One of the greenest venues in America sits in the shadow of majestic Mount Rainier. The huge fairground is located in Puyallup, Washington, which is a little hard to pronounce at first, but fun to visit. Almost 170 acres are available to spread out and relax. And a super-sized new vendors building will be completed (as you read this story) that will provide room for the fifth-largest Goodguys Association event to grow and improve.
Cars and trucks up to '64 are allowed to register for this Goodguys event--making around 2,000 entrants, give or take a few. Thursday is kicked off by an evening barbecue at the fairgrounds. Friday is another casual day of getting settled in your favorite parking spot and polishing away any mashed bugs or road grime. Later Friday afternoon, entrants can drive over to Pacific Raceway to watch the Friday Night Hot Rod Drags, where over 350 powerful vintage race cars try to smoke the competition and take home a trophy.
On Saturday the Oldtimers Northwest car club greets car/truck-loving spectators as they arrive to oooh and aaah over their favorite brightly painted machines. In addition to all the head-spinning cars and trucks, several rock 'n'roll shows keep the mood lively (between continuous recorded nostalgic music). We feel the hospitable atmosphere is as good as any hot rod custom truck show in the country, and this year the sun came out on Saturday afternoon to make everything dang-near perfect.
Locals know that the town with the unusual name is a perfect place to gather for an as-good-as-it-gets vintage vehicle show. We hope to see you in the Pacific Northwest next year when, weather permitting, it should be even more fun. If you can stay for the awards ceremony you might even take home a Custom Classic Trucks Top 10 Award. Congratulations to this year's winners.
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Leo and Louise Nixon's '53 International pickup is a spectacular example of how an overlooked off-brand pickup can be cleaned up and modified into a head-turning and reliable ride. A 435hp small-block provides plenty of power. The Nixons are from Montesano, WA. |
Neil Siermachesky of Port Alberni, BC, Canada, owns this bright yellow '35 Ford that's powered by a neat flathead mill. Neil is parked next to Scott and Sherri Nixon's yellow and silver '47 Studebaker pickup from Chehalis, WA, that was featured in CCT (Dec. '03, page 50). Both are sweet street rod trucks from the Pacific Northwest. |
Craig Johnson of Vancouver, WA, is a member of the Slo Poks of Vancouver. His black and smooth '51 Chevy pickup is powered by a 454ci big-block--we suspect it's not slow. |
Don and Teresa of Salem, OR, brought their bright red '58 Chevy Cameo to the Northwest Nationals. The smooth custom Cameo is powered by the industry-standard 350ci Engine and Turbo 350 trans. |
Stan and Anita Zink of Chilliwack, BC, own a '46 Chevy pickup that can drop its bumper on the grass. The metallic silver/green beauty is powered by a TPI fuel-injected small-block Chevy backed by a 700R4 trans. |
Martin Giebel of Arlington, WA, drove his orange Chevy-powered'40 Ford to Puyallup. The smooth '40 Ford pickup with creamy leather interior was one of our Top 10 Trucks selections. Congratulations, Martin. |
Entry number 350 was this silver gray '56 Ford F-100 sitting at the end of a row against the perimeter fence. The window sticker was not filled out, but the neat Effie truck sat low on nostalgic chrome-plated wire wheels. |
The red and black '60 Ford pickup of Denise Welch keeps her a bit safer than the two-wheel Harley motorcycle she once rode with her husband. The Tacoma residents were another choice for CCT's Top 10 Truck award. There's a Ford 351W V-8 under the hood. |
Once again the big red '41 Ford cabover truck owned by Dee Wescott of Demascus, OR, was on hand to inspire folks. Dee of Wescott's Auto Body in Boring, OR, was a willing conversationalist to anyone who needed his expert advice on the restoration of Ford cars and trucks. |
Ken South of Seattle brought his unfinished '35 Dodge pickup with a Viper V-10 engine. The interior had yet to be installed--still, we were very impressed with the Dodge hauler that was also on air suspension. |
Tom McGarry of Redmond, OR, owns this smooth silver '52 Ford F-1 pickup. The truck is powered by a 300hp V-8 and C6 trans. |
Sitting nearby was John and Jeannie Martin's two-tone '52 Ford F-1 from Powell Butte, OR. Looks like there's a Chevy stroker motor and a Turbo 400 trans in this fun F-1. |
Oh my! This was a most unique silver Deuce pickup, owned by Ron Cambrex of Victoria, BC. Details include a ladder-style tube chassis with a Ford V-8 engine. There's something a bit suspicious about those high-rise velocity stacks--are they hiding something? |
The bed floor of Ron's extended cab pickup has clear plexiglass to reveal the tube chassis and stainless steel fuel tank. Note the knock-off fuel cap. |
Paul and Linda Gilligan's '40 Ford pickup is painted Grandpa Green--it says so right on the passenger-side cowl. It's another "garage shop" truck with vintage-appearing signage on the doors. Under the hood is a flathead engine and the original transmission. The Gilligans hail from Vancouver, WA. |
Tim Larson of Snohomish, WA, has a classic black '34 Ford pickup with red steelies 'n' caps. The sanitary hauler is powered by a Chevy engine/trans combination. |
Larry Camp of Edmonds, WA, is another former CCT feature-truck owner. Larry's Ford-powered '48 Ford F-1 is as clean and straight as they come. The red steelies are a recent addition. |
Jack F. Eby of Klama, WA, is another of the often-returning participants in Puyallup. His bright yellow '26 Model T roadster pickup is an attention-arresting sight. Under the hood is a Chevy ZZ4 small-block bolted to a Turbo 350 transmission. |
Sara and Bob Jenson of Medina, WA, own this white '42 Fargo (Canadian Dodge) cabover, built by Ron Arant and powered by a Chevy LT1 engine. Much credit is due Retro Rods. |
Don Fowler of Aberdine, WA, owns this tasty orange and white '60 Chevy El Camino with Boyd Coddington billet five-spokes. It's all Chevy with a 350/350 engine/trans combination for power. |
Another sweet Tri-Five Chevy pickup we saw in Puyallup was this metallic teal '55 that belongs to Mike and Dorothy Sweeny of Twisp, WA. Was it a short twip or a long twip from Twisp? |
Howard Lytle's primer-painted (Chevy- powered) '51 Ford F-1 is a "prime evil," as Hot Rod's Gray Baskerville would say. The sliced 'n' slammed F-1's owner calls Tacoma home. |
Glenn Hanson's bright teal '57 Chevy pickup from Tacoma was sitting near the Sweeny's '55. The 350ci V-8-powered pickup has a Turbo 400 trans for the short trip to the event. |
Debbie and Bruce Thomas of Roseburg, OR, own this red '39 Chevy pickup that has a potent 396ci big-block engine and Turbo 400 trans. Note the polished early-American 10-spoke wheels. |
Todd Walton of Walton Fabrication was one of the many vendors displaying the company's products. Next year the new vendors building will provide much-needed space for everyone who wants to be under a covered roof--and in air-conditioned comfort. |
The performance by the Elvis impersonator was a terrific afternoon show. We couldn't even get very close for a photograph. But the vocal sounds were a good rendition of The King's nostalgic and famous music. |
Even several years ago our affection for this well-built extended-cab '41 Ford pickup was great. The current owner is Russ Haag of Renton, WA, who has upgraded the drivetrain with an LS1 Corvette engine and 4L60E transmission. We still have a great affection for this truck, which has well-designed and high-quality improvements in every aspect. |