I arrived at the showground mid-afternoon and set up camp with my club, The UK Kustoms. I got the usual friendly welcome from the folks in the club and it wasn’t long before I had some time to take a quick look at Bubz Nash pickup.
This car is a beauty, it was out once before in peach but this new guise really suits it.
Friday night was a fairly quiet affair after my Wife and I had got our two youngest daughters to bed. We sat around with the guys, drank a few beers and refreshed friendships forged at Hangin Dice. After the 4 ˝ hour drive up from Cornwall, an early night was in order.
Saturday
Saturday dawned bright and sunny and, for me, early. Up by about 8:30 and wandering around the campsite, I only managed to cover one corner before I ran out of energy and film.
Scenes like these covered the campsite and were a joy to see – all over the place, little clusters of hot cars.
I decided that it would be a good idea to stand by the gate and watch the cars go out on the cruise. The whole procession took around 45 minutes to leave with everyone having to turn left, go around the roundabout a couple of hundred yards down the road and come back past again.
Now that is pretty!
Even after the cruise had left, there were still plenty of neat cars around. This shoebox Ford is a stunner – just makes me want to hunt for the chopping equipment.
On Saturday afternoon, I bumped into Paul from the e-group, driving his Wife Sam’s Ford. He gave me a ride over to meet Sam and Mike Noble who was also camped with them – good to meet you all.
This car is really solid and looks to me like the word ‘potential’ carved from steel, it runs like a dream too (although you must fix that glovebox lid.).
On Saturday night, the kids went to their Auntie’s for the night and we went off with the UKK cruise. Andy Stanhope had rigged up flamethrowers on his exhausts, which fired flames about a foot long. As if that wasn’t shocking enough for the owner of the pub we went to, the fact that several of the men were dressed as women probably was.
Wilber was kind enough to give us a ride for the cruise in his Kamaro. He and Dave Potts of Rusty Knutz have done a hell of a job on this car. They have shaved off all the rough edges and just left the purity of the shape – I love it. The big billets look very cool too – this seems to be becoming a fashion for clean yanks.
Sunday
Sunday was an overcast day, although the rain held off until about 4:30. This meant that the Hot Hatch Kill 2 competition had to be called off for safety reasons. Seemed sensible to me, hacking at wet cars with axes sounds pretty dangerous to me too. There seemed to be a very good turnout, the show field was nowhere near big enough to hold all the cars on show and looking around the campsite, there were a lot of cars still parked by their owners tents.
If I ever build a rod, I want it to look like this and I promise to carry my violin case always.
But then again……
Oooh – would suit me Sir.
Oh…and that one…and that one…and…
Not just one but two cute bums.
I heard a whisper that this car may once have belonged to Diana Dors – I wonder if she would have approved?
The Hydraulic display was very impressive, these guys have got their juice well and truly sorted. The cars take some serious punishment when the suspension hits top and bottom of its travel.
It’s good to see this car again after all this time. I remember this being a real ‘state of the art’ car in its time – my how times have changed.
I had to include this one as this Scepter is the same body shape as my Singer Vogue – mine will be a kustom though.
Had to include this too – the paint, the shape, the motor.
While hanging around the UKK area on the Sunday, I got talking to John Philips, owner of Koppa Kustom. He thought that it would be funny to see me trying to squeeze my 6 foot 3 inch frame into it and attempting to drive it. Who am I to refuse?
It wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined, although the wheel rim is slap bang in the middle of the windscreen. My heart skipped a beat or two every time it scraped but John kept telling me it was just the crossmember and not to worry. I am so impressed by this car and now I have an idea of what he would take, I have started saving.
Monday
On Monday morning, while talking to a couple of the UKK guys, I mentioned that my Wife is wanting a kustom of her own now, John Rickard said that he wanted to see his car on the move. He is always driving it, so never gets to see it on the move. Would I like to take a drive and he would follow in Andy’s Humber – I think I trimmed his fingernails in my eagerness to get the keys from his hand. This car is also a great car to drive, everything nice and easy.
I had a great weekend, it’s a long way from Cornwall and the cost is cash I could spend on my car – I’m glad I made this one though. But for me, the opportunity to drive these two finished cars has given me back the enthusiasm I was beginning to lose. I came back completely fired up and ready to crack on with my own car. Luckily, I had taken a week off work in preparation for just this possibility and the front end of the Vogue is now sitting a little closer to the ground.
Cheers Guys Paul Dorrington Uk_hotrods group member.