RENO, NV (July 2) – Reno Cars & Coffee had its first weekend of the month meet on Sunday. Weather was great although getting warmer.
In the mix was a Triumph Bug Eye Spitfire. This one sported Texas Classic Car license plates. Not far from them was a restored/altered Model A Ford Pickup.
The pickup is owned by Michael Babcock, whose business is North Tahoe Classic Cars. He’s been restoring cars for several years.
“I found it down by Cabo,” he said. “It was on the beach, completely rusted out and I only found the bed and body down there.
He added the project took four years to complete and several alternations were needed.
“It’s altered a lot as I had to build a frame for it,” he explained. “The Model A frame would be torn apart by that hemi. So I built a heavy-duty frame, extended it four and a half inches longer so the wheel base is four and a half inches longer.
“Put a “Z” in the back of the frame in order to make room for that Hemi. I didn’t cut the firewall and didn’t change the position of the radiator.”
Once that was done mounting the body was the next order of business. Fitting the new motor required more adjustments.
“I moved the body back four and a half inches so in order to do that I had to alter the fenders. They’re all steel Ford fenders that had to be completely redone. I did all the metal work on them, had to extend the running board and the apron to make it full fendered.”
Years ago his father was involved in a train/auto accident. Fortunately his father survived and he was able to save the engine, a Hemi.
Looking at the motor he said, “ That engine was my father’s. Been carrying that since 1969 trying to find something to put it in.”
He has several cars on display but won’t enter Hot August Nights. However he’ll have cars on display in various locatios.
As usual there was a Corvette Row with various color schemes and an older model. There were other Corvettes as well as a Lotus and an Aston Martin.
Then there was a Camaro RS owned by former oval track racer Janet Wainscott.
“I did used to be a dirt track racer,” she said. “I raced in Fernley and in Fallon. I switched from dirt track racing to buying this car back in 2012 and it had 16 miles on it when I bought it.
“I bought a V-6 rather than a V-8 because I know how heavy my right foot is. And I really like going fast so I wanted to keep myself out of jail and out of trouble.”
She added it goes fast enough as the356 horsepower are plenty for the road. She also enjoys the runs up the road to Lake Tahoe and Geiger Grade.
Asked about the doors she explained, “They are Vertical Doors and I’ve had those for eight years now. Had to go down to Southern California to have them installed, they are after market.
“The only thing I’ve done under the hood is a cold-air intake and an oil catch can. I’ve got 145 thousand miles on this car now and it’s running just like a charm. It is my daily driver, my grocery getter, I got it so I could drive it every day other than driving a race car 12 times a year.”
The meet’s turn out was good, probably over 100 cars. This should only increase as summer continues and hopefully more exotic cars will show up.
Next Sunday Sparks Cars & Coffee has its first meet of the month. Location is by the Starbucks off of Disc Drive in Sparks and the meet has a 10 a.m. start time.
OTHER RACING NEWS:
• This is racing this week at two tracks in the region.
- Rattlesnake Raceway has racing Monday start at 7 p.m. On the menu are the Pro Stocks and the Outlaw Kart will make their return to the track. The Karts start earlier and on of their mains happens after the big cars finish their heat races.
- Tuesday’s program begins at 5 p.m. and there is a candy toss. Added to the menu are the Dwarf Cars and both nights feature Ranger Joe and his Monster Truck. Then at dusk there will be the fireworks show.
- To the North, Diamond Mountain Speedway has races on the 4th Of July that begin at 4 p.m. On the menu are sprint cars and once racing ends there will be the town’s fireworks show.
• Wednesday is when the next cruise in at the Sparks A&W, located across from Reed High School. There are prizes, DJ Music an cars to see.
• Daveys American Racing is usually on at 6 p.m. Wednesday evenings. One can see the show on Face Book and get into the chat was well.
Davey covers national series as well as racing in the western United States. His focus is on oval tracks.
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• One of our sponsors is General Transmission and Power Train Specialists owned by former motorcycle racer Pete Attashian. The shop is located at 2515 Sutro Street in Reno, a few blocks below Hug High School.
The shop services older and new transmissions and now has a section for high performance units and those used in towing. Phone number is 775-786-5888 and the shop’s website is www.generaltransmissionreno.com.
Two of our sponsors are first class motorcycle shops located in Reno.
• Our first sponsor is Reno Motorsports (RMS). Not only do they have about anything a rider might want or need and the store also has a full service shop.
Their location is at 964 Terminal Way, by the intersection with Mill Street. Store’s phone number is 775-322-1499 and the site is, www.rms-renomotorsports.com.
• The next shop is Moto-Source located at 3180 Mill Street. Once again they are a full service shop plus the showroom has about any thing a rider might need or want.
The phone number is 775-856-3855 and the website is, www.moto-source.com.
• Concours Body Shop, located at 250 Telegraph Street in Reno, is another sponsor. The shop does quality collision repair for cars and trucks.
Owner Brian Saul is a car enthusiast himself and is committed to continuing the shop’s reputation of quality work. Phone number is 775-329-4557 and the website is, www.concoursbodyshop.net.
• Hungry, want a great place to eat, then try PJ&CO for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and it’s a great place to watch your favorite sports. Wednesday evenings, starting around 5 p.m. is Bike Night, good time to meet fellow riders and have a great dinner.
The location is 1590 South Wells Avenue, just north of the round about. Phone number is 775-323-6366 and their website is www.pjandco.net.
Have a business targeted toward motorsports or car enthusiasts? This site is a great way to expose your services to those communities. Sponsorships are very reasonable and one can contact us either through the comment section of this site or on our Face Book page.
