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Rolling Bones and More Surprises at the 2018 Grand National Roadster Show

Many hot rodders voiced outrage when the Grand National Roadster Show relocated to the Fairplex in Pomona, California, in 2004. After all, it had been a Northern Californian staple since 1950, settling in or near the city of Oakland for more than half a century. Some doomsday prophets predicted the quick demise of the event after the move. Yet, history has proved them wrong, as the three-day affair has grown by leaps and bounds over time. At first, the GNRS made use of three buildings; now, 14 years later, the crowd of 50,000 enjoyed seven packed halls.

Today’s show encompasses the whole U.S. car culture gamut, from rods and customs to lowriders and muscle cars. In fact, the 2018 edition had a building solely dedicated to muscle cars—more than 100 of them. They included some rarities, such as ’69-’70 Charger Daytonas and Plymouth Superbirds decked with wild aerodynamic apparatus.

However, one of the most talked-about displays was right up HOT ROD Deluxe’s alley, specifically the Rolling Bones’ amazing dioramas. Tons of books and magazine articles have been devoted to the East Coast–based group of hot rodders, highly influenced by the hobby’s early days. Led by Ken Schmidt and Keith Cornell, their cars offer a distinctive, aggressive attitude, and their owners drive them extensively all over the country. You can see them racing in a variety of motorsports, too, as reminded by the Bones’ retrospectives within the exhibit: time trials at Bonneville, hillclimbs, dirt drags, and The Race of Gentlemen. Thanks for your contribution to our scene, guys.

Among the other roadster show highlights: This year’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) competition gathered no less than 15 entries, with the ultimate accolade (and signature tall trophy) going to Dave Martin’s ’31 Ford, aka The Martin Special. Check out our May 2018 issue for a report on this noteworthy winner. And not far from the muscle car display was the always-successful Suede Palace, packed with historical rods and customs.

Closing in on its 70th birthday, the GNRS demonstrates that hot rodding remains as healthy as ever—and diversifying as never before.

Hopped Up: This year’s AMBR competition offered an impressive selection of entries. Among them was a true survivor from the 1950s: The Eddie Dye Roadster, originally built by the Ayala Brothers and now owned by James Bobowski. Circle City Hot Rods did a fantastic job restoring the ’29 tub, which appeared in the March 1952 issue of Hop Up magazine. It also raced at the 1951 Bonneville Nationals and was featured in the film The Lively Set.

McGee Tribute: The team of Por-15 and New Jersey’s Scott Helltesen joined the AMBR battle with their “Little Red” ’32 Ford roadster. The ’40s-style treatment includes a ’46 Ford flathead, Offenhauser heads, Stromberg carbs, and a ’41 Ford closed drive. The vehicle takes some obvious cues from the Bob McGee roadster, seen on the October 1948 cover of HOT ROD. But Scott did not go as far as hiding the door hinges, a detail distinctive of McGee’s Deuce.

TV Circa 1958: Don Prieto has re-created the first dragster campaigned in 1958 by the eminent “TV” Tommy Ivo. The latter happily talked with the GNRS crowd about the Buick nailhead-powered slingshot and its antics. Back in the 1950s, it was one of the first rails to perform wheelies, to the delight of the public.

Bones Heroes: The 2018 GNRS will likely be remembered for the display hosted by Ken Schmidt and Keith Cornell, the brains behind the Rolling Bones. The exhibit included more than 20 cars, built in a style reminiscent of ancient hot rods, like those seen in Don Montgomery’s historic hot rod books, for instance. Yet, the ’Bones tend to bring more aggressive elements to their jalopies: heavily chopped tops, extended wheelbases, and low-hung headlight bars. You can’t miss their style.

Fame: In front of the Tom Fritz banner sits George Poteet’s ’34 Ford coupe, an inductee of the GNRS’ 2018 Hall of Fame. (He has run more than 400 mph at Bonneville, among his many accomplishments). Motivated by a ’46 276ci flathead, the 232B Ford roadster parked behind, the third car built by the Rolling Bones, belongs to Jon Suckling.

Dennis the Menace: A menacing attitude characterizes all Rolling Bones rides, as exemplified by Dennis Varni’s ’32 Ford Tudor, which has been chopped 5-1/2 inches. Power comes from a 241ci Little Red Ram Dodge Hemi, equipped with three carbs and a Scintilla Vertex magneto. In the back, notice the ’37 taillights on each side of the drilled spreader bar. There is also a Model T spring over that quick-change.

Gentleman Racer: Part of the Rolling Bones exhibit featured a tribute to The Race of Gentlemen, revolving around Dick DeLuna’s ’34 Ford five-window entry. Notice the radical 6-inch chopped top and laid-back windshield. In front of the 284ci ’49 flathead V8, DeLuna chose to install a heavily modified grille from a very rare Canadian Cockshutt tractor. Yes, the spelling is correct.

Workshop Chop: How cool is this recreated antique workshop? Casanova Racing Concepts teamed with the Rolling Bones to show Larry Hursh’s ’32 Ford three-window coupe, surrounded by period-correct goodies. Incidentally, the picture hung on the left is by artist Etienne Butterlin, the editor of PowerGlide, a French rod and custom magazine.

Oh So-Cal: Besides owning the 232B roadster, Jon Suckling from the U.K. is having the Rolling Bones create this mean-looking ’34 Ford three-window. It has a few traits in common with the Gray/Lanthorne (and later Jim Travis) So-Cal Speed Shop coupe, starting with the mail slot-style roof. Built in 1950, that original Bonneville contender is now part of the Bruce Canepa Collection.

Evolution: A handful of Rolling Bones’ project cars tend to change over the years. Take William Medcalf’s ’30 Ford coupe, for example. In its previous incarnation, when owned by Tommy Ellis, it had a distinctive track nose. The roof makes the vehicle immediately recognizable, as it mixes pieces from a ’36 Ford, ’46 Ford, and ’48 Mercury. The ’57 Y-block Ford delivers about 400 horses.

Old Tin: The vintage steel building welcoming the Suede Palace lends itself ideally to the affair. Being part of the invited (about 50 vehicles) remains an honor. It mixes nicely finished rides and a handful of race cars, plus some survivors, such as Alex “Axle” Idzardi’s ’32 Ford truck (left) originally built in 1958, a true time capsule. Chopped top, channeled body, shortened bed, nerf bars: It’s perfect. Axle happens to be the promoter of the Suede Palace, and he did double duty this year, curating the muscle car display as well.

Suede’s Best: Bret Sukert brought his Deuce from Washington and went home with the Suede Palace’s Best of Show award. This most impressive build uses an original Ford body, purchased from Dick Page in 2009. Foss Hot Rods and Mitch Kim, respectively, handled the paint and pinstripes. We dig the ’50s vibe of Bret’s project, especially the white interior and running boards.

Tuxedo Coupe: That’s the name of this ’30 Ford, owned by Hot Head Speed Shop’s Louis Stands. The build started a dozen years ago and was recently completed with help from Grabowski Speed Shop, which helped with the 4.5-inch chop. Bolted to a 700R4 transmission, the Chevy 350ci has been smartly dressed to look like a vintage 283.

Hers and His: The Branch family has been heavily involved with hot rodding for years. That’s Diana’s colorful ’29 Ford, sitting on ’32 rails and powered by a ’40 221ci Ford V8. It keeps company with Tom’s Deuce, equipped with a more unusual 304ci ’55 Studebaker mill. The modern T-5 transmission and ’56 Chevy rearend make for a great cruiser.

The Traveler: A GNRS regular, John Foxley came from British Columbia, Canada, to show this ’32 Ford coupe. It has quite a history, having been chopped 3-1/2 inches and channeled 6 inches around 1948-1949. Note the raised rear wheel openings, too. John used a bunch of traditional Ford components: 59A flathead, ’39 gearbox, ’40 brakes, ’40 rearend, plus ’49 Mercury gauges in a ’40 Ford dash.

Estranged Winner: Based in the Pacific Northwest, the Estranged Car Club gathers a bunch of top-notch rides, such as Steve Gilligan’s ’32 Ford five-window, which was the Suede Palace’s Best Hot Rod winner. Steve’s family has been into hot rods for decades. He owns a nice fleet of them, too, starting with the famous Orange Crate ’32 Ford sedan quarter-miler.

R&C Star: Oregon’s Kim and Cedric Meeks unearthed a Deuce with a great story. In 1953, Ernie Martin traded a new Schwinn bike for the car and finished it for the 1959 Portland Roadster Show. It appeared in Rod & Custom magazine in August 1960, while being drag raced during that same decade. Today, it still wears the same orange/bronze paintjob applied almost 50 years ago. Look for a full feature on this car in an upcoming issue.

Spruce Deuce: From Waco, Texas, George Jezek’s ’32 Ford sedan was seemingly hot rodded in the ’50s, paintjob and seat covers included. George kept the ’50s theme throughout the project, using a few favorites of the era: flathead V8, ’39 Ford gearbox, dropped and drilled axle, Guide headlights on a dropped A bar, ’40 Ford steering wheel, and more.

Head Scratcher: Here is a ’32 Ford pickup that had folks wondering. Built in 1956 by George Cerny, Cal Rothe’s truck now welcomes a rare Moser 350ci Chevy assembled by Aardema-Braun. The small-block, which appeared on the cover of HRM in August 1971, uses double overhead cams and a total of 32 valves.

Those Lines: Dang, the ’51 Kaiser unveiled by Chris Gomez has some gorgeous lines. Admire the long quarter-panels. Fabian Valdez, owner/operator of Vintage Hammer Garage, managed to paint the unusual coupe in time to be displayed in the Suede Palace.

Elegant Emperor: The Suede Palace’s Best Custom trophy went to Chris Johnson and his ’51 Ford Custom, fitted with a 250ci Chevy inline-six. A member of the Emperors car club from Victorville, California, Chris started his project with a bone-stock example in 2012. The ends of the grille are original, but he handformed the center section, then brazed the three components for a one-piece look.

A Crown for Russ: One of the Suede Palace’s most colorful rides was Russ Meeks’ ’55 Ford Crown Victoria. Russ’ name is well known within our scene, having worked for Gene Winfield as far back as 1964. He additionally built a ’30 Model A roadster with a flip-up body and Olds Toronado V8 in the back. It won the AMBR competition in 1972 when in the hands of John Corno (Where It All Began, July 2017).

Artful Imperial: Artist Max Grundy has been a regular fixture at So-Cal hot rod and custom shows, though he also excels at designing cars, too. His latest endeavor is this 383ci ’61 Chrysler Imperial, with bodywork and paint by Mike Howell. Max designed the turbine-style wheels, a fitting choice considering the space-age-inspired automobiles of the 1960s.

Village Fiesta: The bright Mexican village has been part of Pomona’s fairgrounds in one form or another since 1952; hence, it’s the perfect backdrop for a bunch of rods and customs gathered next to the Suede Palace. Incidentally, the buildings have been repainted since last year’s GNRS. To the right sits David Villarruel’s chopped ’49 Pontiac.

The Medusa: Galpin Speed Shop’s Dave Shuten put his latest find on exhibit, this ’32 Ford Tudor known as Medusa, still wearing its original ’50s lacquer paint. He added several cool parts, which he has gathered for 10-plus years, such as the N.O.S. Ansen Top Eliminator rims. Lack of hood allowed the crowd to peek at the Cragar blown small-block Chevy.

Prolific Richie: Based in Burbank, California, Richie Valles owns an inspiring list of customs and lowriders built in his shop, Unique Twist. Here is one from his fleet, a chopped ’50 Chevy Fastback dubbed Tangerine Dream. Art Vallez handled the upholstery, while the low-to-the-ground attitude comes courtesy of a TCI air-ride system.

Cackle-Cackle: Outside Building No. 4, visitors enjoyed the sound of a supercharged Hemi engine during five “John Ewald Nitro Fire Ups” in memory of longtime drag racer and Top Fuel dragster owner John Ewald. As you might expect, the nightly shows brought a lot of smiles from the public.

The post Rolling Bones and More Surprises at the 2018 Grand National Roadster Show appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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