I'll be first to step up to the plate..Batavia was the last BCA show I'll ever attend

I am with Adam, I enjoy the part of bringing the car back to factory correctness :TU: , but I also want to keep driving it :3gears:

If anyone has seen Phil and Pat Dayen's (sp?) 1969 GS350 you would have to love it, they drive that car to every show all over the country and then clean up on the awards... The car is clean, clean, clean...and it is not trailered..... Ask Duane H. how nice this car is..

It was my car that the Judge pointed out the 1" split in my 37 year old original convert top and then made his comment (it did not seem like he was joking), at that point I did not think I even had a shot at a bronze award, but I ended up getting a gold o No: I do have correct hose clamps and the other goodies but my car is farrrrrrrrrrr from perfect...

It was cool to run my GS down the 1/8 mile 12x on Thursday and then win a gold award on Saturday

I did not go the the dinner Sat night but I came back at 8 PM for the awards presentation (I live 45 minutes away). The awards did not start until 9:15 and they did not get to my class until 10:15 :shock: There were quite a few pissed of folks waiting in the lobby at 8 PM for the awards to start.

The whole day flew by and I did not get to meet as many people from this board as I had wanted to

I will attend another BCA show, but I am not quite ready for the other activities :laugh:

 

Aw shucks, it sounds like I missed a real good time. ou:

 

What it all comes down to is that you entered your car in a judging contest so you can't complain that it was judged. However, most judges are complete idiots with a serious "I'm better than you" attitude and should be given a nice dose of humble pie by way of boot to the arse. Forget about the huge car shows and stick to the local ones where you're car will be more likely to be appreciated.

 

There must have been some extremely nice cars there for the judges to going to that extreme. The judges are there to judge and nothing else. They fill out a piece of paper and move on, if they had nothing nice to say then they should keep quiet. Judging needs to be strict lets say for instance you have two Dave Kliener GSX resto's side by side, how do you decide which is better, you have to pick them apart. Just be glad you restored you car yourself and didnt spent 80k+ to get it done.

 

I think the problem is most judges have held that position for quite some time and lose focus. They get in a position of power and forget that its an honor to be a judge. Judges should be rotated in and out on a voting system. Let those in the show judge them in return. It would keep allot of them grounded and only those excited about being a judge volunteering.

You would then have a guy eager to chat and explain to people why they got less points. Instead of a guy who has seen and done it all. Who has to much work to stop and be friendly with you. And in his book your car isn't worth the effort.


But in reality most of these guy get the job from a friend whop runs the show and holds it till they die or resign.

 

Actually anyone could be a judge at this event but the problem is getting enough of them. People want help the club out by being a judge but sometimes you are judging cars you are not familiar with. This is where problems arise. You can put your car on display only, which would have eliminated the basis of this thread.

 

Herb....I hear 'ya! I have a few friends who refuse to put their cars in shows. When I first began showing mine, I could never understand why.....now I know. I guess sometimes skin just can't grow thick enough for these kind of things. ou:

 

Car Shows

Joe, I fully understand your post! I have a 68 frame off restored # matching Corvette and I would show it any where but a Corvette show. You think Buick judges are bad, go to a Corvette meet once (this why I'm not a Corvette guy I just happen to own one), AL.

 

Way to go, Joe :TU:

Be an individual again, instead of being just a number behind three letters..... :laugh: :bglasses: :laugh: :bglasses: :laugh:

 

Concourse means I want the car perfect.
In reality the car WAS NEVER perfect to begin with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think about it............. :Smarty:

I often feeling that there is a blurred line when it comes to defining that word.

 

I'd like to see what a car that was documented to have been hermetically (Sp?) sealed the moment it came off the line would score in judging.
Let them pick that one apart. :Brow:

 

Nailheads are the bestes :laugh:

 

I felt exactly like you did after getting my car picked apart at the 1999 BCA National in Columbus. This was after spending $20 grand and over two years restoring the car. Could not even see many of their "defects", one of which was a dent on the top of the muffler!

But, I learned to enjoy subsequent BCA nationals by placing a "DO NOT JUDGE" placard on my windshield. That way, I don't have to deal with jealous sniping from owners of similar cars, and don't have to open my hood except when I choose to. Events are much more fun when you're not competing with righteous nitpickers.

 

Should have followed the judges after the show and seen what they drove...

 

:laugh: Actually, I probily got of to a bad start when I pointed to a paper document I had and asked the judge if he knew about radial's being OK on '67 Buicks. He got mad and said "I've been judging cars now for a long time....I think I know what I'm doing." Then he went on to say "are you going to try and tell me how to do my job?" ........Ouch!! :shock: All I could do was walk away like an injured dog! I explained to him this was my first time being judged at a national event. ou:

 

I wonder if that judge stands ready to back up his nasty mouth! :blast:

I don't think that I am going to do well with judges like that. :laugh:

 

Uuf-Dah! Corvette shows are COMPLETELY ate-up. They're worse than the Porsche-snobs.
:spank:

 

Joe,
You know how some purist feel about an altered car. If you had planned on having a show winning Buick at Buick events, you should have built a concours car. Clamps, batteries, headlights, oil filters and component working ability are all part of showing a car in a proffesional show. However, some of those things are not good on a car that is also driven in today's times. But, your like me and want to drive a car and not haul it everywhere. So, you are doing the right thing by not entering one of those shows again. Do the local show car scene and whip some ass. Or enter the big shows in a modified class. My car is not show quality, but at the Lenoir Buick meet last month, I decided to enter the show just to have my car parked where people could see it. I overheard some comments about it because of it not being original. I let it go in one ear and out another. A couple of weeks earlier at Bowling Green, I heard just the opposite from many people who loved it. So, car shows are not in my future. I can't afford a trailer queen and if I could, I don't know if I would want one.

You have a high quality car that you built for youself. Once upon a time you had a 66 Riv when you were young and you decided to build another now. Who cares that the vin says it's a 67. But, I'm not a show judge.

 

Just a little of my experience.....
The last BCA show I entered was about 15 yrs ago in PA. Drove my all orig, mint cond. 72 GS 455 conv, sunburst yellow, (70 k miles). Lined up and saw everyone next to me putting Armor All on everything.....I knew I was in trouble. Ohhh my tires weren't clean.....
I was next to the judges (they didn't know it was my car :Brow: ) as they picked it apart. I couldn't believe the nit picking.
A GS 350 hardtop won the class and it wasn't even original.....but was all slicked up, fuzzy dice, etc.

I felt something should have been factored in for my car being all original and rare (1 of 124).

Baked out in the sun for 6 hrs with my daughter just to get stuffy people picking on the car. Very few compliments. Pissed me off so much that I sold the car.....never should have.

Anyway shows just don't do it for me but racing does! :3gears:

Bruce