Antique Nationals May 22, 2022

[Flathead Fever]

The Antique Nationals are this month. This has always been a fun event to check out the flatheads in action. I used to go with my dad when I was kid. That was a big part of my Flathead Ford brain washing I received. I have gone every year now for 47 years. One memory from the first one he took me too at Orange County Raceway is of a roadster with a Halibrand quickchange. It broke the entire section off that holds the change gears on the starting line.

When I was a little kid, I got hot wheels for birthdays and Christmas. Everyone was a Ford; chopped '32 Vicky, Model A Woody, '36 3W Coupe, '29 roadster, Boss 302 Mustang, '68 Mustang fastback... When I was 14 I got a finned Aluminum Flatheads forever clock. I still have all those toys. When I turned 15 he bought me '65 Mustang Fastback for $900.00 Dad's brain washing scheme succeeded. I'm definitely a vintage Ford guy now. Now I'm passing it on to my four-year-old grandson, he will be going with me to the drags to watch the flatheads run. No video games at Papa's, he's helping build a '34 pickup. One of his first words was "Hot Rod". The brain washing continues.

https://tickets.thefoat.com/AntiqueNationals/Antique+Nationals+50th+Running/tickets/event-239725/

 

[flatford8]

Yup…. Doing my best to brainwash this little guy!!……..Mark

 

[Bored&Stroked]

The Antique Nats was the very first place I raced - 16 years old with my newly built 286 cubic inch flathead (thanks to the machine work and mentoring of good ole' Joe Reath). I somehow managed to beat the "Old Guys" the 2 years I raced out there . . . and now I'm one of the "Old Guys"

Here are some pics from a couple events . . .

 

[TJ]

Those little guys will remember these times for ever. Good for you guys who take the time to spend with your kids and grandkids. As a kid I hung out in my grandpa's machine shop and worked with my dad on Model T's, A's and early V-8's. All great memories that are still with me and made me a serious old car guy.

 

[deuce5wndw]

Bored and stroked those are cool photos!

 

[petehoovie]

 

[Bored&Stroked]

Bored and stroked those are cool photos!

Thank you sir . . . just glad that somehow we managed to actually take a few and they didn't get lost.

My family was horrible about taking pictures - I think we may have filled up about 1/2 a shoe box in all the years we "took pictures" (not our thing I guess).

 

[Lawson Cox]

This is a once a year event. It is held at one location and only one location. It is a singular event, therefore, it should be referred to in the singular, i.e. Antique National (car show, meet, etc.) and not in the plural, i.e. NationalS. My 2¢. Rant over.

 

[51504bat]

This is a once a year event. It is held at one location and only one location. It is a singular event, therefore, it should be referred to in the singular, i.e. Antique National (car show, meet, etc.) and not in the plural, i.e. NationalS. My 2¢. Rant over.

I guess this means you won't be attending?

 

[Lawson Cox]

I guess this means you won't be attending?

At 90 I am unable to attend shows any more, no matter if a single event is inappropriately described as being multiple or vice versa. LOL

 

[deuce5wndw]

Thank you sir . . . just glad that somehow we managed to actually take a few and they didn't get lost.

My family was horrible about taking pictures - I think we may have filled up about 1/2 a shoe box in all the years we "took pictures" (not our thing I guess).

Same with my family I guess the Brownie Hawkeye cameras were too much trouble!

 

[sugarmaker]

Dale,
Those pictures are priceless! Awesome that you have them and thank you for sharing them with us. Great that you had the interest, and the mentors to help you too. I was not a gear head, and still am not.
Regards,
Chris

 

[Flathead Fever]

This is a once a year event. It is held at one location and only one location. It is a singular event, therefore, it should be referred to in the singular, i.e. Antique National (car show, meet, etc.) and not in the plural, i.e. NationalS. My 2¢. Rant over.

Maybe it's a California literacy problem because the once-a-year, held in one place NHRA Pomona Winternationals is spelled plural too. And I'm not sure Winter and Nationals should be one-word. They describe it like this, "The NHRA Winternationals (commonly called the Winternats) are an annual drag racing event held by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, California". After going to the "Antique Nationals" for 45 years, saying, "Antique National" just does not sound correct to me.

Most of us car guys were making out lists of car parts we needed while sitting in English Class. I'm not even sure they even teach English here in CA anymore? Putting two words in the correct order is not even a requirement to graduate high school. I was a good student A's and B's until I became a car guy and got my driver's license and then I had 54 absences in one quarter that sophomore year. I still managed to graduate. My senior year was, two, two-hour periods of Vocational Auto Shop in the morning and then credit for work experience in the afternoon, that way I had money to build my Mustang. I didn't have any real classes that year, P/E had been dropped as a senior requirement. Our auto shop teacher would cover for us ditching class as long as we brought him donuts or sand for the bead blaster before the end-of-class bell rang. That gave us four-hours to drive around. Go down to the Super Shops and play with the Vertigate and Hurst shifter displays. I went years and years never having to write anything but my name until emails came along. If I had a choose between being paid to write a perfect paper or fix cars, I'd fix the cars. Except, that your damaged by the time you retire as a mechanic. If I had it to do over again, I'd still be car guy but I would have gotten something like a degree in mechanical engineering so I could be the guy that designed that $2.00 part that requires eight-hours standing on your head to get to it.

When I think of the "Antique Nationals" plural, I think about flathead racing and when I think of an "Antique National" singular, I think of this guy.