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2009 Primer Nationals Classic Truck EventWhere Traditional Iron Has Become An Annual Tradition From the February, 2010 issue of Custom Classic Trucks By Tim Bernsau
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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.  When Charles Higgins found...  When Charles Higgins found his '65 Chevy C20 Fleetside last year, it had been sitting for 21 years and had to be rescued with a backhoe. It's been kept mostly stock, powered by a 327 with a four-speed, but has been lowered, cleaned up, and put back on the road.  The Primer Nats soundtrack...  The Primer Nats soundtrack was provided by a weekend's worth of live music. The Martini Kings provided some sweet mid-afternoon cocktail music.  Can you see the ghost flames...  Can you see the ghost flames on the fenders of this tomato soup red '55 Ford F-100? Owner Pat Carse is from right there in Ventura, and we've spotted this pickup here before.  Here's more mid-gloss two-tone...  Here's more mid-gloss two-tone on this '55 Chevy first-series pickup, owned by Manuel Valenzuela from Oxnard. A pair of '59 Caddy taillights were frenched into the rear fenders of the lowered, shaved Chevy.  The amount of detail in Fidel...  The amount of detail in Fidel Ascencio's chopped and slammed custom '51 Ford F-1, from Glendora, CA, make it an inside-and-out knockout.  This channeled '36 Ford is...  This channeled '36 Ford is owned by Jim Ramirez of Tustin, and is powered by a 401 Buick topped with three 2-jets feeding an Offenhauser intake manifold. We like the pipes. And the '59 Cadillac taillights. And the bottle of Clamato juice.  The Primer Nats is a magnet...  The Primer Nats is a magnet for numerous Southern California car clubs. This '54 Chevy 3100, owned by Nando R, was there with the Devils Venice club.  Who knows what the plans are...  Who knows what the plans are for the finish on Shannon Schroeder's '51 Chevy 3600 (another Ventura truck), but the chrome on the grille and the black paint on the wheels and running boards break up the rest of the completely shaved, brown sheetmetal.  Great two-tone paint, an open-air...  Great two-tone paint, an open-air cab, and the lowest possible posture are some of the elements on Mike Bello's '54 Chevy roadster pickup. The satin gold exterior is contrasted by heavy metalflake copper paint and metailflake gold vinyl upholstery.  Every time we see this '40...  Every time we see this '40 Chevy, owned by Rob Baradat, from Kingsburg, CA, it's wearing some graphic upgrade.  This time it's sporting wheel...  This time it's sporting wheel covers and the white 'striping has been filled in with black-and additional improvements are in progress.  We remember Dennis Ascencio's...  We remember Dennis Ascencio's F-1, advertising Interstate Customs, from the Mooneyes Xmas Party in 2008,...  ...and couldn't miss it when...  ...and couldn't miss it when we saw it again in Ventura.  Time has been tough on everything...  Time has been tough on everything past the front bumper of Emily "Scrapper" Sanderson's '36 Ford, driven here from North Hollywood. The surprise under the hood is an Oldsmobile 330 engine.  Some 'striping on the hood,...  Some 'striping on the hood, some metalflake on the top and the rear missile, some painted rims, wide-white piecrust bias-plies, and a healthy drop, and you've made your '59 Chevy Fleetside a bit cooler. This one belongs to Grand Terrace residents Ed and Tricia Salazar.  Charlie Chorbagian took a...  Charlie Chorbagian took a few additional steps with his '55 Stude, including shaved body panels and a 4-inch chop. He added a '54 Chevy dash and Willys taillights, and installed a Trans Am front clip and four-corner air bags (it can haul gravel, he told us).  The Primer Nationals was the...  The Primer Nationals was the first trip out for this hot rod '34 Chevy, owned for less than a year by Bert Cota from La Palma. The body is channeled over a custom frame with split 'bones and a '93 Camaro rear. The engine is a '64 283 small-block.
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The Thinker??? - Haul Monitor
Ryan talks about the friendly badgering that goes on around the shop and overcoming obstacles that seemly pop up out of nowhere during a project....
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