple of cup holders, the seat has forgone its threeperson capacity. Somewhat put out that she can’t accompany her parents in the truck, daughter Lucie is now adamant they prefer coffee over her

American Autowire. He was, however, grateful for help along the way, especially with the trickier jobs. His mate Mark Harrison helped with the sound system installation, and Chris Earls and his son Callum provided a couple of extra pairs of

hands when it came to ﬁtting the glass – a job Ian described as being a nightmare. Expert help was sourced when it came to setting up the engine and trans’ to work in perfect harmony. Ian had no hesitation in turning to Paul at Wortec in Chichester.

“He unearthed a few glitches and like magic ironed them out,” Ian says. “It now drives perfectly with 640 bhp on tap. More than enough for me as I drive like an old man.

“During the build, I bought loads of the parts from LMC Truck in Kansas. Their

“Brand-new side panels still in cardboard boxes”

With the pick-up sitting this low, it’s easy to understand Ian’s concern regarding rear wheel removal. The subtlety of the single-colour Wimbledon White paintwork is an ideal complement to the build style and was expertly sprayed panel by panel by Scott Richards

Pic: Ian Burton:

“640bhp is more than enough for me as I drive like an old man”

As the pick-up didn’t come with one, Ian sourced a new tailgate from LMC Truck, the same company also supplying the repro bumper. The rear lights are sequential LED units. They say that stance is everything, and that’s never been a truer sentiment than with Ian’s ’72 C10

Power for the pick-up comes from a GM 6.2 litre LSA crate engine which had never been run until Ian fired it up for the first time. The 376ci V8 is fitted with a water-cooled supercharger and produces 640bhp at 6100rpm and 550+ lbf.ft at 3800 rpm. The engine now performs effortlessly after the tuning it received at the Wortec workshop. Transmission is a 6L80 6-speed automatic

catalogue is amazing, you can literally get everything you need from them. As always though, the downside is the shipping cost and import duties.

“Even though I didn’t start it from scratch, it’s been a great build. I did most things myself, with help from a handful of friends along the way.

“I bought the unﬁnished truck in September 2023 and had the target of getting it to the Supernats in 2024 ﬁrmly in my sights. There were times when I thought that wouldn’t happen, but I drove it there with no issues, chilling out to the vibes and the cold air conditioning on the way. This truck kept me busy and poor for over a year – and, as I always say, this is my last build.”

A bold statement Ian, but is it true? We guess only time will tell on that front. “There are aspects of the truck that I like the best,” Ian conﬁded. “Being fuel-injected, it’s so modern and works so well making it feel like you’re driving a modern car.

“The one thing I like least is that taking off the rear wheels could have been a right pain. To get around that, I made it so the rear bed sides can be unbolted and removed fairly easily. I’ve already had to test this set up when I had a tyre rim leak,

and it all worked okay. In saying that, it is a two-man job and takes around half an hour so you wouldn’t want to be doing it on the side of the road. At least I don’t have to drop the rear axle though.

“I don’t like cars that don’t drive right, and this one is absolutely spot on. The engine and air ride make it great to drive. I’ve no plans to change anything on it – it’s superb as it is.”

We ﬁnished the interview by asking Ian one ﬁnal time if this really is his last build. “I don’t think there’s anything else I want,” came his considered response. We’ll just leave that one there then. CC

“Thanks to Charlie for picking up the project, Andy and Gary for general build help with the truck and seat, Bill for his help with the seat, Mark for installing the speakers, Chris and Callum for ﬁtting the windscreen, Paul at Wortec for the amazing tuning and Scott Richards for the paint. Most of all I’d like to thank my wife Janet for being with me all the way”

While he may not have started the build, Ian has certainly added his own mark and ﬁnished it off in style – even when it’s sat at ride height

Just the ’32 of us

Built with historical accuracy in mind, Eric Justus’ Deuce roadster is a tribute to the ‘jalopies’ built by GIs returning home after WWII

Words & Pictures: Stephan Szantai

The engine is a 221ci flathead V8 dating from 1936. The short block was rebuilt by Alan Mest with stock internals and adjustable tappets. A flat-top coil was rebuilt and converted to 12 volts by Skip Haney and the generator was converted to 12 volts while retaining the 6-volt look, while further features include aluminium heads, an original polished Edelbrock slingshot manifold, a ’35 Ford fuel pump stand and rebuilt ‘large logo’ Stromberg 97s with #69 power valves and 43 main jets. An original ’32 Ford radiator keeps it cool and an exhaust using Red’s headers and no mufflers, just straight pipes dumped past the rear of the doors, lets the old girl breathe easy

Ford roadsters of 1932 vintage have been snagged by hot rodders since way before the term ‘hot rod’ was even coined. The model’s good looks and V8 power plant made it an instant success with rodders – with the result that countless companies have been manufacturing steel and ‘glass replicas for well over half a century. Visit any rod show today and you’ll see plenty of Deuce roadsters roaming around, so much so that we forget how few Ford originally produced – about 15,000, compared to a staggering half a million 1928-31 Model A roadsters.

Needless to say, building a fresh project car using a genuine Deuce can be extremely challenging, let alone a money pit. But there is hope – as will attest Eric Justus, the owner of the Ford-made example seen here.

The Ontario, California resident describes himself as a lifelong car enthusiast, though his first ventures involved old, air-cooled Volkswagens – which remain very much part of the social fabric when you live in California. His dad Gary still owns the ’64

Cal-Look Beetle he built more than 40 years ago, which is what inspired Eric to wrench on several VWs as well. In fact, the ’32 shares space with a street-driven 12-second, mega-detailed ’55 Bug in his garage. He’s also a member of to Der Kleiner Panzers,

a renowned hot rod Volkswagen club established in 1965.

Thanks in great part to his dad and his uncle Lou, Eric has turned into a hands-on gearhead with a very good eye for detail. Yet his interest goes far behind old Vee Dubs.

“I jumped into the V8 world at a lower level and worked my way up,” he adds. “Eventually, I was able to sell my last ‘new’ car – a ’64 2-door Impala – and bought my first real hot rod from a friend, John Mata: a 1930 Model A roadster.” He built it from the ground up,

Front I-beam holds it up on a rebuilt and polished ’32 leaf pack. Houdaille shocks were rebuilt by Mike’s Speedshop

Eric cut his teeth on air-cooled Volkswagens before widening his scope to embrace a litany of rods and customs. The ’32 roadster is the latest in a long line of V8s; you get the feeling it’s going to be the one that sticks around, sharing the garage as it does with a street-driven, 12-second ’55 Bug

chassis included, in a mere three months. That 1950s-inspired A-V8 jalopy on ’32 rails proved a lot of fun, although his ultimate dream was to own a genuine Deuce roadster.

Hidden gem

And then it happened. Eric friend’s Johnny Carillo told him about a ’32 roadster body and chassis being hidden in storage at the Kennedy Brothers’ shop, aka the Bomb Factory – Joe and Jay Kennedy have gained a great reputation for the traditional hot rods they have built over the years. In

a week, Eric had sold his A-V8 and he purchased a car “I never thought was possible for some normal dude as myself.”

It appeared that the project had been ‘modernised’ years or even decades earlier, as the holes in the chassis had been welded up. With the Kennedy Brothers having already performed some rust repair on the body, Eric’s goal was to bring the roadster back to stock specs and then hot rod it to his liking. An essential piece of the puzzle came shortly after, in the shape of a 1932 Pierce Arrow dash found on eBay at a more-

than-decent price, which certainly helps the vehicle stand out in a sea of Deuces. Although some rodders happily mix and match components of various eras, Eric wanted his roadster to accurately replicate how a jalopy might have looked in the late ’30s or possibly just after WWII. “In the three and a half years it took to build the car, it was great to unearth how much of a presence the pre-war cars had among hot rodders local to me,” he continues. His friend Mike at the Early Ford Store in nearby San Dimas helped him veer the resurrection in the right direction, with Justin and Evin Veazie (of Veazie Bros Fabrication, and formerly of SoCal Speed Shop) also heavily involved, and the result is stunning.

16x4 Kelsey Hayes wires are wrapped in Firestone Champions front and rear; the tyres measure 5.00R16 up front and 7.50R16 at the back

The wiper motor is a proper ’32 Ford item too

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#13237 Hwy 15 Street Rod............$693

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Chevy Shortbed Fleetside, V8/Manual, fresh paint, arrow straight body, new oak bed/polished stainless strips, new suspension, new Halibrand wheels/tyres, California rustfree, one year only small window cab, all work recently completed with only a handful of miles

1959 EDSEL VILLAGER LONG ROOF WAGON, V8/THREE ON THE TREE $12,250

Factory V84bbl/3spd manual, p/s, p/b, a/c, same family since new sold in Monterey california, parked in 1972 and there it sat until recently, very solid rustfree car, original owners manual, a/c unit instruction book and warranty card, many old ca registrations, original hubcaps, starts and runs, currently has no brakes, unrestored survivor

vintage slot mags, new screen & rubber, built from new as a camper, recently used by a local handyman, camper equipment removed, on the button driver

Rustfree sunbleached body and underside, new brake & clutch hydraulics, rebuilt fuel pump, runs and drives, excellent original chrome, sold new in the USA, not to be confused with the usual UK welded patched nightmare, not the cheapest but certainly the soundest original one you'll ﬁnd outside of Australia

6 Cylinder/Manual, put into storage 1999, recently removed, none of the usual corner, fender, hinge pocket rot, excellent cab ﬂoor, requires no patch panels or welding vintage camper shell, chrome steel Wheels, refurbished original seat, currently a non runner

Original V8/Automatic car, new top and top rams, new carpet, very straight rustfree body, California car since new, on the button driver

Black plate California rustfree van, factory V8/Auto,

Boxed from K-member to rear crossmember, with the original front and rear spreader bars still in place, the chassis supports a set of rebuilt, polished and powder-coated ’32 leaf springs and Houdaille shocks, rebuilt by Mike’s Speedshop. A ’39 Ford banjo rear end has been rebuilt with 3.78:1 diff gears, while 16x4 Kelsey Hayes wire wheels host a set of Firestone Champions measuring 5.00R16 and 7.50R16 front and rear.

Giving it large

The latter are turned by a ’36 221ci flathead V8 which was rebuilt by Alan Mest with stock internals and adjustable tappets. The block is painted an original Ford green but

the first thing you’re likely to notice are the polished ali heads and dual rebuilt ‘large logo’ Stromberg 97s with #69 power valves and 43 main jets. Keep looking (not a chore) and you’ll also see a ’35 Ford fuel pump stand, polished original Edelbrock slingshot manifold, rebuilt flat-top coil (converted to 12 volts by Skip Haney), and Red’s headers with straight pipes which exit rear of the doors. The old Ford lump spins a ’39 Ford top loader 78 case, rebuilt by Dennis Lacy at Early V8 Garage, stirred by a swan-neck shifter bent to clear the Pierce Arrow dash by Evin Veazie.

So it goes good, it sounds right and behind the louvres it’s a feast for your eyes. That theme definitely continues throughout the

car – as I said a moment ago, it’s stunning. The original body was partly fixed with a Brookville sheet metal panel below the decklid and door bottoms. The Veazie Brothers and Kennedy Brothers looked after the metalwork and fabrication, with Paul Gauvry taking over for the paint and final bodywork using a custom Delfleet mix. Up top, the original top irons and windshield frame were chopped by 3 1/2 inches by the Veazie boys, then rechromed and painted to factory specs. Evin Veazie also modified the ’32 Ford headlight bar, while Justin was creating a stock rear taillight mount with a licence plate backer. The Veazies also took on the job of cutting the Pierce Arrow dash and grafting it to the

The interior upholstery and soft top were done by Paul Reichlin at Cedardale Upholstery. The latter features a 1934 rear window and white oyster Stayfast canvas, while brown vinyl seat covers are to factory specs. Lowered seat springs have been cut 3” in the front and 4” at the rear. A genuine restored ’32 Ford steering wheel features alongside a Nash column drop of the same vintage

Ford dash top rails so it would bolt directly into the car.

Beauty within

The dash is the highlight of an interior that’s been reworked everywhere you look – without turning into too much of an exercise in showboating. Paul Reichlin at Cedardale Upholstery trimmed the seats to factory spec in brown vinyl, having first cut the seat springs by 3” in the front and 4” behind. He also looked after the soft-top, using a ’34 rear window and white oyster Stayfast canvas. Going back to the dash, the Pierce Arrow panel is backed by a wood grained facia by Stuart Lyman; the gauges in it were restored by Rory Forbes at Zephyr Speed Shop. The steering wheel and wiper motor are original ’32 Ford, with the former repositioned using a ’32 Nash column drop.

So there’s a lot of work to be done there and the project progressed the way projects do, but then something happened. Well, Eric happened, which sounds a bit rude but get your ears around this.

By mid-November 2019, the vehicle was still in a thousand pieces and in bare metal. But then an insane challenge came to Eric’s mind: get it ready for the Grand National Roadster Show.

The Grand National Roadster Show was less than 10 weeks away.

Safe to say it was a mad dash. The body was in primer and still sitting aside the rolling chassis a mere five days before the event. But Eric’s friend Paul Gauvry, who painted the shell, and a few other diehard buddies came to the rescue as the deadline approached – allowing Eric to have his ride on exhibit during the weekend next to the GNRS’ Suede Palace.

Not that that was the end of the project. It took him a few more years to make it perfect, the way you see it now. But it was worth every minute. “I built the car to the exact vision I had in my mind,” Eric concludes. “Nothing fancy and nothing modern – just a step back in time. Driving it eliminates the ‘Jetsons’ society we live in today.”

Without the help of countless friends, new and old, this project wouldn’t have come to fruition the way it did. But one name rises above all the others: “My wife gets the most recognition for dealing with years of non-stop car building – and two months of almost 24-hour-a-day mayhem to get it finished for the GNRS!” A sentiment which 90 years of hot rodders, and their wives, would no doubt appreciate. CC

A ’32 Pierce Arrow instrument panel, featuring gauges restored by Rory Forbes at Zephyr Speed Shop, is the highlight of a wood grained dash by Stuart Lyman. The shifter for the rebuilt ’39 box was bent to clear

MICK’S PICK

If you build it yourself and don’t follow the crowd, you can create whatever is in your head with the help of whatever is in your garage

Words: Mike Pye Pics: Alan Kidd

PICK ’N’ MIX

“Alot of it is built out of scrap, if I’m honest,” says Mick Day with a smile, in his lilting, West Country way. But let me make it clear from the outset that the car he has created is anything but scrap. It’s a symbol of individuality and a belief in personal freedom, if you’ll excuse the blatant plagiarising of Sailor Ripley’s ode

to his snakeskin jacket from the cult 1990 movie Wild at Heart.

What started life as a regular 1952 Devon pick-up is just that. Individual. With the exception of the Weld wheels, and a few spurious items, you won’t find much that came off any shelf in this build, unless the shelf in question is in Mick’s garage. He’s just not that kind of guy.

The build

Here’s what a regular Austin A40 pick-up looks like. Quite charming in its own right, but not exactly tough

Then add some 37 inches of rubber at the rear to round out the attitude adjustment

With the headlight holes ﬁlled and extended down to wrap around the rear wheels, the old front wings take on a whole new personality

With all the metalwork done, Mick turned his attention to prepping the bodywork for paint

With the bed off, you can really see the outrageous proportions of the back tyres. These classic Mickey T Sportsmans were used during the build, but were deemed too old for road use

A six-inch chop and a seven-inch stretch of the cab soon sorted that out

Left: Mick formed the rear wings from the front wings off the same Devon saloon that gave up its doors to the cause

Below: The rest of the bed was made from scratch with whatever useful bits of metal Mick had laying around

Some surplus industrial paint + a compressor = a tough, durable paint job that won’t trouble a bottle of polish in its life

Mick says his least favourite stage of the build was the wiring, accomplished with a re-purposed Fiesta

This low down front three quarter shot really emphasises the car’s chopped, channelled and lowered nature. Making your own chassis allows you to create whatever effect you desire, though with a Pro Street build you really need to build the whole thing around the rear tyres

“I’m a bit of an obstinate recluse I suppose. I tend to just try and do it all myself, and not ask for help. I watch what other people are doing, and listen, but then do it my way.

“People who have seen the car ask me, ‘What’s this? What’s that?’ And I say well, I made it. If you’re not following any sort of convention, no one can say if it’s wrong or right. It makes life simpler if you’re not trying to please anyone.”

Mick’s certainly right about that. And this car is both testament to his philosophy and, dare I say it, his age, having just tipped over into his eighth decade on earth. Consequently, Mick remembers the time when you could pop to your local scrappy with a couple of spanners and remove the parts you wanted yourself.

That explains why there’s a cornucopia of British car parts used in this build, from the narrowed Mk3 Cortina rack and pinion and Cortina stub axles up front to the even more extremely narrowed Jaguar IRS at the rear.

wiring loom

There are American car parts in the mix as well, namely a Chrysler 360ci small block and 727 TorqueFlite gearbox, and they all sit happily together in a box section chassis Mick made himself.

Sitting comfortably?

“It’s all a bit of a long story,” he says, taking a deep breath. “I got the car out of a yard in Yeovil, I don’t know, it must have been 45 years ago now. Something like that. Well, my eldest daughter was a toddler when I bought it, I remember that; she’s 46 now.”

The plan back then was simply to strip the Austin down, clean it up and put it back on the road with a bench seat for the family to ride on. Oh, and roof chop it. Mick does like a roof chop. Look at the panel on page 41 titled “Here’s one I made earlier” and you’ll see what I mean.

Suﬃce to say, anyway, life moved on for Mick and multiple cars, bikes, houses and garages came and went. The old pick-up, however, not only went along for the ride

“People who have seen the car ask me, ‘What’s this? What’s that?’ And I say well, I made it”

but stayed for the duration, often living outside under a tarpaulin – but always with the plan to do something with it one day. That something can all too often be giving up and selling it – but working in the motor trade most of his life, and being a founder member of the West Country based Apple County Cruisers, kept Mick’s enthusiasm for hot rodding up and he never strayed too far from the path.

Heart of Mopar

When the 318ci motor in the ’68 Plymouth Fury he was driving went south, he put it to one side for the Devon project and replaced it with another 318 out of an ex-USAF Dodge minibus. Seemingly having a knack for acquiring useful parts for projects, a 360ci Mopar mill later came his way and that’s what ended up being rebuilt for the Devon. Naturally, Mick’s still got the 318 in his garage, along with three Rover V8s and a small block Chevy. They’ll come in useful one day, right?

“I have to completely unbolt the rear wings to remover the wheels, which is a right pain in the arse,” says Mick. “I keep all the tools I need to do it on board, but I hope I never have to do that on the side of the road.” Have you worked out what those rear wings are yet…?

When Mick says the car doesn’t like speed bumps, it’s not hard to see why. Front wheels are 4 x 15 Weld Rodlites with 135 Firestone F-560s. Ground clearance is minimal

Eventually, though, he could take the taunts of his friends and club mates no more. He had to get the Devon done.

“I wanted to go all out Pro Street with it, and the original chassis wasn’t suitable for that, so I built my own and put a narrowed Mk3 Cortina front clip in it. I wasn’t happy with that, though, so I bought a Haynes book, Build Your Own Sports Car, and used that to make my own independent front suspension using the Cortina spindles [complete with their disc brakes] and steering rack and some Maxi and Transit ball joints.”

As we mentioned earlier, the blunt end of the Devon features a seriously narrowed Jag’ axle with halfshafts so short that

Mick readily admits “there’s very limited movement in it. The wheels go round, but the suspension is in the tyres.”

Chop chop

With a 318 Mopar powertrain dummied in for ﬁt, Mick was in a position were he could start work on the body. “I always need to roof chop anything I get hold of, so that was one of the ﬁrst things I did,” he recalls. As both his previous chops have been in the order of six inches, it’s a fair bet this one is sliced a similar amount.

Trouble was, that made it look a bit dumpy. Mick’s answer was to extend the cab by seven inches, using parts of the

The engine is a 360ci Chrysler small block, rebuilt with a mild cam, dual plane manifold with 600cfm Holley carb’, electronic ignition and a set of Mick-made tubular headers. It should easily make north of 250bhp, which he’s quite happy with. “It does everything I need it to do,” says Mick. “I put a 160-degree thermostat in it, which has made it more comfortable in traﬃc, but it doesn’t overheat and seems to be reliable”

doors from a Devon saloon he owned many years ago. The bed is completely hand fabricated “using materials I had lying around.” Or in some cases, that were found lying around.

“I used to collect reject bits of pipe from my old job, knowing they’d come in handy one day. The tailgate pressing is part of the side panel of a Transit, and the bar across the top came out of a skip outside my local Wetherspoons,” he laughs.

The wiring loom, meanwhile, started life in a Fiesta and was cut and spliced to ﬁt with the help of another of Haynes’ ﬁnest. The tail lights? They’re the only bits Mick has left from a ’65 Cadillac sedan DeVille he once owned.

If hot rodding is Mick’s hobby, one look inside the pick-up will tell you what his notso-guilty pleasure is. “I am quite partial to a real ale,” he says with a glint in his eye. “And yes, I did have to drink all the bottles that the tops I used for the headliner came off. It’s recycling, isn’t it?”

We haven’t counted every one, but Mick reckons there’s well over 1000 McEwan’s Champion ale tops on the truck, each of them individually stuck to little pieces of

“I got the car out of a yard in Yeovil, it must have been 45 years ago now”

YELLOW CARS

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n Grouped Display Vehicles must be booked in advance

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n £8 per adult | £4 per child (5-15)

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Real ale and cider tent | Street food vendors and food court | Picnic area

Shop from our many stalls selling everything from car accessories, camping equipment, gifts and novelties | Children’s inflatables and activities

JOIN US FOR A CAR EVENT UNLIKE ANY OTHER IN THE UK

Thousands of yellow cars are coming together for the biggest gathering of yellow cars on record. Bear witness to the spectacleit’s bound to put a smile on faces young and old alike! Take a look around our groups of display vehicles, including Super Cars, Classics, 4x4s and Custom Cars. And look out for some famous cars and faces you just might recognise.

The Austin A40 Devon arrived in 1947 and, in saloon form, lasted ﬁve years (the two-door Dorset only four). The popular Devon pick-up, however, remained in production for almost a decade –though it’s rare to see one today, which would make turning up at an owners’ club meeting in Mick’s radically modiﬁed example a hoot

plywood and then glued to the truck with Sticks Like Sh*t (their asterisk, not ours).

“It didn’t seem like a very big area when I started…” he recalls.

Spray on, wipe off

Given all of what you’ve read so far, you won’t be remotely surprised to hear Mick painted the truck himself too, using some old stock green textured paint that’s made for use on industrial heaters. “I’ve spent too many years doing all that cleaning and polishing cars business. I didn’t want to have to clean this one, just wipe it off… if I can be bothered.”

The creative process didn’t all go exactly to plan, Mick freely admits. The 318 motor he used during the build up had a rear sump, while the 360 didn’t, so that then had to be cut and shut to make ﬁt. Likewise, he probably should have had a distributor in the mock-up block as then he wouldn’t have had to cut a recess for one in the ﬁnished body. He did mock up the seating position, however, only to discover that the window winder fouled on the steering column when the car was being put back together. So that was the steering system requiring a bit of re-engineering. The seats needed a bit of lowering, too, when Mick discovered that he couldn’t comfortably see out of the

“I bought a Haynes book, Build Your Own Sports Car, and used that to make my own IFS”

ride height.

“That’s all just part of building a car though, isn’t it? You try and think of everything, but there’s always something that catches you out, and it’s all a very tight fit in this one, a firm fit if you will. I built it all, so I should remember, but it ended up taking about 10 or 15 years to finish and there’s no instruction book, it’s all just in my head.

“What I do know is that I could get down on my knees more easily when I started. I still can, it just takes me a bloody long time to get back up again. And if I were to lie down on my back in the garage now, I’d probably just go to sleep!”

So, after all these years, now the Devon is on the road, what’s it like to drive? “It’s a very ﬁrm ride” reports Mick, “and it doesn’t like speed bumps. But it’s very entertaining!

windscreen when the car settled down to its ﬁnal

An extremely narrow Jag’ IRS does its best to keep the huge rear rubbers apart, while the super shorty halfshafts struggle to move much due to a lack of leverage. The exhaust was endowed with a beefy pair of silencers after the neighbours complained about the noise the sidepipes unleashed

Interior is also all Mick’s handiwork. It might not pass any modern safety inspection with all those exposed sharp edges but it does everything he wants it to do, and has a thoughtful provision for any passengers who aren’t enjoying a ride in it quite as much as he is!

“Thanks to all the guys from Apple County Rod and Custom, as it is now, the people I’ve worked with in the past and to my family and daughters for the long wait until completion.”

14 x 15 Welds with 18.5 x 30-15 Hoosier Quick Times keep the rear a little bit higher off the deck and bring the Pro Street punch that Mick wanted for his one-of-a-kind truck

Left: Mick laughs when he describes the steering column as “the alternative I-did-it, part Cortina, part Fiesta, part I don’t know. Basically, if I didn’t have something on this car, I had to make it.” It’s ﬁnished off with a Momo steering wheel and TPI Tech rev counter

Below: Everything has cup holders these days, so why shouldn’t a Pro Street ’52 Devon pickup? You won’t ﬁnd too many modern cars with a hip ﬂask holder though

The car’s heritage is obvious from the front, and the side, but with everything from the cab back formed by hand you’d be hard pressed to tell what Mick’s truck is if you pulled up behind it in traﬃc

The homemade aluminium seats have minimal pads covered in aged green leather from a big old sofa Mick once owned. “That’ll come in handy one day, I thought…”

Right: Bed area contains everything Mick needs for a trip to the pub, or a local rod run. The fuel tank is in the suitcase, everything needed to keep it running (or, heaven forbid, remove a rear wheel) are in the tool box and there’s a spare fuel can, just in case

The beer bottle top headliner required dedication, both in sticking all the little buggers on and in consuming the well over 1000 bottles of McEwan’s Champion ale that provided them

“I’m still shaking it down, so I’ve only done about 500 miles in it, but it starts, stops and everything seems to work. I’m lucky, I’ve got a ramp at home and every time I go out in it, I lift it up and check nothing has come loose or fallen off. I probably over check it, maybe I’m a bit obsessive, but I think you do that when you’ve built something from scratch.”

The other thing you do is spend a lot of time gazing at it. Whichever way you look at the Devon, it’s a huge achievement – and all the more so if, like Mick, you really can say you’ve done it all yourself.

We don’t care how long it took. What’s important is that he ﬁnished it – by putting creativity ahead of cash. Now he can sit and look at his handiwork, and then take it out for a drive. What could be better than that? CC

Here’s one I made earlier…

BEDFORD

When everyone told him he couldn’t chop a van, that it was a stupid idea, Mick picked a Bedford CF to prove the naysayers wrong. The 3.0-litre V6powered ride was called Vasectomy, in light of its six-inch chop

GRANADA

Bought as a sensible family wagon, Mick’s Mk2 Granny wagon was also given a sixinch haircut, and painted bright orange so he wouldn’t lose it in the car park

“I am quite partial to a real ale”

A foray into two-wheeled customisation resulted in this neat Triumph chop with heavily raked and extended forks, which is still in Mick’s garage today

TRIUMPH

SoCal

Diaries

Former Custom Car editor

Tony Thacker lives in California these days, and this month he’s been having a grand time with the old crew

Beauty in the beasts

With attendees from all over the world, including a strong contingent of Brits that included a famous British rod, ‘The Grand Daddy of Them All’ had to be the 75th Annual Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS).

Crowning the glory of more than 600 vehicles were no less than 11 top notch roadsters competing for the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) Award, plus another 11 nonroadsters competing for the Al Slonaker Memorial Award (both presented by ARP Racing Products). The AMBR winner was Beth and Ross Meyers’ ’36 Roadster, built from scratch by Troy Trepanier’s Rad Rides By Troy, while the Slonaker Award went to Bill Barbato’s ’33 Pontiac Sedan built by Andy Leach’s CAL Auto Creations.

Britain was well represented by the famous Gary Belcher’s Jag V12-powered Model T, which appeared on two CC covers and, having sold at auction by Bonhams in September ’24 for a tad under £44,000, is now owned by Aaron Lawyer. On hand to celebrate the occasion were four past Custom Car sta ers: Kev Elliott, Greg Emmerson, CJ Prew, myself and contributing artist Teri Smith.

She’s real ne, Colby’s 409. Built by Colby, Director of SEMA’s Action Network, and his dad Al in Al’s two-car garage, this Art Decostyle Model A is a little di erent and all the better for it

It doesn’t seem to matter what you do to a Shoebox, it’s hard to make a mess of them – as evidenced by this simple example displayed outside the Deadendmagazine.com booth. I’d drive it home

and

Left: Much talked about at the show was Dan Webb’s recreation of the long gone 1926 Panhard ‘Razor’ that featured headscratching, legs-through steering. Not surprisingly, only two were known to have been made

‘The Camfather,’ 103-year-old Ed ‘Isky’ Iskenderian, turned up to promote his new documentary ‘ISKY’ and sign the accompanying book – as well as a few cars, including Stanley Chavick’s ’38 Buick Roadster

Above: With stunning lines, the 1960 Edsel Ranger ‘Sledsel’ began life as one of only 777 two-door Ranger sedans. Powered by a fuel injected 429, the convertible is owned by Shane Fischer

quietly outside minding its own business was this

On hand to celebrate the survival and indeed arrival of Gary Belcher’s Jag V12-powered T were former CC sta ers (left to right) Tony Thacker, Kev Elliott, CJ Prew, artist Teri Smith and Greg Emmerson

ARP Racing Products sponsors both the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster

Al Slonaker Memorial Awards, as well as the late George Poteet’s 481mph land speed record holding ‘Speed Demon’

Sitting

beautiful ’39 Caddy, built by Chip Foose for Wes Rydell using a 2015 Escalade chassis, original stretched front sheet metal and a Marcel hand-crafted rear

Above: Another award-winning paint job from Mick’s Paint was this outstanding ’41 Willys pick-up, built for Larry Jacinto by

projects, this

Among the display of past AMBR winners was Bruce

of bare-metal,

including

One of the sleepers of the show was this sumptuous black 3-window belonging to Chuck Johnson of Fort Worth, Texas. The car is superbly detailed inside and out

the

and

We didn’t buy it but we did take a long look at this umpteen-window (23, actually) VW bus that was strategically parked outside the door for sale at a mere $225,000. Almost 10 grand a window…

The 1996 Lincoln Mk VIII is an unusual car for the chop, but ‘Sapphire’ de nitely works. The chop itself is by 5¾ inches and skinned with a ’66 Olds Delta 88 roof – you couldn’t see the join

a Gen II, 5.0-litre Ford

a Tremec 6-speed trans

Unexpected to say the least was this green glass, wire-wheeled, Gasser-style ’65 Volvo Amazon, owned by Dean Livermore of Hot Rods by Dean in Phoenix, Arizona. Big blown Chrysler will do the business

Maybe a little too pink for some tastes but Sid Sullivan’s ’34 coupe with paint by ‘Shaky’ Marcus Sullivan had heads turning all weekend with its 6½ -inch chop and aluminium-headed 354 Hemi

Who doesn’t love a Ferrari P3, even if it’s not original? Built as a tribute, this 1967 412 was built for John Nino by Brian Stones Metal Shop in Gardena, California, using a 550 Maranello V12 engine

One of the Slonaker favourites was the sixties-style ‘Ardun Killer,’ owned and built by Cody Walls of Traditional Metalcraft in Milton, Delaware

powered by a 272ci Wayne-headed, 12-port Chevy

Above: One of 11 entries for the Al Slonaker Memorial Award was this awless ’55 F-100 of Pat Kelly’s, riding on a Morrison chassis with

Coyote engine and

Below: I love

historic simplicity of Leo Loeza’s A-V8 roadster, displayed in the American Hot Rod Foundation booth –especially those half-moon louvres. I recently raced Leo and he beat me twice – oh well…

Wanta’s ‘Mulholland Speedster,’ built by Troy Ladd’s Hollywood Hot Rods with body and paintwork by Brit Mick Jenkins’ Mick’s Paint

Evin and Justin Veazie of Veazie Brothers Fabrication in Pomona

Right: Hollywood Hot Rods owner Troy Ladd always puts on

superb display

in-progress

year

the roadster owned by Steve Young and Sheldon Querido and Darren Houck’s ’34 coupe

At rst glance, Ron Corder’s ‘Eightball ’33’ looks full size – but when you get up close, you realise that it’s itty-bitty and only 39 inches tall. Power comes from a 1955 265ci Chevy with Power Pack heads

It doesn’t get any better than this – the original 1950 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. It was built originally and raced by Bill Niekamp, restored by Jim ‘Jake’ Jacobs and is now preserved by the Petersen Automotive Museum

The Estranged car club of Portland, Oregon, always arrive with a distinctive display of ‘found’ cars which this year included Louis Stands’ ’39 Willys Gasser ‘Orange Peel’ and Cedric Meeks’ ’48 Anglia ‘Six A-Peel’

This amazing ’32 pick-up, owned by Kevan Sledge, was originally chopped, channeled and painted by Dean Je ries in 1958. Drag raced through the fties and sixties, it’s powered by a 303 Olds with six Stromberg 97s

Desi DosSantos’ ’51 Ford coupe has been around for a while but the attention to detail in this amazing car is second to none. Car is powered by a awless, stack-injected Y-block

This year’s Al Slonaker memorial Award went to Bill Barbato’s Art Deco-styled 1933 Pontiac two-door sedan ‘AuraBella’, designed by Gary Ragel and Eric Black and built by Cal Automotive Creations with a chassis by Liquid Metalworks

Also on display in the Suede Palace was the radical 327 Chevy-powered ’26 Model T two-door sedan ‘Poison Ivy,’ built by Calleja Kustoms and owned by Mario and Kendra Calleja from Ontario, Canada

At rst glance, this looks like a fth-gen 2005 Mustang – but on further investigation it turned out to be a Mercury Predator, nee Cougar, powered by a stack injected Kaase Boss 429ci producing some 700hp

I was never a huge fan of the Stanley Wanlassdesigned, extreme laid back windshield, but it looks good on Scott Movic’s ’32 Deuce Roadster with stack-injected LS3 power

Another entry in the Slonaker was Amadeo Angelo’s Roseville Rod and Custom-built Ford-GMC mash up, featuring a Deuce 3-window body and a Jimmy grille with a Howard 12-port equipped GMC six

Controversial at the time of its 1984 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster win –because it’s hardly a ’27 T Ford – Don Varner’s ‘The California Star’, built by Ron Covell, remains a work of metal shaper’s art

Another sleeper was this beautifully stanced, full-fendered Deuce Roadster, once owned by Estranged member Mike Thompson but now in the hands of a Shifters car club member

Not too many ‘anglo boxes’ in the show this year, but this ’48 owned by Bill and Chris Morris caught our eye if only because of the way builders New Age Designs squeezed in that 7.11-litre engine

Apparently the judges had a hard time with Roger Weibel’s 1971 VW ‘The Thing’ because, while it might not t someone’s idea of the Slonaker criteria, the attention to detail, even down to the beauty of the welds, was excellent

It’s almost impossible to describe the work that went into Greg Heirich’s ’35 Chevy, built by Rodger Lee’s Ironworks with body and paint by Brit Mick Jenkins. The billet details on this car were above and beyond

As the folks who originally rodded and raced these old cars pass on, they are constantly being discovered – as was Tom Atunes’ ’31 Ford Roadster, complete with plenty of photographic provenance

No doubt one of my favourite cars in all the show was Jerry Rodriguez ’56 Mercury Custom ‘Royal Gambit.’ Heck, the guy was even from Lakewood. The paint, by Jack Fields, is simply exquisite

If you love the Barris-built ‘Rod & Custom Dream Truck,’ you’ll love ‘The Dream Delivery’ built by Ryan Timmon’s Rod Service out of Colorado. Can you imagine the amount of Metal ake needed to cover that beast?

It ain’t easy being green but that old adage is belied by this superb 1937 Lincoln Zephyr, owned by Taylor Yeager and built by Scott Bonowski’s Hot Rod & Hobbies, featuring a V12 built by H&H Flatheads

Andy Brizio’s unrestored ’71 C-Cab should bring back memories to many Brits, who remember it being owned for many years by Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. It’s now back in the Brizio fold

This unusual display from Jimmy Shine shows the diversity of the hobby. In the foreground is Ron Sweet’s rare ’n’ rodded ’53 ‘bent window’ 356, while in the back is

Recent heart attack survivor Piero De Luca, of Mad Fabricator’s fame, nally, with the help of Lucky Burton, nished his tribute to the Bob Johnston and Ed ‘Big Daddy’ Roth ‘Tweedy Pie’

Above: According to the judges, who never usually talk, it was a close battle between the Meyers’ ’36 AMBR winner and this more traditional Deuce, built for Scott Lorenzini by Evin and Justin Veazie. I’d take the orange over the apple

Left: Winner of the Best Flathead Award, presented by H&H

Looking every bit like a Luke Skywalker X-34 Landspeeder, Randy Kohltfarber’s 1959 300E Chrysler 1000X has a 1½ -inch wedge chop and is powered by a 1000hp supercharged Hellcat engine

Loved by judges and spectators alike (it took a lot of gold) was Jimmy Hervatin’s ‘Lit-Up.’ Jimmy did most of the work himself, including the 6-inch chop, the paint and the upholstery

Chuck Svatos’ 2000 AMBR winner, ‘0032,’ was originally built by Boyd Coddington but reworked by Chip Foose and Brit John ‘Bi o’ West before being painted by Brit Mick Jenkins. The paint has held up well

Winner of the 9-foot America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Award was Ross and Beth

by Troy and featuring a hand-crafted steel body and a McCullochblown Y-block Ford

Meyers’ ’36 roadster, created by Troy Trepanier’s Hot Rods

Julie and Randy Wilson’s superb ’59 Pontiac Catalina wagon

Flatheads, was Ted Hubbard’s ’29 sedan delivery, built by Tim Brueggemann’s B-Line Auto Company and powered by a beautiful blown Lincoln V12

Words: Zack Stiling Pics: Richard Hair

Mick Micetich’s ’58 Ranchero has an illustrious past – and it’s dressed up a treat

It’s been a while. The last time Mick Micetich had a car featured in CC was way back in September 1996.

That was his mild custom ’59 Chevrolet Impala convertible, a car he very much regrets selling – not least because it was subsequently returned to standard and turned into a static garage queen. In the years, indeed decades that have followed, he’s been a familiar sight at English cruises with his chopped black ’50 Merc – but there have been other classics, customs and rods

too, all of which betray his love for ’50s and ’60s cruise culture.

Most of these cars have been imported from the States (Mick spends six months of the year there) but his latest acquisition had been hiding for the best part of a decade before it fell into his hands. He hadn’t been looking for another car but, since it was pretty much offered to him on a plate, the opportunity was too good to turn down.

“It started when I was in the States,” Mick begins. Always a promising start to any

story. “A good friend of mine advertised an accessory steering wheel for a ’50 Merc. I bought it from him and said I’d collect it when I got back to England. I went to north London and, in the course of collecting it, I asked, ‘are you selling anything else?’” As you do.

That friend was Andy Loizou, and the answer was yes. “He said, ‘I’m selling Keith’s Ranchero.’ He sent me pictures

and a price. I went to look at it, and I just thought wow. It was a period-perfect late ’50s custom, just like something out of one of Keith’s paintings. Of course, I made an instantaneous decision to buy it.”

Keith, it must be understood, is not just any old Tom, Dick or Harry. Or any old Keith, for that matter. We’re only talking about hot rod artist Keith Weesner, whose stylised paintings capture the louche and exciting

“Custody of a car is a big responsibility”

spirit of customising during the Atomic Age. Andy had bought the car from Les Rayment, who imported it in June 2013.

Les had gone to the Ink-N-Iron tattoo show in Long Beach and got talking to a tattooist friend, who happened to mention that Keith was intending to sell his ’58 Ford Ranchero. Despite its illustrious owner, the car had not, at that point, been turned into the sleek, kandy-kolored cruiser of the

Later 302ci Ford V8, topped with a 600cfm Holley, gives it a decent bit of go even if it’s not about show under here. The engine is mated to a C6 automatic box

Future plans include tidying up the rear bed with a white padded tonneau cover. The car had one when it was owned by Keith Weesner, but somewhere along the line it was looking naked back there by the time Mick became its owner

type which is forever at the forefront of the Weesner imagination.

Down down town

“I remember being in downtown LA when Keith owned the car,” Mick adds. “I lived there for a month and worked on it when it was Keith’s everyday car.”

Keith takes over the story: “I had sold my white ’59 Ranchero to my dad and was trying

to find a ’51 or ’52 F-1 pick-up but was having no luck. I think the ’58 must have been on Craigslist. I drove out to Moreno Valley to look at it.

“I thought it was in black primer but it was really just oxidised. A woman was selling it; her husband had died so she didn’t know much about it. The brakes were bad and the battery was flat, so I took a chance on it. It looked pretty sorry, but I got in it and saw

that the dash had a really nice, shiny black lacquer on it – that instantly sold it to me.

“I gave her about $3000 for it and had it towed to my friend Herb’s shop. He got the brakes fixed and tuned it up for me, and I drove home and set about getting it cleaned up. It had Keystone mags, reversed shackles, oversized tailpipes, ’64 Fairlane tail lights, square-tufted captain’s chairs and a bunch of other weird ’70s things I had to change.

Dating back to Keith’s time with the car, its

features ’58

House of Kolor Brandywine Kandy pops a treat in the sun. Auburn whitewalls are radials with the cross-ply look

interior

T-Bird bucket seats from Memory Lane. These were trimmed in ivory with black piping by Sagona’s in Burbank, with inspiration taken from Neal East’s Deuce roadster. The console was salvaged from the wreckage of Keith’s ’64 Comet

“I wet-sanded it down with 600 and got the old cracked lacquer shined up as good as I could, then I got some Shoebox rings from Memory Lane junkyard, 6.70x15 Firestones and stock tail light lenses. I welded on some chrome pencil tips to the exhausts, flipped the shackles back down and got some ’58 T-Bird buckets from Memory Lane, along with the console I saved from my wrecked ’64 Comet. I painted the sides of the console metallic green, got the front lowered a bit and put two-inch blocks at the back.

“Later on, I got the interior and a tonneau fully upholstered by Sagona’s in Burbank, in ivory with black piping, inspired by the Neal East ’32 roadster.”

So it was that the slightly tired old Ranchero came to be transformed, or half-

transformed, at any rate – because Keith kept it in regular use, and he kept it in its old coat of scruffy black paint. The painting was the first job Les turned his attention to, though he had it done in the States by a shop in Orange County.

The choice of colours, House of Kolor Brandywine Kandy and Silver Metalflake, is testament to his good taste. The sides were detrimmed and, with some subtle flares around the front wheel arches remaining from a past life, the Ford’s mild custom credentials were cemented.

Another year older

The paintwork detained the car in America for another year, and it took until 2015 for it to arrive over here and receive its

British registration. It spent most of its time in storage thereafter, though Andy busied himself making a few tweaks after he bought it in 2022, chief among which is the tube grille – no late ’50s custom is really complete without one – which was purchased from a friend in the Fly-By Knights club, and the replacement of the Firestone tyres with Auburn crossply-look whitewall radials.

Other custom touches have been added to the car along the way. Hubcaps from a ’57 Plymouth finish the wheels off very handsomely indeed and a Limeworks Crestliner steering wheel and Lokar shifter complete the interior. The drivetrain has been suitably enlivened, too – a later 302 Ford with 600cfm Holley and C6 automatic

Left: Having brought it over from the States, Mick’s mate Andy Loizou contented himself with just tweaking the car’s looks here and there. The tyres were one change (it was previously on Firestones) but the big one was the tube grille

allow it to motor along at a fair old pace, and disc brakes from the American Ford Granada, added by Keith, slow it down. Andy elected to ﬁt a Unisteer power steering rack, which certainly makes for much more agreeable driving on England’s overcrowded roads, and added Pertronix electronic ignition to the engine.

All credit is due to Keith, Les and Andy for their parts in the Ranchero’s gradual evolution, but credit is due to Mick for really putting some miles on it. After buying it in July, his ﬁrst run out was a 160-mile round trip from his home in Surrey to Margate for the DicE 101 Run (Mick’s son, Dean, cofounded the DicE chopper magazine). Since then, it has turned a lot of heads at his local Krispy Kreme coffee meet, and got well and

truly gawped at in front of the crowds at the Redhill Cruise.

Mick intends to make a few contributions to the customisation process, too. “The only thing I’ve added is a chrome air cleaner I found in the States, louvred round the sides, but I want a white padded tonneau for it [Keith’s has not been passed down with the car]. And the valve stem seals need doing, so I’m going to have a bit of work done by Darryl Setchell at American Autoparts.”

Mick’s impulsive purchase has not caused him any regrets, though he has a few well-intentioned concerns. “It’s a beautiful car,” he aﬃrms, “but it’s also a bit of a liability to me because it’s so nice. I have to keep it at that level – it’s almost a burden. I’m going to go back to America for six months and

I’ve just got to leave it. Custody of a car is a big responsibility…”

As we write these words, Mick’s plane has ﬂown and the Ranchero is awaiting his return, but it was never the plan to just abandon it. Mick had wanted to ship it back to the States as something to use for the California cruise meets but, busy as he is, he ran out of time to arrange the export before ﬂying out there himself.

So it is that the Ranchero has been forced back into hibernation – but at least this time it will only be for a few months, rather than years. Then, when Mick lands back on home turf, it’ll be getting out and about all over again. Which is just as it should be when your car’s fresh from a feature on these pages. It has, after all, been a while… CC

“I remember being in downtown LA when Keith owned the car”

Right: A Silver Metalﬂake roof, also from House of Kolor, contrasts perfectly with the deep burgundy of the body

Words: Dave

Tog for Eurodragster.com

Event: No Prep Racing test day

Date: 16 February 2025

Venue: Manston Raceway Park

The advent of No Prep racing at Manston Raceway Park in Kent this coming season has been well publicised in recent weeks. That publicity was taken to the next level in mid-February when Paul Marston and his team organised a testing day with an added twist.

This came in the form of promotional filming by Backfire Media, with Backfire Brad making the most of things and having fun running his NASCAR Dodge at the same time. Check out the videos of the day on social media.

The first challenge of the weekend was to clear enough of the track to let the testing take place. Despite the perishing cold, this was achieved on Saturday thanks to a hard-working band of volunteers who cleared a weeded-over section of taxiway. The transformation was remarkable, resulting in a clearly defined, vegetationfree and, most of all, safe eighth-mile

track with an ample shutdown area. The remaining overgrown stretch will be sorted out and become the pit area before the first official No Prep event in April. Another twist over the weekend was provided by a group of Velocity Vintage Drags (VVD) racers who took part in the filming and photo sessions. As they were already there, it would have been remiss of them not to try out the track for themselves in advance of the inaugural VVD Manston meeting over the Early May Bank Holiday weekend.

The eclectic mix of No Prep and VVD vehicles made for a great spectacle and

With Hemi V8 power, this Ford Transit will have no trouble getting the cash moving quickly

The man behind Velocity Vintage Drags, Mark Phillips, runs this Flathead-powered period Model A coupe

Terry Dew came along to enjoy the fun in his ’51 Ford F1 pick-up, affectionately known as Miss Daisy

Biggadyke

provided the opportunity for drivers and teams to get a feel for the track and the site in general. It was educational seeing how the different genres performed on the unfamiliar track, although the cold weather was of no help with tuning. Things will have warmed up when racing starts in earnest, so the learning curve is far from over.

No Prep kicks off the season at Manston Raceway Park on 12-13 April, with the first VVD meeting joining the party on 3-5 May. Find them both on Facebook by searching for Manston Raceway Park and Velocity Vintage Drags.

“The cold weather was of no help with tuning”

Mr ‘No Prep’, Paul Marston, took to the mic to outline the plans for the day

Harvey Jones getting the feel of the track in his Model A roadster, in readiness for the Velocity Vintage Drags in May

A pairing of early Ford pick-ups, Lucy-Emma Harris in the foreground alongside Dave Loder

The Kent Car Craft V8-powered Ford Escort Mk1 was running hard, just not always in the right direction

…another being Ollie Geis in his later Model A pick-up

Model A pick-up is just one of the Detonators CC members’ cars that came along to support the day and test out the track…

The dash top mounted rev counter and shift light, along with the ‘cage running from the cab into the pick-up bed, hint this ’60 Ford F100 means business. The burnouts confirm it

The Backfire Media NASCAR Dodge Charger runs a 900bhp big block V8, which must equate to plenty of no prep fun

Another

Chris Mills lights the tyres in the Millsy’s Muscle Shop ’51 Chevy Fleetline. That monster motor is a blown 540ci big block Chevy topped off with a pair of Tony Morris Carburettors 1200 TMC TwinBlade carbs

of the VVD exponents was Kevin Heffernan in his Model A roadster

Loving the radiused rear ‘arches on Neil Melliard’s Mk1 Zephyr. During last year’s Street Weekend, Neil ran a best eighth-mile time of 10.36 seconds at Melbourne Raceway

…the Nash Metropolitan of Outlaw Street racer Dave Vincec, who put on a real show in such a small car on an essentially virgin surface

A couple of Fords running against each other in grudge match pairings were this distinctively painted Escort Mk1 and the equally distinctive Model A sedan

Josh Duncan pushed hard in No Prep Eliminator, his Super Pro ET Rover just losing out to…

You wait for ages for a ’66 Chevelle Malibu then two come along at once. One is fitted with a roll cage, and a rev counter and shift light, while the other sports SS 427 badging. That’s a pairing that would be a tough call

Aluminium rocker covers and carburettor dash pots etc.

For

those unplated parts such as carburettor bodies

BRENTACRE

NB: We advise you to double check with organisers that the event or show as listed is still going ahead, to avoid any wasted journeys. To submit an event, email alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

MARCH 2025

16 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

18 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

21-23 Classic Car and Restoration Show NEC, Birmingham. www.necrestorationshow.com

22 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

22 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon.www.straightliners.events

23 Straightliners Santa Pod Raceway.www.straightliners.events

23 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

24 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

29 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

29-30 Springspeed Nationals Santa Pod Raceway www.santapod.co.uk

30 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

APRIL 2025

1 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

2 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

5 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

5 Run What Ya Brung – Saturday Night Special Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

6 The Fast Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

12 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

12-13 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

12-13 Kickback Show Three Counties Showground, Malvern kickbackshow.com

12-13 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

12-13 Spring Nationals Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

14 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

15 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

18 Wheels Day Newbury Showground, Berkshire www.surreystreetrodders.com

19 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

18-20 Festival of Power Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

20 Grumpy’s Classic Bash Longport, Stoke-on-Trent Facebook: Grumpys Classic Bash

20 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

20 Krispy Kreme 20th Anniversary Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

21 Easter Bonnet Parade. Banham, Norfolk. Facebook: Iceni C.A.R. Club

26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

26 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon.www.straightliners.events

26 Gathering of Geezers IV Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, Enfield. Facebook: Whitewebbs Museum of Transport

MAY 2025

2-4 Nostalgia Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

3-5 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

3-5 Velocity Vintage Drags Manston Raceway Park, Kent www.velocityvintagedrags.racing

4 BHP Show Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone. bhpshows.com

4 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

6 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

7 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

10 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

10 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

10-11 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

10-11 Melbourne Mayhem Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

11 Classic Ford Show South of England Showground. Facebook: Classic Ford Show

11 Victory Wheelers Hayling Reunion Funland Amusement Park, Hayling Island Facebook: Victory Wheelers

16-18 Border Raiders Run Bruce’s Cave Camping and Caravan Park, Kirkpatrick Fleming, Dumfriesshire. Facebook: Border Raiders Run 20-25

16-18 Doorslammers Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

16-19 Fins’n’Chrome Car Show Gypsy’s Green Stadium, South Shields. finsandchrome@hotmail.com

17 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

18 Classic Wheels Rutland Showground, Oakham www.classicwheelsrutland.co.uk

18 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

20 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

22-25 Elvington Speed Week Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

23-26 Run to the Sun Newquay. www.rtts.co.uk

23-26 The Main Event Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 – 1 June NSRA Fun Run. St Ives, Cornwall. www.nsra.org.uk

29-1 June French Street Rod Nationals Parc de Cepoy, Loire Valley. www.fsra.info

30-1 June Rods’n’Rockers Dunnington, York. Tel 07736 668925

30-2 June VanJam Fir Tree Farm, Warmington. www.vanditos.co.uk

31 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

31 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

JUNE 2025

3 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

4 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

5-8 Hot Rods and Hills. Park Foot, Pooley Bridge, Penrith Facebook: Hot Rods and Hills

7 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

7-8 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

7-8 Players Classic Goodwood, West Sussex. www.players-show.com

7-8 Sportsman Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

7-8 Straightliners Race Meet Elvington. www.straightliners.events

8 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

13-15 Street Weekend. Santa Pod / Melbourne. www.santapod.co.uk

14 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

14 Dereham Classic Car Show and Rock n Roll Music

The Greenstone, Dereham, Norfolk Facebook: The Greenstone

14-15 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

14-15 Race the Waves. Bridlington, East Yorks. backfireinfo.weebly.com

14-15 Street Car Weekend Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

15 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

16 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

17 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

21 Run What Ya Brung – Saturday Night Special Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

21-22 Duchy Ford Show. Watergate Bay Touring Park, Newquay www.duchyfordclub.co.uk

7-8 Straightliners Race Meet Cambeltown, Scotland www.straightliners.events

22 BHP Fuel Fest Westpoint Arena, Exeter, Devon. bhpshows.com

22 Custom and Classic Show. Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, Essex www.customandclassicshow.co.uk

22 Summer Brighton Run. Redhill to Brighton Facebook: The Brighton Run

29 VHRA Swap Meet Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. www.vhra.co.uk

27-29 Dragstalgia Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

27-29 National Hot Rod, Custom and American Car Show. Lincoln Showground, Lincolnshire www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk

28 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

30 GAS Bash Santa Pod Raceway. chris@fgoodale.co.uk

JULY 2025

1 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

2 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4-5 Hangar Rockin St Stephan Airfield, St Stephan, Switzerland. www.hangarrockin.com

4-6 MPH Vintage Sprint. Deenthorpe Airfeld, Corby, Northants www.mphvintagesprint.co.uk

4-6 Rattlers RoundUp The Holman Clavel public house, Taunton, Somerset. Facebook: Rattlers Rod and Kustom

4-6 V8 Brothers Village. Hooglede, Belgium. www.v8brothers.be

5 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon. www.straightliners.events

5-6 Big Yellow Car Show Cheshire Showground, Knutsford www.bigyellowcarshow.co.uk

5-6 Summer Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

10-13 Goodwood Festival of Speed Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www.goodwood.com

11-12 Mustang Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

BRENTACRE

12 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

12-13 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

12-13 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

13 The Ford Show. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

15 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

18-20 Hot Rod Rumble. The Camp, Ramsey, Huntingdon www.hotrodrumble.co.uk

18-20 Mopar Euro Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

18-20 Rock’n’Ribs Festival Wincanton Racecourse, Somerset. www.rocknribsfestival.co.uk

19 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

19-20 American Auto Club UK Summer Nationals. Upton Upon Severn, Worcestershire www.american-auto-club.co.uk

20 DeuceDay British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire www.deucesofbritain.co.uk

20 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, . Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

25-27 Bug Jam Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

26-27 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

27 Auto Extravaganza Walpole Community Centre, Walpole St Andrew, Cambs. www.kingslynnkruisers.co.uk

AUGUST 2025

1-3 Hot Rod Hayride. Bisley Shooting Ground, Surrey www.hotrodhayride.co.uk

1-3 Ultimate Street Car Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

2 Only Fools and Motors Meet The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

2-3 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

2-3 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

4 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

5 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

6 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

7-10 NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Old Warden, Bedfordshire. www.nsra.org.uk

8-10 Retrofestival Newbury Showground. www.retrofestival.co.uk

9-10 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

10 Ford Fair Silverstone Circuit www.fordfair.co.uk

10 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

14-18 Hillbilly Hoedown Crystal Lakes Leisure, Huntingdon. www.hillbillyhoedownweekend.co.uk

15-17 Hot Rods in the Borders Lilliardsedge Holiday Park, Jedburgh. Facebook: Hot Rods in The Borders

16 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

16 Elvington Modified Nationals Elvington. www.straightliners.events

16 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon.www.straightliners.events

16-17 Greenlight Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

17 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

19 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

23-24 Knuckle Busters at the Barns Stonham Barns, Suffolk www.stonhambarns.co.uk

23-25 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

25 Bay Cruisers CC Drive and Jive Auto Show Whitstable Bends, Kent. www.driveandjive.uk

29-31 VW Action. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

29-30 VW Action Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

29-31 Blue Ridge Runners Weekender West Huntspill, Somerset. www.blueridgerunners.co.uk

30-31 Straightliners Race Meet and American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock www.straightliners.events

SEPTEMBER 2025

2 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

3 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4-7 Euro Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

5-7 Kustom Kulture Blastoff Slates Farm, Market Rasen, Lincs. www.kustomkultureblastoff.co.uk

5-7 The Trip Out Euston Park, Suffolk. www.thetripout.co.uk

6 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

6-7 Petrolheadonism Live Herts County Showground, Redbourn www.petrolheadonism.live

Official Broker of the NSRA

The best classic American experience is just a new set of tyres away. We stock new tyres in period-correct patterns in a huge variety of crossply and radial sizes and styles, including: black wall, whitewall, pinstripe and raised white letter. From chrome and ﬁns to fenderless hotrod, truck, muscle, custom or military – your classic American is even better on the right rubber and thatʼs all we sell at Vintage Tyres. Branches at Beaulieu and Bicester Heritage.

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