There are a couple cars there that currently are owned by HAMBrs! Posted using Full box of Crayons on the Kitchen Walls App!
Nice to see my old 29' pictured. Hard to believe in 1970 so many would drive to a field in central Illinois.
Thanx 4 the memories. That was my 1st "Long Haul" in a hot rod. From So Cal to there, on my own. All my buddies thought I was crazy and didn't want to go that far. Man did they miss out.
This is the accompanying article.HRP The NSRA Street Rod Nationals is the granddaddy of events that pulls street rodders together from every corner of the U.S. But did you know that a couple of fishing buddies at R&C kick started the whole shebang? The year was 1970. The average cost of a new home was $26,000. Regular gas was 36 cents a gallon. Tom Medley and Bud Bryan stayed at the Peoria Sands, the show's headquarters. At the crack I thought it would be fun to revisit Tom "Stroker McGurk" Medley-since I wrote about the beloved Rod & Custom former publisher in the June 2000 issue of R&C-plus learn, firsthand, from Tom how the Nats got started. Trying to get a straight answer out of a gag cartoonist is another matter. Tom's speech is laced with laughter because he is constantly tickling his own funny bone. Tom got involved with R&C in the late '60s after moving over from Hot Rod magazine. He recognized that street rodders had pulled away from the hardcore hot rod racers who read HRM. Tom saw a need to not only cover street rods in R&C, but promote a national car show as well. "Street rodding is practically a religion," Tom declared, and he had the perfect pulpit to spread the gospel: Rod & Custom. "Pete (Petersen) asked me if I wanted to take over R&C when I was advertising manager of Hot Rod," Tom began. "He asked me, if I did, which way I wanted to go editorially. I said, no drag racing-that's for Car Craft. Let Hot Rod do the competition stuff; we're going to the street ... street rod stuff. None of those guys had much faith in the street rods. Pete left me alone to do what I wanted to do. "We didn't get entirely away from racing," continued Tom. "We still went to Bonneville, covered stuff like the '70 Baja 500 (where rodders like Ray Brock, Ak Miller, and Mickey Thompson competed). Guys who are interested in cars are interested in anything with wheels. We manufactured the Street Rod Nationals. When I had R&C, I had the perfect platform that other publications didn't have. We had a way to the source-street rodders every month. "(LeRoi) 'Tex' (Smith) and I used to talk all the time about trying to get a street rod nationals going. We picked out a bunch of guys who were in this car club called the Slo-Pokes in Peoria, Illinois. The reason we picked Peoria was it was almost the center of the population of the U.S. "I had to go back to Peoria a couple of times to talk to the mayor and the city council to let them know we weren't a bunch of greasy fingered motorcycle guys. We told them we didn't know how many people would attend. "We couldn't get an OK from the 7th floor (Petersen Publishing upper management), but we were already into this thing so we went ahead and did it. We had to scrape together some money so we could get on with it." Through the cooperation of Gary Magner of the Minnesota Street Rod Association, which jointly hosted the event, the run to "Big P Nats" began to take shape.
That show was before I was born , but there are a few familiar cars in the photos. I started going to NSRA nats in the late '70s and have a few photos of the same cars. Thanks for the link.
Lots of iconic cars from those days....I have a thing for Posie's Model A panel truck. I loved it then and I still do.
Your first NSRA Nationals in the first 5 or 6 years of them always is burned into your brain. When we went to Tulsa and got to the freeway there we were surrounded by hotrods and couldn't believe it. Every one from the first was WAY bigger than the last and equally as mind-blowing. Local stores had to have emergency orders of camera film shipped in to meet the demand. Don't know how small the group of Peoria and all following NATS attendees is now but it is a very select group of folks.
i did not make it , i was trying to get my `30 Ford sedan ready but ran out of time. my father said i could take his `65 Corvair to it , but declined as i thought it wouldn't be much fun without an old car
All true. I didn't go, but a friend of mine drove up from Houston to the 5th or 6th one. He talked about that trip for a month. Years later, he found a worn out event t-shirt and had it framed! I think the biggest thing about those shows was that it was almost unheard of to drive a hot rod the distances a lot of guys did. Most folks considered '48 and below "porch puppies". Hitting the road and going over 300 miles was a feat reserved for the crazy, confident or both.
How true!,My first long distance nationals was Columbus and I packet the wife and twin daughters in my 40 sedan and loaded everything I could in my mullins trailer,,what a adventure having never driving a hot rod more than a couple of hundred miles. HRP
That brings back memories... My sister and I fit comfortably behind the front seat of my dad's 38 Chevy coupe... we had a two wheel trailer and would drive to Columbus, St. Paul, Oklahoma City... wherever the NATS were that year, we were there... I wish I knew what a special time that was when it was happening.. I grew up thinking a Hot Rod was just as reliable as any other car... we never broke down.
True, but we do remember how bitchin' alloy wheels looked back then, back before they were beaten to death. Back in the day, they were too cool!
That was a fun event. Hot as hell but more neat old cars than I ever saw in 1 place. I remember a couple of the cars in the pics like Sebastian Rubbo's roadster and the 34 Ford sedan with the varnished wood runningboards and roof insert, I thought it was the coolest car there but I had a thing for 34 Fords. Some other cars I remember but didn't see in the pics. Like a purple 39 Mercury coupe with flames molded into the body not painted. And another 34 Ford 4 door sedan from Canada with a late model 426 Hemi which was a brand new engine then. I called it Hugger Orange and the owner got sore, it was a custom mix that only looked like Hugger Orange lol.
Ha ha ha I blew up the motor in my custom 61 VW and had to hitch hike. It was still fun even with no car at all.
Good memories of the start of it all! I was born in Peoria in 1941 at Proctor Hospital and my father worked for Cat. I was living in MI in 1970 working for GM as an engineer. I went to the show as I was from the area and a car nut. I remembered most of the cars and have some photos somewhere. I was impressed with the CA guys and the fact that they drove their cars across country. I left the show and built my three window to drive to Memphis the following year. I am still a car nut and thanks for posting the photos.
After I replied to your message I realized your last name seems familiar. Up until just lately I had a great memory but some things are fading fast.At the time of the big show my family car was a black 65 Mustang fastback. I also drove a red 1939 Ford coupe and a 1926 Model T touring. Now and then a 1933 chevy 4-door and a 1960 Austin Healey Sprite with 327. Denny Sharp. HRP thanks again. Maybe it's off topic but this is Kool! I was just sort of reunited with an old neighbor from right down the street from where I kinda grew up. L. Pew lived just across and down the street from me and a few other HS car guys. Hard to believe that show was 44 years a go. For us they weren't long drives from where we lived. Peoria is maybe 12-15 miles to the motel and where many met. Timberline Farms maybe 20 east.
thank you, i love seeing pics from early nationals, a few of my dads friends made the trip i always look for the cars in the pics but never get lucky to find them.
thanks for photos, I still have the T-shirt from those Nats hanging up in my wardrobe, if I get chance I will post a photo.
I've got a gallery of Dad's slides on my website but seem to be having a software malfunction. I'll upload them tomorrow. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I found this pic on bchrismer's site a few years ago. That is me and my wife (we weren't even married yet). We drove my wife's (girlfriend) new 1970 Camaro over from Indiana. I had a T-bucket about 1/2 done at that time. My wife still looks about the same but I was awful skinny then.
my Dad took the 36 to Detroit in 72. (This pic is form a big show in rochester in 75) I have the dash plaque, the Green Hat Pin, and a little thing that went on the windshiled. I also have a NSRA Hot Rod Magazine shirt from then too...well worn. He literaly put the motor in the car the night before they left, set the timing and offf we go... I was 5 then, but I remember it.
HRP: Thanks for the trip back in time. I wasn't in Peoria but did go to Memphis with a friend the next year and saw most of the cars then or at runs in our region through the seventies. Took lots of pics. The fellow you talked about named John was John Collins and He was from Richmond In. I know John and have seen Him for a couple of years in a row at the nats.....GREAT guy. He lives in York I believe.
Awesome. Due to different web hosting platforms and programs that make this stuff presentable, I've blown up several versions of that gallery. The good news is that I just finished reloading the gallery on the site. Skinny Kenny's pictures of Peoria 1970 Sorry some of the scans are dark. My crappy little Canon scanner could not shine enough light through dad's dark slides.
I stole dad's slide reel from Memphis, 71, too. That was my first trip to a Nationals. I may have to repost those on my site in the next few days, for kicks. Would be cool if you could find your 3 window in the photos.
Great photos,lots of young guys & gals...I'm glad to hear so many people that are hambers were actually there making history. HRP
Thanks HRP, great pics and oh some memories! The green 27 T Sedan was Vern Walker and the red 34 Ford pickup was the late Gilbert Bugg who now own NSRA....3rd from last pic is my good friend Bob Gasperec's bitchin' 34 Roadster which he still owns! As I said many times, this car has the best chopped top I've ever seen in 40+ years of hot roddin'! I've attached a pic of this car as it appears today....black top faded somewhat! I believe one of the 32 3 windows is Mike Sparks who drives the same car today, except yellow and Pines grille.............Joe
I have seen this car in my old R&C mag event coverage but never a feature on it. Does anyone have any more pics of it? It was called the Collins special.
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