I Remember why I hate car shows

Spoken like a true hot rodder. How many guys can say what you just said. Not many. And not many will know who Hamilton Engineering or Cal Automotive were. Not just anybody can build a "kit car" from 30 years ago. Kit cars then were the basic parts like frame and body and YOU did everything else. It wasn't like today where you can practically order the parts and bolt it together.

 

I hate car shows. But cruise nights are a different story. (quote)
Exactly what I was thinking!
Want to make time stand still? Go to a show & shine or car show.
After an hour or so you've seen all the cars and you're stuck , usually on hot asphalt listening to "rock around the clock " for the fifteenth time. Then the mouthpieces come out of the woodwork making your ears bleed from listening to the BS.
To me a car is made to drive. They look their best when they are moving , not sitting with phony takeout trays full of plastic food and the ever popular crybaby doll propped on the front fender. I too would love to boot one of those right in the cotton stuffed ass ,but good manners prevents me from doing that.
One rod run we went to had the cruise night. It started downtown and went 15 miles down along a windy road and turned back on itself at a firehall at the end. Every house along the way had a party to watch the cars. And when the cars came back you could see every car while you were driving. Every car looked good!

 

Chris, couldn;t agree with you more.

Any one can make an enemy in a hurry. But it takes some effort to make a friend.

Friends are more valuable and desirous.

Jim

 

There's always going to be those kind of guys wherever you go...best way to deal with it is to either pop'em in the mouth or burn out and kick up some rubber, dirt, and oil onto those pretty boy legos.

 

I agree too JimC, except for the "desirous" part. I think you mean desirable, as in something worth having or seeking. "Desirous" is characterized by wanting, often in a sexual fashion.

I'd be careful how you use that word around your buddies. Most everybody here is pretty cool, but i doubt I'd be desirous of them.

Just a linguistic tip from a fellow gear-head...

 

"Desirous" is characterized by wanting, often in a sexual fashion. (Quote)

What? You've never LUSTED after a car?! lol

 

Lusted after a car? HELL YEAH every day if I get the chance.

Lusted after my wrenching buddies - No, not even when I can see their ass cracks when they change out wheel cylinders... not once.

 

What you said.

 

It really depends on how you define "car show," though. For the ultimate good time you can't beat the Lonestar Roundup; the Pileup, Billetproof and the Rumblers shows also keep the right vibe. Cool cars, cool people. I love going to vintage week at Road America to slobber all over them Ferraris and McLarens.

The problem is the cliche park-n-shine fairgrounds car show -- car-dusting halfwits sitting in flamed lawn chairs next to their Betty Boop festooned masterpieces, who eventually get steamed that their $25 entrance fee didn't win the coveted $4 plastic bowling trophy.

Gah.

 

i went to the local rinky dink car show/community day on the square yesterday,,,there where 14 cars total,,of course,,ive never won a trophy at any car show before,and dont really care if i do either,,
.... my dad ,joking around, said "stick around for a while,,you might get a trophy,they have more trophys than cars here!"
anyways,,we ended up staying..not for the trophy,but just cuz we were having a good time hanging out etc..

well 3 trophys went to this imaculate 32 roadster,1 trophy went to the wife of the guy in charge of the show, one trophy to a bone stock s10 with chrome ralleys and keyed down the side,,one trophy went to a 84 mustang that was basically stock and pretty thrashed, best truck went to a model a pick up with a pinto motor ,M ll and sat about a mile high on 14" junkyard rims and tires .and the finall thing that got me was that a corvette and a 350Z that WERENT even there (they left about 3 hours before the judges even judged!) won two trophys,,,,hahaha

like i said,,i could care less about a 10 dollar plastic trophy that someone chosen to be a judge who doesnt even own a old car thinks about my car or others,,but for chrissakes,,...

 

Does it seem like the stupid ones are always the most close minded.I enjoy talking to people at car shows and cruse nites, but I have a low tolerance for stupidity. and nothing pissis me of like some halfwit fuckup having the nerve to tell me he " I usta have a valiant jus like yurs but mine had a 396 hemi from the factory" or some other nonsense If your a jackass are you required to advertise it to the world. I usualy act as if the fool doesn't exist ,but I'd love to just punch them where there teeth should be!

 

This guy that I know, (late fifties, thinning grey hair, gut, wanna be country singer), rides around in a yellow '55 T Bird (that he bought), with a huge stuffed Tweedy Pie bird in the passenger seat. Go figure.

pigpen

 

theres a little cruise every friday here that i frequent and its fun maybe 3 cars and all the people comin in to get burgers and such get to check them out, well one night i got to scare some lady and her kids it was great fun ,,she and her kids are lookin over my 32 and i over heard her say this would be great with a hood and a cd player,, i said whys that , she said so i could drive it and not hear the engine ,, so i said hold on a sec ( i had opened the the headers earlyer) got in fired it up and pegged the throttle and shoot out some flames and she jumped a foot and her kids ran behind her, i shut it off and asked , do you think a hood and a cd player would help?> then we all had a good laugh and i went back to my burger

 

I got one of those fuckin' dolls....When I go to car shows, I park with it under my front tire....

 

how about a blues clue t-bucket for the non car people



I don't care for car shows either. I got turned away from a all ford show and my buddy is a member of it. Because of visible rust and torn interior. I told them i guess i should buy a new mustang so i could have a show car. They all thought it was a great idea. Knobs!!! I can handle someone paying to have a car built if they don't lie and say they built it. But people that buy brand new cars to show baffle me. Kinda pissed me to get turned away at an all ford show with 30 cars but there sure was a lot of SBC street rods in there. Oh well there loss but then again they probably didn't know what they were looking at since they didn't have a sale's brochure in front of them

keith

 

The one thing that I always despise is the non-stop doo-wop fifties music. What a load of crap. Some people complain that we aren't attacting younger people to the hobby, but then they run them off with the shit they play on the loudspeakers....holy crap... There's better stuff.

 

the answer= AC/DC

 

They say your testosterone levels decrease sharply as you get older.

 

Maybe that's his date. I bet if you ask him that enough times, he leaves it home...

What is it about all-Ford shows? We have about 6 shows a year here at a local park. The Street Rod club is free to vendors and the others I do are like $10 a spot. The Ford club was $20 for the same spot and had I not gave away a pair of '48 Olds fender skirts I wouldn't even have made the $20 back.

They did let in a clone of the Animal House Deathmobile, though, so they can't be all bad - although I did get sick of hearing Shout! after about the 50th time or so.

But that thing about not being let in over visible rust sounds like the clowns who write me nasty notes about that woodie whining about how rusty it is. I mean it's a Ford, they rust as much as anything, if you're afraid of it then go buy cars from Boyd's....


Today I have a guy asking about a '68 Bonneville tilt column I've been carrying around for a while. If it sells great, if not I'll use it. It's marked with black marker in at least three places $100 - '68 Bonneville. I'm up front dealing with someone else when he hollers over 'what you want on this column' so I told him 'it's marked two or three places' so I could get back to taking care of the guy in front of me. Next thing I know he's coming by bitching something about attitude. What attitude? You shout over across 20 feet and interrupt me, I think I was pretty nice not telling him to wait a frigging minute. So I'm like whatever and he's going on about it costing me a $100 sale. Bullshit, you're just pissed I'm not giving it away for twenty bucks, if you wanted it that bad you would have bought it even if I pissed on it.

2 weeks ago to Marion a guy was trying to knock someone down to $5 on a paint gun, the guy finally threw it on the ground and stomped on it and told him "now you can have it for $5" ... I'm getting to be that way, I think. My buddy was telling people he'd rather take the hubcaps back home, toss them in the air and shoot at them, than take less than $5. $5 isn't bad for a nice '55 Ford cap, if you need it.

It's getting so I spray paint a little bright color square on stuff and mark it on that. I mean you can't mark every little thing and if it's only worth a couple bucks, who cares, but if it's expensive it's marked. That way you can't possibly miss it.

The people that pick through your stuff as you set it up and interrupt you kill me too, just walk over stuff like it's not there... I need to put up a sign that says you trip and fall on it, you bought it. I figure thats just the nature of the beast, though, if I don't want to deal with it I'd have to set up at like 3 am.

I don't think I'd ever try to show a car. Like this '50 - it's here because I like it and wanted to have some fun with it. Which means driving it, not parking it somewhere so I can hear people nitpick it to death.

 

I like to play along with them. They come up and tell me that their buddy had a "Hurst Edition Camarrah, jes like yours!" and I start making stuff up about how super rare they are and how most came with 283s but mine was one of six produced with a 327 and one of only two convertibles.

I've learned to find them entertaining.

 

You have these dickheads at every car venue. Hot rods, cruise nights, even marque-specific and classic concours style shows.


We did a Packard roadster and went to St. louis for it's debut. Now mind you, I fuckin eh know all there is to know about a 34 Packard...I specialized in em for over a dozen years. Sometimes a CCCA meet can be pretty snooty, but me and my friend were there to have some fun and get the car's pedigree started. So this know-it-all fuckhead comes up to us and says the car looks great but the pinstripes are all wrong. ..."Packards didn't have that stripe design". For the record the striping was a double 1/16 on the top and bottom of the main beltline and should flow gracefully into the hood with a total of 4 pinstripes. Done right, it rivals even the best hotrod striping. And my striper did it right. The car was bright red/tan leather/ gold pinstripes. This limpdick just wouldn't let it go. He too had a 34, with single stripes of course, and in general was a driver quality classic. I had already won dozens of 1st places by that time and just plain didn't care about his opinion but like I said, he wouldn't let it go. In the evening they always had a nice semi-formal dinner and awards gig. Everyone on the up and up, pinkies, table manners, you get the idea.

So, we grabbed a copy of the latest Packard club newsletter, usually laiden with factory re-printed mat'l and set it in front of him at his dinner table. He was sitting with the board members of the CCCA, including the lady that was executive director. "hey Dennis, look on page 12 and tell me if you see one or two". The look of horror and gasp from the ladies (he told them HIS tale) was priceless...we bought a copy of the latest Playboy and took a full page full color pic of a beauty with a truly dynamite set of charlies and fixed it into page 12. You don't really need to get mean to get even I guess. By the way we did score a 1st with a 100pt judging result. But that didn't matter. The "expert" got his eggs early...on his face.

 

The one that really pisses me off is the same ol question, "what color are you going to paint it?" in which I reply "flat black is a color, the last time I checked." Car shows for the masses SUCK, thats why they have those crying babies, because they dont want to be there either. Drivin hat where its at................RP

 

These "guys" like it:

 

Get the same crap down here in Oz, If you don't know the right people or build it the way the majority want it then you are an out cast especially by dicks who buy there cars not build em

 

Ok.. this whole thread gets me goin. First show I ever went to, I had just picked up my 60 sedan, cleaned it up good, changed oil, plugs, cap, wires, trans fluid, radiator fluid, etc. waxed it, vacuumed and re-deyed the interior carpets with a spray on, sprayed the trunk black to hide the stains of 40+ years, and put the hubcaps on it. Man it was looking great. Entered it's class (Which was all GM, original, 51-60) What a fuggin class, that means I'm competing w/ the damn tri 5's and lord knows that's a cheap shot, since stupid judges love those things. Anywho, I enter the show, 25 dollar fee, donation, blah blah blah. Walk around, scope the other big bucks, everything redone, replaced, 350/350 blah blah blah. Then the awards. Judges were Lovin my ride, people were sittin in it, had a huge crowd standing by me just waiting to see my truly "original" ride win. Well, I took second place. Wasn't upset yet. Until every other fucking car took a first place in some other category. Come to find out, the judges thought my ride was a repaint, with replaced interior, replaced trunk, and repop hubcaps. I kindly explained that mine was in a barn for the last 30 years, and Nothing was different, with the exception of a 1962 paint job on a 1960 car. They just bout choked on their own spit. I tore outta there tires smokin, and enjoyed my "second place" trophy.

Next story... God I hate car show whores. Not women, please don't get offended, I mean the jerks who show up with a trunk load of trophies, there pretty lil plaques, california car dusters, etc. Entered a show at my ole community college. My ride had just come from the engine shop, full rebuild, runnin like a champ, etc. Had to argue with three different judges who all said my "original" engine had to be a 500, or it wasn't original. Showed them the owners manual, shop manual, custom manual, and the numbers on my frame, door jamb, and then engine block which all match. They still wanted to argue the point. Needless to say, I took bout 25 dollars worth of soda and burgers, and left. Didn't win anything at that show either.. hmm.... whaddya know.. another tri 5 took first, mustang second, and camaro third. And all 3 had the 350/350 combo. How fuggin annoying.

Last show I go to. New to the area, hear about this "cool" show coming up. My rides hurtin, gotta bad cylinder after towing down to NC from IL. But shit I made it, can't complain. Anywho, clean up the ole caddy, it's got nice 3 inch wide whites, no caps, skull in the back shelf, landing lights behind the grill, I'm lookin rough, car's sounding bad as hell, I'm ready for a show (or show down). Sure enough, on the way there, I get passed my some ole jerk in a brand new dual cab chevy, towing a tri five. Fucker has the nerve to wave his hand in front of his face and pretend to cough since my rides smokin a lil bit. I lay on the gas, pass him up, and you'd better believe he had to pull off to the side of the road. Smoke screen was enough to knock out a boxer. Funny thing.. as he was unloading his nice lil tri-five, pulling into the show, poor guy had to get a jump start. Awwwwwwwwwwww how sad.

 

I got a glass 37 Chevy vert, its got 7 cans of Pep Boys blk primer on it, I have a blast with the car, I've been caught in the rain more than once. I go to shows to see folks that I know and socialize. I've heard ad nauseum What color is it going to be?..I just laugh... My pet peeve is a brand new Vette with the hood up WOW any asshole can go to the dealer and buy (or make 60 payments ) on one but most can't get past knowing where the filler is. I've let kids sit in my vert (with their parents permission) The best comment I ever got was from a father who sat his little girl in the driver seat, he said that he had never sat in a hotrod and she beat him to it.I guess its my way of showing that not all carowners are total dicks, like the ones that look real nervous when someone even gets near their "pride and joy" ...end of rant

 

This past Saturday night my buddy broke down in his 1949 Plymouth business coupe Hot Rod while on his way to hang with us at the local car cruise (the closest thing I attend to a "show" anymore) anyways when I get there there's a guy in a way cool primered '55 Ford (tilt nose - straight axle car) anyways my buddy broke down around 8:00 and I get there at 10:00 (I went as soon as I got the message!) by the look of the guy's hands (very dirty) he's been there helping for a while. Problem - NO SPARK inspite of replacing the points and condensor. Coil checks out GOOD so we start to think we have an open wire in the distributor. We fashion a TEST LIGHT out of a tail light bulb and a piece of wire. We then proceed to check out the distributor itself - no flashing light - distributor is DEFINITELY the problem!!! I disassemble it and the guy with the '55 checks out each wire inside using our SPIFFY test light. ALL GOOD! So now we wonder if we have a short so I continue disassembling everything - NADA this thing is bullet proof! Still not testing out we determine that the problem HAS to be the rivets holding the breaker plate assy to the housing have LOST their connection - YEP 60 odd years have taken it's toll on the rivets. SO we fashion a "jumper ground" by using the cut off tab from a condensor tang and bolting it in place at the breaker plate mounting screw. This we snake up the side of the housing and clamp in place against the housing with the cap itself. We also leave it long enough (outside of the distributor) to attach a secondary ground wire - if need be. Anyways we toss it back in the car and it FIRES like it was 1949 again!!! All are happy - it is now just after mid night. So we go over to check out the '55. It's WAY WAY COOL BTW. Just then I realize that this guy is a complete stranger - the way he and my buddy talked earlier I thought they were life long friends. SO what in the hell does this have to do with hating car shows??? Well no doubt in the 4 hours that my buddy was broke down at least 200 cars (so called "car guys" driving some sort of "hot rod") must have driven past going to and from the car cruise. And other than the guy in the WICKED COOL Primered '55 Ford NO ONE stopped to see if he needed any help. Yep - that's CAR SHOW guys - all show and not much else. But then again maybe I am being too critical - I mean could they have actually helped - maybe - maybe not. I mean and offer to drive my buddy's wife to a FRIENDS HOUSE might have been appreciated. Not that she wold have left but again - ANY offer of help might have been the cool thing to do. But as we were shown -->Bottom line - they are 99% TURDS. Funny how the only guy cool enough to help was the one driving the PRIMERED hot rod! Just goes to show you that being COOL is an attitude backed up by action. And the action of "I bought it myself" just don't cut the mustard. Now don't get me wrong, as I have known a very SMALL handful of guys who LOVED cars but admitted knowing NOTHING about them. They aren't critical of other peoples efforts and they also would likely have stopped had they seen us thrashing at the side of the road.
I have driven a Rambler since high school - and not 'cause I thought it was cool or anything like that, but because that's what I HAD - it was FREE --- IF I could fix it (blown up motor) so I fixed it since I was broke and have loved it ever since. But driving a "red headed step child" type of car allows one to quickly see the make up of a so called hot rodder. The elitists are quickly identifieable. The funny part is that THAT fact alone makes me appreciate my Rambler all the more. And before you scoff at me - ask yourself if being an elitist is what your goal is. It comes in all forms friends. I've seen this my entire hot rodding life. First it was with my Rambler - then it was in my primered '34 Plymouth coupe - (a car your beloved GoodGuys belittled in their Gazzette back when they BARELY tolerated rat rods - unlike today where they realized YOUR money was as green as anyones) Do I like the cubic dollar billet cars - well no I don't, but at the same time I figure live and let live. Car shows are all about the money and or bragging rights. I mean who in their right mind would spend thousands of hours and or dollars to build these machines and then PAY to allow people to look at them. Not me!!! The huddle of blow hards mentioned above speak for themselves. Personally I had more fun on the side of the road with my buddy. And as a HUGE BONUS we got to meet a fellow hot rodder and make a friend at the same time. Friends like these are RARELY if ever made at a show where everyone's focus seems to be building themselves up by tearing all others down! Sorry not MY cup of tea. Those hot air wheezing nitwits are sadly missing out on the true fun of the whole "sport" of building and driving hotrods!!!! We came, we fixed we made friends. Go ahead and beat THAT at the billet-a-rama's we now call car shows!!!!!!
Oops!!!! I am babbling again - sorry.

 

I dont know why there is all this bitching about the goldchainers talking shit. All I hear from a lot of guys on this thread is the same crap. We all do it. if its something that differs from our pesonal tastes we critique it to death.

Some people just aren't very tactful about making opinionated comments. Hell I know I look at a lot of cars and think "what the hell happened here"!
But after almost getting into a couple of brawls because some stupid buddy was tearing a car apart with the owner standing behind us, I've learned to keep my opinions to myself. And more than anything else, I felt really shitty for hurting someones feelings, bad mouthing their car.

 

Like yer Momma used to say - "If you can't say something nice, shut the fuck up !!"

 

Drama, Drama.

Id like to hear and see more of the 34 Sedan also.

For those that are bagging on those willing to pay others to work on a car, does anybody want to repair the rust out in my 34 sedan floors on the CHEAP for me?