Event Coverage Thanks to all who attended the Shifters Viva Las Vegas #13 ~ LOTS OF PICTURES!

Hey guys, Just got back from being in Las Vegas for a week and wanted to thank everyone who attended and supported Viva Las Vegas. Our car show was a huge success and by far the largest attendance to date ! For the record we didn't enjoy denying cars for the past 6 months and definitely didn't enjoy turning away certain cars on the day of - BUT - Sticking to our guns and keeping the rules the way we said all along made the car show significantly better . I'm sure everyone will agree that the quality was WAAAAAAAAAY up this year. The days of motorized wheel barrels & ice chests getting in are over, and next year those cars will not be permitted to park at the front hotel Valet lot.

Great moments: Being backstage and getting the opportunity to take great pictures of Chuck Berry up close. Meeting the car club "Memory Lane" , having a great display of Gassers and Dragsters, seeing all of the quality cars that Lonely Knights from Colorado brought, sleeping all day Sunday.

Hairy moments: Escorting Cody Adams from Hurst Racing tires to his special display spot, helping him & his buddies unload his healthy 440 Mopar big block powered sedan off his trailer, watching him turn on his elect. fuel pump to prime the carbs - all the while none of us knowing the his fuel line fitting to his fuel pressure gauge got loose from the long haul down to Las Vegas, and when he hit the start button the exterior of his engine lit up on fire. Everyone scrambled inside his tow vehicle to find an extinguisher, other car clubs and random people frantically yelling for help, and within a minute it seemed that 3-4 people came to the rescue and emptied Fire Extinguisher bottles on Cody's engine. The evening wind didn't help matters at all but we safely got the fire out and the only thing that needed repair was a couple of coil/distributor wires. Cody and his pals from Hurst had the entire car cleaned up and running within the hour. WHEW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winners:
Best Hot Rod - Jim Weems - Lakewood special Model A coupe

Best Custom - Brad Masterson - green 51 Chevy fleetline

Best of Show - John Mearns (Acme Speed shop) 1936 Ford 3 window coupe full custom.

Best car club - Memory Lane from Las Vegas. You guys and your hospitality on Wednesday night was incredible. The Carne Asada was over the top!

Best Motorcycle - Jimmy Kaiser - 1935 Harley

Hard Luck Award - Bob from the Aces car club - 1932 three window coupe - driver side door flew open while he was on the 15 freeway doing 80 mph. The door swung back and dented up pretty bad - but he and the rest of his cool coupe are safe, and the door will be fixed.

Long Distance - Andre & Linda Slight from Montreal Quebec Canada in a 1956 Meteor. They also got married the day before the car show! Congrats. We should also mention that people drove out from Philadelphia, Florida, Indiana, Chicago, upstate Washington,Texas, and everywhere else !

Best Pintripers pick - Johnnie Walker in his newly built 1940 Ford standard coupe.

Lonely Knights car club pick - John Mearns 36 Ford 3 window
Alex Gambino pick - John "Rockabilly Jesus" Barnes - black primered Deuce 3 window


SPECIAL THANKS:
John Parker
Mike Parker
Steve Glucoft & the rest of the Washington state Hot Rod gang
Hustlers Drag Racing team
Rick Ackerman and the Road Devils
Johnny Jarzen from the Road Devils
Hurst Racing tires
All the Gassers - the Falcon, the 55 Chevies, the Willys = Bob Fowler Kiwi Kev,etc. - you guys all rock!
PBR
Mooneyes
Rex from Lowbrow art
Mr. Pete & Matt gran stripers
Tuck
Bad Bob
JustplainJ - Jim Weems
Kev Elliot
Fat Daddies Ice Cream
Notcho & his giant Tiki
DJ Del Villareal
DJ Rockin Vic
my good pals The Eliminators surf band
Atomic Three
and last but certainly not least Tom Ingram & Chuck Berry!

Lots of pictures to come - please be patient.


Axle and the rest of the Shifters Hot Rod gang !

 

More pics

 

I feel pretty safe in speaking for all the Lonely Knights to say: " We had a wonderful time, thanks Shifters " !

Met some great new people and saw some great new cars !

Johnnie.

 

Still more pics - Thats Gambino's newly painted Chevy in the second picture !
John Mearns 36 Ford 3 window "Best of Show" in the third picture!

 

they should move Vegas closer to the Bay Area.

 

More pictures

 

Yep, still a lot more

 

Here's more guys

 

One of THE funniest damn moments of the weekend for me was escorting Bad Bob & JustplainJ in to the show and to their parking spot. With all the fine women ,cars, vendors,and music going on. What does JustplainJ do? He grabs his chair, places it behind his car , sits in it, and opens up a "Rodders Journal" . Don't get me wrong, thats one of the best mags around but damn. Too funny!

 

Bad Bob trying to crawl through his window !

 

But wait, there's more !

 

We're probably half way ........

 

Johnnie Walker ( Lonely Knights ) dash on his new 40 Ford !

 

Pictures pictures pictures. Enjoy

 

More cars , DJ booth, and the stage

 

Looks like a great show, the best yet. How was CB?

 

This James Dean Merc was stunning and the 57 Ranchero was pretty cool !

 

THANK YOU Axle, Kevan and the shifters for a great time this year. I had a ton of fun as usual and the quality was way up! It was a really great time. I wish next year was here already!

 

it was another fun show for sure. i personally witnessed Axle & the boys turn away a couple of bobber trucks trying to get in. the quality of the cars was definitely up this year. ill be back next year.

 

I'm a sucker for sedan deliveries, Panel trucks, station wagons, etc but this Suburban literally stopped me in my tracks. Bitchen to the tenth power. Straight as an arrow, clean, and blue! You guys imagine towing a vintage travel trailer with that ?!?!?!?

 

Laddies and gentlemen , MR. CHUCK BERRY !

 

Thats it guys, Hope you enjoy this thread and the pictures i took, especially the back stage CB pics!


Axle

 

Axle, great show..... I had a blast!
thanks for everything,
Jim.

 

Awesome! Thanks Axle.

 

Thanks to Axel and the Shifters. We had a great time and I appreciate all the compliments on the awards. I also appreciate all the pub over the P.A. system. It was a great show for us and thanks to all the customers out there who were kind enough to choose me as their pinstriper when there was a lot of us artists out there. As far as I have heard, everyone was thrilled with their award and liked the art I put on their cars. We are hoping to do it up bigger next year.

One question. Why isn't this a two day show??!!

 

cool pics. any of codys fire on katie...jeffrey p.s. glad it was all ok.

 

Thanks Shifters! I had an awesome weekend! The car/girl show was fantastic. Another highlight for me was the most dangerous Link Wray cover band, anyone else see that? very funny and the music was awesome! Always great to get together with old friends and make some new ones.

 

Hey Axle,

Just wanted to tell you thanks for the great way you and the Shifters always treat us guys from the Lonely Knights. Once again a great show and great time. Get some well desered rest and we will see u in Gunnison.

Big Rich
Lonely Knights

 

I also have to say thank you to all that attended. It was tough to deny cars this year and it sucks to see some men cry but it had to be done. We strive to keep this show filled with top of the line cars and some motorcycles. But it is also important to remember that alot of people don't have alot of money so we gave them some leeway with the finish and completeness of cars. It kind of gives the car show attendee something to aim for when they see the other cars in their glory, they get ideas and work to finish for Viva 14. We encourage people to come to the Shifters car show and have a good time. I have to say the Lonely Knights are really into their cars and they are top notch people. Our club also got personally meet the "Memory Lane" car club out of Las Vegas. Their hospitality was very appreciated and the food was amazing. When the all of the Shifters arrived they treated us like family. Thank you Memory Lane. I also would like to say thank you to Tom Ingram and all of the staff for assistance during the registration of the cars and keeping us hydrated with plenty of water and good security in the trailer. If I forgot anybody I am sorry. I have to go to work. Hope to see all of you at Viva 14 Thank you and take care. HudsonJoe Buffardi.

 

On Saturday night Kiwikev came knocking on me and Kevan's room and we answered the door with a puzzled look on our face. He had found a wallet at the car show filled with credit cards and $2000 dollars in cash. He hit us up to see if we could turn it in to the lost and found and me and kevan said "no way man they will take the money" So I searched in the wallat and I found a medical card and a phone number in it. I called the number and I heard an old man answered it, it was his father. I told him that his son's wallet had been found and I would like to return it to him. He gave me his number and I called it and when I told him I found the wallet he cried out in joy. He tried to give me a reward but I would not take it. I said I did not finf your wallet my friend Kiwikev did. So he told me to give him the reward and have Kiwikev call him. I gave KiwiKev the $50 dollar reward and I found out that the wallet belonged to the giant tiki crew. Kiwikev is the most honest guy out there. He said Kiwikev and The Shifters made his day.