Event Coverage Street Rod Nationals- Louisville 2024

Times change, we all get older. At one time we would start planing our trip to the Nationals in April. We had 10-12 cars in a caravan to Oklahoma City, Syracuse and Louisville. Every motel we stopped into on the way to or from, was a mini car show. we would get about 8 pizzas and a case of beer and soft drinks and hang out in the motel parking lot and had just as much fun going or coming, even some of the motel guests joined in. This year not one person from the area went. It is what it is and you can't go back.

 

I live about two hours away and had attended for years but, like woodie, finally gave it up this year. Combination of reasons: the 30 year rule resulting all non-streetrod, hotrod cars; the decline in actual parts available at the venders(I can order them from my kitchen); age (83); hardly, if any, if the guys I looked forward to seeing going anymore and so on. As woodie implied, life changes and you can't stop that.

 

I was there. Wet year, Wed, Thurs were hot humid and some pretty severe storms. Fri after morning rain and Sat were nicer days. Seemed attendance was down a bit, never heard the final registration tally after 87xx on Fri afternoon. No pictures from me, I didn't take any. Bought some stuff at a few vendors and swap meet. Vendors seem to be really catering to the later model stuff, and less to pre-49. Guess that's where the money is. Overall had fun hanging out with my friends. Past years the ratio of pre-49 to 49 and later was about equal; seems this year there were more 49 and later. Especially later model trucks like 80s-90s.

 

I was there. less vendors and no give a way car this year. I still had a good time

 

@40Standard I agree, I had a good time. It's a father and son tradition for us.

 

I was there. I couldn't tell if it was a car show, or an electric scooter show. Seriously though, times do change and I understand that. I took my 11 year old grandson for his first time, and he was blown away with the sheer number of vehicles all on one property. We had a blast, and he's already planning next year's trip.

 

I expect the proliferation of scooters can be daunting. I hate to say it, but if I go to another big one, a scooter is probably in the wings. Getting old can suck, alternative more so.

Ben

 

Oh, I agree. I’d rather see the older guys or folks that have trouble getting around out there still trying to go instead of just giving up. I’m still young enough (63) that I don’t need one yet, but if I last long enough, I probably will at some point.

 

I got a scooter for one day last year for the first time. I can honestly say it was well worth it and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again down there.
At 78 years young I’ve lost the desire to walk all day to look at cars getting farther and farther away from where we’re sitting only to have the long trek back.

 

I attended my 6th, I believe and enjoyed it even though half or more of the cars hold no interest for me. I enjoy the ones I do like and disregard the rest. I plan to be back next year.

At 70, I have feet problems. 2 days of walking and one day of scooter is my regimen for these big car shows at present and I don't apologize for it. I walked all 3 days when I was younger. Father Time is a mean old SOB and he always wins. As I get older, I may become more dependent on the scooter but I hope not.

 

I live about 100 miles away , I haven’t been in years , I was there for the big flood event years ago . Would take off work to be there . Today , no way , will not waste my time . 30 year thing is tough for me to enjoy . The OT Power Wagon , could get right in but , she damn sure isn’t much more than a shipping crate for the Cummins .

 

That roadster looks like Jim Inglese's old "full house"roadster...

 

What! No pictures of the big burger on the back of the blue and white Winnebago that had the nice matching coupe on it last year?

 

It is...icon

 

Where was the music this year? Years back remember arriving at the FairGrounds and hearing Wings Callahan playing a great selection of auto themed rock.

 

To those that don't want to go because they don't like the 30 yr rule............... Look at what @rockable posted and think about it for a minute......

Two days of walking and they didn't get to see everything they wanted to see, so on the third day they resorted to cruising around the place. Many people don't say it, but trying to walk that large a venue is very tiring and people hate to admit they have difficulty trying , or just can't do it. So they park their vehicle hopefully somewhere with some shade (portable tent) and just watch what passes by. You can be passive or proactive. Many who choose to sit and observe choose spots near the entrance or put lawn chairs up near the building and watch a constant flow of cars passing by. Myself, I chose the option of making my own electric scooter from an old Snapper lawn mower. Probably the best decision I've made in a while. I thought people would laugh, but I have been surprised by the sheer number of people who have shown interest in it and complimented me on it. No slick paint or great craftsmanship, just rattlecan paint and redneck enginuity.........but people go out of their way to tell me they like it. Not bragging, but when it was decision time for me on whether I had to use a scooter........I decided to try and make it fun. It works for me . Avoiding going only cedes the show to the newer vehicles and promotes the demise of our segment of the hobby. Hot Rodding's roots are encompassed by "innovation and adaption", so we must learn to adapt, and allow the newer generations to plot their own course of technical innovation. We can all work together, it doesn't have to be "my way or the highway".

 

I hate to say this, but this was the first year that I was really bothered by anything and it was the amount of pot we smelled, in two different locations and times. I don't recall ever smelling it there before. And not to point fingers but both times we noticed it was in an area that had, lets say, entries that would not be there if it wasn't for the 30 year rule, could have been a coincidence or the wind or maybe candy metal flake Caddys just smell that way?

 

How about some pics?

 

Wife & I were there (hotrod nats) in 2000 with her 57 bird. We were on the Ameri Cruize in Lincoln, Ne & decided to go visit our daughter in Pa. While there I saw that the Nats. were about to happen so we cut our visit short & took off. While cruizin the hotrods on display I saw one that caught my eye. I checked it out & was pretty close to the one I was collecting parts for. Met with the owner, drove it & agreed upon a price. I asked if he would take my personal & he said he would, so we agreed to meet Sunday morning at the front gate. I gave him my check & he gave me the title. Peggy was in her Peggy Sue baby bird & I in my 32 roadster & we took off headed for Vale, Ore by way of Branson, Mo.. I been drivin that hotrod ever since to Deuce days in Vancouver to the Mexican border to the west coast & back to the east coast & all places in between. That car has never let me down or stranded, it always got me home even after hitting a 30# racoon & being in the midst of a Colo. cattle drive with no way around. I also lost the hood one trip getting caught in a Az Haboob. It (32 roadster) has been repaired 3 times from incidents on my excursions with the last being some upgrades costing over $1800. Thank you Grundy Ins. & Peggy my wife.
The old rod sits in the shop now as I am too old to go anywhere except the table & the toilet.

 

I was there found some good stuff in the swap meet ,ordered a big item from Mid West Early Ford saved on shipping .hung out with friends talked cars with people & looked at a lot of cool cars.I am going to say what a great week.

 

can't believe this is the only photo of a whole car I took

 

how many cars?...and only these few pics?

 

close to 9000 registered no way to know for sure I have heard there is a lot of unclaimed registrations & a lot of fictious cars registered to get gate passes. There was a late 90s or newer ford truck pulled in next to us all weekend that never moved that hauled in cooking equipment for one of the big tents. Once in a while they would get something out of the back setting off the car alarm

 

Used to be pretty common at the hotel parking lots back in the 70's and 80's. Or so I've been told.

 

What a great story! Sorry to hear you can't drive her anymore but glad you have the memories!

 

The first rod run I ever was a paying and driving participant in was the 73 Street rod Nationals in Tulsa. I got into a pretty heated argument with one guy at a gate because he wasn't going to let my 48 Chevy pickup in the gate with the registration on the windshield because he claimed it was a 53. Finally someone in a golf cart came flying up and told him to shut up and leave me to hell alone and that was the end of it. He didn't end up bruised up and I didn't end up in jail.

I remember that in 1975 when my Buddy JD Fikes in Waco built a 27 T roadster with the back part of a 55 Chevy =fenders, tail lights and cut down deck lid turned into a trunk/turtle deck. There was a big uproar at the street rod nationals from some folks who didn't like the idea of even two feet of a 55 Chevy being in the show.

On the 30 year thing. In 1973 a 30 year old car would have been a 1943. A 32 Ford was an ancient 41 years old that year. This year a 41 year old car is a 1983 model. A 69 Camaro is 55 years old. A lot of these cars we are fussing about now are older in years today than our hot rods were in the early 70's with a 1948 cut off date. I drive a 77 F250 right now and get comments on "nice old truck they don't make them like that anymore" every time I stop. To the guys driving those 70 somethings they are driving an "Old" car.

As some said, if you don't like certain cars at the even just do as the song says and walk on by. I think I got a guy's nose out of joint last weekend when I took ten photos of his buddy's truck from every angle and one quick click of his damned nice 67 Nova as I walked on by but I wasn't into that build style. Had a gal inside at a vendors booth tell me that I needed to go out and take photos of her Husband's Mustang and she told me exactly where it was under a shade canopy outside. I didn't tell her that I usually don't take photos of Mustangs except at Mustang meets.

I thought that Tulsa was a big show with 3500 cars in 1973 and I probably walked 20 miles over Friday and Saturday there along with going out to the race track on Sunday and walking some more. I would be the old fart on the scooter every day at the 10K car event. I was done in after 2 hours the other day at the local big show.

Thanks for sharing the photos,

 

Thanks man appreciate that.

 

Thought this car looked nice with the extended front end..........

 

Is that a Dearborn made deuce ?