Nats - this year and next!

[58Apache]

I not only renewed my membership to NSRA, I paid for next year's event while I was there.

I have been going to the Nats in Louisville now with friends for maybe 8 years now? I have always enjoyed the event and always looked forward to going..... even though I don't own a car that qualified to get in.

With the exception of some that grew on me, most of the models weren't my personal style. I loved the paint and body work, unique engines, personal styling and much more, but the cars had less to do with why I enjoyed the show than almost anything else.

Good times with friends, chatting with some great guys I met like 348 TriPower, Enjenjo, and talking with the vendors and buying a few things are near the top.

Ok, I can agree with a cutoff at 72, but my personal favorite body style on a Corvette is a 1979. There are a lot of cool cars built betweek 1955 and 1979.

The fiberglass bodies and the rat rods have also been controversial additions to the Nats, and I doubt you'll see much of what many are afraid of next year. I suspect you will see a lot of nice hot rods that you might not normally see.

I personally am looking forward to next year and hope I'm first in line to get in. With my MANY modifications and realistic flames, my car is more of a "street rod" than many of the cars I have seen at the Nats such as factory correct restored cars, rat rods, fire engines, and more.

I hope to see many of you there next year and we can evaluate what has happened and chat over a beer at dinner.

                                             Steve

[Flipper]

Screw that.  I'm going to Bonneville!

It will be the first Nats that I have missed since 1994.  I am so * I can't see straight over the year change.

[34ford]

**

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I'll be at Bonneville next year too ( I hope)  

[58Apache]

I'll be 54 years old next year, and before I started going to the Nats I would have never considered owning a pre-48 car. I still don't care for cars past a certain year, but the late 20's and early 30's grew on me. I have been considering getting a 32 for a while now, although I'm a Chevy guy.

Even the wife is trying to talk me into selling my Apache and getting a 32! But, she MAY change her mind after it's done. The truck has a towing purpose in line for it though and can handle the job.

So I can see where bringing in some more younger people, even if some of us are in our 50's, where it just may keep interest in these older cars as time goes on and original rodders leave us for cruise-ins in the sky. Nobody said that pre-48's can't come in so they will always be a part of this show, and I'd be danged dissapointed if they weren't! But cool cars are cool cars, no matter what year they were manufactured. A hot rod is a hot rod. The NSRA description is pretty vague to me other than pre-48. The cars that showed up proved this.

I know there are quite a few guys that own street rods that also own later year cars. So they now have a choice as to what car to bring and I for one would like to see some cool cars that might otherwise stay in the garage for years?

As Centerline said, there are plenty of great car shows to attend. I have always liked the Nats, and now I have more reason to like going to this show.

348tripower, it was nice to meet you and I hope I'll see you next year?

                                                      Steve

[348tripower]

58 Apache,
 It was nice to meet you too. I will be there next year, money health and so on permitting!!!!!!!!!!
Don

[enjenjo]

I'll see you there Steve.

[purplepickup]

I not only renewed my membership to NSRA, I paid for next year's event while I was there..

Steve

I just renewed mine too.  

Your chevelle is a perfect example of what rodding is all about.  You took a rusty old car and made it cool.....very cool.   I'm looking forward to checking it out in real life.

[58Apache]

Thanks George. "Rusty" is almost an understatement. There's more new metal on that car than old! And what's old was worked over pretty hard.

Actually there's a lot of this board and the Nats in that car. I have been buying parts for that car at the Nats from the very first year I attended. The wiring Harness came from HayWire as a show special and the same with the alternator. Stainless flexible hoses, and much more came from the Nats vendors as well. I learned about A/C at the Nats seminars and selected a vendor from information at the show. The wheels were purchased from a vendor at the Nats. I am sure many other things I can't think of right now as well.

The engine and tranny I bought from Enjenjo. He also guided me on how to work the door gaps. Thanks to his advice I'm pretty proud of those gaps!

Now of course, nobody notices the hundreds of hours I spent doing body work because their eyes are drawn to those flames it only took the guy 3 hours or less to put on! But oh well, those were my wife's idea and design and I like them, other than the fact that nobody notices the body work ..LOL

By the way, the modifications to the car would take up a whole page. The disc brakes are 12 inch rotors and the spindles off a caprice wagon. The master cyl. Enjenjo recommended and was over the counter. But the one thing I am most proud of is taking a late model truck 454 serpentine system and modifying it with an additional pully to turn the water pump in the normal direction!  All of the lights except headlights are L.E.D. and the headlights are on relays. Like I said, I could take up a whole page with just modifications.

Ask Enjenjo about the tranny in it! Pretty interesting!

                               Steve

[purplepickup]

Now of course, nobody notices the hundreds of hours I spent doing body work because their eyes are drawn to those flames it only took the guy 3 hours or less to put on! But oh well, those were my wife's idea and design and I like them, other than the fact that nobody notices the body work ..LOL

I've followed your build and learned alot from your questions and solutions.  

I like that style of flames and they only look good if the bodywork is right.  You done good

[Carps]

I'll be at Louisville and Bonneville, no sense wasting a trip and only doing half the good stuff.  

[57larry]

I'll be at Louisville Nats next year too