Car shows are a great way to gauge what's going on in the world of high performance. This will change when you cruise the Midwest, or the East Coast, or when you venture west beyond the Rocky Mountains. We like to cruise down the freeway to Del Mar, California, in the cool spring air of the Del Mar fairgrounds just north of San Diego to take in the Goodguys' Rod & Custom Nationals and to gauge what's happening for 2004 in the world of what's cool. Bob Garacocha of Venice, California, did the long-roof thing with his '58 Pontiac wagon he calls a '58 Bonnewood. The wood trim is cool.Bob Garacocha of Venice, California, did the long-roof thing with his '58 Pontiac wagon he Maybe it's just us, but this year's show screamed out different choices for the car crafter in all of us. Sure, there was the usual collection of street rods and a few car show queens that rarely see the light of day. But the majority of cars were obvious drivers-machines that traveled often great distances to attend the show yet didn't look like lifetime members of the "I love angelhair" club. The other big deal was the amazing assemblage of Mopar-powered machines this year that we haven't noticed before. We're talkin' Hemi. And not just one or two but a whole passel of Hemi-powered earth-movers. Maybe it's all those new DaimlerChrysler ads touting "That thing got a Hemi in it?" or perhaps the Mopar guys all got together and secretly invaded the show but didn't make a big deal out of it just to see if anybody noticed. Whatever the reason, the Mopar faithful had Del Mar covered. We decided to let you in on it with our run-through of horsepower heaven-Goodguys style. Here's the way to see the show, cruisin' nice and slow in a Galaxie convertible-just takin' it all in!Here's the way to see the show, cruisin' nice and slow in a Galaxie convertible-just takin Big cars are making a big impact on the street scene. Gary Paolucci's flamed '60 Ford Starliner ragtop features a 460 and a C6 with an interior that is nothing short of outstanding.Big cars are making a big impact on the street scene. Gary Paolucci's flamed '60 Ford Star Bruce McDowell of San Diego built this '54 Ford cab-over riding on a Cadillac Eldorado front-wheel-drive front clip including the 500ci engine. It saves having to build a mile-long driveshaft and allows the bed of the truck to be exceptionally low.Bruce McDowell of San Diego built this '54 Ford cab-over riding on a Cadillac Eldorado fro We said there were Hemis at the show-lots and lots of Hemis. This is the motivation in front of Michael Pollard's '68 Barracuda backed with a 727 Torqueflite.We said there were Hemis at the show-lots and lots of Hemis. This is the motivation in fro Does the name Dale Armstrong ring a bell? Among other accomplishments, he was Kenny Bernstein's championship crewchief for years and a many-time Car Craft All-Star Crewchief of the Year winner. He showed up with a '58 Cadillac Brougham powered by a late-model Northstar V-8! Cool.Does the name Dale Armstrong ring a bell? Among other accomplishments, he was Kenny Bernst This was our favorite of the show, Tim and Roxie Benedict's '49 Ford sedan stuffed-you guessed it-with an early Chrysler Fire Power Hemi!This was our favorite of the show, Tim and Roxie Benedict's '49 Ford sedan stuffed-you gue Larry Loeck of Westminster, Colorado, calls his long cruiser a Cool de Ville. The '64 Caddy is grounded and is motivated by, of all things, a small-block Chevy.Larry Loeck of Westminster, Colorado, calls his long cruiser a Cool de Ville. The '64 Cadd Many moons ago, a San Diego car crafter named Pete Aardema built a single-overhead cam (SOHC) head for the small-block Chevy. We ran across this survivor bolted between the fenderwells of a rather abused '65 Chevelle in the swap meet area.Many moons ago, a San Diego car crafter named Pete Aardema built a single-overhead cam (SO Wanna make a statement on the boulevard? Slam a '64 Riviera, put American Torq-Thrust IIs on it, and paint it bright PPG red and you're there.Wanna make a statement on the boulevard? Slam a '64 Riviera, put American Torq-Thrust IIs We saw evidence of interesting engineering as well. This early Chevy pickup owner wanted airbags, so he moved the front shocks up over the frame and use a rocker system to actuate the shocks. Very clever use of leverage.We saw evidence of interesting engineering as well. This early Chevy pickup owner wanted a Derek Meacham of Simi Valley, California, blended late-model SUV technology into his '59 Suburban with a 350ci small-block and a TH700-R4. What if you cut the middle section out of this Suburban and built an early version of a fullsize Blazer? Wouldn't that be cool?Derek Meacham of Simi Valley, California, blended late-model SUV technology into his '59 S We couldn't resist ending the show with a Hemi. Because we can. Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
