Colorado GoodGuys -18 Years And Counting

The GoodGuys Rod and Custom Association brought their national event for the 18th time to the Ranch Complex in Loveland, Colorado, the weekend of September 11-13th, and what a great event it was in spite of Colorado’s strange mid-September weather.  For instance, anytime after Labor Day, Colorado weather can turn bad in a heartbeat which led to the popular adage, “If you don’t like the weather in Colorado, wait a minute, it’ll change.”  It also happens to be true.

To go along with that saying, there’s another old saying, “What a difference a day makes.” Last year in mid-June, Goodguy’s held their 17th annual event and it had been typical summer warmth. The association decided to move the event to September in order to increase participation and spectator count.

But just as quickly, the same saying can be changed to: “What a difference a year makes.”  Last year, on the same date, it was 40 degrees along the front range and raining off and on. Not a good weekend for a huge car show like GoodGuys Rod and Custom Association puts on.

After Labor Day in Colorado, snow and cold can happen at anytime and is literally expected. However, Goodguys lucked out this September. The highs were in the 80 degree range. As a matter of fact, the weekend was unusually warm for mid-September.

There was something for everyone at the 18th Annual event-from a 'Holy Blowers, Batman' Ford coupe to a stately Buick wagon.

To start the event off,  Pinkee’s Rod Shop held their annual open house/kick-off party Thursday afternoon. Many rodders showed up for the free grub and to get a good look at the new cars that Pinkee’s is currently building. The place was packed as usual and the party lasted well into the evening.

IMG_2221Friday morning, the flood gates opened and, sad to say, attendance was light. Unfortunately at the time, it looked like the weekend was going to be a big bust for Goodguys and the event.

The rumor mill was ripe with predictions the event would be pulled from Colorado. Speculation from attendees throughout the day seemed to back up the rumors.

The redeeming factor came on Saturday when participants filled the grounds quickly. All of the prime spots were taken early and the Pro’s Picks area actually overflowed with spectators standing in line by 9:00 a.m.

Local rodders must have realized the warm September days were good for attending one of the last car events for the year in the area. Labor Day usually signals the end of the rod run season in Colorado.

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The weather was just right for the autocross event, which is a crowd favorite whenever the Goodguys Rod and Custom show comes to town.

Not only were participants busy checking out the other rides and chatting with friends all day Saturday, but the Goodguys autocross area had been expanded. A larger track was laid out with more curves and switchbacks this year.

The times were on the higher side with the new layout, but that didn’t seem to dissuade anyone from giving it a try. The autocross was busy all three days, as the top cars were constantly trying to shave their times down.

The swap meet had been moved onto the asphalt this year, and closer to the front gate. It appeared to be much larger than previous years, and since the swap meet wasn’t on gravel any longer, there was little dust blowing around, making it an enjoyable walk.

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The swap meet section is a candy store for hot rod enthusiasts. Full project cars or that one special part that is needed to complete a project can be found there.

There were plenty of good deals in the rows and rows of parts if you wanted a new project. For instance, a complete ’64 Chevy four-door station wagon, complete with brand new white Ciadella interior plus carpet, with a 350ci engine and 700-R4 transmission, was parked on a trailer ready for someone to take home for only $5,000.

There were plenty of complete, and decently priced cars, along with a host of other smaller parts if you were looking for that one particular component to finish your ride. Most of the parts were clean and rust free as decades old sheet metal and chrome parts could be.

Goodguys special parking areas on Saturday were filled nearly to overflowing in some of the sections. The “ya gotta drive em” section was packed to capacity, the “homebuilt heaven” section had plenty of participants, and the “trick truck corral” had lots of nicely done pickups and other trucks.

The fan favorite “mighty muscle” section had them parked along the entryway. There were so many entrants the staff couldn’t get them all in the roped off area. Never have we seen so many gorgeous muscle cars in one spot. It seems like just about anything sixties is really hot right now!

Over near the big rigs exhibits parked alongside the entrance, behind the exhibitor buildings, six “cacklefest” cars were lined up for their ‘loud’ shows. The Decker/Guzman Assassination Vega funny car being the dominant car there and it certainly brought back memories of the mid 1960s dragstrip days, when the locally owned race car and crew captured the nation’s attention.

One of the most recognizable drag cars around Denver-the Assassination Vega. The sign says it all and the cacklefest drew a crowd.

The grassy center area of the Ranch complex was filled by mid-morning and it’s such a great thing to park on grass instead of hot asphalt. The cruising lanes around the grassy area was bumper to bumper most of the time, and all one had to do was park the lawn chair next to the cruising lane and watch every car cruise by.

Speaking of parking spots, The Goodguys Road Tour to the Goodguys new event in Bowling Green, Kentucky, kicked off here. There was a special spot closed off for those 50 cars that were going to participate in the week-long trip. IMG_2240

Even Goodguys President Marc Meadors had parked his yellow ’69 Camaro in the area and was ready to go on the 1,700 mile journey. Watch for full coverage of that Hall of Fame trip in a future Rod Authority article.

The air conditioned exhibitor buildings were filled with vendors of all description and even a huge spot to rest your weary feet and sit while one grabbed a burger and a Coke. Outside, several big rigs were set up to show off their stuff.

The vendors inside the air conditioned exhibit building didn't have to endure the mid-September heat outside

Sunday morning, the “picks” were displayed for all to see. Several owners sat by their cars and spectators could be heard asking questions of the winner’s cars or how they did a certain part on the car. At exactly 2:22 in the afternoon,  the cars were lined up and driven through the awards ceremony.IMG_2063

Just prior to the awards ceremony, 48 cars for the Hall of Fame Road Tour left at noon. It was reported that one HOF member car had engine problems and couldn’t make it and another had a family emergency forcing them to drop out.

The first stop was 60 miles south in Parker, Colorado, at the Vehicle Vault. This is a private storage facility with cars from 1906 to the late 1970s. At approximately 2:00 p.m., the road tour went on to Trinidad, Colorado, for the first stop of the night.

With the eighteenth annual Colorado Goodguys event now in the books, and the relative success of the event, we’ll just have to wait and see if Goodguys Association announces the Colorado event on next year’s schedule. If so, you will certainly not want to miss the next one.

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About the author

Roger Jetter

Roger’s interests in cars started at 14 with a ’40 Ford pick-up until he bought his first ’57 Chevy at age 16. That car is featured in the first two books he’s written about the 1960’s and growing up in the Midwest. He’s authored several more books as well and has built several cars over the years that have received major coverage in magazines and won plenty of awards. His current build is a 1948 Cadillac Sedanet, although his current 'driver' is a '55 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.
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