Jonathan Villalobos' '63 sportin'...
Jonathan Villalobos' '63 sportin' Supremes!
The Lowrider Magazine 2002 Scrapin' Tour rolled into the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Oregon, where some of the hottest rides in the region showed and shone under the bright lights and flashing cameras. With the support of Tour sponsors Gumout, Quaker State, Nitto Tires, Dayton Wire Wheels, ShowTime Hydraulics and Thump Records, the event drew crowds of lowriding fans to check out rides from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The day before the show, Go-Lo Entertainment moved dozens of cars, trucks and bikes into the large facility. By Sunday morning, the judging crew was busy with clipboards in hand going through the aisles checking out the perspective classes. Bikes, Euros and traditional lowriders were gone over with a fine-tooth comb.
With that said, let's check out who did well at this year's P-town stop. It was quite a pleasant surprise to many that Alejandro Vega of Outstanding Car Club and the C&L Hydraulics crew from San Fernando Valley, California, took the top spot on the Car Sweepstakes class with their "Lolo's MC," a killer green Chevy Monte Carlo done up from top to bottom. Alejandro had the upper hand that day against another quality masterpiece in the form of Allen Lopez' '63 Chevy Impala, "Evil '63." Coming in Third Place was local favorite Juan Vega, Jr. and his '70 Chevy Caprice, "BadEnuf."
 Allen Lopez' "Evil '63" was...  Allen Lopez' "Evil '63" was looking ever so wicked. |  Little Nancy Navarette checks...  Little Nancy Navarette checks out Vincent Ortega's hot '66 Impala ragtop. |  The ultra bad "Deep Impact"...  The ultra bad "Deep Impact" on exhibition in Portland. |
As for the Traditional class, Kenny Johns' gorgeous '58 Impala hardtop caught many an eye with its fabulous attention to detail. The Chevy was followed by two more in its class: Ryan Starr's sharp-looking '64 Super Sport from Royal Image C.C. took Second while James Whittington's clean '64 SS rounded out the three with its placing in the Traditional category. For those who can also appreciate an "OG" ride, judges ruled that Robert Castillo's '64 Impala was the best in its class, because, heck, it was the only entry in that category, but the judges still had to honor that segment of the event.
The same could be said for the Bomb Truck Sweepstakes entry, Derek and Lori Gill's '52 Chevy pickup. There were a few good ones in the Bomb Sweepstakes category, however, as several vintage heavyweights did battle for the top spot. But in the end it was Joe Phillips' "Funky '51" Chevy Fleetline all alone in the top spot. Joe brought his car up from the Northern California area to represent Low Creations C.C. and show the gente what can be done with a beautiful old classic. Mr. Frank Sanchez was next up with his firme '50 Fleetline, while Arnold Garcia took Third Place with his sweet purple '38 Plymouth.
 Vincent Ortega's '66 Impala...  Vincent Ortega's '66 Impala had a very sexy mural. |  Nancy thought that she'd make...  Nancy thought that she'd make a good hood ornament for Tony Ceja's '91 Caprice. |  James Smith chose a '71 Pontiac...  James Smith chose a '71 Pontiac Grand Ville for his ride of choice. |
Last but not least was the Euro/Sports Car Sweepstakes category. Ryan Peterson's '91 Mitsubishi 3000GT, "Blade," cut up the competition with its highly detailed chassis and extensively worked-over interior and engine bay. Coming in Second was Jason Suicich of Salem, Oregon, with his intense '96 Volkswagen Jetta, "Jetta-Fied." Jason had a new ride in tow with him: his wife Amanda's '95 Dodge Neon done up with lowrider flavor. Running in Third was Robert "Chopper" McCain with his plush '84 Pontiac Trans Am sporting the Legion of Doom C.C. plaque.
Up towards the stage area, we found droves of fans checking out the dynamic duo Lighter Shade of Brown running through a medley of their hits as well as some fresh material for the masses. The sultry Angelina moved and grooved through her set of jams as well. Speaking of moving, a bevy of bikini-clad women shimmied across the stage. When all was said and done, "Kiona" with her long beautiful hair took home the cash prize. Next up it was muscles galore as the Macho Man contest was in full swing. Big Billy Vann gave it all that he had and went home a happy hunk of man.
 David Gonzales from Yakima,...  David Gonzales from Yakima, Washington, had his '64 Impala much improved. |  Juan Vega's "Bad Enough" '70...  Juan Vega's "Bad Enough" '70 Caprice was worth checking out again and again. | |
All in all, it was a good day in Portland with tons of rides and happy lowrider fans checking out all of the happenings at one of the Northwest's best annual events. Next stop, Kansas City, Missouri!
Portland Hop!
Text and Photos by Nathan Trujillo
Inside the chain-link fence at the Pacific Northwest Scrapin' Tour stop.
Street dancer Leonardo jumps...
Street dancer Leonardo jumps to 24 points with his blue '81 Cutlass.
The hydraulic pit's chain-link fence is meant to protect the fans from flying debris because if you've ever been to a professionally run hydraulics competition, you'd better invest in some body armor. Well, not really, we might be stretching it a bit. Actually, the guys who should be wearing body armor are the guys who signed up to flip the switch and compete in the seven classes developed by Go-Lo Entertainment and sponsored by ShowTime Hydraulics. With these classes, the event listed 15 vehicles that would go into action, which made the event fly by pretty smoothly although some uncontrolled mayhem was unleashed and a new world's record was set.
Exactly at 12 noon, the hopping contest commenced with the Luxury class. First up to the rolling measuring stick was Joe Bella's Cadillac. Joe logged a 30-inch hop which was no surprise. After the Cadillac, Brandy Jenda cheered on her '79 Pontiac Grand Prix, which climbed the sticks to 35 inches. And launching to a 56-inch leap was a blue '83 Oldsmobile Cutlass from C&L Hydraulics. These guys set a new Tour record by beating out Chris Ponder's 54-inch jump back at the Charlotte, North Carolina, show in a '82 Grand Prix. The last of the Luxury cars raised some more eyebrows and there was more cars waiting in the pits.
 Madman Jorge Guzman seeks...  Madman Jorge Guzman seeks 94 inches, but got the crowd going just as much with a 90-inch stand. |  The "woman of the shop," Brandy...  The "woman of the shop," Brandy Jenda, gave the honors to switchman Morris Wright, who hit 35 inches with Brandy's Grand Prix. |  Ron Eggers is the man, myth...  Ron Eggers is the man, myth and legend in the Radical Car/Truck Dance. Everyone probably expected him to roll his Nissan on its side, and it almost happened as the crowd roared to Ron's nonstop approach to virtual hydraulics armageddon. He also pocketed a little cash. |
The Radical Hop class saw its first car entry of the year in Portland (previously it had been trucks only). You want to know what the record is? You may be shocked. It's 93 inches set by Orlando Adkins in Tampa, Florida. With that lofty height in mind, Keith Simons from Portland entered his '81 Buick Regal, but was only able to muster low measurements on this day, thus ending his competitive bid. Up next was radical hopper Morris White and his long and low '81 Cadillac. He garnered a respectable reading but was nowhere near what he wanted. Waiting his turn was ShowTime's Steve White, who lifted the front end on his red '84 Regal to 34 inches (now you can see how difficult it is to get into the 90s). Coming in with another slick Cadillac was Troy Burns, who sent his bumper sky high and put on a good run, but couldn't get it to the magic 93 inches.
Now for anybody reading LRM for the first time, this next guy makes hopping trucks his sole reason for living and he's managed to make a good living at it. Jorge Guzman brought the unbelievable, an '87 Toyota mini-truck with a chromed-out undercarriage. Get this, Jorge held the record at 90 inches on March 24 in Phoenix, but then had it taken away by Orlando at the Tampa Hop. You know that Jorge wants the record back badly and he'll do anything to get it. It didn't happen in Portland, however, although he did get way up to 90 inches with the crowd going wild.
 Steve White checks the back...  Steve White checks the back bumper of his '84 Regal. Here he stopped hopping at 34 inches. |  Running ShowTime equipment,...  Running ShowTime equipment, Armando Barajas gave the Street Car dancers a challenge that they will never forget. | |
The local hometown shop is Jenda's Custom Auto in Portland, who pack their cars with CCE hardware. Paul Jenda wrapped up the Radical hoppers with an '81 Cutlass Supreme. His 13-year-old son Chris was supposed to hit the switches, but that idea got derailed due to his inexperience and instead Paul manhandled the job to 50 inches.
If they could, the crowd would stand up for the Street and Radical Car dancers because these guys seem to have all of the juice on the West Coast. First up in the Street Car Dance was Armando Barajas with a white '87 Chevy Monte Carlo. After pounding the cement for 90 seconds, Armando tallied up 24 points. Juan Chavoya's "Twister" (sponsored by Boulevard Hydraulics of Los Angeles, California) earned some overtime with the crowd cheering him on to 28 points. It was up to Las Vegas, Nevada's Ron Eggers (also sponsored by Boulevard Hydraulics) to do some destruction of his own. Roll the video tape please, because this guy used up the entire cement field enclosed by the chain-link fence. His Nissan Pathfinder ran the gamut of moves, which put the vehicle on the threshold of falling on its side. Ron always gives the crowd a thrill that they'll never forget. This guy should be in the Hydraulics Hall of Fame.
What an event Lowrider Magazine and Go-Lo Entertainment conjoured up in the Pacific Northwest and we got the action shots to prove it. And it's not over yet! The Tour moves on to the grand finale in Las Vegas on October 6, and we'd like to see you there. This time, the guys will need more than just a chain-link fence to hold 'em back!