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John Force Racing - John Force's Winter WonderlandThe John Force Holiday Car Show From the February, 2009 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By D. Brian Smith Photography by D. Brian Smith
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The forces of nature smiled bright on the John Force Holiday Car Show in Yorba Linda, California, on Sunday, December 11, 2005. Unlike the last couple drizzle-filled events, sunny blue skies and mild temperatures greeted upward of 18,000 participants and fans. Benefiting the California Highway Patrol's "CHiP's for Kids" toy drive, each year celebrants bring unwrapped toys to the show. According to event manager Craig Hoelzel, the 10,709 toys donated shattered previous years' contributions. There was a huge pile of toys for youngsters-and king-sized ones, in the form of 780 show trucks, cars, boats, and motorcycles, for us full-sized kids to admire. We walked the grounds of the John Force compound and the surrounding streets with visions of billet wheels and overlap cams dancing in our heads. Even Santa couldn't fault us for wishing our various project trucks were done-the '34 Ford roadster pickup, the F-100 giveaway truck, the '74 Chevy stepside, the '40 Ford hauler of CCT's former editor-on Dasher, on Dancer, on Chevy, on Ford! Some of the trucks we spied we'd already featured in CCT. Still others were familiar pickups we had the pleasure to see at other recent events. In addition to the many custom vehicles on display, drag-racing champ John Force and his team of winning drivers Eric Medlen, Robert Hight, and Brandon Bernstein signed autographs. Force's youngest daughters, Brittany and Courtney, who will campaign Super Comp dragsters sponsored by Brand Source this year, also signed, alongside racing legend Carroll Shelby. If you don't get the drift that the place to be for gearheads of all ages in early December is the John Force Holiday Car Show, you must not have motor oil coursing through your veins. The antidote for such an affliction is to renew your multi-year subscription to CUSTOM CLASSIC TRUCKS. While you're at it, visit www.johnforceracing.com to find out more about next year's show. Until then, get those visions of fuel injection and custom pickup interiors dancing in your heads by seeing some of what you missed at the 2005 John Force Holiday Car Show.  Dave Hubert of Coto de Caza,...  Dave Hubert of Coto de Caza, CA, won a special award, Best Fire Engine, for his awesome '02 steam fire engine. Attendees could climb aboard the steamer and get their photo taken with a dalmatian.  Though we've seen Ed Varela's...  Though we've seen Ed Varela's racy red '68 Chevy C10 fleetside at other events, we never grow weary of this well-preserved pickup. Ed resides in Lake Forest, CA.  Dennis King of Yorba Linda,...  Dennis King of Yorba Linda, CA, cruises cool in his '61 Ford Econoline.  Pete Demetrucias came all...  Pete Demetrucias came all the way from Santa Clarita, CA, in his beautiful '55 Chevy Cameo.  If you're ever sunbathing...  If you're ever sunbathing in Newport Beach, CA, you may be lucky enough to see Marty Sandercock's '40 Willys pickup. Otherwise, he may attend next year's event.  Another Jimmy was a big hit...  Another Jimmy was a big hit at the show. Wayne Christian of Corona, CA, brought his gennie red and black '41 GMC.  From personal experience we...  From personal experience we know '64 GMC 1500s came stock with a 305ci V-6 engine. We reckon Wes Cummings' Jimmy has V-8 power, but we could be wrong. Wes lives in Lakewood, CA.  Sporting a hue pretty close...  Sporting a hue pretty close to Blue Oval Blue, Craig Hazzard of Tustin, CA, showed up with his '56 Ford F-100.  If your Effie looked as great...  If your Effie looked as great as Al Ubrun's '56 F-100, you'd want to carry orange cones around to create your own personal parking spot. Al and his Effie brought a Best of Show award back to Riverside, CA.  How about getting a sweet...  How about getting a sweet lemonade-hued '65 El Camino for Christmas? Mark Henningsen of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, owns one.  You probably remember Scott...  You probably remember Scott Norton's awesome '53 Ford COE from a feature article we did recently. The Huntington Beach, CA, dweller won a special award, Judges' Top Pick, for the COE, his '55 Cushman Scooter, and his '38 Chevy coupe-all painted to match.  The 13-time NHRA Powerade...  The 13-time NHRA Powerade champion John Force demonstrates to his daughter Ashley the most effective way to sign an autograph. We're sure Mr. Force has had enough practice. To accommodate all those in attendance, the planned two-hour autograph session had to be stretched to four hours.  We know it's not American...  We know it's not American made, but these VW Single Cabs look pretty cool. We wonder whether Randy Palmer of Pasadena, CA, has a Porsche 911 engine lurking under all that body cladding? He was another Best of Show winner.  Bob Beauchamp of Placentia,...  Bob Beauchamp of Placentia, CA, built a beautiful '48 Ford F-1.  Powering Bob's bodacious F-1...  Powering Bob's bodacious F-1 is a dual-quad Cadillac mill guaranteed to thrill when Bob mashes the pedal on the right.  Apart from the fact that it...  Apart from the fact that it was rolling on wide whites, Larry Durm's '39 Dodge 1/2-ton looked to be factory-new. Since Larry lives in Northridge, CA, we imagine he's a San Fernando Valley volunteer firefighter.  Every once in a while, we...  Every once in a while, we can't resist running a depot hack (or station wagon, as they're more commonly known). D&P Nance of Huntington Beach, CA, own a most uncommon '65 Chevy two-door wagon.  The MagnaCharger-topped Chevy...  The MagnaCharger-topped Chevy engine that powers the Nance's Tiki-themed wagon also has faux-woodgrained valve covers. Cool.  The blown engine in Ken Fisher's...  The blown engine in Ken Fisher's '69 Ford Bronco looks as though it could melt those rear tires with ease. Ken is from Hemet, CA.  Lionel Guzman of Yorba Linda,...  Lionel Guzman of Yorba Linda, CA, owns both this nice '56 Ford F-100 and a '28 Ford rat rod.  There was a long line the...  There was a long line the entire event to get a guided tour of the John Force Racing compound. For visitors who didn't have time to wait, there was also a section on the second floor of the building where some of the dragsters were on display, in addition to some of Mr. Force's extensive automobilia collection. Maybe next year we'll get the guided tour.
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1959 Ford F-100
Scott Oshinki rebuilt a 1959 Ford F-100 for his father-in-law Art Carney....
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