What was the first NSRA Nats that you attended and what do you remember about it?

1974 St.Paul--Lots of T-Buckets- I took only 20-30 pix.

 

Louisville, 1988. Man it was hot! The expressway and entrance ramps to the Expo Center were ALL under construction. What a traffic nightmare.

I resisted going back to Louisville for many years, then visited the amusement park one year on vacation. Rode the bog ferris wheel. We could see the whole fairgrounds and I realized the it looked much nicer than I remembered it.

Have been there a number of times in recent years. Almost always HOT.

In the middle of winter I say to my wife, just think how hot it will be in Louisville in August. She always replies, "That doesn't help me now, it's still winter and I'm still freezing cold".

 

Memphis 1975 just started new job in may told them I was going to nats dont hire me if you have a problem with that. worked there 19 yrs. Meet pete and Jake plus normie pooh and Tex ,one our beloved founders.

 

I was at the First in Peoria Ill. then went to the next ten, went to the 25 th, and will be going to the 40 th this year in Louisville. I have the dash plaques to back it up. There is a woman in Toronto, Arlene Bailley has been to THEM ALL and is still going strong. Somewhere I have a photo of a 1934 Chev. pickup painted red with black fenders using fur material, now that was something to remember.

 

I tried to attend one in Spokane Washington when NSRA was doing an event there. I was going to go in for the swap meet but wasn't allowed in because I was not a member. You guessed it; I walked away and drove back to Boise.

 

My first NSRA show was in Pueblo, Colorado 1996. I participate every year since then and most years I have set up in the swap meet. It's a great show. What I admire about NSRA the most is that a member with ANY vehicle ('47 or older) you can enter the show and tour the grounds, participate in the parade, etc. as long as the car drives in under it's own power and is insured, even if it isn't a "street rod". Don't matter if it's a Hot, Rat, Antiq, LowRid, Custo, Kusto, Polic, Fire, Tow, Gas, ramble-ramble. If the car can go on it's own power and you are a member of NSRA(that can be accomplished at registration) you are welcome. FOR SALE signs are welcome, even in the show arena. Driving the show circle is encouraged, drive around all day if you want. Swap meet has one of the best rust assortment in the region. Swap meet vendors DO NOT have to be NSRA members.

Just pure fun with thousands of cars. A huge mix of Traditional Rods.

Show sponsors with "exclusionary issues" could take some lessons.

I prefer a mix, but there can't be too many of any type of car, if I don't see my preference in a particular car, I walk on by, make room for those that admire that one.

 

1972 in Detroit. Too many fad T's with airbrush work. Lots of chrome spoke wire wheels, cowl lights and accessory trunks. Downtown Detroit still burned out from the riots. If there were more than a dozen traditional Hot Rods there I can't remember them. I remember that is when I figured out I didn't like the direction the Hot Rod scene was going. At that point I decided to build a track style roadster with a early motor. Like something in the old Veda Orr Lakes book. In those days that idea was accepted with the same enthusiasm as a rat rod build thread on the hamb. It was about another year before Tex Smith started preaching traditional and Jake Jacobs did his track T. There is a GOOD reason for the pre 64 breakoff on the hamb. To me the 70's were the "Dark Ages" of Hot Rods.

 

Memphis '71

Memories...(from the perspective of a 5 year old...)




1. Gary Kessler's '32 hiboy (Currently owned by Don Ward, of St Charles, MO) Who would have thought that some 30 years later, I would have that car parked in my driveway for an evening.





2. The run to and from Memphis, with the Roarin' 30's.




3. This wrecked '32 Roadster.



4.
Dad being really ticked when I tossed his Hurst 3 speed shifter knob out the window, while playing catch with my older sister, on the ride home.

(NO PICTURE!!!)

 

My first was Columbus 1978? when I was nine. My most memorable was Memphis 1980 because I went with my uncle, just him and me for the first time. We took his black Deuce Roadster down during the heat wave. I can remember sitting in traffic going back to the hotel and the floorboards being so hot I couldn’t put my feet down. I also remember us blowing a late sixties Camaro away on a side street when he got a little froggy…

 

OK, I just confirmed the year with my Dad, my first NSRA Nats was St Paul 1974, we cruzed with about 25 people most of us were kids, I rode pretty much the whole trip in a rumble seat, we camped out every other nite, we had one van with all the clothes and sleeping bags, which meant we only got our stuff on the nites we got a hotel room, but at 8 years old that wasn't really a big deal..LOL

Best memories of the trip were, the World's Fair in Seattle or Spokane WA,
And the hotel pool where I spent most of the time, and singing Happy Birthday to Lil John Buttera in the hotel resturant,

Mind you Lil John didn't think it was very funny when 15 dripping wet kids came into the resturant and sang Happy Birthday...

That was a great trip through the usa

Terri

 

Hey JON,----Remember what happened to the "Memphis ST. RODS" banner that the guy hung from the bandshell?????----Neal East & Jack Stewart went to the rear of bandshell & VERY SLOWLY pulled the rope holding the banner to come up over top when crowd was in a cheering moment, they immediately rolled the banner up & took off Bob Barnes red LAR shirt, hid it inside, & made their way to the street, where I happened to be slowly cruising by, yelled at me to take "this" & don't let anyone see it!!---Later at the hotel, they came by & reclaimed the prize(?). The following month at one of our LAR meetings, Neal, Jack, & Bob, Re-told the story of that nite in Detroit 1972,-----After that, we returned the banner to the Memphis guys, & the banner stealing went on for a short while, then ceased (?).-----Another moment in street rod history!!-------Don

 

First Nats that I can remember was Tulsa "Week" (Street Rods & Van Nats) in 1976. Lil' John autographed a couple of model kits for my brother and me in the hotel parking lot late one night (probably to keep us quiet so they could continue to talk cars) when I was 9 years old. Very Cool! He was very nice to us and thought it was great that we liked old cars so much.

I remember lots of "old people" (probably every bit of 25-30 years old!!!) streaking and jumping from the 2nd floor balconies into the swimming pool. I thought they were crazy. I wish we had that on video.

My Mom got mad and took us home early because she thought it wasn't a good place for kids. If only she knew what current kids would deal with today, she might have let us jump from the balcony too!

 

1974 in St. Paul. My '26 T was still in progress, initially I wasn't gonna go because I didn't have a car to drive but I'm sure glad I went anyway... got the chance to meet Norm Grabowski who had his Hennway there!
Hard to believe how much room there was at the fairgrounds then. Here are some pix from that year: http://terrysgarage.homestead.com/archive74nats.html

 

Drove my '41Plymouth 2-dr sedan to Columbus in '78. Met Pete and Jake and they were nice guys. Asked Ron Francis a question about wiring and he gave me a smartass answer. Was part of the MoPar Maxi-Nats and they gave me a cool stroker hat. Walked around in a frenzy trying to take in as many of the cars as I could. Fell in with some other rodders and cruised for hours at night. Bought several 25c car mags and some cool parts at the swapmeet. Had a GREAT time!

 

Minnesota St. Paul Fairgrounds 1975 or 1976. (slight brain fade) I got to met Tex Smith & I still have the picture of him (somewhere in the box of photos) standing next to a 46-48 Ford or Mercury Convert. I thought he was a real nice down to earth person to meet.

 

The first for me was Columbus 78. My younger brother had bought a T-bucket that year and I talked him into driving to the Nats. What a trip! I had long hair then(as to hardly any now!) and while driving the wind kept making it poke me in the eyes,even with sunglasses and a hat! It was mind blowing to see 5000 rods in one place! Most local shows had about 75 cars or so. I think we stayed up to 3am sitting in front of the hotel watching the cars cruise.A crowd at the hotel across from us kept pouring water from a cooler on the street and yelling for cars to do burnouts,which most did! These days at the nats everyone seems to turn in early so they can get up before the crack of dawn to get to the fairgrounds and "POWER PARK" in the best spots, nobody does burnouts anymore,cost of gas means hardly any cruising at night and alot of trailers and their "queens" are everywhere. Back then if you trailered you hid it on some side street and drove the car to the hotel and fairgrounds.Now they have a whole parking lot just for trailers!!! Its still a hell of a show, but not like it was. Mel

 

Memphis 1971 with my '40 Deluxe tudor. I was so pissed that I didn't make the Peoria show we vowed to be at Memphis. I just finished the '40 the night before as I had changed over from a 283" with stock drivetrain to a 425" nailhead with 4-speed and Olds rear. I didn't know if it would go around the block let alone from Rochester, NY to Tennesee and back! We went with our friends Bob Austin in his Chev powered '34 Ford phaeton and Eddie DiGabriele in his nailhead powered '34 Ford 3-wdw. We made it all the way with no problems! What a show, about 1100 cars if I remember right. Almost Nirvana.

I remember we stayed at the headquarters for the Holiday Inn chain and there was a guy there with a T-bucket that had a blown small block. He kept doing huge burnouts in the parking lot which normally would have pissed me off but I was sooooo cranked just to be at an event like this I didn't care. He was from Massachusetts and drove the car back home.

I rememberwhen we were told that Rod & Custom was going to be "blended" into Hot Rod and would effectively go away. Bud Bryan and Stroker Tom gave the news and it was like we were loing a family member. R & C was, in my opinion, the main reason hot rodding, street rodding or whatever you call it was brought back from the dead. I swear there were people crying when they heard that bit of news and if Bob Petersen had been present he would have been lynched for sure.

On the way back home before we detoured to see the Great Smokey Mountains, we followed Mickey Lauria in his T and that was the first time I got to see what a polished and chromed Jag rear looked like. Rotating art - I wanted one!!!

So many memories...

 

1983 Oklahoma City. Didn't have a rod then, but a friend did. Had a great time! Saw the ZZTop Eliminator car then and thought that was the baddest car around! Been to several more Oklahoma City NSRA events since, but that '83 event was by far, the most fun one for me.

 

detroit `72

 

I had attended the Nats North while they were held in Detroit and Columbus Nats in 1987. The first one I took my own rod to was the 1988 Nats in Louisville, it was the first long trip for the 31 Pickup since I had gotten it on the road the previous summer. The temps hit 104 degrees. Drove it to St Paul in 1989, hit a small deer in the Upper pennisula, luckily no damage. Also was in Louisville in 1992 during the flood, what a torrential downpour and a mess, luckily I moved the pickup to a different spot,

 

A toss up. My fist nationals was in '88 Louisville. My Dad didnt have the '40 Ford Coupe (which he still ownes, actually he gave it to Mom for Mothers day about 10 years ago)on the road yet, But we met some great people that year that we still keep in contact with. But the best had to be '91. My parents won the '34 Chev Vicky that was built by Downs Mfg. They still have the car and have had it all over the country. Pushing 100k miles on it now.

Jason

 

My first Nats was Columbus in 90

My father had the 36 to Detroit in 72, I still have the registration like was shown here before, and a pin, dashplaque and a T shirt


Anyone who was there in 72 do you have pics of this car?
The 36

 

I have a car that was crashed on the way to the first Peoria Nats, If anyone knows or recalls anything about it would like to hear from you. Looks nothing like this now though...

 

First Nat's I went to were 1974 St Paul, from England it was mind blowing and a long way, and met up with lot's of great folks, One car in particular stood out, was the twin blown C Cab. In 1978 I went to Ohio and met with John Buttera, and Andy Brizio, This was also where I bought The Center Door. Kentucky in 2004, and going to Kentucky this year.
I have recently had all my super 8mm cine film put onto DVDs, and what memories they bring back, about an hour plus of St Paul and three quarter of an hour of Ohio.

 

mine was okc 1983

and i most remember how nice everyone was and the big party at night on meridian st!

 

'80. Memphis. Hot.

 

For all you "Grey beards" only!!----Remember?????----Don

 

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I think it was 1988 NATS in Ohio where I went just to see Dick Blaine's red Ardun powered roadster. When I saw him driving it I ran after him asking him to stop so I could look at it close up. Seems silly now, but I had never seen an ARDUN flatty in person before.