Car show season (and the people they bring out) around the corner

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"Its a Hemi max wedge with a six pack" unfortunately overheard more than once.

A guy with a 68 S rag top at a show not getting enough attention starts to bark " I have the rarest car here" over and over again.

I have come to believe that everyone is an expert on my car. except me?
 
heres one i got latly .
oh does that have the original slat 6 no 318 oh u should have kept the slant6 i didnt take it out yea u should put it back in.
ahhhhh no and u gonna help me and buy the running /6?

or that hey i like ur rambler its not a rambler studibaker? no try agian.
 
You get the same stuff at the drag strip. At least at the track people have to back up their stories, sort of, but you've still got blowhards aplenty, and yes, everyone's brother has a way faster car than you do. Of course, these days you better be pretty fast if you're going to talk smack to some of those import guys.

I can totally understand getting upset about people not respecting your property (opinion or sticky finger-wise), that's extremely annoying, but it comes with the territory when you deal with the general public, I guess.

I don't understand the hostility though? If someone gets excited about your car, isn't that the point of putting it out there, regardless of whether they get the terminology right or not?

Why would you be offended if someone asks you if you take your muscle car to the drag strip? Take it to the strip or not, but its kind of what they were made for.

Its kind of like..
Gawker: "Hey man, that's a nice watch."
Me: "Thanks, its a Steve McQueen Grand Prix commemorative automatic movement with a skeleton back."
Gawker: "Wow! What time is it?"
Me: "Get lost jackass!"

You could just explain that its not built as a hot-rod. Its built to be more of an artifact of a bygone era or something. Its more about the feeling you get from driving it as a kind of time machine than about what it does or doesn't run at the track?

Why does it matter so much what someone else's paint cost? Is there really a paint-budget-wiener-measuring contest?

What response do you want/expect out of people at a car show? Why do you go/what do you get out of it? I've never put any of my cars in a show. I'm just curious?

Here's another question: Why do people put new/nearly new cars in car shows? To me that seems dumb as hell, but every time I've walked through a car show there have been new or 2-3 year old bone stock cars in the show.

Steve
 
I like the people that look at my car and say WOW a 340. Those would beat almost any thing. And then say I had one. Bone stock it would rev to 8 grand. Ya right lol.

Fred B
 
CUDASPAZ, brother, you nailed it! Everything you said was spot on! Got one more to add: How 'bout the car club that gets their knickers in a wad about another club putting on a car show for cars & trucks 1972 & OLDER?!??! Happens here in NC. One local club really has a problem with that and then puts nastyblogs on their own website about the other club.

Oh yeah, I did have one kid say the Demon would look better with 22's on it. I didn't answer him...
 
Quote:
Why would you be offended if someone asks you if you take your muscle car to the drag strip? Take it to the strip or not, but its kind of what they were made for.


Because this paticular guy was extremely loud and annoying and spit was flying out of his remaining two brown stumps that used to be teeth when he talked.
He was following me around literally telling me to take my car to the drag strip and telling me why I should, but this was after he told me how fast my car would go after looking it over.
He was such a know it all and so loud and obnoxious that everyone one around was looking at the guy like "oh the town drunk showed up", and then looking at me like "Oh crap this dude gonna just punch this idiots lights out?"

"C'mon man, you gotta tek this thing to the drag strip and see what it can do."

"Maybe some day, but the Wife won't be too happy when I start breaking expensive parts that it took 8 years to save up for."

"But, man you just gotta tek it there, just once to see what it will do."

"I know what it will do, but seriously I really don't care how fast it will go."

"But, man, you just gotta tek it to the drag strip, that's the only place you can do it right man,....man, I can't believe you.....hey everybody, this guy has a drag car that he never took to the drag strip!"

People looking at me, like okay here comes the fist.... LOL.

At this point I walk away before I do something I would do if I was in a secluded alleyway.

The he walked over to heckle the high dollar corvette guys, whew.

Does this explain it now?
 
I dont let the BS bother me. I can BS with the best of them.
There was once that I had what looked like an impromptto family reunion going on at the front of my car. I was sitting behind the car the entire time. A little leaning and proping didn't bother me ( much ).
Then one guy sat his drink cup on my fender while he lit a cigarette. I walked up to the drivers window, reached in a hit the horn. I'm sure atleast one of them chit their pants. I said, "Look, yall gonna have to give me 3 feet here. This floundering on my car is getting on my nerves."
I didn't get one "sorry" or "excuse me". I did get the 3 feet and a couple of sour faces. So about 10 minutes later they had to move again so I could drive off.
As we left the parking lot I jokingly told the wife I should have left our 2 chairs for them to use. She laughed and said they're probably setting up a tent in that space now. LOL
 
cudaspaz said:
ZERO common sense.

The dude's driving brand new corvette's to a (classic) car show. WTH?

Yes the ricers suck especially the low performance one's but I try to compliment everyones car because it means alot to them for them to bring their car there.
Maybe they have a crappy life and this is the only thing that makes them feel good so a kind word never hurts anyone.

Now if they are cocky idiots, I'd just as soon ignore them.

Most true car guys will talk their car down to you while you compliment it.
They will point out all the flaws to you because it bugs them.
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It hasn't been common for quite some time, in fact I consider it rare sense.


Most of the local cruises around here don't let newer cars in and the biggest one in town (500+ cars the first Friday of every month) doesn't let anything in newer than 1979 and I think that is why it has grown so big over the years, you have to get there over an hour early just to get a decent spot in line or you'll be parked on the street.

I agree kind words doesn't hurt anyone. I'm not a fan of the Tuners but I can see the talent that goes into the nice ones and I always give credit where credit is due.

It's real hard to ignore some of them.

That last one is funny, I've been told that I do that too much.



curts73 said:
I have to be honest that most of the poeple I hang out with at the cruises are car guys because they are always the first guys to find fault with their own cars and say they are not good enough for an actual show. But we do get the families walking around the cruises that will lean or sit on the fenders of cars that look like they have more money in the paint then i have in my whole car. Ihave seen a guy at a good guys show walking around rubbing his fingers up and down the sides of every car with his sticky fingered son doing just like daddy does. My girls are 7 and 8 and have been going to shows and cruises most of thier lives and have never laid a finger on any car because I taught them that you don't touch it unless you can afford to buy it, and that lesson seemed to work.
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Monk was at a good guys show???
 
Oh I could go on and on.
For the guys that say they put a 3/4 cam in there car, I say I took my cam out. Saves weight......
I like hearing what the expert "buddy" tells his friends about this, that, or the other on a car I built. I am even more amazed when they get it right.
To be fair, I have actually learned a few things that way, too.......
I spend most of my time in the back of the shop with my butt usually packed under a dash, so I do enjoy the moments I get to spend with other people, but only to a point.
I have a pretty low BS tolerance level. (Bench racing not included)

Best story for me....
An a.m. drunk trying to sell his 55 Chevy two door wagon to a couple of geezers. He tells them that they can make a Nomad out of it by adding the chrome to it.
I made the mistake of saying that you can't make a Nomad out of a two door wagon.
He get's pissed and beligerant, gets into my face and asked me if I was some sort of expert.
I said yes and walked away.........

Oh and for us Valiant guys.....
"Nice Dart" or "I used to have a Nova."
For us 73-74 Roadrunner guys.....
"Isn't that the Starsky and Hutch car?"
 
I don't realy get a lot of people like that. I only go to Mopar shows though and I think they tend to be less stupid for the most part.
 
Some guys at the track will be getting a little surprise when I pull my tatered looking 66 Dart off the trailer this season.I can,t wait to put a couple tuner cars in their place.:stop:
 
Guy looks at our 383 and giggled and said, "HEMI"! haha.

Another with no shirt put his hand on grill and leaned up against it nearly cracking the old plastic and then farted.

I was reaching into the duster and got yelled at by another car guy to get out of my own car.

Another called the car a dodge duster demon. Ill see if I can remember some more.
 
sublime green said:
I was reaching into the duster and got yelled at by another car guy to get out of my own car.
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LOL, I was sitting on the hood of my Duster in the staging lanes at the track and some dude told me that my boyfriend wouldn't like me sitting on his car. :roll:
 
LXguy said:
Wow. That's horrible. I thought you meant it was something that happened all the time.

He's probably missing the teeth from his visits to car shows last year. LOL!
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:-D:tongue1::rolleyes:, Now that's funny.=P~

I'd be afraid to punch the dude, would probably catch something I could not get rid of if I broke skin on one of his, what used to be a tooth.
 
This weekend I was at a car show and this guy was gushing all over the 66 barracuda, About how he and a friend had one in high school and they would park it away from the school because it was "un-cool" always workin' on it.

He had two little girls about 3 and 5 years old, taking plenty of pictures with them standing near it. reminding them "not to touch the car". He was really digging it. Once I heard that...I remember all the scolding I've heard as a kid, told my own kids and said... "sir would you like to take a picture of the girls in the car?" he stopped in his tracks looked at me and said..."are you serious?" Sure! he was flabbergasted! I open the drivers door the girl climbs in, he opens the passenger door the 5 year old jumps in...he's taking pictures left and right...video all that stuff, the girls are smiling...he's happy as can be....

and BTW i just had the seats redone too...sure enough... both kids jump out drivers seat...shoes on the console and seats... after all they are kids!

I think we need to remember the kids...I want them to keep the hobby going...

Oh and he slammed my hood too...my fault though...he asked if he could lower the hood...I said yes...as I was coming over to lower it...he grabbed it and it slipped out of his hand and slammed shut...he was really sorry...I said hell she's lasted 44 years, one hood slam wont killer her.

I understand the "don't touch my ride" but man to see the dad's face light up and taking pictures of the girls in it...that was worth it.

Later that night I over heard a guy tell a lady (wife?) that I changed the rims on the car...I laughed and said NO! rather abruptly. he got all concerned, I said those are original 13" steel wheels with the factory hub caps...he said ohh hub caps (Like that explains his mistake)...funny. Thats what I love about my 66 barracuda... original 13" wheels! His wife went on to tell me of all the cars there (at the car show) the barracuda was by far the best...trust me she isn't the straightest body, or cleanest or fastest or high-powered...but people love her...

Aloha Mike

little girls in the car small.jpg
 
Thought of another. A white kid trying to act like a "gangsta" cam up to the car with his hat on all goofy and shorts below his waste and saw the gold stripe on the side. He goes "yo man, that gold stripe is tyyyyyte man this this is bitchin" And then some little kids skating around the cars and riding bikes. I'll think of some more.
 
Automotive interest covers the spectrum of society, gotta get used to it or don't go to shows. Sadly, MOPAR has the Joe Dirt image stuck to it and those are the ones who talk out their as*. jmho
 
Had the car out for the 1st time this year on Saturday. It was the monthly cruise-in at the local K-Mart.
I parked next to the other 2 mopars in attendance..


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Bunch of neat cars there.

70 454 LS5 Chevelle, 70 SS396 4sd Nova, bunch of early Camaros and Mustangs and get this.. a mid-engined small block 66 Corvair.

Lot of nice people there. I had to show about 10 people the factory brochure for my car with the factory sunroof.
 
I had a good time one night listening to a guy explain to his G/F or Wife what each gadget, doo-dad, and go fast goodie was on my car.
She kept asking, "What's that?" "Oh, that's the tach", "A tack?", what does that do?
"It tells the engine RPM."..."RPM? what's RPM?", and on and on, it was cute.

Yes, there just as many if not more good experiences out there than bad.
 
My favorite is when a older gentleman asked me if I was "sure" my car was a 68 and not a 66. It was too funny for me to get mad.Keep in mind my car is a notch.lol
 
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