#5 LSSRA member Don Goodnight, his '32 Ford, and the World of Street Rods

Welcome to another in wheel time podcast, a 30 minute mini version of the in wheel time car show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am, central Live from the 48th annual state run of the Lone Star Street Rout Association at Hewlett Park in Grand Bering, texas.

It's the end wheel time car talk show coming up.

We're going to have Tammy Dooley stop by we think At least she's scheduled to be here with us.

Conrad's gonna have the in wheel time car clinic And we're gonna get to Jeff's five American cars not sold in the USA, along with some of the headlines Making news this week.

That's automotive news.

We don't like.

We don't care about anything else.

This is a car show.

Baby Howdy, along with Mike out of this world, mars King Conrad DeLong.

We need more.

Jeff Seekin, our chief engineer, bottle washer and rare, a Rare man in the world of broadcast engineering, david.

Ainsley, soon to be entered into the Hall of Fame with you, don.

Okay, well, i'll vote for him.

There's no doubt about it, Yeah now that the Court restrictions are off of him, he can do that.

Yeah, court restrictions, that's right And that's why we're here because everyone paid up their, their tickets and their warrants are invalid.

Who is our guest there?

Mr Morris, you've heard about him.

This is the legend, the myth.

Mr Don good night and his 30.

Don good night.

This is number five, yes, on the roll of the Lone Star Street Rod Association.

So what's it like to be involved with this bunch of hoodlums out here for?

48 years.

The villain is it good?

Well, i had to take a break in there, you know, to Settle my nerves Is that what it was.

Yeah, it's probably had a family thing going on at a time or two.

It's a bottle jack Daniels.

It's kind of been a lifelong thing.

Yep, at 32 Ford right there, i Saw a magazine cover move that microphone a little bit closer to you now.

Yeah, microphone cover there.

Back in around 1971.

Yeah.

Rod and custom magazine Sure, and they had the old McMullen Roadster on it.

You know I just kept looking at that car.

I've always wanted 32 high boy, Yeah, and finally able to get one Here a few years ago.

so So did you buy it?

Is that the way you bought it?

This one I bought, yes, yep, and did you have some?

what did you have prior to this?

Well, i've got a.

I've got a 35 Chevrolet right now that I bought also now.

When I was young and full of energy, i built Model A's okay.

Street Rods and you're hot-rodded model, that's well, yeah.

Yeah, he kind of dismisses it like yeah, well, the first one I built didn't have air conditioning in it and Within a year or two I said the next one I built is gonna have air conditioning.

Yeah of course.

Then I turn around.

I've got a Roadster now that doesn't have air conditioning doesn't need it though.

What's it ever sweet, a high boy and a low boy.

Well, a high boy, Right below that body line.

There, that's your frame, And a high boy.

They basically say well, you know, the body stays at the same height.

Theoretically you could go over there and bolt 32 fenders and everything onto it.

Where a low boy?

they actually channel the inside of the body, where it goes down.

Drop it on the frame.

Drop it on the frame, got you.

Loads it several inches.

But you know, that seems to me that that could be problematic, because the thing sits pretty low just as it is, right there.

Well, yeah, the front axle is about three inches off the ground on this one, so it does set pretty low suspension.

All it does is really lower the body, makes it more aerodynamic.

So is it got a transverse leaf spring in the front of it.

It does.

It's got the original style 32 Ford spring in the front.

Yeah, how does that drive?

Well, it does handle around the corner with that transverse leaf spring.

It actually drives and handles pretty good.

Of course, when you've got that set up on the front of an old Ford and they used that set up even through the dual I beams up into the early 50s 50s yes, But it actually drives pretty good.

Now it rides kind of like a buggy.

Got you, so it's a little stiff.

It's a little stiff and you know it's not a comfort ride.

Yeah.

It's a little bouncy.

Now, why about the suspension in the back of it?

It's got a call over springs in the back.

Gotcha On a four, nine inch rear, so you're able to adjust those.

You can adjust them.

But does it make any difference?

Not really.

It still rides like a buggy.

Yeah, as you say, it's more about style than comfort.

That's the thing about a 32 highboy with front end all exposed and everything.

Actually that front end is a Pete and Jake's.

You know it's all chrome front end.

So you know you don't full vendor car.

You can go to the Mustang to type front end thing and get a lot better ride.

But that type car you really need to stick with the traditional type.

Absolutely, absolutely.

And what kind of motor you got in there?

It's a Chevrolet 350, a Chevy 350 and you had no trouble buying a Chevrolet motor in a Ford car.

No, i've used both engines in cars and I'm just like most hot rodders are, a little more familiar with the small block Chevrolet.

Sure And the availability of parts are far greater than they are.

Lot more aftermarket parts and everything.

More dependable?

you think, Not necessarily.

Probably, not necessarily.

Yeah, it's just kind of what you prefer.

So you bought it with the Chevy engine in it.

Yeah, yeah.

This car I actually bought just pretty much as it says.

Well, that's beautiful, i wouldn't touch it.

Would you ever consider putting a Ford motor in it, just to have a Ford motor in it?

No, I'm getting too old to mess with it.

We can relate to that, I promise you.

That's like a year.

Several years ago.

I didn't have an old car at all.

At the time I didn't get an old car and told my wife.

I said, well, i'm not going to go buy one and build it from the ground up.

I said I might not get it finished for a dime, so I'm going to buy something.

Yeah, it's close to finished Pretty much close to finished.

You wouldn't get a finish if I asked you how old you are.

I'm 71.

Okay, not that old yet.

I know I'm going downhill fast.

No, you're not.

No, you're not at all, at all.

Sometimes it feels like it.

You have other cars as well.

The only other car I've got now is a 35 Chevrolet 35 Chevrolet.

What do you, what do you use to go back and forth the grocery store?

My pickup, you pick up, and what is that?

Oh, I got.

I got a Toyota Tundra pickup.

Yeah, built in Texas built in Texas.

Yeah, and you're happy with that.

Yeah, it's a man, it's air conditions Right, nice, there you go, it's got all the pleasures.

Dependable as heck.

You know the old car.

Yeah, i mean I'd drive them moderately, but they're it's.

it is hard to maintain an old car and drive it every day.

Oh what You probably heard, the name Scott Ingram.

Yes.

Scott was one of the original seven known star guys And Scott had a 32 Ford Coupe that I know.

For a pretty long time I think he that was his everyday driver.

Oh, wow, wow.

And you know I had an old one.

Well, he had.

He had several different Ford engines.

He always had a Ford engine in it.

But you know you'd see Scott's orange 32 going around And that most of the time it'd be kind of dirty, you know, because he's driving it every day.

Now, does he live in the same city as you?

No, he lives in lives in well.

He used to live in Austin.

He's moved kind of out in the country now.

And how about you.

Where are you from?

Well, i'm from Temple.

Temple pretty much all my life.

I actually still live in the Temple City limits right now, but I've got a belt and address Temple and belt and kind of just right grown together.

Yeah Well, george Skelton is a temple guy, good friend of ours.

I went to a great school in high school with him and and he's in Temple and he's not a car guy at all, but he has a character deluxe.

He needs to be in a car club, he would be the entertainment.

Yeah, there you go, there you go.

Yeah, there's that, so that's a custom top on there, because it's obviously been chopped.

Right.

And and I can only imagine, and I know you can too, since you're a car builder they're trying to make the bows to get the top to go up and down on a custom.

Well, the one thing about that top it doesn't go up and down It comes off.

It's built like the old folding top.

Yeah, But it, but it actually.

you just unbolt it and take it off.

Gotcha.

Do you ever do that Occasally?

Yeah, because it's a total pain.

I would imagine If you look at me without this cap on yeah there's not a lot of protection from the sun Sun protection.

I'm feeling you.

I'm feeling you And that sun gets pretty hot on a bare head.

Yes, it does Even riding down the road.

Well, it's got air conditioning.

Yeah, that little flap that opens up there on the cow.

Oh, really, that's so.

This one does not have air conditioning.

No, the 35 Chevrolet's got it, but this one it's got the 100 mile an hour, air conditioning where you open the vent?

Sure, Absolutely.

Now did you trailer that car here?

This one I did today, you did, i've got, i've got a need that's really bothering me.

It's it really bothers me Get it on the on the put an accelerator in that car.

So I've traded it today, but by the fact, that's the first time I've traded it to a car show anywhere.

Is it in closed trailer?

Yes, yeah, i was going to say because I had a show car one time that I trailer it on the back of a car carrier and it snowed and rained on the highway And you know what that does.

That is not good.

It's not good.

No, but typically, you know, I was when I was young we drove everywhere, Everything, The first car.

I ever built was a 20, no 1930 model A coupe And I literally got it on the road and from Temple the furthest I'd ever driven it was Waco back and we had several guys around town.

Well, let's go.

The NSRA Nationals was in Tulsa that year.

Yeah, that's a good haul, let's go to Tulsa.

You know, and I was about 21 years old Just got it on the road.

No paint, barely had gotten the weather Fearless at 21.

Yeah, let's go.

So, you know, I jumped in that car Never had been more than 30 miles away from home, took off, went to Tulsa.

So you know, and you didn't get arrested Not that time.

No, i've never been arrested.

Well, that's good, got a few tickets.

But just a few Yeah.

If you keep hanging out with us today, your options are good.

I wasn't in the wrong.

You know, I got one speaking ticket that I deserve.

The rest of them are just nothing.

Do you ever show that car?

Just car shows like this or you don't go to like auto Ram or the dollar.

No, no, no, no, no.

The big indoor shows.

Do you ever, do you ever, go personally to any of those shows?

I have been.

I actually haven't been to it, you know, like Dallas, ottawa and stuff like that.

I haven't been one of those in pretty long time.

Well, it's changed a lot.

Oh yeah, as you can imagine, Everything's changed.

When I, when I was 50 years ago, when I got in to street riding, you know of course, street rides were a big deal and almost all the everything then was called rod runs and they would typically be two days.

Some of them, like when we started on Star Run it was three days.

There were a few others that were three days, but you know, people stayed in motels or camped Camp.

Camping was popular And now you know it's all the.

The bulk of the car show deal nowadays is one day show from cruise in 93.

Sure, yeah, kind of like cruise in.

Well, i have to tell you that I was fortunate enough, for the second year in a row, to go on the hot rod tour of Texas.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Are you familiar with that?

Are you probably seen posts about it?

I've seen posts yeah, yeah, that starts down in Victoria and then we wind our way up here, as a matter of fact, and great fun, lots of fun, quite a few cars like yours not like yours, but similar Older cars, hot rods and very popular and everybody has such a good time.

And, as you know, in this sport, this hobby, whatever you want to call it, that's really the draw is the camaraderie and looking at everybody's car and what they've done to it.

Hey, man, did you see the new valve cover gaskets that I put on Since the last time I saw you?

know that kind of stuff.

One thing about it these, these car people.

There's no strangers.

You know there's not.

You see, you pull up park somebody you'd never seen before in your life.

You know where.

You just start up conversation.

Absolutely, and the cars are ever evolving over time as well.

Yeah.

You know, the same person may own the same car and over 10 years it may go through a couple of evolutions.

Oh, exactly, and plus you know, 50 years ago you wouldn't believe how many of these old cars were sitting around.

Riding in that field, well, everywhere, you know, if you want, if you want to buy a model or anything you know, you got out, drove through the country, you find them Sure.

Now the old cars are getting really hard to find.

And if you find them, usually they're really expensive.

When you're here at the show, do you have your the same spot that you show your vehicle in on the lawn every year?

Do you move it around?

Because I noticed from last year that we're here.

Some of these look very familiar in the same spots.

Some people try to get here and you know, put up or claim the same area.

They kind of stake out an area you know like on Friday evening looking for the shade.

Yeah.

That's the first spot spills up over here.

Yeah, trees, yeah.

Well, i have some people move around, it's just whatever.

Well, Don, good night.

It is a pleasure and an honor to have you here on the show with us today.

One of the original members of the Lone Star Street Rod Association and we're glad you with us in that beautiful car And we we salute you, sir.

Well, I'm not that active now, but 50 years ago it was, it was something getting sitting here.

Have you ever heard of Central Texas Street Rod Association?

I have not heard, but I'm sure that they exist.

No they don't exist anymore.

But that was.

That was kind of a the original deal for the people that got the Lone Star Street Rod Association.

Is it catalyst for it?

It was catalyst.

All the people lived up and down I-35.

Sure, and we'd we'd been talking about farming.

A Central Texas Street Rod Association between the clubs?

Yeah, i-35.

And we've been talking about it together and I think Scott and George Allen from Austin they why we just limited Central Texas won't make it the entire state.

So that day we kept up.

Ok, so we come up with the Lone Star Street Rod Association And they blossom from there.

We set up a meeting at the Capitol grounds in Austin, I think two or three weeks after that.

How many different clubs are now a part of the Lone Star Street Rod Association?

Now, oh, I have no, No no, you don't see as many clubs now as you used to.

Right, clubs were a big deal.

Yes, they were 50 years ago.

Now there's still a lot of clubs around, but it's a little more loosely tied.

I know they're in Central Texas.

We do an email.

It's kind of like an email club.

Yeah, no club rules, no officers or anything.

We just send out emails to keep people up.

Yeah, up to date on what's going on and where the events are.

Exactly.

Well, we would invite you to follow us on Facebook and any other form that you see, and you'll be hearing yourself for some time.

this week.

Mr Mars does all of our podcasts, and so all of that is part of what we do.

I don't know if I want to hear myself.

I advise against Don listens to himself all the time.

Yeah nah Don good night.

Thank you very much, sir Oh.

God.

Well, there you go.

I'm second on that.

Good talking to you guys.

You too, thank you very much, thank you very much.

Hey, you're on the in-wheel time car talk show.

Thanks for riding with us today, again broadcasting from the Lone Star Street Rod Association State Run here at the Hewlett Park in Grandbury, texas.

Also like to remind you that we'd love to hear from you.

All you have to do is just shoot us an email.

The address is info at in-wheel timecom Time.

now Jeff is going to do the American cars not sold in the USA.

I got to reload it, I think.

Oh, you do.

Wait, no, i got it, you got it.

I think I do Okay.

Well, that's good He's got well, Yeah, and we're good about that.

Okay, so this is.

there's a lot.

There's like 30, 35 different models, but they're all from the same manufacturer Chevy for Dodge.

So these are a few of these vehicles that are built.

Let me see.

if I can't get this up going here, there you are.

That's the first one we have here is a Dodge GTX V8.

Chrysler Corporation was pretty active in Argentina and it produced several models aimed directly to the local market, but the most significant model and luxurious model offered was the Dodge GT.

It's a dark base sedan with better equipment by the famous 225 slant.

Oh wow, i did not know that.

Yep, the car was introduced in 68 but in 70.

Chrysler Argentina decided to build the proper muscle version of this vehicle and it was the Dodge GTX.

And they put a Hemi in it.

Well, this one had a 318 V8 which delivered 212 horsepower, or the 230 horsepower depending on the year model that they were producing.

So that's one for the Argentina flag.

Let's see what's going on.

This one here, this rascal, is a Ford RS 200.

Back in the mid 80s, motor sports were all about rallying and famous, terrifyingly dangerous group Bs.

Group B was a part of the World Rally Championship, which featured factory prototypes, loosely based on production cars with insane turbocharged engines and all-wheel drive systems.

Very loosely based.

This brought many exciting and fast-road cars, since the manufacturers are obligated to produce a number of the road vehicles for racing.

So that's a pretty good looking little Ford hot rod there.

This next one is a good fancy of mine.

This is the Chevrolet Opelah SS, not Opel.

The Opelah SS is a typical example of a.

Brazilian muscle car Chevy produced in the height of the muscle car craze.

They introduced this handsome fastback group in 69.

This came with a wide range of formal body stylings, the Chevrolet's main and mid-mile sizes for the Brazilian market And a free can of wax.

However, the name Opelah was controversial because customers thought it represented a mix between the names of Opel and Impala, so that's why they were a little confused.

Although not much today's standards, it was given the Opelah SS decent performance.

Even with its success on the tracks, it did win many races in the Brazilian racing circuit.

So there was one of those.

Yep, it did.

Now, this one's pretty neat.

And they worked in the Willy Wonka factory, the Opelahs.

This is a Ford Fairmont GT introduced in 1970.

The Fairmont was a full-size sedan designed and constructed by Ford Australia.

Their division sold mainly to the South African division.

It was basically a version of the Australian Ford Falcon X-Y.

The Falcon GT was one of the first and most popular Australian muscle cars, so South African dealers wanted one of their own.

That's how the Fairmont GT came to be Powered by Ford's 351 V8 engine, a 300 horsepower, making it one of the fastest and most powerful cars in South Africa.

The 0-60 was pretty respectable at 7.2

.

And the Fairmont GT was expensive and rare At the time.

They only built 1,824 of these rascals, so not many in the production.

This one is one of my favorites as well.

This is the Chevrolet for a forensic can am one of the craziest, rarest Chevrolet muscle cars is a forensic cans and can am that of my fs and my c's mixed up.

Shevery introduced this in 73.

Based on the forensic can am a two door sedan designed from England but they built it again in South Africa, might under the Chevrolet badge.

Best thing about it in a five liter Chevy v8 straight out of a z 28 Camaro performance heads close to 400 horsepower, lightweight body 5.4

seconds in the 0 to 60 acceleration, figures close to a Ferrari and Chevrolet.

Today the survivors of this are very, very expensive.

So there you have the five, built but not sold in America.

All right, i'm going to move the car clinic to the next hour, conrad that's okay with you, that's fine.

Okay, because I have to get in some of the.

We got to get a date, pardon me.

We got to get up to date.

We got to get up to date on the news, on the news, on the news.

You ready, wow, that's a.

Is that a 64 impala?

I don't know, but I want it.

What did you say A good run.

Yeah, it looks like it's got a good rumble to it.

Do you ever have problems getting an inspection sticker?

No, should I.

No, i mean, you know a couple of shops that hand them out pretty easy Getting getting, getting the car to pass inspection let me put it that way.

That could be an issue, okay well, you don't have to worry about it after next year, okay, well, there's a.

there's a lot of exhaust going on right now, right here and we're going to talk about this rumble and why that rumble sounds like that In 2025, state inspection stickers will be replaced by an annual $7.50

fee, the same as the current inspection fee, but without the need to actually take your car for most into the shop.

Drivers in new vehicles will not have that have not previously been registered will pay $16.75

upon registration.

That money will benefit that, don't Texas Mobility Fund.

You gotta be kidding me.

Some law enforcement officials oppose the bill in front of the state senate affairs committee during the legislative session, arguing annual inspections protect the public from dangerous vehicles.

Oh no, owners of auto shops are expressed have expressed concerns.

the lack of an annual requirement would close their businesses.

Yes, some it would.

Well and they've all made investments in the equipment to do state inspections, and now that's all going to be flushed down the toilet.

Texans living in the most populated counties, however, will still have to appear annually for an emissions test.

The 17 counties that require emissions inspections include those surrounding the major metro areas other than San Antonio.

Harris Fort Bend, brasoria, montgomery, galveston, among others, are the counties that will still have you still have to?

yeah, and pretty much all they do is plug into your uh.

OVD computer communication.

OV1 plug.

I want to kind of get it to another story here.

I've got several and I want to make sure that I get this.

Oh, it's all about you, john.

It is.

It's always all about me, thank you.

We recognize that.

I know Well once the center of American life AM radio stands in the middle of a tussle between the automakers who want it gone and federal lawmakers who say it's key for emergency alerts during catastrophes.

Because so many people listen to it.

BMW, mazda, polestar, rivian, tesla, volkswagen, volvo do not offer broadcast AM radio in their electric vehicles, citing the EV's motors electronic electromagnetic interference with the AM system and a resulting ticking sound.

Oh, About a third of all new EV models available for purchase in the US in 23 are not equipped with AM tuners, according to SBD Automotive Global Automotive Technology Research Firm.

You know how much a tuner adds.

an AM tuner adds to the price of a car 20 to 30 bucks.

I was going to say 40.

Could you not just do that?

But you know, i will say this that with the internet, your telephone and the Bluetooth in older cars that are streaming, you need to put your headset on if you're going to talk, i think he's got a date.

You're leaving.

Yeah, you going somewhere.

No, we don't want to know about that, but at any rate, they're still working on it.

There's no decision been made, but guess what?

I think that the government, i think that the government is going to win, at least temporarily, in keeping the AM radio.

I'm not talking to you.

You don't have a microphone on, so we are going to take a quick break and we are going to be back at the Lone Star Street Rod Association here on the Inwheel Time Car Talk Network.

Stay with us, won't you?

Everyone at the Tailpipes and Tacos cruise in at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Max and Katie.

Thank you for participating in the best cruise in around and look forward to seeing you again.

You'll hear about the next cruise in date right here on Inwheel Time.

Next time you're in the West Houston Energy Corridor area, be sure and stop in at the original Loopy Tortilla Tex-Max at I-10 and Highway 6 or the Katie location on the Grand Parkway at Kingsland Boulevard When passing through Beaumont or College Station.

Stop in and have Loopy's award-winning beef fajitas and frozen margaritas.

There's always a celebration at Loopy Tortilla.

Loopy Tortilla founders, stan Hold and his wife Sheila are winning racers on the NHRA Drag Racing Circuit and have a collection of hot rods and classics that everyone appreciates.

Look for them at the next Tailpipes and Tacos cruise in.

The date will be announced soon and will once again be held at the Loopy Tortilla Tex-Max on 99 in Kingsland Boulevard, just south of I-10 and Katie.

We'll give you all the details right here on the Inwheel Time Car Talk Show and online Donations benefit God's Garage.

We'll see you then.

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#5 LSSRA member Don Goodnight, his '32 Ford, and the World of Street Rods

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Chevrolet 35

Toyota Tundra

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Chevrolet Camaro

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