In this hobby, we tend to mark the seasons as much by car and truck shows as by holidays. In Southern California, you could say that the new year begins with the Grand National Roadster Show and ends with the Mooneyes Xmas Party. When Back to the Beach comes to the Ventura County Fairgrounds, you know that summer is coming, and when the Primer Nationals packs the same spot, you know that summer is ending.
In 2009, the Primer Nationals celebrated it's seventh year in Ventura. The event slid from October to Labor Day weekend a few years back, and stretched from a one-day get-together to a Saturday and Sunday show a little later. Winning vehicles (yes, there is judging in numerous categories) are selected on Saturday and the awards are presented on Sunday. Both days feature live retro bands plus a fairground full of vendors, peddling everything from automotive accessories to apparel, artwork, books and magazines, and food and drink. But it's not the vendors that draw the crowds at the Primer Nats, it's the hundreds of '64-and-earlier hot rods, custom cars, bikes, low-riders, and custom classic trucks. As you can see from this gallery of photos, the emphasis here is on traditionally styled, real-world, homebuilt vehicles-and a primered finish is not a requirement.
The last time we checked the Primer Nationals website at www.primernationals.com, info for this year's event had not been posted, but we'll keep checking. We've already marked the calendar to save Labor Day weekend for the 2010 Primer Nationals.
The alternative to shiny paint...
The alternative to shiny paint or flat primer is the well-patina'd shop truck, like Javier Loya's flathead '39 Ford from Henderson, NV, wearing wide whites on artillery wheels-and 'striping on the hood to announce that paint is not in the immediate future.
Dan Collins' chopped Ford...
Dan Collins' chopped Ford was a class winner at the GNRS in 2008 and one of the nicest trucks at the Primer Nats. The '38 runs a Corvette 327 with triple Strombergs.
Nick O'Teen shot the Wasabi...
Nick O'Teen shot the Wasabi Gold pearl and "Hot Dog" Pete Finlan applied the beautiful gold leaf.
Keeping it simple is Matt...
Keeping it simple is Matt Colvin's jet-black '57 Chevy Step-side, out of Oceanside. He's owned it for six years, and runs a 350 Chevy with a TH700-R4 trans and Ford 9-inch rearend-and some old-time pinstriping to dress it up.
The snow-white firewall and...
The snow-white firewall and blue wires look great on Tim Smith's gunmetal gray '35 Ford, but what also caught our eye were the undropped I-beam axle, and the Offy intakes with three Holley 94s and Maund air stacks.
It took two days for Tim Wallace...
It took two days for Tim Wallace to finish the extensive two-pattern lace paintjob on his '51 F-1, which sets it apart and "hides the rough spots." The next plan is to split the whitewalls into dual pins.