WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
July 16, 2023
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Remembering When
When Ricardo Lopez began building this 1955 Chevy he had some help, as well as a plan. In the beginning, this little Chevy pickup was to provide an excellent chance for Ricardo to spend some time with his son, Ricky, and to be able to show the boy some of the tricks that he had learned over the many years he had worked as a customizer, bodyman and painter. As owner of Paint By Lopez in Compton, California, Ricardo had hopes of his boy taking over for him in the years to come, maybe even calling the shop Paint By Lopez & Son. Unfortunately, Ricky was taken from Ricardo and his wife, Monica, in a freak accident. At first Ricardo was going to sell the truck, as the sight of it was almost too much to bear. But upon reflection he changed his mind. Ricardo thought that finishing the project was not only a perfect way to work through his grief, but it would also give him a chance to feel connected to the son he had lost. When the Chevy was completed, it would be a way to honor Ricky’s memory.
Straight Shooter
IMCO’s Stern Advantage is the perfect example of a retrofit kit that will bail a boat owner out of a bad situation and allow him to end up with a safer, better performing boat. Maveric Marine invited us to watch its crew install a Stern Advantage on a Nordic 28 that was in the shop for repairs, and we jumped at the chance. This Nordic has a 496 Mag HO with a Bravo One X in it, and the owner understood that the worn out steering problem wasn’t going to go away, so the external hydraulic steering system made a lot of sense.
A Quick 95hp
So, you are the proud owner of a brand new Dodge SRT-4 and you love the sound of boost. Better yet, you love how quick your little four-door is. The only problem is … you want it to be faster. The need for speed is killing you and you will do anything and everything to get your adrenaline flowing. You have seen Mike Crawford and Shaun Carlson go down the track in their very fast SRTs and now you want the same thing.
Spotlighter
THE NSRA NATS WEST 1983
The 6th Annual Nats West in Merced was a Good One
In 1983 when the NSRA rolled into Merced, California, they would be celebrating the sixth-ever NSRA Nats West and the final year to visit this rod friendly town. Merced always welcomed the hot rods and this year 1,797 hot rods passed through the gates to tree lined streets of the Merced County Fairgrounds. It was simply the perfect town and the perfect fairgrounds for a rod roundup.
Author
Gerry Burger
Words & Photography
In 1983 when the NSRA rolled into Merced, California, they would be celebrating the sixth-ever NSRA Nats West and the final year to visit this rod friendly town. Merced always welcomed the hot rods and this year 1,797 hot rods passed through the gates to tree lined streets of the Merced County Fairgrounds. It was simply the perfect town and the perfect fairgrounds for a rod roundup.
We were there, camera in hand covering the event for Roddder’s Digest Magazine, “that East Coast book”. But one thing about hot rodders from coast to coast, they are a genuinely friendly bunch and with a common denominators like the love of hot rods, the sounds of a spinning 6-71 blower or the whine of quick-change rear, friendships are quickly formed. The event would move to San Jose for ’84 while today the NSRA Nats West is held in Bakersfield, but the was something special about those early Nats West events in Merced. We had those thoughts in mind when we opened the envelope simply marked “Merced Nats West ’83”.
ROADSTER AND RAG TOPS
Walking the fairgrounds in ’83 you couldn’t help but hum the lyrics to “It Never Rains in Southern California”. Being a “Back-East Guy” the number of roadsters, phaetons and convertibles was remarkable. Of course this was in the time of Pre-48 only, so most of the rag tops were traditional hot rods. A few of the notable hot rodders attending included Bill Burnham in his powder blue ’29, John Thawley was busy touring the Buick V-6 Power Source trailer with the Buster Henderson-built ’29 roadster. Joe Mayall drove his bright red ’27 T- Touring and speaking of the Model-T, there was an ample supply of T-buckets on hand. The fat-fendered convertibles rounded out the mix of open cars, and yes, it was top-down weather all weekend long.
CRUZIN’ THE NATS WEST IN ’83
Cruising the Merced fairgrounds by day and the town of Merced by night is what made the Nats West a special event. Rick Love was a Rodder’s Digest staffer-at-large and he drove his radically chopped ’40 Pontiac to the event where he first met Magoo, who was on hand with his trademark Model-A roadster. The mix was diverse, the atmosphere electric and hot rodding was in it’s glory years.
THE PEOPLE WERE AS UNIQUE AS THE CARS
Unique cars bring with them a special population. The street rod crowd of the eighties were young and excited about driving the mostly homebuilt hot rods to events across the country. The rod run T-shirt was now officially “a thing”, lines formed early to get the “event shirt”. The baseball shirt and ringers were popular and every shirt carried a mandatory event logo silkscreened on the front or back, yes, silk screened, no plastic transfers.
But there were other fashions, hats ranged from full-feathered cowboy hats to stroker caps to the full gamut of ball caps ranging from mesh back trucker caps to the “sophisticated” rope hat. The front panel was a choice of foam or cloth and having an embroidered automotive patch won bonus points. The shorts were short, while the socks were tall and generally white with colored stripes. Yeah… we were stylin’! The universal accessory was the camera, there was one hanging around almost every neck.
THE COUPES AND SEDANS WERE PLENTIFUL TOO
While street rods of every shape and form are found at any major event there were definitely regional styles. The Nats West had the traditional hot rod flavor on almost every car with chopped tops, louvers and traditional colors. Proper pinstriping added flavor. Of course there were still some cars with murals and fade-away paint. The Enkei wheel was a fashion statement in the 80’s, but steelies are like blue jeans, you can wear them with anything. Tom Prufer’s outrageous ’33 Cop Shop Coupe was a flaming standout in a sea of great cars.
TRUCKS ARE IN FOR THE LONG HAUL
Trucks and commercial vehicles in general have long been a mainstay in hot rod circles. If you were a racer you often had a hot rod truck in the pits too. The sedan delivery has long been a coveted possession in the hot rod world since they were perfect for the long haul, often sleeping in the back to keep costs down on the way to the track or rod run. One of the wilder trucks on hand was a chopped, channeled, and sectioned F1 featuring gullwing doors. Yeah…. There was something for everyone at Merced ’83.
Stay Tuned… Enjoy the drive.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Gerry Burger
Gerry Burger has been immersed in hot rodding since the early 1960s, building his first hot rods as a teenager after being inspired by local racer Bob Zorn. A chance meeting with Tom Medley in 1972 launched a distinguished career as an automotive photojournalist, leading to freelance work for dozens of magazines, the founding of Rodder's Digest, and editorial leadership roles at Street Rod Builder and American Rodder. Today, Burger continues to write, photograph, and build hot rods, remaining one of the hobby's most respected voices.
