Goodguys Spring Nationals - First Time's A Blast

Erin and Darren Gimblin live in Arizona, but wanted a "beach look" for their '57 Chevy, which they accomplished with some ocean blue satin paint, Baja seat covering, woven cane kick panels, bamboo bed liner (from Ikea), and a sea-level stance. Airbags drop the body and S-10 frame.

There's all kinds of paint going on here on Joe McCarthy's 327-powered '49 Studebaker from the shiny steelies to the multi-toned body and bed, and the flames and pinstriping that state, "Yes, it is done." We also liked the red tuck 'n' roll upholstery on the bench seat, and the fact that Joe kept the distinctive Stude hood ornament.

On the flip side, we also liked Alan Tudor's monochromatic seafoam green '50 Studebaker, especially with those contrasting red rims. The paint is a '68 Chevy color. Inside the well-detailed homebuilt truck is a custom dash with wood insert, overhead console, and Dakota bench covered in real and almost-real leather. The bed floor is diamond-plate.

The award sign in the windshield of Gene Petersen's '57 Chevy says Trick Truck Corral Pick. The judges must've liked the ZZ4 crate engine and the Jeep Grand Cherokee seats covered in Ultraleather and the Bavarian walnut trim. Or the 18-inch rims from Coys Wheels. Or the stance from the C-notched rear and Mustang II frontend. This is the first truck for the lifelong muscle car guy.

Ready for another Studebaker? Tom Noble treated his '49 to the full traditional custom sled treatment, complete with flat black paint, frenched headlights, and purple pinstriping to match the reverse steelies. Notice the "SUPERSTUDE" lettering on the hood and the SS emblem on the front fender that would later be adapted by Chevy for its Super Sport models.

The Spring Nationals was the first trip out for Roger Bricker's freshly finished '67 Chevy. The odometer had just rolled into the triple digits. The 283 and Powerglide were replaced with a 350/350 combo. The interior is black and red tuck 'n' roll, with an old-style speaker still in the headliner. LMC Truck provided the Blazer 8-inch rims.

Cory Curtis, from Farmington, New Mexico, did a nice job on his '58 Apache Cameo, rolling on Boyd Coddington wheels. On the inside, there's a Grant steering wheel on a tilt column with column tach, and aftermarket gauges in the '58 dash.

You couldn't squeeze a credit card between this low '54 Chevy Stepside and the pavement. Dark-green rims and white grille go good against the red primered paint of Jeremy Robinson's pickup, with some more traditional pinstriping on the hood. The engine is a 350 Chevy.

A "rat rod Dodge" is what Wayne Zwolinski from Scottsdale calls his sinister (but in a friendly way) pickup, put together by Russ Ellis. With split 'bones, straight I-beam, suicide frontend, radical channel, Cadillac taillights, cheater slicks, weatherbeaten paint, and drive-in speakers, it does defy easy labels-although Wayne says it's titled as a '39 Dodge in the state of Arizona.

Ahwatukee, Arizona resident Byron Smith is the original owner of this '61 Chevy Apache, purchased in Phoenix on September 10, 1961. Seventeen-year-old Byron paid $2,160 for all available options on the 283 truck with a four-speed tranny. The pickup was restored in 2005, with approximately 250,000 miles on the clock. The paint is Tampico turquoise and Cameo white.

These Arizona trucks are the type of pristine survivors that get enthusiasts in the Rust Belt salivating. Jim Austin's '71 Chevy 1/2-ton, from Prescott, Arizona, is another one-owner truck and probably looks as nice, if not nicer than the day he bought it.

Grant Zevenbergen was only 15 when he bought this '69 C10 and started working on it. Ten years later, he's still young enough to win the Young Guys award. He redid the entire suspension and dropped in a balanced and blueprinted 0.030-over 454 Rat motor, rated at 425 horsepower. Dropped spindles and a C-notched frame lower the Chevy.

Pete and Darlene Dimuzio rode in gray tweed bucket seats on the trip from Gold Canyon, Arizona. The personality of their '48 Ford is enhanced by the slight rake, Boyds wheels, and sunshine-friendly red paint.

Neal Ciochetti of Scottsdale started working on his '53 Ford F-100 when he bought it eight years ago. He kept the rear stock and added a Volare front clip. The hood and rear fenders are 'glass replacements and the remanufactured bed is deeper than stock. There's a Ford in that Ford-specifically a 351W engine.

On Saturday, we watched Jason Berland toss this LS1-powered '72 C10 around the cones in the Street Challenge AutoCross event at the show. On Sunday we asked him about setting up the handling he used to run the course in 38 seconds to win the truck category. Some of the components are the 21/2-inch drop spindles and 1-inch drop springs in front, with a 5-inch drop rear spring. He also runs an adjustable Panhard bar. "The biggest thing is to keep it smooth and be easy on the gas."

The less-intense alternative to racing through the cones in the AutoCross is to cruise through the fairgrounds, as exemplified by Doug Boulware of Kingman, Arizona, driving his '56 Ford F-100.