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16th Annual Silver Springs Ford & Mustang RoundupThe 16th Annual Silver Springs Ford & Mustang Roundup Could Have Used Some Heat From the May, 2010 issue of Modified Mustangs & Fords By Mark Houlahan Photography by Mark Houlahan
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While the jackets everyone... While the jackets everyone is wearing allude to just how cold it was, the freezing weather certainly didn't turn away the die-hard fans of the show and the classic iron we spotted all weekend was some of the best we've seen there in a while. The 16th Annual Silver Springs Ford & Mustang Roundup Sixteen years is a long time for anything these days, but we're constantly amazed at the flyers we receive here at the office for shows all across the country that are well into the double digits for their annual show. A successful show isn't easy to come by. You have to have a nice location, a good date on the calendar (you know how many shows are scheduled for Father's Day weekend every year?), and a well-organized staff of club members or employees to handle the logistics. A big show (we're talking 200 or more cars) can't be handled by just one person. Just because a show has a "show chairperson" doesn't mean that they are responsible for everything. No, delegation is the keyword and it takes several people to do it right-someone to handle registration, someone to handle vendors, and so forth. Day of show is a whole 'nother monster with lines of cars that need to be run through registration and parked in a timely manner. No one wants to sit in a line overheating just to get into a car show. Not even me! So you're thinking 'It's Florida... So you're thinking 'It's Florida and it can't be as cold as I'm really saying it is right?' How about this little guy for some proof? Dave Bishop of Bradenton, Florida, shows his '66 Mustang convertible regularly in central Florida and he used the snow from the top of his car to build his snow man display. The temps kept his creation alive all weekend. Why are we prefacing an event report with all of this? Well, for one it is the beginning of the show season and we wanted to remind all those club members out there that your show chair can't do it alone, but most of all, when it comes to the annual Silver Springs Ford & Mustang Roundup at Silver Springs Park in Silver Springs, Florida, and hosted by our good friends at National Parts Depot we just have to say-they get it right. From registration through to parking well over 1,000 cars (usually) into a theme park in barely two hours, the show runs like a well oiled machine. Of course after 16 years they've got it down pat and have seen and overcome any issue you can think of, but one area no show chairperson has ever been able to control is the weather. We've been up the night before a show praying to the rain gods to pick another weekend, so we know firsthand what many of you go through. Unfortunately it wasn't rain (though we've fought that off in the past too at Silver Springs) but an unbelievably cold weekend that hampered the show this year. Sure, January is still technically winter for much of the country, but down here in Florida it's often in the high 60s during the day; darn near shorts weather for many. But a cold front, a record-setting one at that, where Floridians saw snow as far south as Miami for the first time in three decades meant dealing with temps that barely crept into the 30s and show cars in hotel parking lots with a dusting of snow on them. All in all, it was indeed a cold weekend for many, and that ultimately affected the event's car count. In speaking with Rick Schmidt, Vice President of NPD, he told us that the average pre-show registration numbers are usually in the mid 1,500s and that he believed this show was around 1,700 cars preregistered (NPD graciously pays for the first 1,000 car entries out of its own pockets as hosts of the event). When the dust settled, or should we say, when the snow melted, the final car count was but 630 brave and hearty souls that spent the weekend trying to stay warm with coffee, hot chocolate, and even their car's heater at times. While we bundled up and did our best to keep warm, we were enthused to see a great group of die-hard Ford and Mustang enthusiasts spend their weekend together. After all these years this is maybe the third time we've had a really cold visit to Silver Springs, but we've also heard some talk of moving the event to February and warmer weather. Whenever the show is held in 2011, we'll be sure to let our readers know so plans can be made by all.  Craig and Fran Mitchell's...  Craig and Fran Mitchell's '68 fastback caught our eye as it is the epitome of what we define as a restomod. The outside features classic '60s styling with Acapulco Blue paint and modern rubber and rims, while inside the car features power windows,....  ....a tilt column, Auto Meter...  ....a tilt column, Auto Meter instruments, three-point seatbelts, and more. Outside there are Ron Morris coilovers, disc brakes, a 428 FE running PowerJection III EFI, a Tremec five-speed, an aluminum radiator with electric fans, and a whole lot more.  Speaking of wild, John Fore's...  Speaking of wild, John Fore's '57 T-bird street rod certainly got plenty of eyeballs on it all weekend. The small-block-powered 'Bird had custom body touches everywhere you looked and featured a Fox Mustang ('87-'93) dash conversion. It may not have been everyone's cup of tea, but you have to appreciate the time and effort put into something like this.  We often get a chuckle out...  We often get a chuckle out of some of the names people give their cars. Sometimes it is based on the car's personality, while other people always give their cars a male or female name. In the case of Jeff Arnold's '64 Galaxie 500XL he named it the Red Baron, which we think is quite fitting given the red topcoat and red vinyl roof combination.  Every year at the Silver Springs...  Every year at the Silver Springs show we're surprised to hear all the people shouting out their mileage during the long distance award presentation. People often come from as far away as Canada to attend the show. While the eventual winner hailed from Lincoln, Nebraska (and we thought it was cold at the show!), we had to do a double take when we noticed "Arkansas City, Kansas" on Michael Curless' dash card for his gorgeous '65 fastback.  When it comes to Silver Springs...  When it comes to Silver Springs and its annual Ford & Mustang Roundup you won't be disappointed at the variety of entries. Even this year with the lower car count we still found outstanding examples from mild to wild. On the wilder end, we were elated to see our good friend Tim Manes' '65 Fairlane project finally on the road after nearly 10 years of work. The 'Lane runs a stroked 460 and that huffer and dual quad setup, while not the best for highway visibility, certainly has a great sound when he idled it through the show field to his parking spot. Tim took home the post-'48 Ford award for his efforts. Modified Mustangs & Fords Editor's Choice
Scott Jewett's
'70 Cougar Eliminator
As we have in years past, Modified Mustangs & Fords had the honor of picking an editor's choice vehicle from the display field. This year we bestowed our award to Scott Jewett's stunning '70 Cougar Eliminator. Everyone knows about the Shelby GT350H from the Hertz "Rent-a-Racer" program, but did you know that Hertz had other cars in that specialty program? Scott's Eliminator was one of only 100 specially equipped (note the automatic and sunroof options) Cougars sold to Hertz for the program. Besides our editor's choice award Scott's Eliminator earned him the Best Cougar award as well. National Parts Depot's Lee Iacocca Award
On the Web:
www.silversprings.com
www.npdlink.com
www.iacoccafoundation.org For the third year in a row National Parts Depot has bestowed the Lee Iacocca Award for Dedication and Preservation of an American Automotive Tradition upon some very deserving people-people who tirelessly spend their personal time promoting and growing our hobby. This year the award was presented to a close personal friend of ours, Patricia Rego. Pat and her husband Merv actually saw their first Mustang at the New York World's Fair when the car was introduced to the world in 1964 and have been involved ever since. From restoring Mustangs for their daughters to drive, to opening their own restoration and parts business and starting their own Mustang club in New Jersey, Pat has been a part of it all. Since relocating to Florida she has been on the Mustang Club of America board of directors and has been the show chairperson running (almost single-handedly) the annual Mustangs & Mustangs car and airplane show (the second largest Mustang show behind Silver Springs) at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida, for more years than we can remember. While currently driving a '90 "7-Up" Mustang convertible, she has a big-block '67 Mustang convertible waiting in the wings for her next restoration project.  Falcons, Comets, Mavericks,...  Falcons, Comets, Mavericks, Thunderbirds, Cougars, Cobras, Shelbys, and other specialty marques traditionally have had their own specific parking locations at the show every year. From the "Tiger Den" for the Sunbeam Tiger owners to the "Thunderbird Nest," well, you get the picture....  ....It's a great way for regional...  ....It's a great way for regional groups to meet up and have mini-meets, conduct club business, or even just have a chance to park like vehicles together and put on a great display for those that may not know much about these interesting and desirable cars.  You just never know what you're...  You just never know what you're going to see from year to year at any show, which is why we cringe when people tell us they're going to skip a year of going to Silver Springs, Carlisle All-Ford, and so on. For example, not only is a '64 Comet Cyclone a relatively rare piece of iron, but when was the last time you saw one on display next to a '63 Galaxie lightweight? Our thanks to Gerald Cook, owner of the Comet, and Bill Dismuke, owner of the Galaxie lightweight, for bringing these rare beauties out for us Ford fanatics to see in person.  Bill Ziel's '66 Mustang convertible...  Bill Ziel's '66 Mustang convertible might look stock on the outside, save for the Torque Thrust wheel upgrade, but one peek under the hood at the aluminum-headed small-block and you'll realize Bill's drop top is packing a little more grin inducing punch when the right foot goes to the floor.  Here's more rare iron that...  Here's more rare iron that made us glad we braved the cold. Keith and Sue Dodson's '70 Torino Cobra 429 Cobra Jet Ram Air car was a sight to behold. The Shaker-equipped Cobra Jet mandated a lot of special equipment like the Competition Suspension, Hurst shifted Top Loader four-speed, and more.  Another group of Fords that...  Another group of Fords that usually have a great showing of support is the truck owners. From modern Harley and Lightning trucks to classic Broncos, Rancheros, and F-series, the "truck row" usually has some serious eye candy to look over. We really dug this '56 F-100 of Auggie Whelan, which was powered by a 390 FE big-block.  It's always encouraging to...  It's always encouraging to see people bring in-progress projects. We wish all shows had classes for them. It's great to see a classic Ford or Mustang being revived, such as Eric Avant's '69 Mach 1. This is also why we brought our Generation Gap '68 fastback to display this year, complete with gray primer and unfinished bodywork for all to see.  Probably the talk of the show,...  Probably the talk of the show, at least from the Mustang point of view, had to be this slick black big-block four-speed fastback. The '67, owned by Dr. David Shuck, is similar to what he owned in high school. The good doctor put the restoration efforts in the hand of his nephew Andrew Huffaker, who performed the work back in Texas (David lives in Florida). The finished car was shipped out just a few weeks prior and Andrew came to Florida for the Silver Springs show too. Even though the car is complete now, if you want some interesting reading check out Andrew's build blog at http://1967mustangfastbackgt.blogspot.com.  Some of National Parts Depot's...  Some of National Parts Depot's key product suppliers come down every year to do tech seminars, offer show specials, and display their latest products. Regulars include Stainless Steel Brakes, TMI Upholstery, Eaton Detroit Springs, and Heacock Classic Insurance. This year NPD welcomed Classic Instruments to the show as a first-time exhibitor and award presenter. Their gauge kits currently fit '67-'68 Mustangs, but in our chat with company president John McLeod we found out a '65-'66 gauge panel is in the works. We'll certainly let you know when that's available.
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