Hot Summer Nights 4

I crossed two things off of my 'list of things i've been wanting to do for a while but haven't' this last weekend. Firstly, I cruised with the guys from Wally Boys Racing, up in the Perth Hills. Secondly, I attended my first Cranksters Hot Rod Club event.


My good mate, Justin, messaged me earlier in the week to see if I was planning on going to the Cranksters 'Hot Summer Nights' show in the Swan Valley. At the time my weekend plans were firmly fixed on building my motor to get my XR on the road. As it turns out, some dodgy parts had other ideas, and that plan was soon stalled. With my Saturday now free I figured it was a good opportunity to go and have a look at the metal on display that evening. "Hey dad, you reckon I could borrow your XR tonight to take to a hot rod show? And I want to lower it and throw some different wheels on it too. Cool?". "If you have to..." was the reply. Awesome. "Hey Hayley, you want to come to a hot rod show tonight? I'm taking dads XR". "Yeah! Sounds good". Awesome.

Out came the 2" lowering blocks, jack and axle stands. Off came the 18" show wheels and on go the black steel 14" rims. Down goes the Falcon's ride height. A bit of negative rake? Perfect.

After taking care of that business, Hayley and I cruised up the hill to meet up with the Wally Boys. These guys have some seriously tough cars between them. When we were all ready we cruised back down the hill with an angry XR wagon, a seriously cool Hatchback Torana, and a 383ci Chev powered EH with the whole family on board. As we all cruised down the highway, more and more old cars joined us, destined for the Cranksters show. You just can't help but wear a stupid grin from ear to ear with all these cool cars filling your windscreen and rear view mirrors!

There was already a queue to get on to the oval when we arrived. Luckily we were early, as 30 minutes after the advertised time of 5 p.m. the place was full! The fashionably late were forced to park out on the streets before they were able to wander in and take in all that was on offer.

There were hundreds and hundreds of cars on display, from traditional hot rods to American Muscle, from classic cruisers to absolute monsters. There were hot rods with Hemi's, a stretched '57 Chevy, Mazdas, Fords, Holdens, Valiants. Just about anything you could think of. My favourite car of the night was an incredible '66 F100. I just love those things!
 Those in the know packed eskies, chairs and picnics. Certainly a great idea if you brought the family down. The footy club bar was open, and the whole oval was licensed. Another great idea.

As the sun began to set, and the rock'n'roll band cranked up, the amazing evening light fell across the old steel on display. Each and every car there looked brilliant. The atmosphere was just really, really cool.

After wandering around for a few hours, not taking anywhere near enough photos, and catching up with mates, it was time to wind down and head home for the night. The Falcon fired up first time, the headlights worked (awesome - ha ha!), and Hayley and I cruised with the Wally Boys again for most of the journey home. A perfect end to a bloody great day!