Guys at the shows and cruises are really rude
I heard plenty of nasty comments from *** clowns when the Dart was 3 colors, front clip in primer (interestingly enough some of those very same *** clowns gave me all kinds of positive comments once it was done.. Even telling me it was so much nicer than that piece of **** Dart I used to own, not realizing they were looking at the same car).
I love going to car shows and seeing rows and rows of shiny cars and then you see an unrestored Diamond in the rough. Somehow that car always draws my attention. I just love seeing unrestored survivors. It will be a sad day when we dont see these sorts of cars at shows.
We'll see how many negative comments I get with the Old Man's '54. My plans are to work on it over the winter and drive it in the summer, keeping it a rolling "restoration."
I also plan on hitting a couple of local shows like this. Letting it kinda be a snapshot of the process. Wonder how many "make it a hot rod," "why bother with a four door," "I would have done it this way," "put a 302 in it" comments I'll get?
Hey, Doug, I'm still one of those who hold the door open. I can be quite the positive experience. I was walking out of the local pharmacy when I was a kid (my early 20's) and was holding the door open for an elderly woman with a walker. There were two doors, not more than 4 feet apart and to get through you pretty much had to hold both doors at the same time. I stood there patiently, as she worked her way through both sets of doors.
She made a comment about how she was trying to hurry as I stood there holding both doors for her.
I told her, "I can wait all day for a beautiful woman like you." Made her day. The smile on her face was well worth it. Probably the first time she'd had a comment like that in decades.
I get looked at like I have two heads when I walk down a grocery store aisle and excuse myself for walking between a person and the items he or she is looking at. Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop, I just find it amusing that most people don't even know what manners are.
Saying "thank you," "please," "excuse me," all seem to be words that are missing from today's age. It was how I was raised. And Lord forbid if you should even know what the words "ma'am" or "sir" are.