The California Kid
Southern California is inherently cool. Sure, you can try and toss your angry rocks about why your state is better, but this ain’t no glass house. This is So Cal, the birthplace of hot rods and muscle cars. But more specifically for this article, San Diego. The moment you enter county lines, your hair grows quicker, your tie feels looser, you smile wider, and your soul feels free. Free from the mediocrity of your 9-5 cubicle, 50 MPG Prius, or even worse, your soulless electric car. It’s true, you are simply a cooler person under the San Diego sun.
To many of us mere mortals, transplants from states that pretend to be cool. Especially those escaping the Arizona heat in the middle of July (we see you, “Zonies”). A week in San Diego can change our lives. But if you’re lucky enough to be born and raised on these beautiful beaches, what effect does that have on one's soul?
Well, look no further than Reagan “Guitar” Williams to answer that question. He’s cool as hell. He’s confidently rocking an embroidered denim shirt, long blonde hair that has been bleached by years under the West Coast sun, with a mustache that would fill Burt Reynolds with envy. It’s an aesthetic that people across social media attempt to replicate, but they lack authenticity. To top it all off, his daily is a period correct, 1956 Chevy Nomad!
I hit Reagan with the age old question, the one we automotive writers have at the ready when we undertake an interview. “How did you get into the hobby?” Rarely does one stumble into this passion, most of us know that we were led into it. Not playing looky-lou at a local car show in the grocery store parking lot. No, I’m talking about passion that translates into the blood, sweat, and tears required to rescue a half century old piece of iron.
Blissful memories of a 1957 Bel Air his father acquired when Reagan was an impressionable seventeen year old, raced through his mind. His smile widened as he recounted the tale. It was in that car he learned to drive a manual transmission, and learned how to build a 350 small block motor. But most importantly, it was where he spent time with his dad. Just a couple years later, after his father sold the Bel Air, a brokenhearted Reagan knew that a hot rod was waiting for him, somewhere in his future.
“My goal was to build something that reminded me of my Dad’s Bel Air.” And so the search began. Reagan knew he needed something to transport him, his surfboard, and all the equipment for his band around San Diego, but he wanted something that would do it with the kind of style that defines him. That’s when he heard about an old Chevrolet Nomad for sale only a few miles up the road from where he lived. After carefully looking it over, he knew he had to have her. “I fell in love with the car, obviously.”
The Chevy is peppered with vintage racing stickers (Peep the Carlsbad Raceway sticker where this old hot rod actually raced), and a blue and white two-tone paint scheme. The paint isn’t perfect, and it shouldn’t be, given the amount of time it spends on the road. “I probably drive it five days out of the week. Everywhere from Vista to San Diego. She does 70 or 80 mph, no problem. And people stare, because you never see these on the freeway, let alone passing you.”
The duty of hauling Reagan around San Diego is left up to a souped up 1970 Chevy 350 with a 4 bolt main, outfitted with some tried and true upgrades. A hydraulic cam was lubed up and slipped into the old block, with enough lift to announce his arrival before anyone sees him approaching. Reagan replaced the tame two barrel iron intake with an Edelbrock performance kit and stuffed dual quad carbs on top of this rowdy mouse. In true hotrod fashion, he quickly disposed of the boring automatic transmission, stuffed a Borg Warner 4 speed behind the motor, and hung a third pedal beneath the dash. Why a 4-speed when you have overdrive automatics or 5-speed Tremecs? Because they’re still cool as hell, man!
His hot rod might be classic, but Reagan really understood where to best fit his upgrades. With a hopped up motor, he turned his attention to creature comforts, adding a power steering kit that makes it easy to maneuver this beast. Next, a disc brake conversion kit from Summit Racing was added to help bring his ride to a quick stop. And to dial in the period correct styling, Reagan topped the new brakes off with a set of polished 15” wheels wrapped in Radial TA rubber, which fashioned this iconic classic into a comfortable and reliable cruiser.
“You keep your surfboard in here?” I ask, doing my best to hide a twinge of jealousy at the thought of being cool enough to surf, let alone have a surfboard in my classic Chevy. “Yeah, I grew up surfing here. I go a couple times a week, at least. But check this out,” he says, as he rolls the bench seat forward and pulls out his vintage “Guild” guitar, handcrafted in 1955. “The Nomad is this guitar’s natural habitat. It’s always right by my side,” he says with a chuckle. The threadbare case carries with it the same vintage appeal and authentic scars as the Chevy it’s propped up against.
“I was working a job I totally hated! But I was saving my money and searching the internet constantly for something special, and that’s when I found it. The day I bought this guitar, I quit my job.”
He hoists the leather strap over his head and settles the guitar onto his hip. That’s when Reagan starts into a riff, reminiscent of Dave Gonzalez, of “The Paladines”, Reagan’s favorite band. A Rockabilly rhythm rings out as he plucks the cords and brings the guitar to life. As he continues to play, we’re momentarily transported to an era that most young hot rodders have only dreamed of. A time that was slower, when friends could sit around their cars on the beach, tear it up between stop lights, and just enjoy the simple things in life.
If you’re wondering where you can catch Reagan “Guitar” Williams and his band playing in San Diego, he can typically be found at the Pour House in Oceanside or the American Legion in Encinitas.
“So, let me get this straight, your hobbies are playing this kick ass guitar, surfing, and cruising beach towns in your old Chevy?” I asked, this time not attempting to conceal my envy. He pauses for a moment, and a smile creeped out from under his mustache. He’s too humble to acknowledge what I’m really getting at. And what I’m getting at is simple, So Cal is cool and being raised here is just as cool as you think it is. Maybe even cooler. Reagan knows he’ll only be young once, and for this California Kid, just once will be enough.
