Hot Rod Nights

We Never Know When The Bell Tolls: 43 Year Old Mystery Solved

2014-11-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

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Pam Jackson and Cheryl Miller were last seen on May 29, 1971, driving a 1960 Studebaker Lark on their way to a party.

What happened next, we can only surmise. See the whole story at the DailyMail

We Never Know When The Bell Tolls: 43 Year Old Mystery Solved

As reported in the Daily Mail. The year was 1971. Two young girls were in their '60 Studebaker on their way to a way cool party out by the lake. Pam Jackson and Cheryl Miller were excited as they barreled into that blind curve down by the creek at Elk Point. They had taken this curve many times before. But this time … something was different.
A new bridge was being built. Gravel and construction material were on the pavement. Neither girl saw it. Instead, the last thing they saw was the cold, dark water looming as their Lark rolled over in Brule Creek. And so began the long mystery that would come to include the indictment of another man for their murders.
Forty three years later, the creek level dropped. A rusty wheel was poking out. A wheel attached to a Studebaker Lark. What they found inside solved the forty three year mystery. Yes one mystery has been solved but the mystery of exactly what happened that night will never be known but it probably went down something like this. Of course thousands and thousands of others have met similar fates as the years have faded away. The moral of this story goes out to the Gearheads. Most of us have found ourselves in predicaments like this at some time in our lives and fortunately for us, fate was not yet ready to call us in. This writer feels this is an opportune time to share his story. It was a hot Summer weekend in San Diego. The year was 1974, forty years ago. Myself and a bunch of Navy buddies and their wives and girlfriends were off the ship and gone to the mountains for a good time. We were all young and full of dumb. I can't remember if I had one or both of the remaining kegs in the trunk of my '69 GTO. But one thing is for sure, my Goat was overloaded with five people in it as we barreled down the side of that mountain after a full day of partying up in the rocks … and I was building too much speed. Let me tell you what happens once everyone realizes that the fishtailing that is happening through this curve is just about to go beyond that point of no return. How many of you know this feeling? What we see as we are sideways is that cliff straight ahead. This is when everything goes silent. There is no screaming as all breath is sucked in. I have no time to make any noise as I am sawing on that wheel for all my life. Steer – counter steer – release the wheel – now grab it. On and off the brake. Can you spin it out to the inside of the curve maybe – or can you get it stopped in time? It doesn't help any that the weight is shifting inside my car as the bodies are sliding side to side. But on this day – the fickle finger of fate was not interested in us. Instead a wee bit of luck came a calling. I was just getting to the point where you close your eyes. She's going to go all the way around this time … except for that thick gravel shoulder on the inside of the curve. The Goat's rear tires swung around and dug into that deep gravel as I counter steered, enough to stop the inertia and shot the car back out onto the roadway. The bell did not toll for any of us this day And there we were – driving down that mountain road as if nothing had ever happened! Then you hear everyone's breath exhale and statements like, “Goddam Chuck – good driving, wow.” The thought occurred to me that I had just scared the fear of God into those poor passengers. Now, I had, had that thing sideways many times before, spun cookies and all that stuff but never overloaded or headed downhill. All the same, I would like to think that I had a pretty good feel for that car and it's limitations. And maybe – just maybe those mad skillz enabled me to hang onto that Goat just long enough to save us all. All the same we feel that high performance driving should be taught in all driver's ed courses. Perhaps that would enable many others to defeat fate when the bell is about to toll for them. What say you?
The Stude that went down looked a little something like this

Musings of an Older Vet

2014-11-11T16:33:00.002-08:00

What is this? French Toast of course. But there is a little more to it than that. For one thing, I haven't had this for a long time. And another thing - it is free. It is Veteran's day and I am at the Village Inn. Don't know whether I actually need it - or deserve it ... but they are offering.

For 30 years I didn't partake of free meals or much of anything military. Never thought much about what it meant or anything. We just couldn't wait to get out. Myself, I had a Hot Rod waiting to be built up. That was my thing - nothing more. It was a different time then. I spent my time on a ship that was in the Phillipines when Saigon fell. It doesn't matter. No matter where we were or what we did we just wanted the hell out and don't look back. We were not well liked where we were. Grow our hair long and don't say a thing about who or what. Back in the World (the U.S.) there was a safe place waiting for us. I don't believe that now.

It is a long winding road to where I am now. But actually I haven't gone far. I found myself with a Group of Vets over at PCC the other day. They have formed this Veterans Write group. I was there to film them. The question was posed - what have I written? I had to think. Here I am some kind of a writer - but it seems I had never written anything. Seemed strange. Well, there is a little something out there, somewhere. Then there is this.

Obviously I would rather write about Hot Rods. Perhaps some things never change. But it is funny that I think a lot more about that service nowadays - than then. I think the larger reason is the life saving debt of gratitude I owe to the VA - something I never could have seen back then. But that is another story. But I still feel the twinge of guilt when I partake of the free meal. There is a lot of hoopla about Vets returning these days. Deservedly so. But it is a different world now - not like what ours was. Ours is faded off into history. I left all my shipmate buddies behind back then. Like we were going to write letters or something ... I mean really? But I wonder about them these days ... such a hurry to get back to the World - I leave all my best buddies behind.

Coffee was a bit interesting to say the least.The first two things the server brought were the pot on the left and the carafe on the right. I thought it was the creme so I poured it in there ... it was the syrup. Hehe, is all good.

Well, later on there is a free dinner waiting for me. I will choose which place to go to and set there alone and savor that meal and think about all of that. Will I write some more, like some things I've written before? Will I write the things most people don't want to hear - the most important things? Don't know. I wonder what's on the menu?

A little something I worked on to help Vets get their education they so deserve.

Camaros of SEMA 2014

2013-11-16T18:38:00.001-08:00

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I have assembled a few Camaro Pics for all you Camaro buffs. Below you can view our Portland Street Racing page, a glimpse into the past racing, cruising and good times since passed.

compliments of On All Cylinders

See the vids we are archiving of the badd ass cars in our area #BaddAzzPortlandCarz

Just type it in to your browser

This one competed in the Optima Shootout event

This one won the recent Hot Rod Magazine shootout event. Towing a trailer for thousands of miles and Unleashing a string of 6 sec. ETs

Had to give a little street cred to the other F-Body

2014 COPO Camaro

Street Racing in and around Portland, OR.- Hot Cars Show & Wild Thing & WOM Girls

2013-10-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

Street Racing in and around Portland, OR.

Here is my 30 sec. Intro Vid

It is now the 30th. Anniversary of the
Portland Hot Cars Show

I have digitized a number of pics and materials in hopes that there will remain some record of what once was, after I am gone. Here was the inside of the brochure.

One page of the show program was devoted to my Chevy Vega, The Avenger

A number of the show cars that were in the Program

The band, Sequel played during the show and during a special party Saturday night in the adjoining Exhibit Hall where my crew and myself pulled off a horsepower event at midnight the likes of which I have never heard of being done in any other car show before or after.

Pics & Stories can be found in my Facebook Album here: https://www.facebook.com/chuck.fasst/media_set?set=a.10201974965885347.1073741843.1521240865&type=1

2013: It is now the 25th. Anniversary for the Pro Street '68 Firebird, Wild Thing. This pic is adorned with Women of Motorsports model, Sally Ann. There will be many more stories and pics posted of this machine. A good shot of the meats. Those tires were wiiide for their day!

Here is a pic of some on the wild and crazy, only one in existence, handiwork that was done to the heads and intake. The lower, stock exhaust ports were welded closed. New ones were opened up straight out of the sides of the heads. I think they were 2 1/2" round tubes were welded in. The hedder primary pipes slid over those tubes. Great big stainless intake valves and radically opened intake parts contributed to the increased flow. I ran a big roller cam in it. The dual quad intake was made from 2 BBC Edelbrock tunnel rams cut apart and modified to fit those modified Pontiac heads only.

I need to find better photos of the engine:

This link is a pic of some of the parts that went into the engine. Pontiac afficianodos might spot the SD rod. They were the shit back in those days. I think we may have teardropped the mains that I am pointing to. We had to make do with the factory, cast, nodular iron cranks back in those days.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200880772531197&set=a.1080086011982.2012500.1521240865&type=3&theater

Here is a good shot of it with a model. Can anyone remember her name?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200326046983405&set=a.3876055389469.2130282.1521240865&type=3&theater

More Models: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3876074989959&set=a.3876055389469.2130282.1521240865&type=3&theater

More Models: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3876075029960&set=a.3876055389469.2130282.1521240865&type=3&theater

The Bud Girls: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3876074909957&set=a.3876055389469.2130282.1521240865&type=3&theater

This was a '68 Chev Camaro 396 SS I owned for awhile during the '80s when street racing was still going strong in Portland, OR. This was one of many cars I picked up, fixed up and modified to sell in order to fund my racing. This car saw plenty of cruising and high speed runs. Can't remember how much I raced it. This SS was a stripper version I grabbed from some dudes who lost interest in fixing it. Price $800. Had to replace a flat cam. It was a bitch to do. Had to prod all manner of contrivances down the cam line to force each lifter out, as they were all mushroomed. I had to add the very exclusve console and gauge package - a lot of wiring! Had to find SS Wheels and center caps and trim rings. Then Jeff and myself painted it, I believe and then we measured up and laid down the SS stipes. This thing would really haul on the freeway. I recall trading it off for a couple other F Bodys to a dealer. And that led to a bunch of other trades down the line.

I am wondering if this might be thhe same SS down at Woodburn Dragstrip before we painted it. Dunno for sure. Looks like it is laying down some pretty heavy smoke! :-) There is a ton more pics and stories to come. I have been a pretty restless dude most of my life.

If this is the Vega I think it is -it probably also fell victim to one of my cars in a street race. Probably my Black Firebird called, "Nightwing." The white Chevelle in the background looks like Scott's Oregon Home Blown before it became that. The banner in the upper corner indicates that this a car club display in one of the Car Shows from back in the day. Street Magic of Portland, Inc. Street Magic has been around for about 33 years I think. Scott was a founding member and so am I.

I don't think I raced this front engined Corvair. If I had - it might have been one of those I would want to forget. Let's see if somebody tags Dave's car. This whole car has everything needed (yes it is still here) in it to get the job done including a built to the balls, small block roller motor burning alcohol. Hey guys - if you know people being indicated here. Drop a comment and SHARE it to their timeline or at least LIKE it. All it takes is a few button pushes.

Here is the Paja Camaro a modern day Street Racer. A member of the Pacific Street Car Association, it sees track only and is damn fast. Down in the 6s I think.

This is the Avenger circa '83. Maybe '84. Looks like Predator carbs on it. This would have been at the Car Craft Street Machine Nats down in Sacto. There are tons of stories that go with those runs.

Here we are working with the Predator Carb guys, replacing the Holley 660s.

Here it is backed into the Motel where we stayed. There were Hot Cars all OVER that town.

Why would cops want to pull over my Vega???

Actually this shot was from the Team C Nats up in Olympia or somewhere. Now I am not exactly sure where this was. I have another pic of a hellacious burnout. Hopefullyu, I will find it. I see a couple of guys I haven't seen in a long time. One of them is no longer with us. And the cops. They were just ogling the Vega. It happened a lot. I never got in any trouble with that Vega. At least not with the cops.

The Cruising down there was just off the hook.

Here we have the Popular Hotrodding camera crew working on a feature. They did a full color centerspread in their mag. This was one of the premier Pro Street cars around in its day before all the crazy money came in and then the movement faded away. I will say this - they made good use of that ladder for their centerspread. It was an awesome job.

Yep this would be '83. The first year to bring it down. It wasn't even finished and we draped extension cords and power tools down from our Motel rooms and worked away on the tinwork and such into the night. And yes that is blood on the door. That is my blood shortly before I was off to the hospital. Yep - there is another story there alright!

I'll call this a two-fer Tuesday: I was looking for a shot of Rat Fever and found this one of two of my Hot Rods! I believe this was at the old DEQ Sta. on Killingsworth where I worked. On Weds I towed the Camaro down with the Firebird and ...left straight away after work for the track. I lived for those Wednesdays.

Note the wheel flares on the the back of the Camaro. It was an old NHRA Gasser with a straight axle and VW spindles up front. I dropped a built LS-6 454 into it and put it into the 10s. Back when 10s really meant something. Actually, I can go down to PIR nowadays - 35 years later and there are still darn few 10 second Doorslammers running.

The firebird I was towing it with was "Nightwing" and it would be receiving "mini" tubs into it and run Pro Bracket (low 12s) with a built 434, all Pontiac. Some nights, I ran both cars. It was not always easy to be running one Pro-Bracket car and one Super-Pro car on the same night.

This was my '57 Chevy Shorty, shop truck for my speedshop Performance HQ. With longtime GF, Anita riding shotgun. Driven daily hauling cylinder heads, blocks and what have you. I was also a NOS Refill Dealer. So you can imagine, I had Nitrous on hand at all times :-). I ran a pumped up small block with a Muncie 4 spd. This car did nothing but hook. I had the nitrous switch mounted on my gearshift handle and my bottle was always full :-) It would pull a 2 ft. wheelstand any time anywhere through all gears. Yep those are just T/A Radials! I would drive it straight to the Strip and line right up in the Pro Bracket lane. I didn't have to change a thing.

I'm not sure if this might have been Herbie's V8 Vega Panel from up in Longview Street Fantasies Car Club.

Another Pro Street Vega from up North, adorned by Women of Motorsports models Chena and Michelle.

This was one of the last builds to roll out of my shop. We converted this Pantera to this look and a number of other things. I drove it around alot, put it in some shows and such.

This looks like Gene Scrutton's '32 HiBoy. Probably at the NW Cruise In at PIR back in the 80s. He ran a Big Block and this car could hook. He always ran Drag Slicks. It beat the Avenger in a street race up at Firestone.

This was my first location for my shop, Performance HQ. I had installed Super Chargers on both these Camaros among other things. The one on the R. had been in a movie. I believe the body kit was called the Scorpion. I have heard that the white one is still around. I put in a cam, headers and B&M Blower and a 12 bolt rear. Harold Ketch with Custom Chassis helped with that. Inside I see '64 GTO and '55 Chev "Ratical Rat" both of which I owned at different times. And there are certainly some stories to be told here, too.

This was the 3rd. and final location of my shop, down on Hwy 212 next door to NW Runningboards. I shared space with Harold's shop, Custom Chassis Fab. It was a sweet setup. Here we have a client checking his proofs with Chena and Michelle, two of my models with the Women of Motorsports modeling team. Around '88.

This is probably mid eighties up at the Competition Specialties Trade Show. Ronnie Goms drove this car all over the place. It was a rolling billboard for his Speedshop, "Gotchas" up in Olympia. And there is a street race story to be told here, too.

In honor of the Portland Roadster Show happening right now, I am re-releasing my oldest vid. We thrash to get this FassTruck ready to go for the show. We went the extra mile to make this truck real clean and it paid off with the first place trophy for the Competition cars. It was a bit tough however, knowing that in a couple of months The NASCAR season would begin, along with the new FassTruck Class being introduced at the old Portland Speedway... knowing that it would soon be being all smashed up.

Watch us apply the finishing touches to this build as we race the deadline for the Portland Roadster Show 40th. Anniversary in '96. Thanks to Frank Murray and Friends for original soundtrack: "Roadster 66." Frank and his friends have since gone on to win the nationwide #1 cover band with his Tom Petty Tribute band. He accepted the award on the red carpet down in L.A. earlier this year. They have a big celebration party coming up at the Star Theatre here in Portland in a few months. SHARE this. LIKE this. Leave a comment.

Lost footage and forgotten memories come back to life with this digital remastering of an old, VHS tape. Look closely, you might see yourself. There are a lot of faces in this.

Nowadays, building hotrods is all the rage on cable TV with dozens and dozens of reality shows all over the channels. This here is an original. It pre-dates all of those shows.

We took an old Monte Carlo frame (A-Body?) and built it up to race and powder coated it spotless. We then dropped a '69 Chev pickup truck body shell onto it. We built a way bitchin' 406 small block with tons of yank. We put a lot of work into that engine just like we did on all the rest of the truck. We wanted to make damn sure it would outpull all the other engines out there. And it did.

It was all experimental as this was the first time to build race trucks like this. Back then NASCAR had started the "Super Truck" series and other tracks around the country started up series' of their own.

The combo worked. We ended up kicking ass all over the competition often. And yes, she got all smashed up but she always stayed upright on all 4 wheels and did the job admirably. We took away 2 championships. It is good to win. At the time we were pretty humble about it all but as the years fade away, It's good to keep those memories alive. Indeed, this here is an effort to share a little bit of that. I have found that there are those out there who would like to drag us down, those of us who win. But they never can take those wins from us.

I think the class ran 3 or 4 years before the old Speedway went to dirt and then went down for good. At that time, I think it was the oldest Speedway in the Nation.

Currently there is a renewed effort to build the New Portland Speedway in Troutdale. Many of us are hoping that this noble effort gains traction. There are some great people with great plans involved in this. Feel free to SHARE this.

Coverage of the 2014 Portland Roadster Show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LNx094DUbTM#t=0

Wow just found this on Facebook!

Thought you might like to see a few topless Funny Cars from the 1960s.

Posted by CarStuff on Monday, August 24, 2015

Hot Rod Nights Lays Down a Class Act in Portland, OR.

2012-07-16T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hot Rod Nights Lays Down a Class Act in Portland, OR.

July13, 2012:

Hot Rod Nights was Portland's inaugural celebration of Senate Resolution 452. This resolution, as submitted by SEMA designates the 2nd. Friday of July as the official National Collector Car Appreciation Day, to be celebrated across the Nation by enthusiasts from every State.

The U.S. Senate recognizes the part building, collecting, showing, cruising and racing cars has played in our National Heritage. Indeed this burgeoning movement - ever expanding for one hundred years - has shown the rest of the World what can come from the freedoms that Americans are so privileged to - and have fought so hard - to have.

Portland's celebration was meant to pay homage to all that has come before and what may yet to become. As such, no expense was spared in the Production which took place in the gorgeous Pantheon Ballroom. A top notch performance was provided by The Daddy O's, veteran Rock & Roll performers who hail from the halcyon of Portland's cruising scene. A fine banquet and full bar was provided to all in attendance. The trophies that were awarded were befitting of the stature of this event. They included the huge, Odyssey Trophy - bigger and grander than any of the local, lawn chair cruising brigade has probably seen in a good many years. What else distinguished this trophy is that; in honor of the role women have played in all of this through the years, the women in attendance chose the winner!

The event was meant to pay homage to one point in particular of Senate Resolution 452; "Whereas automobiles have provided the inspiration for music, photography, cinema, fashion and other artistic pursuits that have become part of the popular culture of the United States:"
A hot topic in automotive business circles is the aging of the "Baby Boomer Generation" and corresponding decline of the Detroit based hot rodding era as we have known it. Be that as it may, the basic premise of Hot Rod Nights refuses to acknowledge that theory. All of us from this era fully recognize the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into the building of this whole industry not to mention every single cool car still out there. There was a time when those like us were looked down upon with much derision. Indeed that mind set remains in many. Thus the SEMA SAN and the hundred or so Legislative Bills they are gearing up to specifically fight across the Nation this year.

So, it is nice to have the U.S. Senate proclaiming a holiday just for us! Hot Rod Nights pays homage to a time when Rock & Roll was king, passion was strong, men were young and fast, women were fast, their hot rods were daring and fast and they would never grow old. Time does go on however, and a younger generation is taking over - like it or not. The premise of Hot Rod Nights is meant to show them how we once contributed to the above mentioned "...artistic pursuits..." before we - and what we stood for - fades into hot rodding history. So, lets just try a little harder and Let The Good Times Roll.

nuff said ...

Thanks go out to those who showed up and participated in this inaugural event. Special thanks as well to those who assisted in getting everyone into the Pantheon to celebrate our holiday. Here are the winners:

Copper Penny's Choice: Angel Mena 1970 Olds Cutlass

Classic Trophy's Choice: Eric Boulton 1969 Mach 1 Mustang

Cinema Classic's Choice: Becky Grunest 1972 Chevy Nova

Gearhead's Choice: Larry Fast 1964 Chevy Nova SS

Ladies Choice: "The Odyssey": Daniel Cook 1940 Packard 110 Coupe

So it is done. Next year we dispense with the class and get down in the grass. We'll be dancin' in the streets and cruisin' to the beats - or we'll be dead.

Thanx to: Sakis & Johnny, Tammy, Bob & Sue, Ted & Kim, Don, Allen, Dianna D. and Chuck, Coors Lite and of course, The Daddy O's, SEMA and a few others :-)

... and a million other car guys and gals who got us to here :-)

What is a Gear Head?

2012-06-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

National Collector Car Appreciation Day July 13, 2012
As I am out there in the hot rodding community promoting the Portland event, Hotrod Nights the most curiosity I find is - about this holiday. Many car guys and gals have never heard of it. This is actually a result of Senate resolution 452 as submitted by SEMA. SEMA is the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association. Most people in the motorsports community recognize SEMA for the gigantic tradeshow they put on every fall in Las Vegas. It encompasses the largest gathering of motorsports aftermarket manufacturing companies and special interest cars anywhere in the nation. It is one of the largest tradeshows of any kind. You have to walk miles and miles to get through all of their aisle ways. Believe me I know I have been to a number of them. There are thousands of booths and many hundreds of newly built hotrod cars and trucks and all manner of wheeled mayhem.

This holiday comes as a result of their legislative arm, SEMA SAN. They are involved in proposed legislation throughout our nation. For instance there are over 1000 various different bills being introduced in various different municipalities throughout the country this year. SEMA will become directly involved with hundreds of these as the year goes by. It also might be surprising for many to know that SEMA is involved with a large number of legislators all across the nation who are sympathetic with the causes of the automotive hobbyist and the motorsports industry. Legislation is constantly being introduced that would limit or remove our ability to collect and build our cars as well as participate in many forms of motorsports. What most people do not know is this sort of thing is happening In Every State of the Union. SEMA SAN has been fighting this for years. In addition they are responsible for many bills that have been passed in favor of hot rodding, enabling owners to license register and title their vehicles for limited use. In this way they are often able to build their cars with older parts and replicated parts and not be required to participate in many of the emissions laws.

SEMA has been very influential in fighting many of the Scrapper Laws. These involve the scrapping of older cars within a certain age group. In many cases, these laws have been responsible for removing many older cars and their parts from their collectible place in history. SEMA has worked with many local car clubs and organizations as they have continued the good fight nationwide. So, to me this national holiday proposal is as much a celebration of SEMA and their efforts as it is for all the rest of us who are and have been involved in the car world for the last 100 years.

You can navigate to the event website: www.FaSStAction.com to not only get all of the updated info on this upcoming Oregon event but also scroll down for info on this holiday and the part SEMA plays in all of this. From there, you can click onto their listing of all the celebrations scheduled to take place across the country.

So, what would be some of the reasons why a national holiday would be proposed for the likes of us? Let me mention a few and then you, out there, fill in the rest. 100 years ago the mass production of automobiles made our nation mobile. This led to the building of an infrastructure of highways that connected us from coast-to-coast. This then exacerbated the liberties and freedoms for which this country has become so well known. This came about as a result of the sweat and toil of production workers who created these as well as the mechanics who have kept them on the road. I might add that every single vehicle that was produced back then and has survived through the ages is most assuredly, now a collector vehicle, even though back then it may have been considered as only basic transportation. And let’s consider this – there are any number of vehicles currently being produced in Detroit that are being driven on a daily basis but are going to become highly collectible in the coming years.

So in this vein, I might add that there are many different kinds of vehicles out there that have been built and are being produced that have inherent collectibility. Now I have said this before, even when you go out to the local drag races you will see all kinds and shapes of vehicles from previous eras that have become quite rare. You will find all kinds of muscle cars from the 60s, street rods from the 30s and even Chevy Vegas and Ford Pintos. Granted, many of these cars have been turned into monsters but they are definitely living on through the years and will continue to be cherished. So whether a vehicle is being painstakingly restored with every last nut and bolt being replaced as an original item or whether it is a highly modified semblance to what it once was, the collectibility is most certainly there.

So, we have said that it was the invention and mass production of these wheeled vehicles that enhanced the fierce independence of what our country stands for and moved us ahead in our ability to be mobile. All of this would soon be tested in a World War. Our ingenuity would be severely tested as we not only built armored vehicles of land and sea but extended that into the air with vehicles that would roll along and then take flight. These vehicles would fly across oceans and engage enemies in faraway places. Our mettle would be tested further when a Great Depression turned vast swaths of our nation into a withered wasteland. Again our mobility moved large portions of humanity into areas of the country where survival would be possible. Indeed, our resilience would be further tested by another great war the likes of which had never been known before.

During this Second World War, we would be called upon to build vehicles like never before. All of the Detroit manufacturing factories would be retooled to build nothing but the tools of war. The factories would completely halt the building of all civilian cars and trucks. The nation would make do with what we had. The gasoline that the population needed to keep their vehicles running would be rationed and many of the nation would find themselves back on their feet walking along the dusty roads. Indeed most of the men and women of the United States would be bound to build the machines of war at a phenomenal pace. When it was all said and done our Industrial nation was up to the task. We did what we had to do and won World War II. Once again we were able to keep the world safe from some pretty dire enemies.

Most of us know what transpired once the GIs returned home from war. The factories of Detroit returned to building cars and trucks. From this, proceeded an Industrial explosion. Vehicles of all kinds were soon modified to feed the competitive spirits of these returning warriors. This was the birth of the United States Hot Rod, as it were. This spawned a motorsports Industry that has been un-equaled. Other countries have only been able to emulate the magnitude of what we have done. Indeed there are many, many countries that have caught the fever of our Hot Rodding fervor. Indeed, I am sure many of our citizens have no clue as to the magnitude of our influence. Some may disagree, but I feel that it is this very competitive spirit and innovation that goes into all of this that has forestalled many potential conflicts out in the World that could have taken place. These things channel mankind’s aggression away from a darker place.

So, here we have a little kernel of the history of Hot Rodding in the US, just a nuance of a vast framework, that might lead towards a declaration of a national holiday. This leads me to the original question that came from a response to our “Event Facebook Page“ , what is a gearhead? Well, my short answer is, all of the above and much more.

Gearheads, Fill in the blanks please.

###

The question was posed in Facebook - "What is a Gear Head."

2012-06-25T13:39:00.000-07:00

The question was posed in Facebook - "What is a #GearHead."

That led me to go ahead and get started on my "Hot Rod Nights" blog. This upcoming event is a celebration of our National Holiday by Senate Resolution 452. SEMA has spearheaded this effort and has been pushing on getting "National Collector Car Appreciation Day" ratified for three years.

So this gives all of us who have involvement in the entire motorsports industry - as well as everyone who is a fan of any and all we do,and have done - an opportunity to throw a party and simply celebrate ourselves. What a concept, eh?

No doubt some may wonder just why the U.S. Senate would even consider naming a National Holiday for our kind. And this is what would bear some further investigation. So let me get the ball rolling on this. Lets get into the subjects of Gear Heads, Motorsports, special cars and some of what has gone into all of this for the past 100 years.

So I will get this started and will be expecting others to chime in with their take on what has made all of this important to our Nation down through the years:

Hot Rod Nights

We Never Know When The Bell Tolls: 43 Year Old Mystery Solved

Enjoy this page then Pleez navigate to the new HOME PAGE

Click Here: Gearheads World

Musings of an Older Vet

What is this? French Toast of course. But there is a little more to it than that. For one thing, I haven't had this for a long time. And another thing - it is free. It is Veteran's day and I am at the Village Inn. Don't know whether I actually need it - or deserve it ... but they are offering.

Camaros of SEMA 2014

Please navigate to the new HOME PAGE

Click Here: Gearheads World

I have assembled a few Camaro Pics for all you Camaro buffs. Below you can view our Portland Street Racing page, a glimpse into the past racing, cruising and good times since passed.

Street Racing in and around Portland, OR.- Hot Cars Show & Wild Thing & WOM Girls

Street Racing in and around Portland, OR.

Here is my 30 sec. Intro Vid

It is now the 30th. Anniversary of the
Portland Hot Cars Show

I have digitized a number of pics and materials in hopes that there will remain some record of what once was, after I am gone. Here was the inside of the brochure.

One page of the show program was devoted to my Chevy Vega, The Avenger

A number of the show cars that were in the Program

Pics & Stories can be found in my Facebook Album here: https://www.facebook.com/chuck.fasst/media_set?set=a.10201974965885347.1073741843.1521240865&type=1

2013: It is now the 25th. Anniversary for the Pro Street '68 Firebird, Wild Thing. This pic is adorned with Women of Motorsports model, Sally Ann. There will be many more stories and pics posted of this machine. A good shot of the meats. Those tires were wiiide for their day!

Coverage of the 2014 Portland Roadster Show

Wow just found this on Facebook!

Hot Rod Nights Lays Down a Class Act in Portland, OR.

Hot Rod Nights Lays Down a Class Act in Portland, OR.

What is a Gear Head?

The question was posed in Facebook - "What is a Gear Head."

The question was posed in Facebook - "What is a #GearHead."

We dig a little deeper into the #GearHeadWorld here:

Here is another question: What is a Veteran? I delve into that here:

Hot Rod Nights

We Never Know When The Bell Tolls: 43 Year Old Mystery Solved

Enjoy this page then Pleez navigate to the new HOME PAGE

Click Here: Gearheads World

Musings of an Older Vet

What is this? French Toast of course. But there is a little more to it than that. For one thing, I haven't had this for a long time. And another thing - it is free. It is Veteran's day and I am at the Village Inn. Don't know whether I actually need it - or deserve it ... but they are offering.

Camaros of SEMA 2014

Please navigate to the new HOME PAGE

Click Here: Gearheads World

I have assembled a few Camaro Pics for all you Camaro buffs. Below you can view our Portland Street Racing page, a glimpse into the past racing, cruising and good times since passed.

Street Racing in and around Portland, OR.- Hot Cars Show & Wild Thing & WOM Girls

Street Racing in and around Portland, OR.

Here is my 30 sec. Intro Vid

It is now the 30th. Anniversary of the Portland Hot Cars Show

I have digitized a number of pics and materials in hopes that there will remain some record of what once was, after I am gone. Here was the inside of the brochure.

One page of the show program was devoted to my Chevy Vega, The Avenger

A number of the show cars that were in the Program

Pics & Stories can be found in my Facebook Album here: https://www.facebook.com/chuck.fasst/media_set?set=a.10201974965885347.1073741843.1521240865&type=1

2013: It is now the 25th. Anniversary for the Pro Street '68 Firebird, Wild Thing. This pic is adorned with Women of Motorsports model, Sally Ann. There will be many more stories and pics posted of this machine. A good shot of the meats. Those tires were wiiide for their day!

Coverage of the 2014 Portland Roadster Show

Wow just found this on Facebook!

Hot Rod Nights Lays Down a Class Act in Portland, OR.

Hot Rod Nights Lays Down a Class Act in Portland, OR.

What is a Gear Head?

The question was posed in Facebook - "What is a Gear Head."

The question was posed in Facebook - "What is a #GearHead."

We dig a little deeper into the #GearHeadWorld here:

Here is another question: What is a Veteran? I delve into that here:

It is now the 30th. Anniversary of the
Portland Hot Cars Show