More to come on this when I get back. But it sure is nice on the Big Island. The Hawaiian Hot Rodders are the the most inviting folks as a group I have ever met. It's called Aloha......they're awesome. The guy Tony w/ the '36 cabrio has owned it 50 years!!! The guy Howard in the pic w/ the '55 drag car still races at 78 years old and this chevy is a 7 sec car. And many more stories like it. Met many of these old timers that were at or near Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941 as kids and have seen it all. They know how to live life over here.
Cruise Paradise! I really need to check that out someday. How many cars showed up from the mainland? Have fun cruising.
Where's the "hangout" spot there? My folks are heading over in about 3 months for their 40th wedding anniversary. It will be their 3rd Hawaii visit. They've been to a different Island each time. My Dad likes to check out the local car scene whenever they go somewhere new on vacation.
Great cars, Fantastic weather what am I doing up here in the tundra- Thanks for showing a slice of heaven.
now thats a fuckin ROAD TRIP! I never knew the lengths You would go to to get all 50 of the little "state" stickers. damn.
Here are a few websites that cover the local goings on. Hope they help, if you need anymore specific info you can always PM me. http://www.honolulustreetsmagazine.com/ http://www.hawaiiindependentcruisenights.com/ http://www.mauicarshows.com/Maui_Car_Show_Schedule.php http://www.islandracer.com/
Bob mention to me that you shipped the Merc to HI.. Man that is soooo awesome!! I have a 8 year plan to semi-retire in Maui and start a secret Hot Rod business,,, Have the Aloha Spirt is what its all about!!! Aloha...
Awesome! To bad they don't make Primo Beer. Sure miss Hawaii, loved going there as a kid to visit family during the Summer. The best breakfast, rice, eggs and Portuguese sausage!!!!! I can go on and on about the food. Ken
went there on cruise paradise in 2003--was a great time--I see Leite's 4 door 40 in the pics---took us on lots of tours--either Herb or Patrick were our guides--they came over to visit at Hot August Nights in 2004/2005--Great people/great time-
Crappy place...but someone has to visit it huh? Looking forward to the coverage and picts....doesn't get better than that!
Dude...Knowing Steve, he might have. is it possible? not really, but that sort of thing has never stopped him before.
Yep it's the Cruise Paradise 2009. It's a week long car show w/ a couple of show and shines, One last week on the west side between Kona and Puako where we are staying and then another one tomorrow 4th fo July in Hilo. All week long there have been cruises all over the island everyday, bar-b-q's at different hotrodder's houses or shops. I wish everyone was here to do it. I drove out the Merc out to Santa Maria in May for the show and then my pal Jimmy White took the reigns and put it on the boat in Long beach w/ about another 25 cars other cars and she sailed on over to the Big Island. It was cheaper to ship round trip than a rent car would have run me for two weeks over here.....not to mention the opportunity to have a once in a lifetime opportunity to really "cruise" Hawaii. I have probably driven over 700 miles since I got here and am still on the same island. Who cares if you are driving around in a circle. Al and Lori Pacheco who came to Austin a few years ago for the Round Up have been the perfect hosts. Al knows everybody out here and has been building cars for most of his 62 years. He's got a great little shop in Ninole just outside Hilo. He has introduced us to Uncle Eddie who is 84 and one of the patriarchs of the hot rod scene out here. (side note: Duke Kahanamoku taught Uncle Eddie's father how to surf) Eddie has been tooling around in his 63 Impala SS and has many other cars. Also met Bobby Andrete who at 65 had so many great stories about his late teenage days on the big island bombing around in his '32 roadster w/ a early 283 having the local PD chasing him and his friends from one end of the island to the other. Can you visual what this place must have been like in the late 40and early 50's. I mean the big island is still pretty wide open and uninhabited in many places now, but back then, wow. They tell stories of towns and communities that were lost in the lava flows, but like I said before, they live life to it's fullest. Alot of the guys out here do things a little different.....lotsa the hot rods are built to race and we went by Chucky's place and he was no exception. Attached are few more pics from some of the stops and I will take a ton more tomorrow in Hilo at the show on the 4th. Oh yeah there's a Luau on Sunday night hosted by Herb and car show folks to bid us farewell. Will have pics from there also. Aloha
Here's a few more from Howard's place. (he's the drag racer we met yesterday that is still build cars everyday and still makin passes whenever possible. He has an unbeelivable set up at his house
Thanx for sharing this cool adventure with the rest of us. Really an outstanding experience. Steve is a great example of cool hotrodders to represent our cause. His Merc is my fave of that genre! He is "The Man"!! ~Sololobo~
thats actually pretty cool that it ended up being cheaper to ship your car there then to rent one. how long did shipping take?
Toto....we ain't in TEXAS anymore!!!!! Hell, we ain't even on the MAINLAND! Have fun Steve, thanks for the pics and write-up.
The Jalopy Journal
