What do you get when you combine perfect weather, huge fairgrounds, and one of the largest car show promoters in the country? You get the “Crown Jewel” of automotive events, the 29th annual Goodguys West Coast Nationals, presented by Flowmaster.

Over three perfect days in Pleasanton, California, there was over 3,000 customs, hot rods, pro touring, and classics shown this year. Along with nearly 75,000 spectators, this is easily one of the largest car show events on the west coast.  The event was much more than just putting your beautiful vehicle out on a lawn, however.  The huge swap meet and car sale corral, always a crowd favorite, had vendors and vehicles further than your eyes could see. Like all Goodguys events, there were multiple indoor vendors, and a kids zone in the arts and crafts building. 

As most of you know, this year’s Bonneville Speed Week was cancelled due to poor conditions of the race area in Utah.  To honor over 100 years of Bonneville Salt Flats racing heritage, attendees were treated with over a dozen dry lake racers.

Some of the amazing racers on hand included John Sprenger’s (AA/BGL—324.961 mph) “Got Salt” Lakester, Bob Dalton’s “Flash Point” streamliner, Ken Puccio’s (3000-S-BF 376.363 mph) “Ack Attack” M/C Streamliner, Tom Walsh’s (AA/BstR 232.621 mph, A/BstR 241.327 mph, B/BstR 241.137 mph) “Walsh & Walsh” Street Roadster, and Michele Brading’s  (K/FL 175.405 mph,  K/GL 181.696 mph) Costella-Dennee Lakester.

When it comes to awards, Goodguys surely has everyone in mind.  This year, there were nearly 75 awards handed out, with some of them being exclusive to the event. Awards included “America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod,” which is one of the Top 12 awards for the entire 2015 season. The only rule to enter for this award is that the vehicle is pre-1948 and it must be beautiful.

There was also the Rocket Racing Wheels Muscle Car of the Year, Dominator Street Rods Builder’s Choice, Homebuilt Heaven, 40 Fords Forever, Ya Gotta Drive ‘em, Deuce Doins, along with many other honors.

Craig Watts 1934 Ford

Retired Fire Captain, Craig Watts built his “Sewer Pickle” at home in his garage in under three years with a little help from the people over at Pullman Fabrication and Hills Rod and Custom.  He wanted to build something unique and drivable, but also able to compete competitively in autocross.

This is obviously not your average ’34 Ford. Powering the 2,300 pound Ford is a 6.0 liter Pontiac LS engine making over 450 horsepower. While the engine is not heavily modified, it does have custom headers and a remapped ECU to get this ride down the street and around corners in a hurry.

The remapped ECU allows you to cruise using only 4 or 6 cylinders, depending on throttle position, for better gas mileage and economy. Stopping the Ford comes quickly thanks to 14-inch front and 12-inch rear Wilwood disc brakes. A custom front suspension had to be made since Watts did not want the typical straight axle in the front. This includes his custom fabricated tie rods, control arms, and coil over suspension.

Another thing you wouldn’t notice unless you took a closer look is the complete tube chassis with a full 12-point roll cage.  The body can be lifted off the chassis, while the firewall, floors, and transmission tunnel are bolted to the chassis.

It was all about the details in this build.

Watts named it the “Sewer Pickle” because it “looks sort of like a turd on the outside.” No candy paint, no clear coat, or other show car finish. But don’t be deceived by the lackluster exterior, a lot of work went into the appearance. He even named the custom paint color Turd Green.

Another interesting part of this build is the interior, which came from a junkyard Honda Civic and was reupholstered by Brentwood Auto Upholstery. To top off all the amazing ingenuity and fabrication, Watts installed air conditioning inside the Sewer Pickle.

Rob Mantooth’s 1971 Chevelle SS.

Rob Mantooth’s 1971 Chevelle SS

The Top Chevelle Pick award went to Rob Mantooth and his immaculate 1971 Chevelle SS.  At first glance, Chevelle aficionados would say, well that is a 1970 and NOT a 1971. Mantooth, who built most of this car himself, converted his ’71 Chevelle to the dual headlights, square taillights, and even the rear quarter panels to make it look like a 70.

Don’t let the square tail lights deceive you. It’s a 1971 model Chevelle.

Powering this beauty is a 509 cubic inch big block with an 871 supercharger and dual 850 Demon carburetors, which produce about 970hp on VP 110 fuel.  He is able to run pump gas if 110 is not available and still produces right around 800hp.  Mantooth built this to be a driver, not a trailer queen.

The 871 supercharger and dual 850 Demon carburetors pump enough gas-charged air to push you back into the seat.

Even with the huge 15 x 15 rear wheels sporting street legal Mickey Thompson Sportsman PRO tires, this Chevelle rumbles down the street with no hesitation.  Braking comes by way of Wilwood brakes all around.  Several Auto Meter gauges in the cockpit keep Mantooth aware of what the engine is doing.

Packed with Auto Meter gauges, the driver gets a load of engine information.

Another cool interior piece is the pair of Chevy Monte Carlo seats.  They swivel for that cool captain’s chair action, making it easier to get in and out of the vehicle or just relaxing on the driver’s seat when Mantooth is thinking about the next 9 second quarter mile pass.

Metal Works’ 1968 Pontiac GTO

Another amazing vehicle that ended up winning Top GTO Pick award was the beautiful 1968 Pontiac GTO built and owned by Metal Works, located in Eugene, Oregon.  This is a shop vehicle, which meant that it was their side project, taking about two years to complete.  It is a top notch driver with its 6.2 liter LS3 engine making right around 600hp.

The Metal Works 1968 Pontiac GTO

There is no shortage of fun banging gears through the Tremec T56, 6-speed manual transmission. Stopping the GTO comes way of 14-inch front and rear Wilwood disc brakes.  Metal Works chose some beautiful Budnik wheels 19-inch up front and 20-inch in the rear for rolling stock.  To keep the car glued to the road are some super sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

Multiple suspension parts from the Art Morrison company were chosen such as the frame, tie rods, control arms, and suspension. Helping stiffen up the vehicle is a a Tiger Cage, a roll cage designed and made by Ridetech.  One look at the instrument cluster it looks old school, but its actually a beautiful piece from Dakota Digital.

Metal Works doesn’t want to listen to the exhaust notes all the time, so they installed an effective audio system, that inclues Rockford Fosgate speakers, subwoofers, and amplifiers.  All of which were installed in house, of course. The custom Metal Works Red Glasurit paint job that owner Jim did himself was done under the Metal Works roof.

George Shields’ dignified 1957 Bel Air.

George Shields’ 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

One vehicle that was not judged, but should have been entered for some of the awards, was one of the most subdued, but badass Bel Airs at the show. The Chevy Bel Air is one of the most popular vehicles to modify, but George Shields wanted to build something that didn’t necessarily have the loudest exterior.

Shields has thought of every detail in his Bel Air and it is one of several flawless vehicles in his collection. The car knocks your socks off once the 427 cubic inch, all aluminum Chevy ZL1 engine gets started.  To turn up the fun, Shields added an 871 blower to the ZL1 engine. 

Weighing right around 3,200 pounds and making 1,000hp, there is no shortage of power in this street rod.  The TH-400 automatic transmission with a 2,700 rpm stall takes care of putting all that power and torque to the ground.  Custom made five-spoke wheels were chosen to satisfy his need for having something that not everyone else has.

Massive 15 x 15 inch rims sit perfectly tucked behind the rear wheel arches.  The frame has a ChassisWorks front race rails, while the rear has a ChassisWorks 4-link setup blended with a stock ’57 frame. For the beautiful paint color, Shields selected a PPG Jaguar Ice Blue.

The Bel Air’s classic lines are enhanced by the Jaguar Ice Blue paint that Shields selected.

On the inside, a Chassis Works 8-point roll cage and Simpson race harness were installed to help keep the driver safe and the chassis from flexing under heavy throttle. Shields has built numerous vehicles in his collection and this Bel Air was a project that started and stopped several times. It ended up taking him 14 years to complete.

If you were unable to make it to the 29th Annual Goodguys West Coast Nationals, be sure to check their website for events close to where you live. They hold over 20 events annually, all across the country.  There are still another six shows for the 2015 season, which concludes at the Goodguys 18th Annual Southwest Nationals, November 20-22, 2015 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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