Stopped at a car show tonight.

Didn't plan on it though.
Felt like taking the Dart out for a little cruise.
My wife asked if I would take her to one of the smaller malls around here.
So why not kill two birds with one stone.
As I'm pulling in to the mall there are car shows signs and arrows
everywhere. I look at my wife she could see the cars so she says,"drop
me here and I'll walk over when I'm done". This is one good woman !!
I didn't have to say a word.
Anyway I was there for a bout 20 minutes looking around and as I go
walking back to my car I see about 6 guys hovering around my engine compartment. I walk over with my MOPAR shirt on and at once the
questions come flying.
I've got nothing to hide so I answer all questions. Then It gets ugly.
4 of them had faster cars, of course. One wants to race right in the lot.
Another wants to run for pink slips. Sheesh, I just stopped in while my
wife was shopping. Me not being afraid of anything 8-[ except my wife.
Invite them all down to Island Dragway. No they want to race on the street.
Since I now haven't any points on my license nor any more insurance surcharges I said no. At that point my wife is done shopping and walking over to the car.
Said I gotta go guys, just stopped while the wife shopped.
Well now the car is a little cold and I start it. The cam was lopping just right
and all smiles disappeared from there faces. At that point I smiled. Backed out and was pulling away.
The last remark I heard as I pulled out was,"oh yeah my friend has a Hemi".
Why do people have to be such a**holes?
Well I enjoyed my cruise and looking forward to the Mopar Nats next weekend.
Sorry but I just had to rant a little, thanks for listening.

There's always the "friend" with a hemi, or a 9 second street car, or a dragster he drives to work.

People are stupid. And stupid people are annoying.

Stupid, annoying people at car shows at the worst.

LOL, I love the guys. I like when they have no clue what they are talking about and you can start making things up and they know just what your talking about. Did you ever get the guy that asks why you didnt paint you car like the General Lee.

LOL, I love the guys. I like when they have no clue what they are talking about and you can start making things up and they know just what your talking about. Did you ever get the guy that asks why you didnt paint you car like the General Lee.
Yes and you answer but thats a Charger and the look at you like they just spotted another head on you shoulders and say nothing.
I bet these guys were driving Pintos

I get that a lot... My car is Orange, ya know. People ask if I'm gonna put a rebel flag on the top.

There's a thread somewhere about my run-in with a doofus at a local car show who said his stock-looking 340 powered Dart (or some other A Body) would run 10s, then 11s, maybe 12s, could go fast if he ever got around to bringing it to a drag strip, well, the previous owner said it would go really fast, that must mean 10s or 11s.

Did the guys with the faster cars or the ones who wanted to race by any chance have little imports?

I also like when people are looking at the car and ask whats in it. It says 340 on the fender in big numbers. Or the guy who asked if it was a slant 6 while its running.

I also like when people are looking at the car and ask whats in it. It says 340 on the fender in big numbers. Or the guy who asked if it was a slant 6 while its running.

LOL!

I brought my car to work once, I had to have the trailer inspected and didn't feel like taking the car off. I went out around lunch time, found a couple of guys looking at it. The side of my scoop says "360 Four Barrell" in bright orange letters, they really stand out against the flat black hood. One guy says, "what you got in it?". "572 Hemi", I tell him.

Dummies.

Did you ever get the guy that asks why you didnt paint you car like the General Lee.

don't get me started... :P

I get a lot of that in my own neighborhood. Two of the neighbor kids have F-bodies they think are fast, and are ALWAYS wanting to race me. I think it's a joke. One has a 350/6 speed...stock except the loud Borla exhaust (loud isn't fast). The other is late model SS...supposedly running 375 at the wheels, but his shoe polish from Ennis says 12.76. Lousy, seeing he runs a 100hp shot.

HE thinks I should run nitrous on my car...heh..funny...I told him nitrous on is for people who don't know how to build a real motor. (Sorry if that offends anyone, but nitrous is a track-only tool in my book.)

I have to laugh. They refer to Mustang guys as "5 liter punks"....They just don't understand that I think they are the same cheesy crowd...F-body pukes.....

The LS1 cars are pretty fast. I know some one who has a 2000 SS, all stock except a converter and drag radials. He runs high 12s all day long and drives home with the A/C on.

Drove through at McDonalds one day with my Swinger,and the young lady at the window(16 maybe17) squealed, and told me she loved my "Road Runner".Her equally young partner looked at her with that annoyed look, and said"Thats not a Road Runner dummy,thats a Duster!"
At least the young ladies showed interest in the old Dodge,if not me!

Did the guys with the faster cars or the ones who wanted to race by any chance have little imports?

That was my first thought!

I use my Scamp for alot when it's nice out,last summer i was on my way home just before i get into town there is one red-light,i stop in the outside lane look in the mirror and see headlights flying up behind me.
He pulls along side,it's a white ricer with some goofy graphics down the side and of course the standard wing on the back,i look over and he starts revving it and it has that really tough sounding pissed off bumble bee sound:roll:!
I think ok junior lets see what you got!:twisted:
Light changes and i let him take off first until he gets about a car length in front of me and i punch it,pulled right up beside him and right apast him!:burnout:
Guess it wasn't as fast as he thought,maybe it needed a bigger wing and more stickers!:dontknow:

Yeah their all alike. I never said what the car ran just what was in it.

But they were faster. Where is your car? I asked.
Oh its home its a track car only. I said ok this is a street car.
Meet me at Island 2 Sundays from now.
Excuses, excuses.

Ignorance is not alwys bliss. I am never amazed at what stupid people say, and as far as I can tell, everybody wants a racecar, or has the fastest car around.

Ignorance is not alwys bliss. I am never amazed at what stupid people say, and as far as I can tell, everybody wants a racecar, or has the fastest car around.

I have a lot of patience but I agree Ignorance sometimes is just a big old pain
in the but.

John Wayne" Pilgrim somebody ought to punch you right in the mouth but I won't, I won't. The hell I won't.":boxing:

I have a choice of at least 2 cruise nights seven days a week with in an hours drive of home during the spring and summer months. The first one was last Thursday (ever other week) and my regular Friday night one starts tonight but the weather doesn't look promising.

For every one dink like the ones you ran across there are 10 great folks that are truely interested in hearing about your car and asking questions. The mental midgets with the I have a faster, better, ... don't phase me. It's the restoration snobs that come by and start with that not the: right color, right wheels, right interior, etc and I go I know and they go "so why did you do that?" that drive me nuts. It usually shuts them up with "it's my car and I wanted it that way and if I had to have it stock I would have sent it to the crusher".

The last few years my Barracuda has had a built \6 and it's amazing how much attention it will draw. People love the "This ain't your Grama's \6" sticker I have on the valve cover. I have been torn the past few years whether to swap in a v8 or not but this year is the year. I will be picking up my 360 from the machine shop next week and hope to have it installed by mid June. We'll see how much attention it will get with the small block.

Wow, nice Mopar. That color looks really good on the car and it has a very mean stance. I hear what your saying about the "why did you do that?" types. 99% of them are driving JUNK! I had a guy try to pick my car apart, not even at show.... just sitting in a parking lot. His girlfriend was with him and he was acting like he knew it all. I asked him what he was driving and he pointed to a rusted out HONDA Civic..... I just shook my head and said " It figures" his girlfriend was not impressed with him!
I'm getting ready to play with my slant 6..... when you remove yours are you interested in selling the intake, carb and header??? if so feel free to email me @ bigblkmopar@yahoo.ca and check out mine at www.cardomain.com/memberpage/818614

Bryan

Bryan,
I have had a bunch of people ask about purcahsing the \6 perfromance parts and I can't remember who has or hasn't. I would like to sell the engine complete but will likely have to part it out. When I announce on the board the 360 is in I will let ever one know but if some one has kept an email that indicates I had given them dibs before today then I will have to honor that.

i used to take my plain-old 68 mustang coupe to car shows, and you'd be amazed how many people ask if it's a shelby or why i didn't get a mach1 or some crazy crap like that....haven't had a lot of those questions about the barracuda....

the only one with it was in a parking lot, someone asked to see under the hood

".....WOOOOOW....is that a HEMI????"

to which i say

"no....just a wedge V8"

THEN....he said "so THAT's what a max-wedge looks like"


i slapped myself in the forehead, closed the hood and told him he wasn't allowed to look at my car anymore.....EVER

:toothy1:

Know how many E Body guys get their cars confused with Camaro's?http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/misc/eek5.gif

That's why I bring beer to the car shows. It helps me tolerate the idiots. It's either that or I beat them.

Good story, Tony.
My pet peeve goes something like this; a guy comes over to comment on your car....asks a question or two....and before you get to answer, he's off on a tangent telling you how his brother's friend that has a blah blah blah blah....as if you give a damn........................just shoot me!

I go to my first Car show next weekend....

I'm going to keep a small notebook with me and keep count on my 3 most asked questions.

1. Is that a hemi?
2. When are you painting it orange?
3. how much do you want for the car?

Being my car is far from finished I had planned on placing a tip cup on the air cleaner for all the suggestions on what I SHOULD do to it! http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/misc/bs.gif

Gotta love car show spectators.... I had guy explain to his girlfriend how the six barrel was a rare option.
On a `68 Barracuda?http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/jestera.gif

Hey I've even heard who would want that blue piece of chit.

Then seen he had a cheby with one of those wobble head things on the
package tray.:knob:

For every one dink like the ones you ran across there are 10 great folks that are truely interested in hearing about your car and asking questions.


This has been my experience, also. For the most part I enjoy the show and the interaction with spectators. There is always a few idiots, but they are usually the minority.

The mental midgets with the I have a faster, better, ... don't phase me. It's the restoration snobs that come by and start with that not the: right color, right wheels, right interior, etc and I go I know and they go "so why did you do that?" that drive me nuts. It usually shuts them up with "it's my car and I wanted it that way and if I had to have it stock I would have sent it to the crusher".


*snicker* My car is a low mileage original paint car, but the paint is thin & it has plenty of parking-lot dings. All of the underhood markings and even the paper labels are still there, as is the shoddy underhood paint & detailing that came from the factory. It's a chestnut brown 318 car.

Last cruise-in I was at, I ran into a feller who has a 340 demon that is 100% restored. He hassled me for an hour, insisting I must leave the car in it's current state because it's an unmolested time-capsule......wish I had your line handy then. :laughing:

one guy tried to convince me my duster was a 77 cadilac eldorado when i was lying under the car to get the exhaust cutouts closed again on a cruising that time i was realy close to kill that idiot some people just dont know when to keep there mouths closed...

I must be damn lucky.I've never heard any negatives at a show yet.Course, I only go to all Mopar shows.Must be the comraderie.

Haha...This reminds me of one drunk I ran across at the local friday cruise last year.

I was talking to a guy I know with a 67 Coronet R/T since my dad has one too, and we were just talking about random stuff when some drunk walks up and butts in the convo. The owner of the car and him had a little convo for a bit, when the guy made some remark about my age and how I don't know anything about Mopars due to my age. The owner of the car kindly corrected him, and even said that I probably knew more than he did about Mopars, as he was the Mopar newbie of the bunch. This prompted Mr. Mopar Know It All to start quizzing me on things and telling me how every part on cars interchanges, blah blah.

After I corrected everything he said that was wrong he starts telling me how he was driving a 340 Cuda before I was born, and how I'm a disgrace to Mopar people (because I know what I'm talking about and not some random drunk?). This cracked me up and I kindly walked away, leaving him with some dignity.


Unfortunately for him, that dignity had to disappear as my dad and I got into the Intrepid (I was chauffering that night) as he was getting on his bicycle to leave.

hey tony,
ill give ya my cell phone number and the next time you go and these guys BOTHER you,give me a call!!!!!....either i can drive your car(since you dont want any tickets)and SPANK'EM!!! or ill tow mine up some weekend and we'll both terrorize them!!!
cuz i aint scared to street race!!!!

hey tony,
ill give ya my cell phone number and the next time you go and these guys BOTHER you,give me a call!!!!!....either i can drive your car(since you dont want any tickets)and SPANK'EM!!! or ill tow mine up some weekend and we'll both terrorize them!!!
cuz i aint scared to street race!!!!

Mike have you ever gotten caught street racing?
The last time I got caught I was doing 120mph in a 40.
It cost me big time. I'm not afraid to race I just like to drive on the street.
The track is the place to race and I can do without the insurance surcharges.
I think I am the wiser for this. But these are rules I set for myself.

yes ive been caughtbut i was ONLY fooling around about me racing your car..but i do still race mine!!!!

yes ive been caughtbut i was ONLY fooling around about me racing your car..but i do still race mine!!!!

Don't get me wrong I'll nail mine through 1st & 2nd but usually, USUALLY now,
I get out of it when I hit third.
I showed no fear to these guys. I was willing to race my street
car at the track they are the ones who tucked their tails between
their legs not me.
Some of my friends, acquaintances, run for big money on the street.
I did also when I was a kid. But not anymore. Two of my old buddies are dead do to this.
We each set our own rules to live by. This is just one of mine.

Its always amazing how people's attitudes change when you tell them you only want to race on a track. All of a sudden they have other things to do. Any time someone asks me to race anything I tell them that I'll be at the track Friday night, because every Friday night I go bracket racing, and I'll gladly line up next to anyone for a time trial. I'll even more gladly run someone in eliminations.

Its always amazing how people's attitudes change when you tell them you only want to race on a track. All of a sudden they have other things to do. Any time someone asks me to race anything I tell them that I'll be at the track Friday night, because every Friday night I go bracket racing, and I'll gladly line up next to anyone for a time trial. I'll even more gladly run someone in eliminations.

:thumbrig: If they make it to eliminations. Usually the guys with the big mouths run what they got.
THEIR BIG MOUTH.

The LS1 cars are pretty fast. I know some one who has a 2000 SS, all stock except a converter and drag radials. He runs high 12s all day long and drives home with the A/C on.

HAHAHA ROFL! Adam you sound like one of those guy's at the shows.

Jack

:thumbrig: If they make it to eliminations. Usually the guys with the big mouths run what they got.
THEIR BIG MOUTH.
Yep...then you have the guys who say they don't want to bracket race because thats for slow cars.

Because 8 second SS/AA Barracudas and 8.90 Super Comp dragsters are slow, right?

Bryan,
I have had a bunch of people ask about purcahsing the \6 perfromance parts and I can't remember who has or hasn't. I would like to sell the engine complete but will likely have to part it out. When I announce on the board the 360 is in I will let ever one know but if some one has kept an email that indicates I had given them dibs before today then I will have to honor that.
i would love to take it whole but there's now way i will pay for shipping all the way to the west coast

I just remember My favorite argument. I one time had a guy try to convince me my RoadRunner was green. It was bright yellow.

Here is my car show night mare story. I'm sitting in my lawn chair beside the fish smokin a cigar and sipping on a grog, when this older gentleman walks up and says "what year?", "68", "you sure?", "yup", "no I think its a 65, my buddy had one", no I'm pretty sure its a 68, you see its my car", "I don't know, looks like a 65 to me" "No its a 68, you see they didn't make a 340s or a notchback in 65 and if you look at the car beside me, the one that says 65 on it?, thats a 65 Barracuda" So he takes a look and reluctantly agrees with me, then comes back and says "my buddy had a 19 something or other with a 426 hemi in it", I said "oh ya, the good old elephant"... "no they never called it that", oh boy here we go again, I called my pal over who knows every mopar motor ever made and he proceeded to give this guy a lesson.
Generally I don't mind the questions or stupid comments but this guy was a real dip.
You should have seen the time some kids were bouncing on the wheelie wheels of my buddies pro street vega, with the parents standing there watching, when he snapped the parents got mad at him! ...what the ....?

I just remember My favorite argument. I one time had a guy try to convince me my RoadRunner was green. It was bright yellow.BAHAHAHAHAHA:prayer:

I'm going to my first car show this weekend.... but I may reconsider. I don't want to have to beat some parent for letting there kid jump on my car, I don't want to argue with people that my 69 charger isn't a challanger, I don't want to explain 1000 times that my car will NOT be painted orange. I don't want to hear "thats a 360" they never put them in that Year charger...

and for gods sake. not one more "Is that a Hemi???"

my first car show was a great experience being that it was for the local mopar club. other shows have been nice too, I just hate getting treated with a "cute car kid" sort of attitude from the non mopar owners. Thus the 8" converter, 4.56's, low gear set, m/t drag radials and new motor will do all of my talking. But yeah, a lot of people miss the idea of "run what you brung" not run your mouth about what your third cousins, ex boyfriend of 3 years ago's car once ran.

I don't want to sour people on going to shows. I was venting on one
particular show on one particular night. I will still go to shows. There are still alot of nice people out there.
When I go to a small show there are usually 2-4 Mopars there. Mopars are on the low percentage side of large shows also. Lets face it they are not Chevies or Fords and people do not know their history as well as the know a Mustang.
So most people genuinely just don't know. As stated in others posts here
the jackasses are also the minority at the shows. That being said, I'd like to hear more of your personal experiences with these J/A's.

I Was Filling Up My Work Car (91 Merc. Tracer) Paid For The Over Priced Stuff Walking Back Out To My Car There Were 3 Kids On Bikes Looking At My Beater Work Car And They Asked If That Was A Nitrous Tank And Guages In It. I Said Oh Hell Ya But Dont Tell Any One And They Were All Oh And Ah. The Tank And Guages Were A Tank Of R134a And Charging Guages. I Think They Needed To Watch Fast And Furios Again. Oh By The Way Has Anyone At A Show Ever Told You That Thier Bro, Dad, Uncle ,friend, Boss, Dog Or Cat Once Owned That 426 Hemi With The Six Pac. That Used To Pull Wheels On The Street And Ran Faster That A Jet Plane? How Ever They Recently Sold It?

Oh By The Way Has Anyone At A Show Ever Told You That Thier Bro, Dad, Uncle ,friend, Boss, Dog Or Cat Once Owned That 426 Hemi With The Six Pac. That Used To Pull Wheels On The Street And Ran Faster That A Jet Plane? How Ever They Recently Sold It?

I always here how they wraped it around a tree, drunk, foing 100mph.... ect ect ect :?

I actually do hate car shows, especially if they don't have a swap meet. I do like to go and check out others cars, but the few times I've shown mine, boring. Not really into parking my car in the sun, trying to polish it in the sun and sitting there answering dumb questions. Now if we go to a show, we pay to park in it, since it's usually better, safer parking and then walk around, leaving the bugs all over it.

I kind of get a kick out of some of the stories I get. At least once a year I get the I used to have one just like it, only it had a 440 Hemi and ran 10's, etc. etc.

I usually just nodd yes and move on.

I kind of get a kick out of some of the stories I get. At least once a year I get the I used to have one just like it, only it had a 440 Hemi and ran 10's, etc. etc.

I usually just nodd yes and move on.

It seems that every car they talk about "runs 10s". The guy who sold me my Duster said it'd run 10s, all I had to do was remove the front bumper. That was with a 318 and a stock transmission out of a van.

My favorite story was the guy who told me his buddy used to have one of those old "Hurst Darts". The problem was he couldn't drive it on the street, 'cuz as soon as he hit the gas pedal the car would be up on it's back bumper. Of course it'd come down between gears, but once he shifted it'd be back up on the bumper.

Before I did the B in my '65 Barracuda, I would just sit there and say " I dont know" or "its not my car..." It had a 340, Holley Strip Dominator, 800 DP and fenderwell headers. Seems everyone who looked at it said one of their uncles used to have one. The local car show around here on Sat mornings is a "good 'ol boys" kind of show. Same 30 cars, same 150 people. You show up out of the blue and you are "in someones parking spot" or almost asked "what are you doing here?". I just pop the hood and go get a donut. Funny how on that day, my car or a beat to chit primer gray and black Duster was getting all the action! Guys had Hilborn stacks on '57's and Rat rods and old vettes, but the 2 Mopars there had more people looking at them at one time than most others. I been back twice in about 5 years and the same guy keeps coming around and looking at it, he must have been that "uncle..."
I agree, if there is no swap meet, then it is a waste of my time.

Hey Tony remember this.... your friend has a HEMI TOO... me ....smiles

Hey Tony remember this.... your friend has a HEMI TOO... me ....smiles

:thumbrig: :burnout:

Once had a gentlemen and his son explain to me that my car would be considerably quicker with a different air cleaner. The 4" K&N was too big, a 2" would be more aerodynamic and thus create better air flow into my engine.
My brother-in-law and I just nodded and thanked him for the tip.

Later, saw him drive away in a pre-80 Datsun.

Everyone has a right to an opinion.

This is my 1966 Plymouth Valiant Signet, an original 273, 4bbl car. In Canada in 1965 and 66 they were built on the Dodge Dart body with all of the Valiant Signet badging and trim pieces, and mine has the 2/3 front white vinyl roof. I'm the second owner of this car and have owned it for 29 years, but still run into people who try to tell me I've screwed the car up by putting the Valiant trim on my Dart, and that I should have kept the original /6 engine (it has the original V8 chrome badges on each front fender) and not put the 318 in it - I've been running a 360 in it for the past 15 years. Most of these people wouldn't know a Dart or Valiant if it came up and bit them. For the past several years I've been telling everyone it' a 1966 Vart - also the reason for my login name OldVart. :)

Oops - guess my attached photos didn't work!!

No it didn't but I like the Vart idea!!!!!!

I usually answer with, ich spreche nicht englisches lol :D

i used to take my plain-old 68 mustang coupe to car shows, and you'd be amazed how many people ask if it's a shelby or why i didn't get a mach1 or some crazy crap like that....haven't had a lot of those questions about the barracuda....

the only one with it was in a parking lot, someone asked to see under the hood

".....WOOOOOW....is that a HEMI????"

to which i say

"no....just a wedge V8"

THEN....he said "so THAT's what a max-wedge looks like"


i slapped myself in the forehead, closed the hood and told him he wasn't allowed to look at my car anymore.....EVER

I know of a company who makes a Hemi Conversion kit for 318s, 340s and 360, which is something I'd like to get some day. I'd like to see the look on one of these type of people's face if I had this. Tell them it is a 360 HEMI, have them say I didn't think they made a 360 HEMI. Then proceed to tell them they didn't. :twisted:

There is a guy I work with, he loves his mitsushitbi's

he tried to convince my that my 1969 Valiant Pacer (Dodge Dart) Was built by mitsubishi in Australia, he said they bought the Valiant Plant in 1960 when it was 1980. Needless to say I smacked him in the mouth and told him to get his facts straight. Good thing i work for my father otherwise I would be out of a job

Love to mess with the brain dead. Carried two 11" drums into Sun Devil Auto to be turned. Guy behind the counter says what year? I say "'64" He said that it was too old and that they had no spec to turn the drums. I said "it is cast into the side of the drums". He said what model (like it matters) I said Max Wedge (they were only for a B body rear axle going under my A body). He says never heard of that one. Figures.......

i get the same thing whenever i show my darts. people saying i should have left the 4 cyl in it instead of dropping in the v6 or that i should have dropped the proper 350 into it. all my darts are FACTORY V8 cars. 2 318 cars but i also have 2 273 cars. i love how people are a wealth of knowledge UNTILL you show them they are wrong but that you are. does that make any sence??? i have had one guy even go as far as calling my dart a toyota. since most of my darts dont have emblems on em anymore... some people!!!!