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The idea: Build a traditional Aussie Style Hot Rod and auction it to raise funds for a memorial to the late Tina Katsanis, mother of the KOA & John's Rod & Kustom Picnic.

The plan: Use available parts and items donated from anybody who has the right 'junk' and have the car built in time to be auctioned at the picnic. Twenty something MOPAR Chassis was already available and John had the mould to make the body from fibreglass. A suitable Y Block Ford engine and three speed stick was also located amongst the junk in Chopper's shed. Whatever donated parts and services were nt forthcoming would have to be purchased. Labour would also be provided by many volunteers.

The time frame: Oh shit! the picnic is how close?

The reality: A small band of people worked tirelessly to scrounge up the required parts and other donations to get the thing happening. Another equally small group of workers slogged away thru the wee small hours of many a late night to bring it all together.
I wasn't one of them since my job is to take photos and stay the hell out of the way ;-)
The Picnic weekend started with a cruise night Friday evening, afterwards some of the participants stayed back to try and make the pile of parts resemble a car.

Saturday, was the show and shibne at Sandown Park with a run from there to Packenham in the early afternoon. Again after all the scheduled activity was over on the day, a small group went back to Chopper's shop to continue working on the car.

I was asleep when I left early Sunday morning so I don't recall how complete or otherwise the car was at that time. And of course everybody had to be up at 'sparrows fart' because Sunday was THE BIG DAY.
And what a day it was, the turnout was unbelievable, more cars than any Nationals and by ten am the cops were complaining we had hot rods and kustoms jamming the traffic on the Princess Highway for almost two miles. Heck, with the grounds bursting at the seams with more cars than any picnic we thought thay were already inside. At last count the number was well past double last years 'biggest ever' Picnic and on the way to double the biggest ever Nationals.
The number of people and cars meant that not all went to schedule on the day, but nobody seemd to mind because that were all having a blast.

And best of all Tina's tribute car arrived on time and looking for all the world like the traditional Aussie Hot Rod roadster.
I think special thanx are in order to Tina and John's kids, Dean, Damon, Tom & Luke, since they really did work their bums off and overcome sleep depravity to make this come together whilst the old man was trying to remember all the things Tina did to make the picnic function seamlessly.

Carps