Some of the best times happen when they are least expected.  Take a bunch of good friends (and their families), some cool rides, add in some good food and some scenic stops along the way ... and it makes for one great day.

This was another informal Sunday cruise which began by meeting at a local shopping center where there was a Starbucks nearby (mandatory).  We cruised up the great Highway along Ocean Beach past the Cliff House and ended up at Seal Rock Restaurant which is owned by another car enthusiast (Andy Psarras) who puts on the Benefit By The Bay Car Show  (click here for more show info).  I think we were all in agreement that Andy puts on a really good breakfast there.

We left Seal Rock and proceeded across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands in order to stop at one of the most picturesque views of San Francisco and the SF Bay ... from the look out at Battery Townsley (where at one moment in time housed two 16-inch caliber guns at the mouth of the bay in order to protect it from possible enemy invasion).  We had an exceptionally clear day and enjoyed being able to see for many miles in different directions.  

After hiking back down to the cars, we took the back roads into Sausalito and made an almost mandatory stop (like Starbucks in the morning) at Lambert's Ice Cream.  We luckily all found parking on the main drag and spent another hour or so enjoying some VERY tasty ice cream and bench racing before we made our way back over the bridge back towards our corner of the Bay Area.  Another super fun casual Sunday cruise!
You can see additional pics of the cruise by clicking here and then scrolling down to the Breakfast Cruise pics.

The 46th Annual Sacramento Autorama recently took place at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds.  It has been many years since I have been to Cal Expo.  Although it has changed dramatically, the layout still had a good feel to it.  The show had a near perfect mix of toys for everyone.  The organizers did a wonderful job getting a very nice selection of vehicles to appear (not only rods, customs, muscle cars but bicycles as well and some pretty crazy high-powered boats to boot).

I consider it a midsize show that rivals other larger shows in the state.  Besides the usual high dollar stuff displayed inside, there was a large number of super nice machinery displayed outside.  We got just as many ideas from the cars outside than we did inside.  Also a very nice treat, was a huge building for all of the local car clubs to display their rides.  This is always a great idea by show promoters so that "Average Joes" like ourselves can participate and show off our rides in an event like the Autorama.

As mentioned above, the layout for the Autorama was great.  It's not so flat and one dimensional like other shows (which sometimes gets monotonous).  There were multi-level buildings with stairs taking you up one side to the second levels and dropping you back down on another side of the building.  You are criss-crossing between bldgs and popping out into new areas with other cool machines to ogle.  The display buildings stretched from one end of the fairgrounds to the other which allowed us to get some fresh air while stretching our legs.  Of course, as soon as we got in the gate we buzzed right over to the tool guy/corral with some tool needs we had coming up for our club's monthly "All Hands on Deck" days (our monthly endeavor to help members out with their projects).  After that, it was a free for all ... checking out cars, vendors & a quick visit to the Cruisin' News booth to say howdy to John and the boys.  On the way out, we were treated to a little exhaust firestorm ... check out the pics.  ;)  

We met up with a few of our fellow IGNITERS and snapped a few pics here and there.  You can see additional pics of our day at the Autorama by clicking here and then scrolling down to the Autorama pics.  

On November 27th, the IGNITERS joined the Pedal Pushers for what we thought would be a casual Sunday drive.  What it turned out to be was more of an endurance run ... at least for us.  180 or so miles and 6 hours later, we pushed our big Detroit metal to the limits with a group that were definitely more set up for ralley driving.  Matter of fact, out of 60 or so cars (consisting mainly of vintage European marques: Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, etc.), there were only 3 other domestics besides our group.  My favorite car on the drive was a white '60's Rolls Royce (think Grey Poupon here).  It was way cool but seemed a little out of place which led me to feel as though somehow, we were kindered spirits.  ;)

The meeting location for the drive was at Merrit College in Oakland.  We arrived a little ahead of schedule and had time to watch others roll in.  Maps and directions were handed out once we checked in.  After we saw where the first gas station stop was on the map, we decided to go top off our tanks down the street from the college.  We let a couple of people know we were going to gas up and be right back.  As we rolled out. one of the vintage Porsche drivers yelled out, "Hey, did you guys burn up your gas idling in the parking lot ... tee hee hee."  I'll get back to this gent in a minute.

The first leg of the drive was on the winding Skyline trails in the hills of Oakland.  We probably made the mistake of being one of the first participants to leave after the driver's meeting.  Once on the one lane (but two way) winding roads, we found that we had a large grouping of cars behind us that wanted to burn up the curves.  It wasn't until a while later that we were able to let them pass.  For such large (sometimes clumsy cars), we did pretty well.  We figured we would make up time on the straights ways.

We ran through several driving scenarios and weather conditions during the day (wet windy roads in the morning, foggy backroads and then warm & sunny sweeping canyon roads in the afternoon).  We all stopped at a little mom & pop lunch place in the boonies.  If you didn't know it was there, you could easily pass it.  This stop along with the gas stops were more than welcomed by several of us due to suffering from SB (SoreButtitis) and we needed to get out of the cars and stretch.

There were several breakdowns/casualties during the day.  One of them happened to one of the IGNITERS but was temporarily mended (via a crafty roadside repair) to the point where we could all continue on.  One of the others had something to do with the vintage Porsche mentioned above.  On one of the early legs before the first gas station stop, we saw the Porsche on the side of the road with the driver giving the universal thumbs down (meaning: assistance needed).  We were the first ones to stop, someone had run out of gas.  Low & behold, it was our friend who had ribbed us about filling our tanks before we left.  We didn't have any fuel containers with us (since filling up before beginning gave us plenty of range).  One of the members did offer to siphon fuel from his tank but the Porsche owner declined.  All worked out when someone pulled up with a small jug of fuel.

A big thanks to the Pedal Pushers for such a wonderful well-planned drive.  There's nothing like getting out and driving the cars.  One thing though.  On behalf of the domestic minority, may we request just a few more straight-aways (just so we can have a chance of keeping up)?  ;)  Click here to see more pics in the IGNITERS Photo Gallery.

Another VERY fun evening of racing & spectating has come and gone (as is the Wednesday Nite Drag Series) for the year.  On this particular evening, the classic domestics thoroughly outnumbered the newer domestics and the imports.  Keep in mind, there's nothing wrong with the latter, we just personally like to see vintage heavy metal out there.  It just looks/feels right.  

It was nice to see all of the IGNITERS helping each other prep the cars before and during the runs (including switching the cars over to slicks, timing and carb adjustments..  As they say, "More hands make lighter work" and the goal was to get on the track and run as well as possible.  The weather & temperature seemed perfect for running faster than usual but the top end of the track wreaked a little havoc on some of the car's times.

There were several match-ups between club members (of course, we had to do a little rearranging of cars in line as they came up to the tower).  Some members ran faster than our last outing due to new equipment installed while others realized they needed a little more tweaking.  Rick (in his '69 Nova) clicked off a 11.2 second pass on his first prelim run which put the Nova on the sidelines for the rest of the night due to regulations re: the need for a roll bar/cage.  I don't think Rick cared though.  He just wanted to whomp on the Corvette he was running against.

We all ended the night by stopping at a very good Mexican restaurant right off of 101 (relatively near to the track).  Of course, we talked about the ins & outs of the evening and made plans for a run up to Sacramento Raceway on a Saturday and next year's drag series at Sears Point.  It looks like several of us will be thrashing to get a few more cars completed for next season.  Man oh man ... we can't wait!   Click here to see more pics in the IGNITERS Photo Gallery.

We were invited by Steve Gauthier of "Classics by Steve" (a classic vehicle restoration/repair shop in Emeryville) to a monthly cruise-in that he had recently begun sponsoring at the Kwik Way Drive-In in Oakland.  It was with a tad bit of apprehension that we agreed to go (mainly due to years of watching the nightly news and the questionable events that seemed to always stem from the "O-town" area.  Well ... in a nutshell, the day turned out to be a memorable one.  Read on.

Once we arrived at Kwik Way and settled in, we really had a chance to really get a feel for the area.  It had completely transformed since the last time I had been there ... many years ago.  Before I get ahead of myself, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the quality of the cars that were there. Granted, many of them were customer cars built at "Classics by Steve" and were beautiful examples of the kind of work they do there.  Others were locals that heard about the cruise-in and were just thankful that they had a place to gather with other car enthusiasts while showing off their cars.

As for the Kwik Way Drive-In, again, I had a vision of parking at and eating at a "greasy spoon".  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The current owner took an old "greasy spoon", renovated it and updated the menu with some very tasty faire.  Although, the Drive-In still retains its charm & nostalgic appearance (and still serves traditional diner-type food w/a twist), the expanded menu is more like that of an upscale deli.  I like to eat and I like to eat good food and Kwik Way did not disappoint.

Some other great features about the cruise-in is that it has tons of built-in foot & drive-by traffic.  As we all know (but may not want to admit), we car folks are egomaniacs when it comes to our cars.  We love to have tons of people ogle and compliment our rides.  With the year round farmer's market right across the street, there was a constant flow of spectators who had a chance to enjoy looking at our classic sheetmetal.  With the market being so conveniently located, we also had a chance to do a little shopping and enjoyed several of the vendors that we don't usually have access to at the markets we attend.  

Also, although not absolutely PC, I have to admit that we walked next door (ours cars literally separated by a fence) to this really cool pub.  No, we didn't go crazy but enjoyed a couple of pints on a beautiful sunny day in Oakland.  It was during our second pint visit to the pub when someone walked in and said, "The cops are closing down the street."  Before we could ask why, he mentioned that the "Occupy Oakland" group was marching down the street.  Without skipping a beat, we flew outside to: 1) make sure that the cars were ok & 2) to  get some pics.  All in all, it was a harmless march with several hundred protesters attempting to get their message out.  Granted, since then, it has grown to somewhat epic proportions.

When it (the cruise-in) was all said and done, we realized that we had a day full of cars, friends, people-watching and good food.  It looks like "Classics by Steve & Kwik Way" will be having a final cruise-in for the 2011 season on Saturday, November 26th before kicking off the 2012 cruise-in season sometime in early Spring.  You can check for updates by visiting them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Classics-By-Steve/148763298522041

To see more pics of our day at Kwik Way, click here.  I am also including a video that was posted on "Classics by Steve's" Facebook site.  It's actually very cool.  Click here to see that video: http://vimeo.com/31399285

Thanks to Steve & the crew and Kwik Way for a great outing.

After 23 years, what is there to be said about Jimmy's Old Car Picnic that hasn't been said all ready?  Well for one thing, the IGNITERS had their big end of the year get together there and what a get together it was.  With a string of club cars in attendance, a head count of nearly 40, 500 sq ft of tent space & enough food for a small army, the club put on quite the showing.  Since we had so many people sitting around (many of them eating), we were asked throughout the day if we were a restaurant serving food and if so, could they buy some.  Hmmmm ... the IGNITER DINER.  I like the sound of it.

Although the show was a little lighter attendance-wise than previous years, as a whole, it was fantastic as usual.  I have no idea what the car count was that day but I would guesstimate 700-800.  And let me tell you, it never ceases to amaze me the mixture of vehicles (not to mention the eclectic mixture of vehicle owners) out there.  Everything from mild to wild, kustoms, rods, muscle cars, low riders, sports cars, trucks, emergency & military vehicles were represented.  Although VERY different, they all had one common bond ... their owners love'em and thought their rides were the "bee's knees".  That's right, I said the "bee's knees" and I'll even throw in the "snake's hips" and a "twenty-three skidoo" to boot.  Sorry, I'm going through a 1920's phase right now.  ;)

Jimmy's Picnic is made up of a ton of individuals and car clubs and misc organizations all hell bent on having a good time.  And by the looks of it ... mission accomplished.  We saw old friends and made some new ones along the way.  This is what the hobby is all about and what helps to perpetuate it.  Our thanks to Jimmy, Jamie & the rest of the crew for keeping this event alive.  You can also click here to see additional pics in the IGNITERS Photo Gallery.

Ford Motor Co. will soon sell brand-new 1965 Ford Mustangs for just $15,000 each. The only hitch: There's some assembly required.

As part of its Ford Reproduction business, Ford revealed today it had approved a new stamping of the steel bodies for first-generation Mustang that buyers could then build into their own 1964 1/2 through 1966 Mustang, using whatever engine, axles, interior and other parts they can find on their own.

The first-generation Mustangs rank as America's most-restored vehicle, and the cottage industry of reproduction parts has grown to where it's possible to build a Mustang just as it would have appeared on the showroom floor in the mid-1960s, down to the pushbutton AM/FM radio.

Ford says the new body shell built by California-based Dynacorn has been improved only slightly with modern welding techniques and rustproofing, and comes out of the crate nearly ready for paint and assembly. The company already offers metal bodies for Mustangs from 1967 through 1970, and has been in talks with Ford to remake the original body of the Ford Bronco. There's still life in those old horses yet.

September 24th was one busy day for the IGNITERS with two events planned that day (also see the Horrall Show below).  The evening event found us hanging with the gals from the Hell's Belles Car Club (in San Francisco) for their 6th Annual Pine Wood Derby Race & Silent Auction.  

The event was held at a very cool warehouse/art gallery (941 Geary) in the heart of the City.  There was lots of eclectic & edgy artwork to look at and great music pumping throughout the gallery.  It was definitely a different (but unique) place to meet up with other gearheads but then again, we were there to race a little block of pine wood shaped like a spark plug. 

You know ... with all of the usual stuff that goes along with being a car enthusiast and being in a car club (ex. building cars, showing cars, racing cars, perusing swap meets, going to meetings, breaking down, etc.), it was a nice change of pace to be around others into the hobby/culture and the only bench racing going on revolved around wood carving techniques, weight distribution, aerodynamics, and other little speed secrets.  Come to think of it, it does sound very much like our usual bench racing (minus the wood carving techniques).

This was a very long day for some of us (especially after being at the Horrall show earlier that day).  Our club entry "THE IGNITER" was actually being painted at the show and drilled out afterwards to fit the axles/wheels.  Boy, we cut it close.  BTW: A big thanks to Rob for taking on the project.  

Since we picked up our derby kit a week before the race, it was a little rushed but came out looking pretty cool for the first attempt.  Granted, "THE IGNITER " was eliminated in the first round (second race of the evening) but we stayed until the bitter end ... because it was just so much fun.  Little kids (as well as their big kid counterparts) were really into it as they hooted and hollered during each & every race.

Overall, it was a night full of good, clean wholesome fun where again, kids as well as adults had a fantastic time.  We felt even better (if that was at all possible) about the event after we found that 100% of the proceeds were being donated to the Bay Area Women's & Children's Center.  Thanks to Jaime & all of the Belles.  As Arny says, "I'll (We'll) be back!"  You can also click here to see additional pics in the IGNITERS Photo Gallery.

As mentioned above, September 24th was one busy day.  It was one of those double-header event days (as you can see with us spending the evening with the Hell's Bells Car Club (see above).  The first event of the day was the Horrall Hot Rods Show in San Mateo (benefitting Horrall Elementary School).  Now ... taking into consideration this was their first show and also that there are quite a few car shows benefitting schools (and their programs) to choose from, we gave the Horrall show a big thumbs up.  

As you will see in the photo gallery, there were some very nice cars in attendance.  I am going to approximate somewhere in the mid to upper-fifties.  The show began at 9am and ended promptly at 2pm.  I know that besides us, several others appreciated that the show wasn't stretched out any longer (as so many others are).  Hey, we all have honey-do lists that need attention, right? ;)  

Another facet of the show that many liked was that besides the awards being chosen via "People's Choice", several were chosen by the kids at the school. Hence, the "Kid's Picks" awards.  It was interesting to see what vehicles the kids thought were deserving of an award vs the big kid's choices.  The food at the event was very good.  In fact, I probably had one of the better tasting cheeseburgers I have had at any of the shows this year.  Also, being highly touted that day was the Steelhead Root Beer (that was on tap).  I am going to guess that both were so good due to the fact that the event was sponsored/catered by Steelhead Brewery in Burlingame.  

All in all, a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon amongst friends, beautiful cars, good food and nice weather (well, if you don't count the freak wind gust that pulled our staked 10' x 10' canopy out of the grass and sent it topplin' end-over-end breaking some of the aluminum legs and shredding the top).  Actually, the tent belonged to one of our members ... Larry (who once again this car show season walked away with yet another trophy).  I think it helped to slightly ease the loss of his new canopy. 

Again, Larry's mighty (& hefty) 1970 Chrysler 300 Convertible with it's 440 TNT motor came through and won "The Mighty Muscle Award"  If you check out the first two stories below, you will see that the 300 (along with Larry's 1969 Super Bee) are no strangers to the winner's circle this season.  Congratulations once again Larry!  

Lastly, thanks to Domingo & Nichelle Garcia, the Horrall PTA and Horrall Elementary for your hard work in creating such a nice venue.  You can also click here to see additional pics in the IGNITERS Photo Gallery.

On Saturday, September 17th, we were lucky enough to once again participate in one of the most worthwhile events that we (as classic car enthusiasts) could imagine ... a Veteran's Appreciation Run.  The event (called Christmas in September) was sponsored by Dudley-Perkins Harley Davidson in South San Francisco.  On this beautiful September morning, dozens of classic car owners joined 80 or so motorcycle owners for the sole purpose of driving our machines to the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Menlo Park.  There, we spent the morning/afternoon with men & women who have served our country (representing all of the branches of the military and wars ranging from the Korean War to present day).  

Many of our veterans at the Menlo Park facility were wheelchair bound but there was no shortage of car & motorcycle enthusiasts who were more than happy to take them for a spin around the parking lot to see some beautiful machinery and chat them up while also thanking them for their service.  Even with the current state of our country, there are so many things to be thankful for and these men & women played their part in securing the rights and freedoms we all enjoy today.

As the day went on, it was really nice to see so many smiling faces (both vets & drivers).  One of our IGNITERS mascots (Liddy, a 4 1/2 month old Border Collie) was on hand (or should I say "on leash") and let me tell you, the vets loved her and she was very good at paying attention to them.  One of my (and the entire crowd's) favorite parts of the day was being serenaded by one of our Korean War vets who honored us with a rendition of "God Bless America" & "Home on the Range".  Excellent job Eugene! We'll see you in a couple of weeks when we come down to play some music and sing with you. All in all, a wonderful, fulfilling day (especially if you took a few minutes or more to really talk to these folks).  Job well-done to all of our vets and again ... thank you. 

And while we were honoring vets in Veteran's Administration Hospital, there is a number of business around the country that show their appreciation by providing Military discounts to veterans, as well as active duty members of the United States Armed Forces. For instance, Militaty Discount Program at CARiD.com offers 10% discount on thousands of automotive parts, accessories, tools, gadgets, as well as outdoor equipment and home electronics. So don't forget to spread the word about CARiD's military discount among veterans and active duty members you happen to know. You can also click here to see additional pics in the IGNITERS Photo Gallery.

It takes a whole hell of a lot to surprise us these days but a small car show at TGIFridays in San Mateo did just that.  On Saturday (9/10), there was an event held at TGIF to celebrate San Mateo County's 20th Anniversary of the Commission on Disabilities.  We went to the event to share in the celebration and also to support the car show endeavors of its organizer - Scott Sinor.  Besides enjoying this very relaxing day, we went away with a better understanding of the importance behind the Commission (and all of the programs associated with it).

Getting back to the part abut being surprised had to do with the fact that our '71 Dart  won "Best in Class" for the '70 & up vehicles.  How could that be you say?  Well, it's true.  In case you are wondering how it happened, let me tell you one possible recipe for winning an award with a car like ours (and again, it's an all original 92K mile Dart with it's fair share of dings, chips, scratches, etc.).

Recipe to Winning an Award With a Daily Driver:

1. Clean your vehicle ... at least the exterior (including the disposal of all the Starbuck cups built up from the week behind the front seat). 
2. Enter a smaller show with only 3 or 4 cars in your particular class.
3. Bring chairs/tables and strategically place them near the car to hide the worst of all the flaws.
4. Erect tiki bar umbrella next to the car in order to distract people while they fantasize about that tropical vacation that (once again) did not take place this summer.
5. Secure an adorable puppy (or two) to your chairs/tables.  If adorable babies are available, I suggest using them as well (minus the tying them to the chairs/tables part).  That can not only lose you an award but can also lead to a call (or two) to CPS.
6. Lastly, find the "right" target audience.  In my case, it was mainly attendees/voters who continuously commented, "That is so cute", "That puppy is adorable" and "My grandmother/aunt had a car just like that".  That my friends is car show gold to the ears.

Again, we were so caught up in enjoying the day and talking to all of the vendors that we actually forgot to take pics until it was too late.  We stopped by later (after a little dinner), and took a quick pic in front of the TGIF sign.  Thanks again for the wonderful day to TGIF, the County of San Mateo's Disability Commission, the Golden State Rods and Scott Sinor for master-minding the car show.

The IGNITERS monthly weekend cruise found us participating in one of the coolest little cruise-ins in the North Bay.  On the last Sunday of each month (from May to October), the Fourth & Sea Diner (owned by John Wertz & Ann Heatly) hosts a cruise-in that recreates a scene right out of the past.  The diner's atmosphere (especially the parking lot) is a reinCARnation of the old Foster Freeze digs that served many a hot rodder circa 1950-2000.  For us, it was another chance to get out, take a leisurely drive and see some new (old) sheetmetal.  We had a blast and enjoyed talking with other gearheads and some of the locals that were there to check out the cars.  

The Sunday Cruise-In will once again take place on September 25th (with October 30th being the last cruise-in of the season).  Before I forget to mention it (and I almost did), there is one (and only one) coveted award given out at each monthly cruise-in ... the "Sundae Cup".  If your vehicle is chosen (usually by a guest judge), you will receive a gigantic ice cream sundae (with all the toppings) sitting in what to appears to be some sort of vintage chalice-like bowl.  If you are lucky enough to win it, you better have one hell of a sweet tooth or at least several friends to help you polish it off.  I highly suggest taking a spin over to the Fourth & Sea Diner's Sunday Cruise-In on one or both of these dates to check out some fine rides, some super nice folks and experience a relaxing day amongst other classic car/truck enthusiasts.  For more info, go to: www.SundayCruiseIn.com.  Click here to see pics in the IGNITERS Photo Gallery.

Note: Special thanks to new members Bob & DeeDee (who arrived early at the cruise-in) and braved heavy opposition while securing parking so that all of the IGNITERS could park together ... once we all arrived.

The Sea Bowl 2011 Show (sponsored by the LAST ORIGINALS) took place recently - (Saturday: 6/25) and besides a little nippy weather, was a great time.  We are proud to announce that our very own IGNITER members Larry & Karen took home the coveted Sea Bowl "Hottest Muscle Car" Award with their 1969 Dodge Super Bee.  I think the pics below show why.  Congratulations Larry & Karen!

Also, many thanks to the Last Originals for putting on such a wonderful show.  They were helpful and hospitable and all of the IGNITERS really appreciated it.  Everyone, if you couldn't make it, don't you dare miss next year's show.  More pics of our day out at the Sea Bowl Show can be seen in the Photo Gallery.