Car Show question

[gotmopar]

I have an old (EDIT: PLYMOUTH WTH is wrong with me?), a 69 Roadrunner. The paint is sort of beat up, but the body is straight, and shes my pride and joy.

The interior is all gone, the seats don't match, but the engine, trans, and rear are all clean. I just wen through and rebuilt or replaced pretty much everything after years of sitting on this thing, and I have to ask, How bad a shape can I put a "Work In Progress" in?

I want to go to the Spring Fling down in L.A./Van Nuys, and I know the rule for this show is you can only put a car in as work in progress once.
The reason I want to enter her as a work in progress, is to talk to people and get tips or advice on different things on the car.

Sorry for the noob question, this is my first time ever doing this and it sounds like a lot of fun, but I dont want to be the only one there with a less than mint car.

There isnt anything special about the car other than its mine. Its a small block and the mechanicals are the only things on it that look nice.

SHould I leave it in the parking lot?

Sorry I don't have any pics on me, I will upload some later, I just found this site while looking for parts.

Thanks for any info, or advice you guys can give me.

 

[ODZKing]

GotMopar,
This was parked next to me at Carlisle one year. I'd say don't worry about it ... put it in the show if you want to.

 

[super-bee_ski]

Hi!
Yup, leave it in the parking lot OR...put it in the park with a "For-Sale" sign. Just ask too much or do not sell it.
Hey, thanks for joining the Forum!
Welcome aboard.
PS: PM me, I'll give you my telephone # and text me and I'll see you at Spring Fling.

"super-bee_ski"

 

[snakeyes]

go and enjoy , have fun that's what's its about be proud of what you bring don't worry about what others may think :headbang::headbang::headbang::icon_thumright:

 

[usaroadrunner]

Put it in the show. Its 44 year old muscle car. Just an example, my buddy had a beautiful 69 1/2 a12 dodge super bee won first all the time and then stopped taking it. Now he drives up in an unrestored old 70 dart slant 6. Funny thing is that he has the same amount of people checking out his /6 as the a12. It don't matter Mopar guys love mopars any condition. Hope this helps and have FUN.

 

[69roadr]

take her to the show. i love seeing the wip's.

 

[snakeyes]

gotmopar post some photos of your fine ride we love car **** here :headbang:

 

[Bruzilla]

Welcome aboard. To answer your first question, I remember a member of the Mid-Atlantic Mopars club I belonged to arranging four Ralley wheels on the grass with a 4-spd pistol grip shifter sticking out of the dirt between them and a sign that read "1969 Hemi Road Runner Project Car" in front of it. It was pretty funny and a good example of how far down the progress ladder some folks go at shows.

I've gone to lots of shows, and here's what I would suggest:

1. When you go to general shows, don't expect to see, meet, or talk to a lot of experts on Mopars. There will be lots of Chevy aficionados, Ford fans, Corvette huggers, and the rest of the Brand X group, but Mopar enthusiasts tend to be scarce since we represent one of the smaller segments of the hobby. And believe me, you don't want to be taking advice or guidance from those guys as to working on your Mopar any more than you want a proctologist discussing heart surgery with you. These guys usually don't understand the differences in suspensions, crankshafts, power systems, etc., that are unique to our cars and can easily give you bad advice. If you want Mopar advice, check for a Mopar club or Mopar show in your area and go there.

2. Going back to item 1 above, the fact that we're such a small part of the hobby means that our cars, in any condition, tend to generate far more interest than Brand X cars. I've talked to lots of show visitors who like seeing something different besides another Camaro, Mustang, or Corvette at a show and you're likely going to spend more time answering questions about your car than asking them, and you'll likely have more people asking them to you than to the guy who owns the max-restored Brand X ride next to you.

3. Every show has its own regulations and requirements. Some don't want project cars, and some gratefully accept them. The biggest show around here, The Turkey Run in Daytona Beach, is more focused on age than condition or completeness. So if you don't like the rules at one show, go to another where they have rules you like.

4. At every show I've gone to, I always run into some purist group or another who thinks this car or that car shouldn't be in a show because it's not modified enough, original enough, complete enough, or whatever enough. Ignore these folks because there's going to be about 100 people for every one of them who will be glad you're there.

5. You can also ignore the trophy hunters. They're the ones who's sole purpose for being there is to win yet another trophy for their car. They tend to look down at everyone else's cars, and aren't much of a problem as they'll be busy 99% of the time constantly spraying their car with instashine and wiping it off. I was parked next to one of these guys who had a GTO convertible at one show and the dude went ballistic when some hottie brushed against his car with her jeans-clad behind. I told her she could rub her tush against my car all she wanted because those jeans would do nothing but buff my paint a little more. Guess who she hung around to talk to?

6. Always remember you are an ambassador of Mopar Nation, so be sure to get your own act together before going to a show. For starters, there are no Dodge Road Runners. I know your comment was likely an oversight, but you're going to meet a lot of people who will ask if your car is a Dodge Charger, or a Chevy something, and it's gonna come down to you to inform and educate them as to what it is. This is how we grow. I was at a show at the Budweiser Brewery in Jacksonville, and a young lady stopped by and told me she had never heard of a Road Runner before, so being the nice guy I am I spent about 20 minutes telling her all about the model's history. Julie is now the proud owner of a 71 Road Runner that her and her husband are working on in GA. To this end, I would suggest setting aside some time to read this article: http://www.allpar.com/corporate/bios/jack-smith-roadrunner.html It's a great history of how the car came to be and will give you lots of stuff to talk to visitors with.

7. Lastly, do yourself a favor and bring a couple of folding beach or sports chairs with you, and a cooler full of liquid refreshments. Like I said, you're likely going to spend a lot of time talking, and your throat gets dried out fast.

 

[snakeyes]

Bruz ,thanks that is a good post for him :headbang:

 

[ODZKing]

That is outstanding Bruz. I'd like to share that with our Mopar club.

 

[Bruzilla]

I've brought true show cars to shows before, and I find bringing projects to be much more fun. If someone comes along who's really interested in the car, or who wants to talk about how someone close to them once had one and gets nostalgic, or like Julie never knew such a model existed, I like being able to let them get inside, start the engine and hear and feel what it's like to rev up a Mopar, and what they like the best... try out the horn. That's stuff I couldn't really do with a true show car because you spend the better part of six or seven hours being paranoid about dust, fingerprints, meteorites, etc. Now we just pull the chairs out of the trunk, set them up, and chat with anyone who wants to stop and talk about the car.

 

[Gpuller]

I say take it, took my car to a big show here in Minnesota. Mostly because you have to park miles away to get to the show. Just parked and went and enjoyed the show. Did come back to the car once and a while and did get some comments so I guess it was OK to bring an ugly girl to the dance. ha ha ha

 

[kidsixpack]

I for one am looking forward to seeing a 69 Dodge Road Runner with a small block.
KID

 

[RS23VOA]

Take it and have fun with it.

 

[mr. b]

take it who cares what other people think as long as your having fun I go to car show to hang out with the boys and the cars

 

[MoparMitch]

Welcome to the site from the East Coast. Take that car to the show and just enjoy the day!!

 

[khryslerkid]

I know that "The World of Wheels" in Baltimore Md. had the same rule about a work in progress only showing once. Then they started a rule about any car only showing once. They kept pics of your car, and in order to show it again you had to show you made certain changes. What a crock. Don't know how they do it now.

Take it and have fun. And take pics!

 

[440+6]

Some very good advice posted so far, I personally don't do shows but I go to cruise in's allot, and one thing I do is if there is a kid there with parent and they are interested in my car, I tell them to get in the car and check it out. Put some big smiles on some faces that way, including me.
I know yours isn't done inside yet, but when it is keep it in mind.

 

[Moparsmitty]

Bruzilla covered the topic about as well as I've ever seen. I've been to lots of shows as both an entrant and also as an observer. When you get that many people together anywhere, you are likely to run into an a**hole or two. Don't let some idiot that doesn't have anything better to do than go around taking cheap shots ruin the car show scene for you. I've met a lot of really good people at car shows and some have been my friends for a long time now. Have fun.

 

[HawkRod]

Some very good advice posted so far, I personally don't do shows but I go to cruise in's allot, and one thing I do is if there is a kid there with parent and they are interested in my car, I tell them to get in the car and check it out. Put some big smiles on some faces that way, including me.
I know yours isn't done inside yet, but when it is keep it in mind.

I used to put a sign on my 73 Road Runner that said "It is OK to touch this car". It was fun to watch people's expressions when they read the sign. Some would look around like they were on candid camera and then gently reach out a finger and touch the fender or hood. LOL, I'm not sure what they expected to happen. Those that spent extra time checking it out got to sit behind the wheel, especially if they were teenage kids or young adults. Hopefully planted the seed for a few more car lovers!

Finally, I didn't just do this because I am such a nice guy. Similar to what 440+6 said, it made me smile and have fun too...

Hawk