Story and Photos By: Juan Trevino

We don’t know about you but you, but we always await for the month of July with lots of anticipation. Not necessarily for the greatest holiday of the year, Fourth of July, but because this month is when Mooneyes opens up their doors and hosts their annual open house get together.

We know for a fact that we’re not the only ones who feel this way, after talking with many of this year’s attendees. The sheer number of vehicles and people that come out early in the morning waiting for the staff to open the gate is enough to get anyone fueled up.

Auto Butchers from East L.A. brought out this fine example of a taildragger.

Sure, July is a great month here in So Cal because it’s summer and during the summer there are car shows and cruise nights practically every single weekend and even during some week nights. But, there is something very unique about Mooneyes’s open house and their events that set them apart from other shows. The crowds that show up to the open house are eclectic. There are motorcycles, kustoms, lowriders, street rods, vanners, truckers, and even a gasser or two. Events with such a diverse group of enthusiasts are truly few and far between.

The Mooneyes crew spends the weeks leading up to the open house cleaning and preparing the entire facility. They also prep all of the performance and show cars of their own that they proudly display for all to see. The doors to the shops and portions of the facility that is typically off limits are opened to visitors during the open house tours. Guests are given a chance to view the crew’s entire day to day operations and get behind the scenes to check out exactly what it is they do.

Visitors also get to see the mini museum room that’s full of vintage Mooneyes memorabilia (which is one of our favorite parts). The collection includes a showcase of performance parts that were used to break numerous records as well as tons of pictures from the early years of hot rodding. The amount of history in that room is overwhelming.

Another cool thing that Mooneyes does during the open house is offering a “Show only” sale on all of their merchandise. They offer no sales tax that day so if you’ve been wanting that spun aluminum fuel tank, some moon discs, finned valve covers, a t-shirt or simply a sticker then this is the perfect day to score some Mooneyes merch. There were also vendors slinging some cool hot rod inspired gear throughout the day. Also in attendance were a few pinstripers laying down some lines on cars. One of them was Hiro “Wildman” Ishii from Japan. We snapped a few shots of him laying down the Mooneyes logo on a Comet that had been to the Mooneyes show in Yokohama, Japan.

And if that wasn’t enough – a reason in itself to attend are the world famous Chico’s burgers that Chico and the crew grill and serve for free to the first 200 hundred attendees. Burgers, cold drinks, and killer tunes by The Hot Rod Trio always makes for the perfect day in So Cal.

But of course, the main attraction is the line of custom cars that show up throughout the day and this year definitely didn’t disappoint. Some of these folks show up a few hours before the event begins just so they can stake a spot for themselves or for their fellow car club members. 

Mooneyes rolls out their race cars for the public during open house.

This year’s crop of customs that showed up were top notch. The high level of cool that was parked inside, up, and down the street and in front of the Mooneye’s facility kept onlookers busy taking pictures or just plain staring and getting ideas for project builds all day long.

Inside the parking lot was a lineup of hot rods that would rival most big weekend car shows. Nick Chopit of The Beatniks had his red 1932 Ford pickup on display. The ’32 featured a chopped roof and a sectioned body and had a super low stance from the channelling that had been done to it. The small-block Chevy topped with six 97s has been powering the little truck for over 17 years.

Art Beltran Sr., member of Tribe So Cal, brought out his ’56 Chevy Bel Air Kustom Lowrider.

Outside of the parking lot were some very cool cars as well, including Art Beltrans laid out ‘56 Chevy Bel Air featuring a custom candy painted roof with tons of flake. Art was there with his fellow car club members from Tribe So Cal displaying some might fine machines. Across the street the Gonners Car Club set up camp and had a party like atmosphere going on all day. Besides the good times the Gonners also had a very clean and beautiful blue Chevy taildragger that featured some fantastic pinstriping. It’d be easy to go on and on about all of the beautiful cars in attendance but we’re sure the pictures will tell the story better.

A big thank you to Chico and his staff for once again hosting a great event that we look forward to year after year. We also took a moment to warn the owner of Mooneyes, Mr. Shige Suganuma, that Rod Authority would be invading this year’s Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan to which he replied we are welcome with open arms. The trick will be coming back in time to attend the Xmas party in Irwindale on December 7^th, 2013. Go check out the Mooneyes website for further information on their upcoming events and right here on RA as usual, for the most complete show coverage.