14th Pacific Northwest Nationals

If you polled most Californians, you'd get the impression that the West Coast ended by about San Francisco. And if you actually believed them, wow, would you miss out! A few shows like Goodguys' Pacific Northwest Nationals really make us bless our stars we get to go out and see new things around the country.

For example, in Dec. '00's Puyallup Northwest coverage, Rob Fortier commented that picking a Top Ten list was difficult for the mere fact that there were so many quality cars. It's true--at one point, picking cars becomes "eenie, meanie, miney, moe..." And on top of that, it's made all the more difficult since few showgoers laze around their cars in lawn chairs; the crowd in Puyallup really gets into the show. Everybody mills about "stealing" ideas from each other's cars.

And if not for the cars, it's the entertainment. On Thursday night, RB's Obsolete wined and dined us with their barbecue and the sounds of Illusions of Elvis on the stage. On Friday, the Washington-based Kingsmen car club took any and all on a three-hour tour and poker run o'er hill and dale. For those who stuck around the grounds, Illusions of Elvis played once again for the TGIF party and dance--this time darn near till midnight.

Those of us who required peace and quiet could settle in for a night at the digs at Seattle International Raceway--the highlight of which was the Top Fuel standoff just at dusk. I just love the smell of nitro in the evening. It smells like...victory.

And that's just the start for a Goodguys event. On Saturday, Goodguys gave kudos to homebuilders, Canadians, young builders, and nostalgia cars by providing the Homebuilt Heaven, Canadian Corral, Young Guys, and Nostalgia Rod Reunion areas. And like the recent Goodguys events, Mecum Collector Car Auctioneers set up shop for either enterprising rodders to buy into their dreams or veterans to make room for the next one down the line.

That night, The Dead Edsels played the Hot Rod Party and Dance well until the wee hours of the morning, and to back it up, they played Sunday as well. Tough gig! Speaking of tough gigs, though, consider DJ Dave spun the oldies all weekend long for uninterrupted hits one after the other.

But let's not forget that Goodguys shows are all about the neat old tin. Given its latitudinal placement and its atmospheric vulnerability, the Northwest breeds its own flavor of rod and custom. For example, a long and often difficult rain season dictates rides with tops. A prolific logging industry and vast rural expanses also gave the area an inordinate number of pickups. To add to that, the post-'49 scene is growing by leaps and bounds in the region.

At many events, numbers of late-models clump together, with a few more peppering the outskirts. Not at Puyallup--it seems every third car in attendance is a shoebox or wagon. And don't think for a minute we're complaining. Not only do we like seeing later cars in attendance at shows, we love the prospect that so many kids and people without the time or funds to scratch-build or piece together a car can actually get their foot in the door. There were entry-level primered '60s sedans and wagons all the way up to the Dave and Barbara Hall-owned, Steve's Auto Restorations-built "NewMad" '55 Chevy.

But there's no way we could impart the true feeling in just a few pages. After all, with 2,000 rods and customs in attendance, it would take volumes just to show the photos.

Bruce Donelan's '29 Ford on Deuce is quite an homage to hot rod heritage. The roadster sports a dropped and filled axle, an 8BA flatmotor, and a fully stacked Auburn insert and gauges. This is by no means a rat; the fit, finish, and attention to details are exceptional. Details like Autolite Bullseye headlights and World War II-era Beechcraft aluminum buckets speak volumes.	Greg Roach's '31 Chevy coupe has 'em all asking what it is. What it is, though, is his first car--no kidding! After two decades, Roach reunited with the coupe, and get this: the interim owner only logged about 50 miles! The coupe wears tan leather, 17- and 20-inch Intro wheels, and a blown Chevy potent enough to knock you into next week!	Mike and Linda Shiflett claim they just got carried away on their '37 Ford cabrio, and the results show it! The Gibbons body mounts Minotti front and Downs rear fenders, and wears Chris Ledgerwood flames in PPG Torch Red and Triple Black. To back that up, there's a Ram Jet 350 under the hood.
When Susan and Claude Freunde wanted a hot Deuce coupe, they didn't have to look far. It turns out son Russ (who's got a hot '31 tub of his own) was happy to oblige. Tricks include a fully fabricated, smoothed, and painted floor, Budnik Gassers up front and one-off 20-inchers out back, and Russ- and Claude-sprayed orange/green combo.	Wayne Bellavance's '36 Chevy pickup still smelled of paint solvents, it was so fresh. This was the British Columbia-based truck's first outing, and boy did it make a splash. The silver-on-gray truck features Budnik Trilogy wheels and a 383/350 combo.	That Chris Jory is one lucky dude; he's two-for-two on Top Ten picks, this time with his '32 Ford pickup. Jory based the pickup on a chassis from a show car that placed in the 1961 Oakland Roadster Show. Now it mounts a tinted primer cab and bed, Kelsey-Hayes wheels, and a detailed 283 Chevy mill.
Speaking of tinted primers, Bill Hulbert's '33 Ford wears sepia-colored suede, a tan top, an Ultraleather trim job and a quick-change. Best of all, though, is the extreme big 'n' little theme: 15- and 17-inch wires.	You can't beat a sedan for its utility, and you can't beat Shari and Scott Nixon's '39 Chevy sedan for looks. The cobalt blue/peach combo strikes a combo so well, PPG awarded the Nixons for their outstanding use of color. The sedan carries the family, and it carries them in style on 15- and 17-inch Budniks	Now here's one that proves that good style is timeless. Dave McCulloch's '39 DeLuxe cabriolet set our hearts pitter-patter, and it's been done since the '80s. The drop top wears Ferrari Fly Yellow over a mild chop with gen-u-ine Tommy "The Greek" Hrones stripes. If made to choose, we couldn't think of a thing to change.
Check out Bill Ross' '48 Crosley. Apart from an odd car as it is, the little bugger has a V8-60, a Dutch eyeball, cooool flames, AND wood. Get a load of the horse blanket interior!	John Hicks' '57 Ford exemplifies the coolest of the custom rod movement. With a shave and a haircut, a 5.0/AOD drivetrain, and big hoops, we wouldn't hesitate to get behind the wheel.	An attractive truck in its own right, the '57-60 Ford pickup is starting to come of age--thankfully! Puyallup's Dave and Denise Welch's '60 wears a '56-esque trim graphic and Luxor wires to great effect.
Laurie Petersen's '53 Stude once did drag duty with a big-block Chevy and Pro Street tires, but when he windowed the motor, he gave the car an about face with an LT1/T56 combo. He made use of those big wheelwells with 20-inch Americans. What a neat restyle!	Brian Taylor of Milton, WA, has one of the coolest old hot rods alive. How 'bout a '29 on A rails with a Hilborn-fed Chevy, magnesium Americans, and a Frankland quick-change?	Call it a his and hers set, but Michelle and Tim Elliot have two of the coolest early '60s cruisers ever! The '58 wears Supremes, a tube grille, and Watson-inspired scallops, while the '59 has open-cap stock chrome wheels. Both have working lakes plugs and are so, so cool.
Friday night sees some heavy strip action at Seattle International Raceway. Being one of the Goodguys West Coast Racing Series events, the show draws some pretty heavy hitters in the vintage scene.	Oregon's Tie Rodders Charlie Hascall and Danny Sutherland don't have far to make the Puyallup romp, but they make up for it by hitting every cool show from Central California to Vancouver. Hascall's Deuce coupe is his newest while Sutherland's '46 Chevy is a veteran cruiser.	If Paul Crane's '29 wore hood sides, we'd be hard pressed to tell if it was 2001 or 1951. The roadster has the right combination of 16-inch steelies, hairpins, and a few hand-fabricated pieces.
Like the show, the vendors area at Puyallup grows and grows. The people over at Wescott's had plenty to show off, including a well-beaten roadster door that survived a heavy collision intact.	We dig the prospect of a car hauler as a party wagon. This Toronado-powered, low-slung COE burbled around the fairgrounds with no less than 15 on board all weekend. Super cool! Hope to see y'all next time 'round!