Bringing It All Back Home: AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour Visits Youngstown

It was a pair of all-Ohio days for the AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour. When they rolled out of Cincinnati Monday morning they headed to the opposite corner of Ohio for a destination Tour Director Jerry Dixey calls one of his favorite places in the United States: his own back yard. Yes, Mary Ann and Jerry decided that being this close to home they ought to give The Dynamat Tour a very special memory, a Dixey Picnic.

With Jerry on the road the heavy lifting was left for Mary Ann who recruited her friend Dawn Damron. It was a beautiful drive that included a little excursion through Amish country. When they arrived at suppertime, even Jerry’s mother Barbara Dixey and brother Jack joined in the festivities which included a great meal of sloppy joes, vegetarian chili and tasty desserts. Jerry gave everyone a tour of his garages, toy boxes and house. The road warriors had a chance to see that Jerry not only enjoys talking about cars, he’s also a collector, albeit on a slightly smaller scale than some of the incredible collections he’s had the privilege of sharing over the years in other places and spaces.

A lot of folks don’t realize that before the Road Tour carved a chunk out of his life Jerry’s time was primary spent running a business called Classic Automobilia, a company that he and Mary Ann started in 1989. While the showroom is still filled with nostalgia and automobilia. Jerry even showed the Road Tourians his soap box derby collection and the many pedal cars he’s acquired over the years. Everyone enjoyed the diner-themed showroom.

Next stop: Snyder’s Antique Auto in nearby New Springfield, Ohio. Snyder’s has been in business for over 50 years. The company was started by Don Snyder Sr. who along with Jerry’s father John Dixey and a few others started the Model T Ford Club of Mahoning County. Jerry’s passion for cars is in the his blood as he grew up going to antique auto shows in his Great Grandfather’s 1926 Model T Ford station wagon that his father restored in the early 1960’s, a vehicle he still owns. Don Synder III, who now runs the company, gave everyone a tour of their facility where they supply Model T and Model A parts to folks around the world. After this they visited the car collection of Don Snyder Jr., an amazing collection of almost 100 vehicles. Don is a fan of the early lightweight factory race cars of the 60’s. They were able to see the very first Ford Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt #100 which was the last one made.

Other stops Tuesday include #1 Performance Center in Columbiana, Ohio and the collection of Norm and Cynthia Anderson in Canfield, Ohio. Tuesday’s various stops in the Youngstown area culminated in the weekly Tuesday night cruise at the Austintown Senior Center. The Mahoning Valley Old Car Club coordinates the cruise each week with Jerry’s good friends Dick and Laurie Nard handling the DJ duties. As with everywhere else they go, the Road Tour vehicles turn heads and the Road Tourian enjoy seeing the local cars. They were even ask to parade in front of the DJ stand as a group on our way out of the cruise, a great way to wrap up this special time in Jerry Dixey’s home town, Youngstown, Ohio.

Till next! Join the Road Tour and see where the cars really are.

Photos and More Photos from AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour "Shades of the Past"

Just thought it might be fun to share what you've been missing. This week the Road Tourians past through Bowling Green and saw the now famous sinkhole that appeared in the Corvette museum showroom there. It is now a bit of arcane wonderment. Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Shades of the Past: AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour Update

The AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour is now in the midst of its sixth tour leg of the season, coming close to wrapping up another successful run. The Shades of the Past Tour is currently en route from Indiana to Tennessee in a whirlwind tour that affords members VIP treatment, access to some of the nation’s historic automotive museums, car shows and even some auction action along the way.

The tour kicked off Labor Day weekend in Fort Wayne, Ind. Tour Director Jerry Dixey is at the helm in the ’59 Impala Road Tour car, followed by 25 registered street rods and their owners ready to hit the pavement. The group headed to Auburn, Ind. for a stop at the National Automotive and Truck Museum and the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum. Auburn was also hosting the homecoming of Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg vehicles and owners, which coincided perfectly with the arrival of the AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour. Dixey and crew enjoyed warm welcomes and nostalgic throwbacks from their time in Auburn. Before they left town, the Tour stopped at the Auctions America grounds, a sprawling space designed especially for the homecoming event. A car show and auction awaited them, and a couple members even placed bids and added to their collections. Jerry Dixey himself ended up with a 1948 Pontiac Steelcraft pedal car.

From there it was on the Indianapolis for the 60th annual NHRA US Nationals event. The AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour vehicles were placed just past the walk-in gates, turning heads and drawing the attention of all who entered. Road Tour participants were granted pit access at the racetrack and were able to spend time with the teams and crew members that make the whole event possible. After spending time at the track and rubbing elbows with key players in the circuit, the Road Tour headed off towards the Shades of the Past Hot Rod Reunion in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Only two more road trips remain on the 2014 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour. There’s still a lot to see and time to join either one, or even just come out and witness the cavalcade yourself at any of the stops. Find full information on the Road Tour and remaining stops here.

AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour Takes in Motor City

The 2014 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour is over halfway through, and it’s been quite a ride so far for Jerry Dixey and crew. Participants just finished what might be the best round yet with the Autopalooza.org Tour taking them through the historic automotive sights and sounds only found in upper Michigan. A full week of access to museums, car collections and other famed automotive attractions awaited them as they made their way towards the final destination at the Woodward Dream Cruise in Detroit, Mich. The Woodward Dream Cruise has become one of the biggest car events in the world, drawing in over one million people and spanning over 13 miles. Road Tourians enjoyed VIP status at the heart of the scene under the hospitality tent awaiting their arrival. The view of endless custom street rods, hot rods, muscle cars and everything in between was excellent with prime seating for tour participants. At the end of the last day, the 1959 Impala leading the tour rolled down Woodward Ave to cheers and applause from spectators.

There is still time to register for any of the remaining excursions in the 2014 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour. If you own a street rod this is the ideal opportunity to hit the open road with fellow enthusiasts. For those that don’t a street rod, be sure to check out the schedule and make plans to attend any of the stops along the way.

Just watching the river of cars flow by.

Heavy Rain Can't Dampen Road Tourians' Spirits

Earlier this week the Detroit found itself on the receiving end of its hardest rainfall in a century. Nevertheless, despite somewhat hazardous conditions on certain highways and byways, the AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour has had another exciting week as it traipses about the historic city of Detroit. The only thing really dampened were the carpeting and some of the contents of the less prepared vehicles.

As luck would have it, the entire day Tuesday was scheduled for a single location: Ypsilanti, Michigan. First stop, Kalitta Motorsportds.

There are not many drag racers more famous than Connie Kalitta and very few teams that have been as successful as his. And like many men of achievements there's a place to go where you can learn about their history and the qualities that made them heroic. During a tour of the huge race shop the Road Tourians were present as the team rigs were being loaded to head out to Minnesota to compete in the NHRA event at Brainerd. It was an up-close look at one of the best teams in professional drag racing and insight into what it takes to be successful in the sport.

Next stop, the Willow Run Airport and the Yankee Air Museum. The museum tells many stories from aviation history but goes in depth in telling the story of the Willow Run Assembly Plant that was built by Ford Motor Company and was one of the major airplane manufacturing facilities of World War II. The museum displays military aircraft from many conflicts including an F-15 and a Huey helicopter from the Vietnam War.

After a tasty lunch at the Sidetrack Bar and Grille the group hoofed it across the tracks to the Automotive Heritage Museum. The museum centers on products and vehicles built in and around Ypsilanti including the Hudson, Kaiser-Frasier products, GM autos including the Chevy II, the Corvair and the GM Turbo Hydromatic transmission were all part of Ypsilanti auto history. Ypsilanti was also the home of Preston Tucker of the Tucker automobile fame.

The Michigan Firehouse Museum just up the street became their final stop where they saw vintage firefighting apparatus from the earliest times up to present.

It's impossible to talk about the Yankee Air Museum without noting that AMSOIL was founded by a Lt. Colonel in the Duluth Air National Guard with significant achievements in that field. Al Amatuzio's greatest achievement, however, came about as result of his commitment to finding a way to bring jet engine lubrication technology into automotive applications, for which he was later inducted into the Lubricants World Hall of Fame.

Here's Al Amatuzio talking about the values that drove him and upon which AMSOIL has been founded:

Want to learn more? Visit www.amsoil.com/about

The Autopalooza.org Road Tour Kick-off

They don’t call Detroit the Motor City for nothing. This week the AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour is cruising the highways and bi-ways of a city that really was at one time the heartbeat of America.

“By definition a Road Tour starts at an automotive event and continues during the week, as we travel and visit auto related shops, museums, and historic sites,” states Jerry Dixey, road tour director. “The week wraps up in a different city as we attend another car event. In 2012 we tried something different. We decided that it might work to stay in one city for the entire week and visit automotive related sites that were all within a day trip of the host city.” The concept came to fruition in conjunction with the annual Autopalooza celebration.

Autopalooza.org is, as their site explains, “A celebration of Southwest Michigan’s Automotive Heritage through a series of cruises, races and shows that take place over the course of a year.”

It’s become an August ritual. The Woodward Dream C
ruise, Back to the Bricks in Flint and many other activities that take place during that special week. And according to the people who watch the numbers more than a million people participate or come to watch. The logistical challenges for Dixey and the 100 Road Tourians would be many, but that’s what makes these devoted car fans special.

Saturday’s first stop was The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. Ford’s influence and impact is well documented here. Sunday’s trip to the Gilmore Car Museum created its share of oohs and ahs. From there it was on to the famous Baker’s Cruise in Milford, one of the longest running cruises in the nation, with almost 500 cars attend each and every weekend. The local folks enjoyed seeing our vehicles as much as we enjoyed seeing theirs.

Road Tourian Don Oskey even went home with a Best of Show award for his 1961 Ford Sunliner convertible. It was a perfect wrap up for their first weekend on the Autopalooza.org AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour…. With a full week of delights still ahead.

Just a little stroll down memory lane.... with the Road Tour.

For more information about AMSOIL, visit amsoil.com/about

More Pictures from the AMSOIL/Street Rodder Eastwood Summer Classic Road Tour: Woodstock, Port Jervis and on to Pottstown

Road Tour director Jerry Dixey sent us another report, along with bunches of photos as the AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour continues to wend its way through the Northeast.

Wednesday morning the Tour rolled across Connecticut to cross into New York, their first destination being the Old Reinbeck Aerodrome in Red Hook. It’s only natural that after seeing boats and ports, cars and motorcycles, they would take in a visit to an airplane collection. Though one of our current advertising campaigns features the message of our manufacturing synthetic oils for any engine, the reality is that we no long produce oil for airplanes as we once did for the Rutan Racer.

The Old Reinbeck Aerodome is an amazing collection of very early airplanes and related items that was originally begun by Cole Palen back in 1951. Since Mr. Palen’s passing a number of years ago it has been managed by a non-profit trust. On summer weekends they re-enact dog-fights that recreate the battles of World War One. For a nominal admission fee tourists can visit the Aerodome during the week.

From there it was on to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, best known as the site of the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969. Dixey notes, “It was fun for me to relate my experiences on that hill 45 years ago as an 18-year-old child of the 60’s. The museum tells the story of that era and shows in detail the story of the weekend in August of 1969 when so many people attended the most famous rock concert in history.”

Leaving Bethel Woods the Road Tourians made their way to the city of Port Jervis, New York where they had been invited to a special cruise night arranged by the Cruisin’ Port folks. Thursday morning it was photo shoot time for the AMSOIL/Street Rodder Road Tour gallery when each driver and passenger poses with their vehicles, then it was off through the Delaware Water Gap. After a stop with the Hi-Winders Car Club in Bangor, Pa. it was on to Pottstown where they cleaned up their cars for the evening cruise in Elverson, Pa. at the Sonic Restaurant. Everyone was talking about the Eastwood Summer Classic that is taking place tomorrow. Can’t wait to see what happens next….

"By the time we got to Woodstock..."

And on and on and on it goes....