Join Us for the 2018 Huntington Beach Cruise-In!

[Dlirium]

David,

Though I won't have a car for HB, I do plan on attending! See you there!

Garry

Hey Garry - met you at HB a few years ago, looking forward to seeing you again! Since then, I have ordered and started my Gen 3!

[flynntuna]

Latest weather report for this weekend 68* with a slight breeze..

[David Hodgkins]

latest weather report for this weekend 68* with a slight breeze.:d.

perfect!

[AZPete]

Thanks for the warning, flynntuna, with a breeze the chill factor could be 66*. I'll bring a sweater.

Jeff, I'd be happy to pick you up at the airport in my 818C but I can only fit you or your suitcase, not both. Your choice.

[Jeff Kleiner]

See ya' there Pete

Jeff

[AZPete]

I wish I had arrived earlier to see David and Grant climb those palm trees to hang the banner.

street banner.jpg

[RR20AC]

We made it and David welcomed us to his neighborhood. Said we were the first👍🏻.

[Paul2STL]

Way to go Jim, glad to see you made it.

[JJ'snakepit]

perfect!

Hi Dave ... I'll be there still without Cobra. I've been sidetracked by a lot of things.. I will try and make it to the BBQ as well....See you then. JJ

[BluePrintEngines]

Morning all, Weather is beautiful out here! Glad I got in a day early! I'll be floating around the show and in the DJ area if anyone wants to say hi tomorrow!

Johnny @ BluePrint

[tcollins]

Made it to Newport Beach last night after the looong drive from Detroit. Got the last room at Holiday Inn Express, but the best was the free parking in front on 1 for the rig! I would have never been able to park it in their lot.

Now we are going for a bike ride up by Dave's house to scout out the route between there and the Shorebreak.

Newport Beach parking.JPG

[289FIA_Cobra]

Herman!

Glad you got the brake issue sorted - with an upgrade!

We'll miss you man! I was looking forward to seeing you. Oh well, next year I guess...?

Yep! Next year w/Melinda (hopefully). John Lipka and Freddie Herbert are on their way today! They'll drink my portion!!!!

[Sdtoothdoc1]

Only 7 factory five cars in the garage at Shorebreak Hotel? Last few years many, many more! What is the total registered for tomorrow?

[David Hodgkins]

Only 7 factory five cars in the garage at Shorebreak Hotel? Last few years many, many more! What is the total registered for tomorrow?

We are right @ 100 entries...

[Tuftster]

I wanted to say thank you to David and all those that put on such an amazing show today. It was so inspiring to see all the awesome cars and meet so many wonderful people in this community and without all of their hard work it wouldn't have happened. We all owe you, thanks.

[ehansen007]

First show I’ve missed in 8 or 9 years. So sad. I hope you guys had a great time.

[bulldog302]

Thank you David and all who put this on today. It was a lot of fun.

[Straversi]

Congratulations and thanks to David Hodgkin for organizing and coordinating this year’s Huntington Beach Cruise In. I’ve been the past three and this was by far the best. Well done, sir!
-Steve

[Fabb]

This was my first event, and my son and I had a great time. Best part was meeting the awesome folks in this community. Special thanks to Jazzman, Straversi, RR20AC, David H and his family, both Jeff's (Miller and Kleiner) and many others for being so generous with their time and expertise! Also, thanks to Dave Smith for his part, my son got to meet him at the end and was pretty excited to meet the guy who started our car-building adventure.

As much as I have scoured this forum for every last tip and trick, I still learned a bunch more from each of you in person.

Thanks again!

[Jazzman]

Thank you, David Hodgkins, for putting on an absolutely fabulous Cruise In! David was not only the organizer, mastermind, and leader, but set up the registration tent, and sang in the band!! David your are a man of many talents! David's whole family got dragged into this one! His daughter hauled chairs, and his son Grant (a great guy in his own right!!) drew this year's logo and took photos of the entire event!! Thank you all for a truly memorable weekend!

[slpro1207]

I like many others would like to thank and congratulate David Hodgkins, his wife Lena, and of course his son Grant. The time and effort to put together an event like this takes real commitment and a great deal of personal time. Arranging hotels, parking, permits from the city, insurance, dealing with shop owners, venders, and all of the little details that crop up along the way. And of course taking care of all of us that participated in the event. Keeping us notified, making arrangements for parking of trailers, and any special requests.
On top of all of all that, opening their home to all of us for a wonderful BBQ. It was great for my wife and myself to get to talk and get to know so many new people. So once again David, thank you to you and your wonderful family for an incredible 2 days. You knocked it out of the park.

Also congratulations to Jazzman on his amazing “flip top” roadster and awards.

[Mark Eaton]

This was a great event! My wife and I had a awesome weekend. The educational experience was perfect for me still being in first half (?) of my build. So helpful to see in person how guys are putting things together, I learned so much. I was lucky enough to meet a bunch of forum members and saw two guys from my build school class. Hopefully next year I will make it in my completed MK4. The effort that David Hodgkins and crew put into making this happen is truly appreciated! Thank you so much!

[AZPete]

Thank you David very much! It was a wonderful event and you brought the western states FFR family together for the show but also at your home. You, and your family, did an incredible job pulling this off so well. THANKS!

[David Hodgkins]

Thanks everyone. I'm beat.

Sunday was surprisingly calm. Kinda like the day after Christmas, but better.

I'm swamped at work, and I've tried 3 times to get something down but I need more time to put together a proper recap of the event. The logistical triumphs , AND the small personal tragedies (ACTUALLY TRYING to sing ACDC, and loosing my cool at nkw8181 Nolan for starting his car - man I'm sorry I berated you, you didn't know)...

SO many things to say and people to thank! I'll make sure to do a proper post this evening.

Lastly, in case anyone was wondering why I didn't cruise on Sunday...

It happens to us all. There are inopportune times and downright disaster times. This was Saturday right after HB. It was dark by the time help arrived. An inopportune time to be sure. But it would have been a DISASTER on the way TO the show! Hope everyone arrives home safely!





PS Who's going to start the HB PIC THREAD!!?!

[RXBill]

Arrived home a few hours ago after a 22 hr non-stop return trek from Southern California. Took a nap and then wanted to share some reflections on the Huntington Beach experience.

I have been a forum member for over a year, but have never had any build knowledge to share, especially after solidifying my position as the "do-over" king, but as several people have commented, this odyssey we undertake becomes more than the just the cars. I am just a rather slow learner....

Since our car was getting close to being ready for paint, we were being encouraged by Jim and Candi Ausbun, "Cobraphile" friends from the Pacific NorthWET, to coordinate our trip down to Jeff Miller's with the Huntington Beach event. AND as luck would have it, the stars aligned. My wife and I left Seattle on the 24th at "O-DARK Thirty". We were driving a motorhome and trailering our Mark IV which was a new experience in and of itself, but entering the Los Angeles basin and the associated traffic re-defined every thing.

ON Thursday we delivered our car to Jeff's shop. He PATIENTLY assisted me as I backed the trailer, using mirrors (not one of my strong skills - actually NO skill at all would be a much better assessment) to the desired location. Jeff noticed our 100# Doberman, Colt, through the windshield. An immediate bond was created. I think they may have "man-crushes" on each other. JEFF, thank you for accepting our car. We look forward to seeing your magic....

We attended the BBQ at David and Leesa's. What a beautiful home. Teresa and I have hosted many large gatherings at our home, so we know the work involved, BUT they are far, far better at it than us. Leesa is definitely the hostess with the moistest !! It was a honor to be there and to have the opportunity to meet some of the Factory Five related celebrities. We shared a table in the backyard with two of them, Jo Coddington and Karen Salvaggio. What a treat.

On Saturday we attended the Huntington Beach event. A hundred vehicles on display. WOW !! Our dog served as an amazing conversation starter from which we met and incredible number of people. We also had an opportunity to meet Dave Smith. He is just as real, humble, excited and down to earth as the videos portray. Congratulations to all the award winners. From my perspective, as a neophyte, all of the cars were top notch. I don't envy the judges at all. I was able to glean something from everyone and I have several hundred pictures from which to peruse. Thank God for digital.

A very sincere thanks to everyone for making the experience so special for us. My wife, Teresa, and my dog, Colt, are already talking about attending next year, hopefully with our Mark IV.

[David Hodgkins]

Arrived home a few hours ago after a 22 hr non-stop return trek from Southern California. Took a nap and then wanted to share some reflections on the Huntington Beach experience.

I have been a forum member for over a year, but have never had any build knowledge to share, especially after solidifying my position as the "do-over" king, but as several people have commented, this odyssey we undertake becomes more than the just the cars. I am just a rather slow learner....

Since our car was getting close to being ready for paint, we were being encouraged by Jim and Candi Ausbun, "Cobraphile" friends from the Pacific NorthWET, to coordinate our trip down to Jeff Miller's with the Huntington Beach event. AND as luck would have it, the stars aligned. My wife and I left Seattle on the 24th at "O-DARK Thirty". We were driving a motorhome and trailering our Mark IV which was a new experience in and of itself, but entering the Los Angeles basin and the associated traffic re-defined every thing.

ON Thursday we delivered our car to Jeff's shop. He PATIENTLY assisted me as I backed the trailer, using mirrors (not one of my strong skills - actually NO skill at all would be a much better assessment) to the desired location. Jeff noticed our 100# Doberman, Colt, through the windshield. An immediate bond was created. I think they may have "man-crushes" on each other. JEFF, thank you for accepting our car. We look forward to seeing your magic....

We attended the BBQ at David and Leesa's. What a beautiful home. Teresa and I have hosted many large gatherings at our home, so we know the work involved, BUT they are far, far better at it than us. Leesa is definitely the hostess with the moistest !! It was a honor to be there and to have the opportunity to meet some of the Factory Five related celebrities. We shared a table in the backyard with two of them, Jo Coddington and Karen Salvaggio. What a treat.

On Saturday we attended the Huntington Beach event. A hundred vehicles on display. WOW !! Our dog served as an amazing conversation starter from which we met and incredible number of people. We also had an opportunity to meet Dave Smith. He is just as real, humble, excited and down to earth as the videos portray. Congratulations to all the award winners. From my perspective, as a neophyte, all of the cars were top notch. I don't envy the judges at all. I was able to glean something from everyone and I have several hundred pictures from which to peruse. Thank God for digital.

A very sincere thanks to everyone for making the experience so special for us. My wife, Teresa, and my dog, Colt, are already talking about attending next year, hopefully with our Mark IV.

Bill, just seeing this. Glad you had fun at the show, and hopefully we'll see you next year with your MKIV!

Glad you made it home OK.