Rather than starting off with the usual event coverage (have no fear – that’s coming also), we wanted to take a unique look at this year’s Grand National Roadster Show through the eyes of one of our very own special guest writers – Dennis “The Voice” Pittsenbarger. If that name sounds familiar then you’d probably recognize his voice as well, since Dennis is a long time radio host for Hot Rod Live and now, School of Hot Rod Radio. So without further ado – here we are, “live” with Dennis from GNRS:

“I recently completed my annual pilgrimage to the longest running indoor custom car show in the world, the Grand National Roadster Show. Now in its 64th rendition, the GNRS welcomes the who’s-who of the custom and hot rod world all to one spectacular venue. I was given an assignment and truthfully it was one I was reluctant to take. Well, let me give you a bit of background before you start writing emails to the editor about how I should be drawn and quartered for complaining about a trip the LA County Fairplex in Pomona to hang out with everyone from Ed Iskidarian to Blackie Gejeian.

To understand this train of thought is to understand what it is like to be a judge. It’s like being death himself and as you weald the scythe of automotive death underneath your cloak, you understand just how much goes into not only the average Saturday night cruiser, but let alone something being groomed to go after the coveted title of Americas’ Most Beautiful Roadster.

But lets get back on track and understand where I’m going with this – I’m not a judge, not even part of John Bucks crew at Rod Shows, I’m just the guy who was told to pick a Top-10 group of cars at one of the toughest places in the world to form such a list – but alas, these are MY favorites from this year’s show, and each one is special in its own right.

1959 Ford Ranch Wagon
Norm Ricardo – San Leandro, California 

First to catch my eye as I wondered from building to building was San Leandro, California native, Norm Ricardo’s 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon. Bathed in multiple shades of blue by none other than Darryl Hollenbeck, yes THAT Darryl Hollenbeck – this is a long-roof lovers’ dream. It’s the draw of the car, deep and without question, some of the most complex paintwork I’ve seen, let alone done. Beyond the perfectly laid finish, it’s chosen parts and pieces make this ’59 hard to not notice.

Under the layers and layers of fore mentioned paint lies a Ford 292 topped by an Edelbrock manifold sporting three Demon 98s and is backed by a T5 that can keep the tach at the bottom of the gauge as you cruise to the beach in style. The deeper you look at all angles, from the engine compartment to the perfectly polished supreme-style wheels, there is a great sense of balance, polish and cleanliness, with nothing out of place. Everything from the Thunderbird valve covers to the peashooter exhaust tips seems to be thoroughly thought out. That kind of planning lands Norm’s ’59 among my favorite from this year’s show.

From the inside to the exterior, this Ranch is to most wagon lovers, a homerun that easily earns a spot on this Top 10. If you ever have the chance to combine the artistry talents of Brandon Flaner, Eric Reyes and Darryl Hollenbeck into one vehicle, you write the check, say thank you in your most polite voice, stand back and watch the magic happen.

1936 Ford Coupe
Darren Moore – Signal Hill, California 

Scott Bonowski’s passion for building has been a lifelong devotion. He began customizing Volkswagens when he was just fifteen years old, eventually shifting his love into a profession and opening Hot Rods & Hobbies inside the town of Signal Hill California.

This 1936 Ford coupe is a unique combination of a traditional look and style mixed with just the right amount of drivability. The body has undergone extensive restoration to the highest of levels, but underneath owner Darren Moore’s perfect body and paintwork, there are a number of upgrades.

A correct ’36 mill courtesy of H&H is backed by a ’40 trans. Up front, the suspension and driver are gifted with hydraulic brakes and a 12-volt system which lies under the sheet metal that covers the interior laid out by Eric at Elegance Interior.

The curious part of this build was Scott’s comments…”I have more fun driving that ’36 than some of the 1000 hp cars that I’ve built over the years” proving once again that “if it isn’t broken don’t fix it.”

1950 GMC
Eric & Sage Conners – San Diego, California 

Of course it was probably the eye-catching House of Kolor Pavo Purple paint on Eric and Sage Conners 1950 GMC that drew me to this Corvette 327-powered pickup.

Riding on McGaughy’s 2-inch drop spindles that replaced the originals. Also installed is a Universal Air bag set-up to keep the four link and 9-inch rear from scraping, as well does the Camaro clip in the front. Rolling on Early Wheel Company 15×6 steelies in front and the rears are 15×7 all wrapped in American Classic rubber; this GMC has the stance down perfect.

The most interesting part of Una Bella, as its owner knows it, is the Johnny Cash like way they melted so many different touches from several different years. The ’54 bed, the 49 doors and the ’53 dash all comes together in a complete package that can make any truck lover smile.

1939 Chevrolet
Jerry Kjenrsud – Sherwood, Oregon

A&M Deluxe Customs, Aaron Atnip and Mark Spurlock showed up at this year’s GNRS with both barrels loaded. This 1939 Chevrolet, dubbed “Halo” is full of surprises. A wedge chopped top was just the start. The rear fenders sit close to five inches higher on the body to make room for the 305 mm wide tires. Both front and rear fenders are widened three inches and headlamps have been recessed to complete the fabrication to the lower lips.

It was built on a custom chassis and powered by a mouth-watering supercharged LS2 with NRG billet valve covers, with a built-from-scratch custom leather interior that is styled after the mid-year Corvette and hides all the all metal construction with leather and in-house spun billet. Heidts suspension helps handle the bumps as well as the stainless exhaust helps make for a quiet ride.

The jewel of this ’39 Chevy was the grille. Instead of going with a standard gauge of slats and having it being the “norm,” Aaron took the original idea and took five different thicknesses of metal to match the original look. Now with that unmistakable gleam, this will make owner Jerry Kjenrsud happy for years to come.

1966 Chevrolet Nova II
Glen Bolz – Phoenix, Arizona 

Next to grab my wondering eye is what might be better described as an enormously impressive air-pump before a show car.

Hot Rods By Dean planted their flag inside building four, and even though they had both a 1955 Woody bodied project and a stellar 1957 Chevrolet sitting side by side, it was this little ’66 Chevy Deuce that caught my attention.

More racecar than streetcar, this little Nova is almost too nice to make a hit down 1,320 feet of asphalt. Powered by a 2200-plus (2252 hp at 33.5lbs of boost to be exact) horsepower BBC built by Steve Morris.

The 540 cubic inch big-block uses Dart PRO2 heads fed by Holley’s Dominator Fuel Injection with Precision 225 injectors that are force-fed massive quantities of air via a modified F3-139MM ProCharger. Once the fuel-air mixture is done expanding, it is then exhaled through a custom set of stainless headers and bullhorns large enough to swallow a basketball.

Under the silky smooth exterior is a NHRA certified 25.2/25/4 Six-second cage that begs the question to be asked – could this unseat Larry Larson at Drag Week? That question will have to be answered at a later date, due to owner Glen Bolz attaining his NHRA license only last November. As he put it “I’m still learning to drive it a little faster every time we go out” as for myself, I’d give anything to make a hit in this wicked little Nova.

1941 Willys Swoopster
Bob & Shari Morgan 

Bob and Shari Morgan rolled their 1941 Willys Swoopster into the GNRS with the help of Chip and Joel Pendergraph from Chips Auto Restoration and Impact Classics, both shops hailing out of the Pacific Northwest. With a flawless glass body and removable hardtop, this all-out custom sports a LS3 Corvette engine with 550 hp and 4L80E automatic transmission. The custom housing that surrounds the 9-inch rear with 3.70 ring set was built by Impact Classics.

A custom mix of paint from PPG has incredible depth, as with the custom leather interior, the detail is remarkable. RideTech suspension components are supported by a custom power steering and brake set up, while Wilwood 4-wheel disc brakes and Billet Specialties custom alloys 18-inch front and 20-inch rear provide the wicked stance.

• 
• 

Beautiful interior and full leather trunk plus all floor coverings are clean and uncluttered. Custom-built air conditioning and all components both in sight and underneath are chrome, polished, or stainless. All stats aside, the bottom line is – this Willys is simply drop dead gorgeous no matter what angle you view it from securing it one of my top picks from this year’s worthy candidates.

1930 Ford Model A
The “Grass Hopper”

This 1930 Ford Model A known simply as the “Grass Hopper” is another chapter in the long line of custom rides built by Jordan Quintal of Super Rides By Jordan.

Maybe by the paint choices of those that I’ve picked, you probably know by now that I also share in the painting/refinishing side of the biz. The House of Kolor Lime Time green and white contrast color picked for the car sure makes a statement, and it’s accentuated by the pie crust slicks that wrap the Astro Supreme wheels all framed by Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan pinstriping.

If the bright green paint doesn’t turn your head, then the Pontiac 400 that was stroked to 462 inches and then topped by 6 Stromberg’s gleaming in chrome probably will. A manual T5 directs the power runs back to a Ford 9-inch rear that is equipped with 3:70 gears.

The outstanding presence made this a need-to-be on this list of favorites from the show.

1932 Ford Roadster
AMBR Contender Choice

My love of NASCAR is most likely the reason this A.M.B.R. contender is on my list. Starting with an authentic Holman-Moody Boss 429 Cole Wolfswinkel and Squeeg’s Kustom teamed up to toss their hat in one of the toughest rings around, so you might as well go into that arena with lots of cubic inches backing you up.

Not only is the custom one-off frame a work of beauty it also holds back the massive horsepower of the rare engine, but it’s the metal work that makes this roadster a potent one-two punch. Built from scratch by Marcel’s Custom Metal and covered by PPG Competition Red paint, the hours of labor and work shows from end to end.

The chrome and plating is impeccable throughout as is the interior Gabe Lopez stitched up for this outstanding ’32 which helped make it my favorite of the A.M.B.R. contenders on hand.

1969 Ford Talladega
George Poteet’s / Rad Rides By Troy 

What can I possibly say about Troy Trepanier’s 1969 Ford Talladega that has not already been said about George Poteets newest addition to his stable full of Troys creations…wait I have something, but for now lets talk stats.

Start with Troy’s perception of the Holman-Moody Ford Talladega’s that rules the round-d-round circuits. Born with a combination of Art Morrison chassis and a four-link rear suspended by RideTech coilovers, his creation also has one of the best looking power plants ever. Dubbed the “Boss 529 FX” this big-inch Ford looks the part of a classic mill, but with the advantages of modern day injection.

But what has made this car such a hit is under the paint. It would likely be easier to list what hasn’t been done. The only parts of the car that have not been built from scratch are the roof and doors and leads me to where I need to explain my fore-thought about what’s left to say.

I sat down with Troy and caught some great one-on-one time with this gifted builder and tried to plead my case. See, if you’re anything like me I actually liked the Talladega BETTER in metal than finished form. Something about the raw appeal and vision of the hand-crafted panels really hit the spot. But after an unsuccessful venture in convincing Troy to simply duplicate every build he does in the future, we will all have to be content on a single copy. Either way it is truly a one-of-a-kind conception and was an easy choice to be included here.

1934 Ford
Guv Yearick – Built By Don Marks & Monte Pixler 

To say that I’ve saved the best for last will be up to you to decide. But as for me, after scouring miles of buildings and looking at every car in this year’s GNRS at least three times, you start to notice that one car that really sticks out.

Now this will probably be a different car for each and every one of us as we all have our own personal tastes and preferences. For some it’s the look, for others it’s the engine or maybe a rare speed part peeking out from under a perfect patina on a real steal hood? But what if you could find all the things you would want wrapped into a single car? 

For myself, I found that car sitting quietly in the Suede Palace surrounded by lovely pinup gals on one side and kickass rock-a-billy sounds on the other. At first I sat and just took the car in, but after a few times around the show I knew there had to be a story behind this extraordinary 1934 Ford and it was my duty to find out what that story was.

Starting with Guv Yearicks’ 1934 Ford, Don Marks and Monte Pixler began the quest to put together a traditional ’40s-styled hot rod. Purchased originally out of Las Vegas and then transported to Phoenix, Don and Monte set off at Guv’s instruction to find some rare speed parts to set this ’34 apart from the others.

Starting with a NOS ’46 block that Monet found out of Massachusetts, they bolted on a rare (rare as in the only other set known are in Speedy Bill’s museum, rare) set of Alexander 24 bolt heads that had to be modified to run on the street by custom making 2-inch thick aluminum plates to run oil to the rockers. As with any one-off parts the modifications only started there.

• 
• 

Next was moving the generator to the rear of the motor to make way for the model 85F McCulloch Supercharger topped by a custom-built intake fitted with dual Corvette carbs and Edmonds air cleaners. The standard transmission is joined to a scratch-built quickchange rear assembled by Monte. Don then adorned the ’34 with Kinmont brakes and Halibrands front and rear.

• 
• 

16:1 Schroder steering help direct the Hailbrand wheels, as does the scratch-built rearend. It’s the stories that Don and Monte shared with me that made me love this classic hot rod even more. During the initial teardown they found that only a single bolt had held the body in place and that the same situation plagued the master cylinder. This surely made for some raised eyebrows considering that the car was and is still driven regularly.

From top to bottom – it’s the parts, rare pieces, and people that are the reasons that generally make the ONE stick out, and this one did it for me! It was truly above and beyond, my favorite of the show. Stay tuned as the crew at Rod Authority allow more and more of my crazy custom antics to infiltrate their ranks.”