Attending this years Race of Gentlemen was the closest thing I have been to a 1940s dry lakes event! Mel, Bobby and the rest of the Oilers guys does an exceptional job hosting the best hot rod race on the face of the earth! Walking around on the beach in Wildwood with my camera is the closest thing I have ever been to a religious feeling. Looking back at the photos I took that weekend, I can almost fool myself into believing that this is old photos scanned from crisp negatives! Something is missing in the photos though! Where are all the mild, wild, chopped or/and channeled custom cars you usually see parked in between and behind the race cars in those scratched old photos? In 2014 we had them parked up the street by the Wildwood sign, next year we have decided to bring Customs by the Sea down to the beach, next to the race! The rules have also changed, and for the 2015 show only pre 1952 styled custom cars are allowed to attend! With this, I would like to welcome all early custom car enthusiasts to wonderful Wildwood and the 2nd annual Customs by the Sea! More info to follow soon!
Pre 52 styling is really going to cut down on the number of cars. Not a lot of those floating around! It's a great show, but if you cut out 75% of the cars that were there last year............
Wow.....pre 52....I dig what your trying to do.....but it seems tough to fill a show with that restriction.....cool but tough
[QUOTE...I dig what your trying to do.....but it seems tough to fill a show with that restriction.....[/QUOTE]..............................................I would agree.
It was a bold move for sure, and it still feels a little scary! I really enjoyed the first Customs by the Sea, we made some great new friends, and it feels like we're stabbing some of them in the back with this new rule. But as we decided to move Customs by the Sea down to the race at the beach, it felt right to draw the line at 1952. it was the only way to go! We made a standpoint, and we're going for quality, not quantity. Shows with loose rules seems to grow out of proportions until they loose their soul. When they do so, the organizers are only in it for the money. It becomes a job, and the passion disappears! As many of you know, it is the perfect way to kill a car club We have 10 months to hunt down proper cars, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to gather at least 20 early styled customs for the show. If we do so, I'm good. If we grow by 20 cars pr year it will end up as a killer show down the line This photo of Vern Simon's 1936 Ford Roadster at the 1952 Bonneville Nationals is what the 2nd annual Customs by the Sea is all about!
I built my car with a 54 cut off year. There are many 1954 parts used on this custom. Or will this be a model year rule?
Eric H, I dig your Ford, and for me it is an edge case! The thumbrule for the new show is 1952 car, 1952 style! Even though your car has 1954 parts, I would say it has an overall early 1950s style. If you ran a 1954 Chevrolet grille in it, I would personally feel that the look was a little too new. Let me sleep on it, and I'll come back to you! We don't want to end up as early custom cops, looking for wrong and new parts, we want to keep it as authentic as possible without being ridiculous if you know what I mean?
As stated it's your show and your rules. And some day I hope to attend. I also applaud you for the passion and commitment it take to put on a show. Having said that my question is why 1952. How much difference is there between a 52 Chevy done traditionally and a 53 Chevy done traditionally? Or lets say it's a survivor 1952 Ford custom done in 55 or 56.. Then what? As I said . I hope to attend one day. Not trying to give you grief. Just wondering....... Torchie.
I understand what your trying to do...but building a rog car is simple considering they built millions of T's and A's and hell ya could buy a body from Brookville and build a period correct race car....ya ain't buying to many pre 52 new body's as far as I know..I know some Kustoms ran at Bonneville and El mirage..I am pulling for ya...come on all you 36-48 Ford owners, 49-52 Chevy and Buick guys, 49 50 Merc , and pre 52 Caddy guys... Some classy cars....but not a ton of Kustoms...but some street rod stuff. If this happens it will be very cool to see
I wish u guys the best of luck, but its hard to run a good pre 63 real kustom car show these days never the less pre 52, I get what your trying to do, but I dont see it working as a kustom show... It was my first year at race of gentlemen because the kustom scene was there and with out it I wont be back, not that anyone would care, but im sure alot of the kustom guys will feel the same and hope u change it to pre 63 beach or no beach...
How about using the new parameters you've set out for the beach, and use the previous cut-off for the fellows up on the street? I get what the objective is; and this might allow continued participation by those who were there at the beginning... Just a suggestion. Dave
Torchie, setting the rule wasn't easy at all! We landed on 1952 since most major auto manufacturers have a change in body style for their 1953 models. Except Ford/Mercury that started with more boxy and modern bodies in 1952! Another option was to set 1952 car, 1954 style, and honestly, there ain't too many changes between the style in 1952 and 1954, so that is still an option, but we're trying to keep it a little simple for people to understand as well. 1955 we saw the start of the custom by paint craze with scalloped and flamed paint jobs on customs. I love that era as hell myself, but you don't see these cars on the dry lakes. By 1954 drag strips, indoor car shows and parking lot car shows were well established, and I would say that many rods and customs guys started to go separate ways! Back yo your questions. A 1952 Ford custom done in 1955 or 1956 can pass if it is done in a moderate style. If it has a wild scallop paint job we can't allow it in as that would not fit or be fair. I understand why your wondering, and I hope this answers some of your questions. Last year, as we were holding the show at the parking lot by the Wildwood sign I felt it was perfect to run an all decade traditional custom car show. I loved part of it, but I understand that we were on our way to create a monster we couldn't control. Having an all decades traditional rule, we end up spending most of our time arguing with people that don't understand what a traditional custom car is.
Thanks for that Fatty McGuire. As you said, running a pre 1963 real kustom car show is hard, so do we really need more of those? A pre 52 is a new approach, and I think the scene is ready for it
I know what cars your looking for and Ill be glad to locate more cars and pass the word again if anything comes up, just feels weird to close out the gates to the kopper kart, max kings merc and so on, I personally felt u guys had a great start and was hoping it would stay the same... Being around NJ shows for awhile I felt this show had a good vibe going on for example the max king merc I havnt seen in 10 years, and being realistic Id hate to change the criteria because like chopolds said there isnt much pre 52 kustoms around atleast good ones, I would hate to see a beach load of nose and decked flat black shoebox fords and what not just because they are pre 52 and technically fit the criteria and would look more period in a black n white photo with them in the back round of them drag racing. Just my 2cents... Not starting anything just to me it feels like last year was its own thing to celebrate period kustoms to where this year too me feels like a back ground to the race of gentlemen
Thanks again for very constructive and good feedback. I really appreciate it! The good thing about Wildwood is that it basically is a ghost town in October! A ghost town filled with Googie architecture motels. One of the coolest looking town I have ever visited. The weekend of the race we are basically able to take over the city, and I see no reason not to fill the town with good looking hot rods and customs even though some doesn't qualify to be at the beach! Last year I saw cool customs at motels all over town that didn't attend our show! I'm gonna miss the east coast survivor customs myself, as I have a soft spot for those cars! Any good suggestion about how we can make those fit I'm absolutely open for Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
...................I completely understand both sides of this thing. SuperFleye is attempting to set a certain scene and ambiance at the beach location. I would agree with him that cars like the Kopper Kart probably wouldn't have shown up on the salt at Bonneville. That said, the pre-'52 rule doesn't preclude those types of cars from being in town for the week-end and could be assembled at a different location as a kind of mini-show in and of itself. I'm sure it was a difficult decision on his part to exclude some extraordinary and historically significant cars, but it just makes it possible for someone to organize a nearby gathering of these cars for all to enjoy. Am I out of line with this thinking?
Thanks for your response SuperFleye. I also understand the scene you are trying to create. And the pre 52 cutoff as well. As a custom guy of a certain age I lived thru the dry years when every ones idea of a custom was a tricked out 65 Impala. LOL The guys that tutored me back in the late 60's,early70's were the guys that were building customs pre 52. Many of them went off to Korea and then came back and set about the business of getting on with their lives. Then 15 years later a punk Teenage kid(me) would show up with a flea market copy of one of the old mags at work and they would see it. And the stories would start. Now with the internet, guys are able to find out things that I would have been never know about if not for my mentors. Thanks for keeping the flame alive and only the best to you and the "Customs by the Sea" show. Torchie.
Not sure how those low to the ground customs are gonna get around on the beach sand. Suppose they'll keep those Hemmings tow trucks busy. -Pat
ok thanks keep us posted, definitely hoping you find some cool local cars or get some people to travel, Id love to keep a cool custom show in jersey for a change and hoping to keep this show on the travel list...
Eric H, your car and question has been on my mind today, and I have discussed it with several friends and resources. We decided to go for pre 1952 when it comes to the model of the car. To make it "easy" for common people to understand, we decided to go for a pre 1952 style year as well. That being said, if you can find a straight clean piece of trim from a 1955 Chevrolet that you use on your early styled shoebox, we wouldn't turn you down because of that. A 1954 Chevrolet grille on the other hand is harder to allow in. We want sleek bodied customs that have restyled by removing stuff. We don't want cars that are chromed by adding too much stuff if you know what I mean. From looking at the photo you posted of your car, I guess it is for example the pieces in the grille bar that is too modern? Well, that still doesn't make it more radical or modern that the Barris Kustoms restyled Frank Airheart Oldsmobile from 1952 does it?
No you are not lothiandon1940...wow what a name..haha! You know, Wildwood is filled with awesome mid century motels. It would have been great to pick 7 motels, then dedicate one era to each. One motel for the 1940s hot rods and customs, one for the 1950s styled crowd and so on? if we were able to locate 7 hotels next to eachother it would have been one bad ass show..haha! Call it a pop up, crowdsourced show, by and for the people! I can help set up a page for a concept like this to inform people about it Whatcha think? I think it could be awesome!! Too bad I'm gonna be stuck at the one for rental cars...haha!
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