Many groups will be leaving this week driving their roadsters across this great land of ours. Many will post adventures on FB which is the place to look at Hot Rods traveling the roads and countrysides of various states. I think these folks enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Granted, our old bones aren’t quite up to ten hours a day in a roadster, but that is why they sell Aleve and Tylenol. Some adult beverages before bedtime assures a restful night and booking a motel with a hot tub is a plus for the old bones. I wish all of them a safe journey with trouble free miles to Pomona where roadsters take over the town.
Once in Pomona, the Open Houses will provide you with the latest in projects going together for the “Deep Pocket” enthusiasts. If you are in the right circles, you may even tour some really nice projects being built in garages where individuals possessing skills turn out masterpieces at a fraction of the cost. Chassis at $25K, paint jobs at $30-40K, and interiors at $18-20K kind of limit those who desire to own a Hot Rod — but lack the finances to commit. I have seen some absolutely amazing work done by individuals who do their own work. The DIY builders are the backbone of the American Hot Rodder. I grew up honing my skills with my father and high school shop classes. That included machining, paint and body work and welding. In college, I studied mechanical engineering. And again, I took related hands on classes like machine shop and lots of math and science, so I could figure out how to improve the automotive design. How things work always intrigued my father and I . He could study something and tell you exactly how it worked and how to make it better. He was always supportive of my projects and taught me the ropes. The skill level of the professional shops is extremely high and combined with modern day technology can produce masterpieces for their customers. You can do the same thing at a lesser investment and please yourself by jumping in your roadster and driving it several thousand miles. You will have the peace of mind knowing that you know every part of the build and can diagnose and repair in a few hours. These late night stories after a few adult beverages make good listening during the hot tub session.
See you in Pomona and please make sure Dale gets enough to eat for $32 dollars a day.
Stay Tooned!
Lynn
Two long time friends, Jim and Walt will bring their open cars to the show. Jim has the nicest phaeton you could ever ask for with all the latest equipment and Walt has an early pre-war roadster with a flathead and quick change. The LARS has something for every taste in open cars.
Famous automotive journalists like Neal East drove his Trac -T and trailer to the show.
 
Chad Adams from Georgia drove his hiboy to show off his shops skills to the roadster lovers.
One of the nicest 36 roadsters you will ever see was driven into the Fairgrounds and Rich fell in love.
JHRS organized a tour that included some of his recent builds. This young man has some innovative ideas and products.
Set up day offers a close up of some famous roadsters without all the people on Saturday.
Friday will also provide a close up of projects that are going to be on display in building #4.
I need to bring my Platinum card for SAR’s roadster body.
Hot Rod Brake Co. offers some cloned Kinmonts with the look. This is the view of the front and rear units.
Some suspensions may look a little different from our normal dropped axles and quick changes.
You need to be sure and walk between the buildings where the shade is. There will be lots of roadsters to view. I want this 34 in my garage.
The 36 has been popular in the past few years, especially for the older crowd who require more room.
Having windows in your roadster makes it a Cabriolet and that’s O.K. by me. Cordoba Tan and Orange go together like Blondes and Brains — Oh! Did that come out right?
You can even get windows with your Speed 33 and a fold-a-way top.
Open Houses
Check all sites for their hours for the Open Houses.
V8 Shop of California
A place to be on Friday morning is the V8 Store of California. You can see all the cars who come to inspect what Bill and Mike are selling.
Just a small sample of Bill and Mike’s inventory of old Ford Parts.
Dale loves the “Wal-Mart” greeter at the front door.
SO-CAL
 
SO-CAL has a huge facility and lots of projects underway. The event starts at 1:00 PM on Friday.
A relative new roadster kit is available using  the Dearborn Deuce body and their chassis.
 Walden’sÂ
I wonder if Walt is planning on a new chassis for one of his many roadsters.
Bobby and his crew have long been known for their 3-window builds but now that UPI has a 5-window available we can expect to see more of them with his exquisite sheet metal skills applied.
Stoker’s Hot Rod Parts – Thursday
Final assembler and builder of  Lucy 1 — R&C feature car.
Builder of 2014 AMBR contender and Rodder’s Journal cover car.
Terry and his son will be there to show you their projects.