Havin' Fun in the Midwest Sun!   If John Wells wrote up a recipe for the perfect hot rod event, it would look something like this:   Take one large bowl of tradition Fill it with real hot rodders   (no fillers, posers or fakes, please) Add in heaping helpings of patina, chrome and some shiny customs Pinches of flirty pinups, great vendors and some parts swapping welcome Surround the whole thing in excellent tunes and activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family and… We got us a hot rod festival!    A little indoor action as well   You have to wonder if John is just a little obsessed as the details for these shows is becoming legend. Worked heavily by volunteers (myself included!), the Vintage TorqueFest for 2014 in Dubuque, Iowa May 2-4, drew hundreds of vehicles and vintage bikes and thousands of spectators from 9 states, all carefully orchestrated so there was ample parking, great food available and a vibe that you just couldn’t help but enjoy.  These old Lincolns are custom from the factory!   The sun shown brightly Saturday when the bulk...

What Makes This Show So Different?   It's not  just a show! It's an all-out, ultra-cool festival!!!!   Artists, live bands, swap meet, vintage apparel and furniture dealers, classic pin up girl contest, vintage motorcycles, hot rods, and custom cars will all join in one group at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds.   Cars and motorcycles are already registered from MI, OH, IL, MN, KS, MO, NY, MA, SD, TX, OK, IN, and of course many from WI and IA.  The car count is expected to be around 600-750 classic hot rods.   This show strives to bring back a specific time in history.  A period before muscle cars, and before old cars were brought up to date with digital technology.     In an attempt to solidify this specific era there is segregated parking.  There will be a Friends parking area for the cars that don’t meet the entry guidelines. With the inclusion of the Friends parking area (an area designated for cars that were made after 1964) there could be 800 cars rolling into the Fairgrounds!   Live music from internationally known music acts will be playing at the...

2014 Detroit Autorama - Hot Rod's at Their Best #5     I found out some about the auxiliary power plant from the owner: "By the way, the motor in the back is "functional". We have LED lights for brake and turn signals in the water ports of the heads, the gas filler is in the bellhousing for the rear mounted stainless tank and the oil pan is hiding the cut out in the floor for the pumpkin to come though on the nasty sucker bumps." Many times, I'll take bunches of pictures of hot rods I like at a car show. Too many times, I don't post those pictures cause I never interviewed the owner. It's best for me, and hopefully you the reader to see AND hear why, "My Ride is Me" but if should I hold back the pictures? How many visitors only look at the pictures anyway??   This time, I did worse than normal and didn't get an overall shot of the truck! But... here's the Hemi up front! That makes 2 Hemi's and one bad F100!     The Other Best Hot Rods from...

2014 Detroit Autorama - Hot Rod's at Their Best #4     Many times, I'll take bunches of pictures of hot rods I like at a car show. Too many times, I don't post those pictures cause I never interviewed the owner. It's best for me, and hopefully you the reader to see AND hear why, "My Ride is Me" but if should I hold back the pictures? How many visitors only look at the pictures anyway??   The Other Best Hot Rods from Detroit Best Hot Rod #1 -  Nostalgia 1932 Ford Roadster Best Hot Rod #2 - 1930 Ford Model A Best Hot Rod #3 - Blown Hemi 1929 Model A Best Hot Rod #5 - Dual Hemi 1956 Ford F100   Want to see more great hot rods? Check out the Hot Rods Page at MyRideisMe.com     Here's a 1947 International pickup from the basement of the 2014 Detroit Autorama basement. What first struck me about this hot rod and many others in Detroit is the variety of engines! Don't you get tired of too many small block Chevys? No denying their worth, but... I like...

2014 Detroit Autorama - Hot Rod's at Their Best #3     Many times, I'll take bunches of pictures of hot rods I like at a car show. Too many times, I don't post those pictures cause I never interviewed the owner. It's best for me, and hopefully you the reader to see AND hear why, "My Ride is Me" but if should I hold back the pictures? How many visitors only look at the pictures anyway??   The Other Best Hot Rods from Detroit Best Hot Rod #1 -  Nostalgia 1932 Ford Roadster Best Hot Rod #2 - 1930 Ford Model A Best Hot Rod #4 - Big Block 1947 International Pickup Best Hot Rod #5 - Dual Hemi 1956 Ford F100   Want to see more great hot rods? Check out the Hot Rods Page at MyRideisMe.com     Here's a 1929 Model A with a blown Hemi shown proudly in the UP-stairs car show at Detroit Autorama. This hot rod's clearly one of my favorites... I picked it as a Best Hot Rod for a story I did at Power and Performance News. Check it out!    I'd...

2014 Detroit Autorama - Hot Rod's at Their Best #2     Like I said in the 1932 Ford "Perfect Deuce Hot Rod" story, many times, I'll take bunches of pictures of hot rods I like at a car show. Too many times, I don't post those pictures cause I never interviewed the owner. (I did a little this time!) It's best for me, and hopefully you the reader to see AND hear why, "My Ride is Me" but if should I hold back the pictures? How many visitors only look at the pictures anyway??   The Other Best Hot Rods from Detroit Best Hot Rod #1 -  Nostalgia 1932 Ford Roadster Best Hot Rod #3 - Blown Hemi 1929 Model A Best Hot Rod #4 - Big Block 1947 International Pickup Best Hot Rod #5 - Dual Hemi 1956 Ford F100   Want to see more great hot rods? Check out the Hot Rods Page at MyRideisMe.com   So here's another fantastically done Model A hot rod coupe from Dave Debaar. Dave told me this is one good thing to come out of long winters! He said, "When the...

2014 Detroit Autorama - Hot Rod's at Their Best #1     Many times, I'll take bunches of pictures of hot rods I like at a car show. Too many times, I don't post those pictures cause I never interviewed the owner. It's best for me, and hopefully you the reader to see AND hear why, "My Ride is Me" but if should I hold back the pictures? How many visitors only look at the pictures anyway??   The Other Best Hot Rods from Detroit Best Hot Rod #2 - 1930 Ford Model A Best Hot Rod #3 - Blown Hemi 1929 Model A Best Hot Rod #4 - Big Block 1947 International Pickup Best Hot Rod #5 - Dual Hemi 1956 Ford F100   Want to see more great hot rods? Check out the Hot Rods Page at MyRideisMe.com     I do know this is the Crafty B roadster. I met the owner/fabricator/artist in cast aluminum only known as Crafty-B on the floor at Autorama. He seemed super cool and now we're old school Facebook friends, so I'll see if he'll write up a few details about the...

2014 Detroit Autorama - Almost a Ridler   1932 four door sedan is a great contender. But this year, JF's Crazy Custom Riviera won the Ridler.   Now, if we're talking about PURE HOT ROD, or the tricks and attention to detail that should earn you a Ridler Award, then again, the 32 Ford built by Hot Rods by JSK, is clearly deserving. I truly believe there isn't anything else JSK could have done to catch the Riv. Anyone who thinks the 32's "missing something" should step up and say what it is. (I'll be the first to say, you're wrong)   So here's one of the baddest, most traditional yet custom, and at the same time beautiful, hot rods you'll ever see. And for all the haters... yea, it's got four doors!   Click on any pictures, even the thumbnails, to see them full size.   2014 Great 8 Ridler Award Contender ~ 1932 Ford 4-Door Sedan   These next couple pictures I shared in the 2014 Great 8 Preview story. It should be apparent immediately that this sedan is built right.     This picture shows the cream colored...

2014 Detroit Hot Rods - Pikesan's Picks for Best of Show - In the Basement Detroit Autorama packs Cobo Hall upstairs and down as well. For some people, the basement, downstairs as part of the, "Detroit Autorama Extreme" is the only way to go. I find plenty to like in both, so I shared the best of upstairs Detroit Autorama here. And for the best of the best, check out the 2014 Ridler Award "Great 8" Contenders.   Why not take a look and you be the judge... course, my style doesn't change much.   Here's a few of my downstairs favorites then... find everything else here: 88  pictures from the basement.   Ford in a Ford Coupe 1930 Ford Model A Hot Rod Coupe     Dave DeBaar's hot rod model A coupe is as sweet as it gets. Dave told me this coupe was built in a 3 car garage and didn't leave for anything until it was done. Dave and his dad did the paint and built the stout looking 289 small block Ford too. Dave even made the adapters for the 4 Holley 94's onto the Offenhauser...

2014 Detroit Hot Rods - Pikesan's Picks for Best of Show - Upstairs Detroit Autorama's a GREAT show!   Why else would I leave sunny and 80 degrees Arizona for freezing Michigan? The hot rods of course! We've already covered the 2014 Ridler Award "Great 8" Contenders so now it's time for my favorites from the rest of the show. These are the hot rods and some Motown muscle that caught my eye. This year, I'll separate updstairs from downstairs, but I think you'll see my style doesn't waiver much just from taking the stairs...   So here's a few of my favorites, then the rest will be in the MyRideisMe picture gallery. There's over 200 events covered since 2007, so lots to see in addition to the 2014 Detroit Autorama Coverage!   115 of the BEST pictures from Upstairs at Detroit Autorama here.   CraftyB 1932 Ford Roadster "Ridled" with details! 1932 Ford Roadster     For 2013, I did a story about "Shoulda-been Great 8" cars. Well, this isn't a Ridler car, but DAMN! It's way cool! I met Crafty-B and got to chat just a bit about this car. It...

2014 Detroit Autorama - Ridler Award Contenders Great 8!! In case this is your first visit to MyRideisMe.com, welcome to what I hope you'll find is the best photos and info about easily one of the best indoor shows in the USA, and probably the world. This is Detroit Autorama, and the BIG award handed out each year is the Ridler Award. For this three day show, the first step in choosing a Ridler Winner is to pick the "Great 8". These are the cars, "in the running" for the Ridler.   Looking for the 2014 Ridler Award Winner? Click here.   Picking the Great 8, then judging what's selected... I wouldn't want that job! There are always a few cars where you just can't figure out why they weren't selected. It's a tough competition, one that's been going on since the 1960s. MyRideisMe.com usually does a "Not Great 8?" story for the ones that weren't selected.   If you'd like to know more about the Ridler Award and the rules, click here   Favorite Detail: Just like for 2013 Ridler Pictures, I asked each builder one question. This...

Is Ronnie and Deb Goodwin’s ’32 Roadster the “perfect hot rod”?   Traditional hot rods hold an aura all their own, influenced by the very earliest rodders who not only wanted to instill some of their own personality in their vehicles, but create true works of art. Ronnie Goodwin understands this influence and after studying hot rodding history, he knew what he had to do.     While Ronnie could understand his buddies loving Tri-five Chevrolets, Corvettes and Mustangs, he was smitten by the all time classic hot rod, the 1932 Ford roadster, a one-off classic that became the darling of hot rodders almost from its introduction. When Henry Ford relented and allowed his Model A to have some needed refinement, the future was set and hot rodding as we know it began in earnest. The Deuce was born.     Ronnie wanted to create the quintessential hot rod, the ’32 roadster that if you woke up in 1957 and looked out the window, this is the car you would see. He was particularly swayed by the likes of Ray Brown and Walker Morrison, early hot rodders whose cars...