The Basehor Boys Car Club is one of the earliest to begin their cruise season, and one of the latest to wrap it up. These guys love to get together, and it showed once again during their season-opener last Friday night at the Sonic off State Avenue. It was a surprisingly nice night, and there were quite a few cars that emerged from winter hibernation. I made sure to bring my camera, even though decent photos were a little hard to get amid the harsh setting sun.
If there were an award for creativity, this old Advanced Designed Chevy truck would take it home. It had a Cadillac theme, with emblems and headlight rims straight from GM’s flagship brand. The ’57 Chevy bumper guards and ’56 Pontiac taillights weren’t strictly Cadillac, but they still went with the motif. Underneath, there was a late-model, three-quarter-ton truck chassis with an airbagged suspension. The old truck was definitely different—in a fun kind of way.
This ’46 Ford has been a staple at car shows around town for years. These were good-looking cars anyway, and this one was put together well. It is modernized a bit, but it retains that thing that makes it cool as an old car too. First of all, how can you go wrong with that bright red paint? The polished five-spoke wheels look good without going over the top. All the chrome is still in place and probably in better condition than it was when it left the factory. And the interior is tastefully done. If you wanted a ’46 Ford coupe that drives like a new car, and had the money, this would be the way to go.
I’ve been seeing this little Dodge stepside around lately, and it always draws me in. Back when they were new, I thought these mid-‘80s Dodge pickups were horrible. I always wondered what would compel someone to buy one over a Ford or Chevy. But time has softened that opinion; especially after seeing one like this. The paint was smooth as glass. The wheel choice was spot-on. And the interior was finished in a cool houndstooth pattern. Suddenly, this ugly duckling has blossomed into a swan. Well, a red, V8-equipped Ram anyway. I never would have said this 15 years ago; but I really liked this thing.
This ’46 Chevrolet panel makes it everywhere. It is pretty cool, with that “patina’d” look that everyone is into now, beautiful wheels and hubcaps, and wide whitewall tires. This one has a neat Chevrolet accessory radio sticking out of the hang-on air conditioning panel under the dashboard, a hand-painted Weston Moonshine sign emblazoned on the side, and a hunkered-down stance. But most notable is the 409-c.i. W-head engine under the hood. I think these were among the best looking engines of all time, and it looks right at home in this weathered hauler.
This Ford stake-bed truck, which I’m guessing is about a ’46 model, is another one that really gets around. It also has a very pretty engine, with a hopped-up flatty topped with Offenhauser heads and a finned air cleaner. Everything here is neat as a pin. And I know this rig is reliable, because I’ve seen it at car shows well outside the Kansas City metro area. You could drive it to an out-of-town event, haul stuff in the back, or just sit around and look at it. Whatever you need to do, this old truck can handle it.
I also liked this little ’50 Ford two-door sedan. This car was mostly stock, although it did have a set of ’56 Mercury Montclair wheelcovers on it. An interesting little factoid about the hubcaps is that they were also used on the ’63 Ford Galaxie 500 XL with a different spinner in them. This was a neat car. It was pretty original, and the factory interior was fantastic. This would be a great car to hop in on a nice weekend and just go cruising.
I took 118 photos at the first Basehor Cruise of 2014, and you can
see them in the slideshow below.
Or click this link for a nicer version.
No comments:
Post a Comment