For gearheads, some of our most memorable experiences were times spent during our teenage years, cruisin' in our parents' borrowed, daily commuter, or if you were lucky enough, your own cool ride. Cruise nights were always something all young gearheads have looked forward to: rollin' up and down the local boulevard, crankin' tunes, checkin' out cars and chicks. The boulevard, adjacent parking lots, and strip malls harbored custom Mercs, Buicks, Olds, Pontiacs, Fords, and Chevys with wild paint jobs, lowered on heated coils and lowering blocks, Lakewood side pipes, fender skirts, wide white tires wrapped around a set of reverse steelies, and so on, with interiors covered in classic tuck 'n' roll.
Diners that dotted the cruise route became popular hangouts and buzzed with the chatter of conversation and the rumble of healthy V-8s, making it like a show 'n' shine under the stars.
The tradition of cruisin' survived the gas crisis of the '70s and is presently as popular as ever all over the planet. We are noticing the current teenage generation cruisin' and hangin' with us more matured gearheads. It doesn't matter the age, sex, or nationality of the gearhead; it's an international interest and language.
After some 40 years of being labeled a gearhead and ownin' some 30-plus customs, Pro Streets, and a couple of street rods, my current project is a '50 Suburban fat fender. I still get fired up about cruisin', hangin', and bench racin'.
The cool thing is that both my sons are into musclecars and customs. Zac peddles a '67 Nova SS 327/420 H.P.; Casey cruises in his cool, low 'n' slow, '59 Bel Air with flat fins and cat-eye taillights.
Today, we can't say we're deprived from cruisin' or cruise nights. Local gearhead gatherings at corner parking lots, restaurants, and diners are happening almost every night of the week. In the past, society didn't think highly of gearheads, but now it seems to be the cool thing to do. We see a mix of white-collar, blue-collar, and no-collar enthusiasts getting together like a good air/fuel mixture. As the wave of rodding swells in popularity, so does its lifestyle. You don't have to secure a pink slip of a cool custom to be part of the street-cruisin' scene. With all of the high-octane apparel available off the shelf or rack, it's easy to look the part.
In SoCal, we are spoiled with mild weather that allows us to partake in cruise nights almost every night of the week. I personally attend a local cruise every Saturday morning if I am in town and not covering a show. The Donut Derelicts have been gathering for the past 15 years religiously. We gather around 5:00 a.m. and commence around 9:00 a.m. There are other cruise nights throughout the week to satisfy us between the major shows.
Timeless cruise nights are throwbacks from decades ago, and though we may have grown some grays and might be sportin' a girthier midsection, being a gearhead hasn't changed. There are plenty of weekly cruise nights to fulfill our high-octane addiction to horsepower and spinnin' wheels.