1983Chimaera

Besides the obvious swipe at Obama...

I've noticed a trend at the local car shows, especially in the Corvette crowd, where they LOVE to brag about their car and all the money they've put into it under the hood. What I have noticed however, is that these boasts usually begin with "So I dropped the car off at" and trail off into how this performance shop or that tuner shop did this mod or built that engine, and how all these guys did was drop off a blank check and their keys. Their cars have giant logos for local performance shops all over them, and they love when people drool over their cars...But I can't seem to bring myself to show them any kind of respect. Most of them in talking to them about the car have admitted they've NO IDEA what was actually done to their car, just that the shop "made it fast". They tend to group together at the shows, never leave their little Corvette area, and sneer at the other cars. They seem to have particular disdain for anything that wasn't professionally built. Is it us wrench-turners that are the anachronism, or these turn-key snobs?

trafficlightguy

Iam with you, a true rodder now all about turning wrenches and does most if not all there own work,

I like going to the local show and all you see is mostly new challengers camaro or rice burners and not one of them owns a tool set

1983Chimaera

I usually carry my tools with me to the car show, because as my Camaro is nearly as old as I am, no where remotely stock, and has a history of being cantankerous at the worst of times, I've found it's a good idea to have them handy. That being said, there's been quite a few times the guys with the $50,000-investmentmobiles have had to borrow my tools to get their car to start at the shows, usually with no clue what they're doing. My fav was the Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe replica (complete with bare aluminum finish) with a 427 Ford that wouldn't idle.
I know what you mean about the Challengers and Camaros. Add to that the new Mustangs, especially the Shelbys. Too many V6 new Camaros (I REFUSE to call them 5th gens, I'm sorry, but the F-Body DIED in 2002, and the new abomination shares no lineage) show up with their pretty plastic engine covers and paper tags...But they're nothing spectacular on them. The most work their owners did was write a check. The Shelbys are particularly funny, they always rev thru through the lots making all kinds of noise, but I don't think they realize - or just hope that others don't - their cars are governed at 115 mph...My little 1.6L 4 cyl '88 MR2 will maintain 140 mph, and will absolutely spank them on a road course. I just don't get the smugness a lot of these guys show. They don't even want to mingle with the traditional wrench turners, they're just there to show off their expensive toys.

Restrorob

iTrader: (7)

I'm gonna jump off the deep end and say it's the turn-key snobs......

Remember....... Hot rodding and modifying cars started in back yards and barns, Not some fancy pants race/speed/custom body shop.

I'm one of two show judges in our local car club, We mingle with the car owners just to see what they did or didn't do on their vehicle and to see their enthusiasm when talking about what THEY did to build their ride the way they wanted.

These people are put higher up on the award list than the blank check "builders", We feel it's only fair that way and participants of our shows must be happy with it since we maintain 100+ vehicles per show.

Our best "late model" award is judged from 90 up and hmmm...... Don't ever recall a "new" car taking that one. Hehe !

Deep pockets with no calluses will get you little round my neck of the woods.....

1983Chimaera

I freely admit when I haven't done something on my car, generally limited to machine work. I simply don't have the equipment necessary to boil a block, balance a bottom end, deck heads, etc. However, I also believe these things hold true for most hot rodders and car crafters, so I don't begrudge them to anyone else. Now when someone drops $12,000 on a crate model then proceeds to brag about it's performance, or has someone else do every bit of the work on their car, I see them only as a driver, not a builder. Unfortunately, too many don't see that distinction and think they can simply buy performance. It's one of the beefs I have with the COTM on Thirdgen, in that it too often seems to favor those with ultra deep pockets and looks over those doing home fabrication. May just be my perception, since I know COTM is based on member nominations.

jensen73110

iTrader: (4)

Heh, never thought I'd see anachronism on tgo. Very fitting though; internet forum for '80s cars.

Anyway, I think you need to change up your shows. The huge shows seem to attract d-bags galore. Last show I visited in a small town had 43 entries. There was one new Camaro, one new Mustang. No rice. On the other hand, there was an ex-President's limo (Johnson), next to a Karmann Ghia, next to a WW2 soldier's motorcycle. Good times, no egos.

1983Chimaera

Funny thing is what I go to is more of a meet than a show...No prizes or categories, just a weekly hosted get together at a local burger joint with either a DJ or live bands, police presence, and roped off parking. Anything and everything shows up, and it's first come first serve parking. But even still there are those with really nice self built cars, and then the little enclaves of Corvettes, Mustangs, new Camaros, Challengers, G8s, etc that just sneer at the "older" cars.
Now I have to say there are varieties of some of these guys. Some of the Mustang, G8 and Corvette guys have done their own work, and very nice stuff at that. The others are the "blank check" variety that just in general **** off everyone else. In the Corvette world particularly I've observed there seems to be two general types; Those that own a Corvette of any year, keep and maintain it - and those that only ever have the latest and greatest Corvette, and once a new version comes out immediately dump it for the next one. These latter "trade-up" guys are the worst.

As for some of the cars that show up, for example last week there was a candy apple red Kharmann Gia parked 2 cars down from me...With a mid-mounted roots-supercharged LS6, rear mounted Porsche transaxle, custom frame with C5 Corvette wheels and brakes, fully finished yet stripped racing interior, and a huge intercooler in the front trunk.

2007xl50

I have been going to car shows most of my life and it's always been like this. You have the new cars there with a few bolt on's, the deep pocket guys, the clicks, and everyone else.

The_Wraith

There are plenty of C4 vette guys who do all their own work. Maybe your talking brand new vettes? Not everyone wants to take apart a car of that value in their garage. A Fbody can be toyed around with and cheaply fixed if something is to go wrong. There are scrap yards full of these cars. If I had the money to pay some shop to fix up a new vette I would. I would then use my own time to work on a nice classic. That's what your forgetting. These guys have the money to drop it off at a shop.

cIaRmOaCrZo

i think he was mainly getting at the respecting them point of view. not the "how come they do it". but i have yet to find scrap yards full of our cars...that was a while ago. have you checked today??

1983Chimaera

Down to one or two F-bodies per yard here, when I'm lucky...Usually 2.8L cars, with destroyed interiors and generally mangled exteriors. Doesn't help that the yards ALWAYS set them right on the ground effects, destroying those as well. The days of 20+ 3rd gens in the yard are long gone, Cash for Clunkers saw to the end of that.

And no I wasn't referring to the C4 guys, those are usually the last of the Corvette guys I see to actually work on their cars themselves. I'm talking about the guys that take a C5 or C6, drop it off at a performance shop, and then show up with a huge supercharger, giant decals for the shop all over their car, can barely drive it (it's always fun watching them stall 5 times trying to back into their parking space), then jump out and start blustering about how wonderful their car is. when you ask them exactly what they have, they can't name any specific part...No idea what cam they have, what model supercharger, how many pounds of boost, what their fuel pressure is, what timing they're running, what flywheel, what pistons, what CR ratio...They simply have NO clue what is going on in their engine compartment beyond that they paid a lot for it.

The_Wraith

The local yard here which is small has an average of 6 thirdgens at all times. Another about an hour drive away has 9 or 10. Anytime I needed a part it was usually there. I have never seen yards with 20-30 thirdgens ever.

The_Wraith

Sounds like the yuppie crowd. Much like the weekend Harley-Davidson dress up types.

firechicken1992

Holy crap other people actually feel this way besides me? Around here we're PLAUGED with ****ing Imprezas...EVERYWHERE. I had 5 kids in my senior highschool automotive class brag how their car was faster than my V6 Firebird. Not that I didn't agree, their cars would destroy mine, but they'd go out and bury themselves in loans for a 11-13k car and brag about it stock, and jack off the blow off valves on their cars. I paid a 1000 dollars for a clean, no rust car that looked good, and was fun to drive. I swear people forget about the novelty part of playing with your own car and just have some that feels GREAT at the steering wheel.

Now I'm in college...the crowd is so much better xDD