August 27, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, August 27, 2004

Street rods, customs, classics

Pleasanton becomes hotrod central this weekend as car enthusiasts pour into town for the GoodGuys West Coast Nationals at the Fairgrounds. More than 3,500 hot rods, customs and classics from 1954 and earlier will be on display today through Sunday, Aug. 29.

Gary Meadors founded the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association in 1983, which opened its new headquarters recently on Serpentine Lane in Pleasanton, to produce auto enthusiast events. Its 22 shows are staged in 18 cities and in 14 states across the country.

Meadors grew up in the Central Valley town of Dinuba in the heyday of hotrodding. He and Marilyn, his wife of 42 years, have channeled their passion for street rods into the nation's premier hot rod association.

Meadors said he had no idea his interest in hotrods could turn into such a large industry.

"I was trying to get through life and have the most fun doing it," he said earlier this week on his cell phone while catching a plane in Des Moines to return to Pleasanton. "I have the best job in America, no doubt about it."

His sons Marty and Marc were raised traveling to Street Rod events and Marc is Goodguys' senior vice president. Thirty-two fulltime staff members work in the Pleasanton office to stage the events and produce the monthly Goodguys Goodtimes Gazette, with a circulation of 66,000. Meadors' twin grandchildren are now spending much of their time at hot rod events, too.

Meadors held the first West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton in 1987, but he had staged a smaller Goodguys Get-together in 1983.

"At that point there were a couple hundred cars," he recalled. "We've grown from there to where we have four events in Pleasanton."

The season kicks off in March with all makes and models; June is a "typical summertime" show; August is the big event, with hotrod and custom cars from 1954 and earlier; and November is the season finale before aficionados prepare their classic cars for the winter, said Meadors.

"August is the one to go to," he said. "Cars come from every state in the union and Canada."

This year a 1936 Ford Coupe being restored for Kirk Hammett of Metallica will be on display. The full-custom three-window coupe sports a high-performance Ford Motorsports 302 engine, a TCI transmission, specialty tires, and a massive sound system fit for a heavy metal star.

Also America's Most Beautiful Street Rod will be selected - an award to recognize the most outstanding pre-1949 street rod. The final five contestants will be on display Saturday, and the judges will announce the selection that evening at the entertainment stage.

The weekend will also feature Make-n-Take model building sessions for the whole family, and model, pedal, toy, miniature race car and scooter displays. There will be an Arts and Crafts Festival and a special Kid's Play Area.

"We've been doing that - Arts and Crafts - since the inception, as well as kids things, a jump house and clowns painting faces," said Meadors. "The whole idea is to build an event, so families become interested in cars and experience the real world, rather than kids staying in their bedroom behind a computer." -Dolores Fox Ciardelli

Hotrods & more

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