Crash, Fire on Day 4 Power Tour 2024

Crash, Fire! We had a parking lot collision, Speedycop's Glitchy VW bus suffered a wreck and massive damage and a 1923 Model T caught fire on the engine dyno! Leaving Louisville, Kentucky was harder than we thought on Day 4 of the Hot Rod Power Tour.

Waffle House seemed like a great place to get a late start leaving Louisville, Kentucky on the way to Hebron, Ohio but we were wrong. A collision backing up simultaneously cost us a dent in the quarter panel of our 1985 Chevy Monte Carlo SS. We decided it was a no fault accident after swapping info. But before we could get down the road, we heard that Speedycop's custom slammed and chopped in half orange Glitchy VW bus was rear ended by a dump truck and pushed into the back of a station wagon. Oh my! We are glad all were reportedly unharmed. Sad to hear about that VW, it was a sight to behold!

Drive on!
Onward to HRPT Day 4 stop at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio. We would be pushed to make it because of our late start. Despite some traffic snarls, we arrived before 4 pm and interviewed several Power Tour participants and learned about their vehicles, including a 1970 Dodge Super Bee, 1923 Ford Model T, 1966 Chrysler LeBaron, and a 1951 Henry J.

That's not fast, but...

We were surprised to spot the 1923 Model T, wheeled by a teenager, on the MuleTown Mobile Dyno and jetted over to watch. What a show it became! The straight 6 Chevy engine churned out 69 horsepower and lit up into a small fireball as oil and gas burned after the vintage hot rod backfired. (Note: never throw water on an oil fire.) All were safe after some cooler heads used a fire extinguisher. The Model T was rolled to a safe spot to cool down.

The Hebron, Ohio stop seemed to end too soon. We were hot and ready for some Taco Bell and a Mtn Dew Baja Blast Zero to end the day and laugh about the Waffle House dent in the Monte Carlo. 

Drop a comment if you see something interesting or have a fact about what you on our Power Tour journey. 

Thanks for watching! 

Jody Potter

Junkyard Life: The Story Beneath the Rust

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Send emails to Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com

Atomic Blast 10: Rat Rod inferno of good times

 

Junkyard Life had a Blast… An Atomic Blast. The annual Rat Rod celebration in Gulfport, Mississippi is very aptly named The Atomic Blast. This is one of the only West Coast flavored Rat Rod Runs on this side of Nevada. We are now believers in The Atomic Blast. We've always loved the original recyclers (hot rodders) but now we have an all new appreciation for driving junk. These apocalyptic cars captivated our hearts for two days. Simple, not simple, fast, brutal, fun loving, flat, satin, fire! I need a thesaurus to find more words to describe this fun event.

We had heard of the Atomic Blast, but had never attended. Once our friend Stefanie Lea from Road Rage Garage heard we had never been, she made a request (an order?) for us to attend. Stefanie has found a way to submerse herself in what she loves — flat finished patina preserved tire smoking hot rods and the great people that come along with them.

The weather forecast would have scared the slick hot rods away. Not the Rat Rods. Keep in mind, some of these are driven and they don’t necessarily handle well in the rain. Some of them don’t actually have a water tight roof. Yet, these tire smokers did come from near and far.    

The Rat Rods burn rubber until they got no more to burn.

Smoking Isn’t good for You? Yes, It Is!

These rat rod guys are not afraid to light em’ up. This is practically an event that advocates smoking…tires that is. They like crawfish too, but let’s get back to the smoking. Junkyard Life brother Jay explained to us newbies why it is called “The Atomic Blast.”  He explained it to us, but yet…unpack all of your adjectives and you still feel the best words really are “Atomic Blast.”

Stefanie Lea says "Light'em up!"

Stefanie Lea: The Goddess of the Burning Radials 

Coordinator and hostess Stefanie Lea waits until near dark. Then she places two Rat Rods that are actually flame throwers on the track behind the burnout box (another aptly named area). She then places as many fearless homegrown Rats in the burnout box that dare rise to her calling.

When the sun begins to lower itself in the horizon behind the Gulfport Dragway, Stefanie raises her arms like a symphony conductor and line locks engage. RPMs go up and she gives the go ahead to start incinerating tires. Wait. There is more.

Once the cars begin to disappear engulfed in the tire smoke–another cue from Stefanie awakens the now invisible flame throwers to shoot fire from the center of the smoke...thus, The Atomic Blast!

This looks like the aftermath of an atomic blast. Well, not a real one, just the smoke and fire from dozens of big block rat rods, some with built-in flame throwers. It is a sight to behold! 

Watch this! The sight, the smell we love (Hey, note to self: million dollar scented candle idea) and the sound. Oh my. The sound. The sounds we love from a variety of Detroit power plants. Roaring together in automotive symphonic harmony. You can feel the heat and the patriotism. Many rods are adorned in American flags and like the song says, when the smoke clears, the flags are one of the first things you see. You, my friend, have been Atomic Blasted. There is no coming back from that.

Dennis Landry wheels his RATical rat rod down a beach road in Gulfport, Mississippi

Cruising 

This sub culture of the car genre is so much fun. The Atomic Blast offers so many activities and is so inclusive. If you feel you just can’t see everything…fear not. Stefanie has included what she calls “Roll Call” where every car cruises, i.e., “rolls” in front of the bleachers to give everyone a good look and often a little rubber is left behind.

Grumpy's 1941 Dodge WF-31 with a Detroit Diesel 92TA engine and flame throwers that shoot enormous amounts of fire high into the air.

More Cruising Add Water and Music

The Atomic Blasters also do a beach cruise along the beautiful coast of Gulfport and Biloxi. Nothing is more rock and roll than that. Except maybe the musical guest. The Martini Shakers treated us to some awesome throw back rock-a-billy.  A great band and really nice people. It is so nice to see and meet people that love where they are and what they do. These guys rock.

There was even a kid’s motor bike cruise that also drew a lot of attention. What can you do if you are a young car guy or girl that can’t yet have four wheels? You make do with two wheels and look like a tiny Fonz. "Ayyy!"

Crawfish eating contest is part of the kick-off festivities.

Cruising, Crabs, Crawfish, Rats – oh my!

To kick our weekend off, we caught the cruise to The Cajun Crawfish Hut in Long Beach, Mississippi. Just a stone's throw from Gulfport down Beach Boulevard on Highway 90. Here, they fed us spectacular food, rocked us with the Martini Shakers and schooled us in crawfish consumption. The now famous Atomic Blast Crawfish Eating Contest was soon underway. MC’ed by the infamous original rat rodder Dennis Landry, aka Crab or Crab Who? This event was great messy fun! The winning consumer of the Cajun crustaceans was a 27-year-old Army paratrooper named Shane Jackson. Shane is no stranger to Atomic Blast awards. It seems the first rat rod he built kicked the bucket on the first time out, which granted him the dreaded “Damn My Luck” award. 

We spotted more than 200 Rat Rods and other cool cruisers in the pit area and campgrounds at Gulfport Dragway during the Atomic Blast 10.

We Want More!

Do you like traditional home grown hot rod fun? Do Rat Rods fill your hot rod heart? Then you need to do this. Do you want to see a 425 Olds duke it out with a 390 Ford? Grudge races, swap meet, food, music and tire smoking traditions? The Atomic Blast is for you. This annual Rat Rod Run is held every April at the Gulf Port Dragway. Let us not let the West Coast have all the fun. Thank you, Road Rage Garage for including us in the party. Check those calendars and we will see you there! We were told they also have a Halloween event in October for those of us who will have a hard time waiting. Keep a rat look at the calendar and never miss The Blast again.

                 

Ron Kidd

— Junkyard Life 

HOW TO BURN RUBBER
Step 1: Apply throttle

Step 2: Hold down the gas pedal

Step 3: Never let up

WINNER OF $1000 BURNOUT CONTEST
Shane Sink, Jackson, Mississippi

Shane Sink's winning combo burned the tires right off the rim.

CRAB WHO?
Dennis Landry, Larose, Louisiana
Landry, known as the godfather of this event with his big-cubed Rat Rods and willingness to keep the rubber burning and the party going was also the Master of Ceremonies at the Atomic Blast. You could spot him easily in his orange shirt and white overalls.

Dennis Landry gets ready to fire up his Rat Rod for a beach cruise.

And away he goes!

Burnout box was always filled with mayhem. Two rat rods take a spin for the crowd.

Do you have a great story? Send us details and we’re on the way!  
Send emails to Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com 
or Ron Kidd at Kidd403@bellsouth.net.

1955 Bel Air Nomad: Authentic or faux patina?

Is that patina real? Does is matter? 1955 Chevy afficionado, Paul Jones of Trussville, Alabama wanted a vintage patina look applied to his frame-off restored 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad. Jones likes ‘old stuff to look old.’ He bought this rare 1955 Bel Air Nomad out of Arizona. The car had been in storage for 15 years. It endured another 4 years in Alabama before Jones got ready ‘to do something with it.’ That something became a modern interpretation of a daily driven Bel Air Nomad. Now that’s something you don’t see everyday at WalMart. His patina perfect Nomad looks convincing enough to fool the “old school” hot rod crowd of its authenticity.

All the chrome and stainless steel pieces are almost perfect. 

‘Old’ is new
Red oxide primer peeks through the Nomad’s carefully-crafted worn paint. Faux patina is evident on the rounded edge of the bulging hood and along the top of the quarterpanels and tailgate door. These high traffic spots where hands would have rubbed in years of love and slowly erased the Sea-Mist Green paint surround the car. Call it junkyard chic. Maybe it was Gray Baskerville of ‘Hot Rod’ magazine fame and his 1932 Ford Roadster that first made primer look so fine. There was a time when battered, scarred paint was sanded down, smoothed, masked off and covered with a new coat of paint. Shudder the thought. Jones’ Nomad wears the faux worn paint as a badge of honor. A tribute to all the road warriors who eat, sleep and breathe cars.

Been there, done that 
Jones is not a late comer to the hot rod scene. He put the miles in banging gears and turning wrenches years ago. Jones built the Nomad in memory of two of his old racing buddies, Jerry “Bud” Vann and Dwight Schultz. Their likenesses adorn the mock ‘Salt Flats Garage’ sign painted on each door. Also pictured on the sign is whiskey-maker, Grandpa Jones. The rust and patina aging effects were created by artist Tommy Brock of Wild Side Paint & Airbrush of Albertville, Alabama. Street Scene Automotive in Trussville, Alabama did the heavy lifting of building Jones’ frame-off Nomad.

How rare are these?
The 1955 Bel Air Nomad with a total of at 8,386 built, had the lowest total production of any Chevrolet passenger vehicle in 1955. That is less that half of one percent of the total 1,736,723 Chevrolets built in 1955, as reported by 55classicchevy.com. Chevrolet built the two door station wagons in more plentiful and cheaper models – Two-Ten and One-Ten Handyman models.

Drives it, might sell it
Jones is not afraid to take his Nomad on the road. Road trips to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Georgia have allowed Jones to stretch the legs of the Nomad’s high performance small-block engine. Paint chips and on-road battle scars are not noticed or frowned upon. Jones’ Bel Air Nomad draws a crowd wherever it goes. That’s not a bad thing. Considering he recently decided to sell it. But don’t let the faux rust fool you. Jones doesn’t plan to sell it for a project car price. A stack of bills totaling $61,000 will get this old Nomad into your garage.


Patina Perfect 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad specs
ZZ4 crate engine, 355-horsepower V8TH400 transmissionFord 9-inch rear end4-wheel disc brakesTubular control arms2-inch dropped spindlesBillet Specialties Vintec wheels

Got a cool car or car story? Share it with junkyardlife. Send them here.

See more rusty relics here.

Rat Rod 101: Build your own budget ride or buy on the cheap

You don’t need a fat bankroll to build or buy a standout Rat Rod. The $5,500 entry price into Rat Rod stardom seemed like a small price to pay for the carefully crafted patina on this 1954 Chevrolet. The truck was built by Boaz, Alabama’s Billy Sampson and up for grabs in the car corral at the 2010 Alabama Antique & Classic Car Auction, Car Corral & Swap Meet at Talladega Superspeedway. Sampson’s custom Chevy drew as many stares as the $200,000, 1966 Corvette Sting Ray also parked in the car corral.


Sampson started with the cab of an early-1954 Chevrolet pick-up truck plus an off the shelf dropped tube front axle kit. He welded a square tube frame together and cut it to where it felt right. “I just looked at it and decided where I wanted the rear wheel to be,” Sampson said. “Then I cut the end of the frame off there.” The super short truck box has enough room for a sack of ‘fake’ taters and the fuel tank. Disc brakes at all corners create a measure of safety for the bumperless beast. A 350 cubic-inch Chevrolet engine backed by a Turbo 350 automatic transmission keep things moving. A four-link rear suspension kit sits between the wide white wall tires. A vintage 1955 Chevrolet radiator stamped with the year 1955 keeps the engine cool, while a Billy Beer can catches the overflow.


Junkyard parts and a pile of imagination will get you on the road to earning your Rat Rod merit badge. Sampson built his ’54 in about a year. Send him an email if you want to save time and buy this one.

Send your stories and photos to junkyardlife.

Looks like rust. No, just brown paint for authenticity.

See another homebuilt hot rod here.