Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

For those of you that have read my posting thread on eliminating the draft tube and or chasing a coolant leak, the truck is getting close to finally being done. This past weekend my sons helped me re-install the hood that has been off for nearly two years. Both inner fenders are mounted and this weekend the two outer fenders will get installed. I have signed up to take the truck to three different car shows (May 17th, 24th, and 31st) here in the North Dallas area.

My oldest son has been in the advertising business for 20 years as an Art Director told me I needed a sign to display along with the truck. He designed it with little input from me and its off being printed now. It will be a 2 foot by 3 foot sandwich board (A-Frame). Here are the two sides that he designed.

Despite never having given any of the nearly 50 cars I've owned in my life a name, this truck is special enough to me that I had to give it a name. The paint is called Jungle Green and the name of the guy who passed away and started this project was Jim, thus "Jungle Jim"

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Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Nice. My mods hardly fit in 2 3" thick folders!!

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Trust me, I understand. These were the highlights that can be seen. I too have one 3” binder of receipts and another 3” with all the install instruction sheets. LOL

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Isn't it amazing how the folders grow so fast. Mine dates to May 1967!! I never want to add up all the costs -- too scary!!. Nice display BTW and easy to read!!!

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

I see you have 6 hole slots on your truck. What brand are those?

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

You must be looking at an old photo, here is a side view of the truck now.

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They were a mis matched set of American Dragmaster that I sold.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Nice for a display for and indoor show but I have never been a fan of show boards at out door events unless the vehicle is one with historical significance that is on special display.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Some boards are interesting - others not. Think one listing current price/cost of each upgrade with a running total might get some attention!!

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Love the "shop manual" design, and the collection of parts on the truck is impressive. The police speedometer is awesome!

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Does that come with gold chains and matching monogramed lawn chairs with the rigs name on it and a crew of three to deliver the vehicle to the show and set it up so the owners can stroll in and hold court?

I think it was in 1988 that I was at Goodguys in Puyallup and had my camp trailer set up out in the parking lot that served as the camp grounds during the show and a couple of guys rolled in with a high dollar tow rig and trailer and parked next to me and rolled out a pretty well known show rod that had been featured in a couple of magazines and began to prep it for the show and told me that they worked for the guy who owned it and their job was to haul it to shows and set it up so he could fly in and play street rodder for the weekend.

My worry with showboards at out door shows just like dining canopies and other accessories is that if the wind catches them and blows them around they usually damage someone else's car I have seen a show board blown into the car next to it in a gust of wind. I've seen canopies picked up by the wind and blown 50 feet and land on someone elses car. I take a beach umbrella and if we aren't actually sitting under it BEHIND the truck or off out of the way we fold it down and secure it so it won't blow around.

From a guy who takes thousands of car show photos every year a bit of advice if you want people to want to take photos of your vehicle.

1. do not set your lawn chairs in front of it and block the view of the front of the rig.

2. just as important do not have trash or clutter around the vehicle, keep you AO clean and picked up.

3. do not let family members camp/lay on blankets or what not around the vehicle, I don't care if you have the most world famous truck in the world if someone is laying on a blanket next to it I will not take photos of it.

4 If someone is sleeping in the car or your kid or grandkid is playing in it I won't take photos of it. On the other hand if you are standing there letting a child sit in the seat of the truck and I know you are the owner I will take a photo and add the comment that the owner let the child sit in the truck.

Another reason for not taking photos with showboards in them and not posting photos of the event sticker with the owner's name on them is that I don't want some clown contacting you out of the blue asking if your truck is for sale because he got the info from one of my photos.

Probably the best thing a show board does at an outdoor show is impress the judges and help you get a dust collector that your wife may or may not let you set on the mantle.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Anyone every have a large screen laptop with a frame by frame video of the build from start to finish?? Many folks would rather watch a screen than read.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

I've been at it for three years, it would be a very long photo slideshow. LOL

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

mr48, remember the whole smackdown thing? You are skirting that with the first sentence in your reply :). Let's keep that type of commentary to ourselves.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

That is a nice menu of items for you to display. I had thought about something similar. I like it when there is some info about a vehicle I'm interested in looking at. I suppose I'm getting ready for a car show too, a Spring Opener next week. It's first come first serve though, so no registering in advance. I’ve been driving my truck for a year and finally feel comfortable enough to drive it to a show it although it is not finished. Yesterday I installed the glovebox and I might put the speaker/ashtray panel in place to cover up the empty dash. I have to give credit to you for committing to a car show with your truck still in pieces and not much road time to sus out the bugs, Kudos.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

1`````


`That had nothing to do with TX3100guys show board that I think is a beautiful piece of work that tells judges and those interested the story of the truck. The value at outdoor shows is letting folks that it isn't just another restored Forester Green AD truck but that it has a lot of really cool stuff up it's sleeve. That's worth packing along a couple of sandbags and string to keep the boards from blowing away to let folks know that hey dude, there is more to look at here than just another restored truck. That also gets a lot more photos of it taken rather than the one or two most stock restored trucks get. .


The Gold chain thing was because of the individuals who place so much emphasis on what money is spent and what their rig is worth at resale rather than what actual enjoyment they get from it. in the early 2000s I completely bailed from the car/truck scene and bought a 21 foot sailboat and went off cruising on Puget sound with a group of boat friends who had boats of all sizes and values but the one redeaming thing about the folks in that group was that it didn't matter to them if you had a little 21 footer you paid 252 dollars for off Ebay or you had a 500K boat your friendship was what was valued.

One main reason I bailed out was all the individuals who would walk up and ask "what's it worth"? rather than ask details about the truck. I don't care if you have a 1000 dollar truck or a 200K truck as long as it is safely built so that it isn't a hazard to others. If it doesn't have a for sale sign on it no one should be worried about it's value or what was spent on it.

Truth be if it weren't for the guys on here who don't care how much you spend on your truck as long as you build a safe to drive truck and the guys on the HAMB that reminded me that I didn't constantly have to be making changes every season to keep my truck "up to date with the trends" I probably would not be into old rigs at all now. Part of that burn out was the constant thing of being blasted with the concept that you had to have the newest and most trick item on your hot rod or truck or it just wasn't cool.

I found out that I didn't need to upgrade my wheels every year to keep up or do a lot of other things to keep up, I just need to build a nice safe an fun truck to go have fun with and hopefully have others admire.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

I understand how some people go overboard with their displays. Personally I like the vehicles that you can tell are driven & enjoyed. Rocks in the tire tread, small paint chips etc.
As far as a description of the vehicle and what went into it, I like a sheet similar to a dealer invoice. I printed up a poster that I hang in the side window or the windshield on my truck.
The nice thing is it's easy to update as I do work. Also, I don't have my name or where I live on it.
Just my personal thoughts.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

I think what the OP has will be fine. Most folks always ask basic questions like year, model and engine. The sandwich board sign answers these and more.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Cool truck along with the board I think will be a hit with the people that have interest in that era of the truck.
Great job

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

As you see the same cars and trucks that I do, there are a few people around our area who feel that they have to set up a display to draw attention to the car. One really doesn't need to drag an old drive in theater speaker stand and car hop days window stand and fake burger and fries to out door car shows. Same as the clown with the open headers on his car firing up the car every half hour on the half hour and gunning the engine four or five times and shutting it off to draw a group of mouth breathers over to an otherwise nice but rather ordinary car because he thinks it isn't getting enough attention.

In the past I have seen small engraved tags attached to the panel in front of the radiator that the latch fastens to with the info on the engine and trans on it. Simple and discrete but it tells those interested in things what it has for and engine and trans.

Still the more I think of it those showboards work for TX3100Guy's truck that while one of the nicest trucks around might be passed by by some as just another nice restored truck rather than a truck with some real tricks going on. Sometimes you have to promote your best features.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Me too. The style, font and color choice are outstanding IMHO.

K

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

A few little bugs (and oil drips) to resolve before I bolt on the fenders and grill.

First time out of shop in three years

First time on public streets

Return home to fix all the bugs and final drips

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

hopefully small stuff for drips etc. gotta feel good to drive it after the whole schlamoz

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

It feels amazing. Fenders bolted in place after the test drive (with the assist from my son). Grille goes on tomorrow, final shakedown over the rest of this week.

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Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

My truck took me years to build, it's not to bad. But I have never received a trophy, been to a lot of shows. I just go for the fun ,not a trophy

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Couldn't agree more. I'm a car guy and like being around other car guys and their cars/trucks. If the truck ever wins anything, it'll just go up on a shelf in the shop, but I have seen much nicer trucks at the shows I go to. The difference is, most if not all, of those trucks have $30,000 paints jobs done by somebody else, along with fancy chrome doo dads that the owner had someone else install.

I have touched nearly every nut and bolt on this truck. While I spent more than I originally expected to, it wasn't to have someone else install the part. Other than the cost of the engine rebuild(s) I've done all the work. The truck bed was in primer when I acquired the truck, but I traded a four-speed Jaguar XKE transmission to a friend to paint the bed for me with paint that was in the truck bed when I bought it.

The part that I am most proud of, is the fact that in the three years I've owned it, I have put over 2,000 hours of "free" labor in this project and have loved every minute of it, even the times I used every bad word known to modern man.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

After a like a a ten year build i went to a real show for fun. A first for me and it. Enjoyed the folks and event and didn't expect a thing. Was packing up and kept hearing my name on loudspeaker! Went over and found i was getting a huge trophy!! That will be a year ago in 5 days. Sadly medical issues will prevent me from re attending all this year. It was nice and a memory i will always have.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

That truck would bring home a trophy or two from the Portland Roadster show where there are skilled judges using a judging sheet looking for the details that make it such a great truck. It can hold it's own at shows anywhere in the country where there are just Chevy trucks and the people picking for awards are aware of the details.

On the other hand it isn't gaudy or flashy and doesn't scream come look at me like a lot of rigs that aren't as nice do.

There is also the "seen that one before, I'm looking for something that I haven't seen before to give the award to.

As the old saying goes " It's good enough to be black and that one is far and away above good enough to be black and look at the mirror like reflections on the side in this shot. It just does a good job of quietly sitting there in plain sight.

That pretty well says what actually happens at a lot of shows though, who ever is picking for an award often isn't and experienced car person looking for the nicest example of a certain type on the grounds, they are looking for what they like that day and what they like often doesn't include the fact that it has perfect paint and is detailed to the n'th degree.

This green truck from Sunnyside has a 10 K paint job that is now close to 20 years old but still close to perfect and the truck gets driven a lot. It is another one that doesn't win awards locally but that stems more from people having seen it so much over the years they don't stop and see how nice it is. If he took it out of the area to a show where the locals have never seen it they would have a fit over it just as folks at an event your truck has never been to would with yours.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

[QUOTE=mr48chev;This green truck from Sunnyside has a 10 K paint job that is now close to 20 years old but still close to perfect and the truck gets driven a lot. .[/QUOTE]

$10k 20 years ago is like $30-50k now. Great paint jobs are a beauty to behold BUT a huge, worrysome liablity for most.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

True but you can tie 100K 1 ton crew cab pickup with a diesel so fast it makes your head swim and then go right out and haul a load of firewood in without a second thought or use it to tow the vintage truck in an enclosed trailer. I know a guy who has over 100K in his tow rig and trailer to haul his 30K show car because the show car in his own words is too valuable to drive on the street.

I actually posted Hogfarm's truck and the green one together to show that even two absolutely perfect trucks may not draw the attention from some that they actually should. Park those two together at a Chevy truck show and you would have people walking around them and taking photos all day long. Hogfarm's truck is every bit as nice as the green one.

When the guy who owned the body and paint shop that painted the green one was still alive we were standing close to the green one at a show when another friend of both of us asked me when I was going to paint my truck and I pointed at the green one and said when it was as straight as it I would paint mine. That still stands. Hopefully one of my former students is still healthy enough to paint it.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Lots of 100k+ trucks on lots right now. Insurance can also be staggering. Resale value of older diesel is now about what they cost new. Cost of just paint now seems absurd as well and maybe why "Patina" is so popula?

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

I'd say that part of the patina thing is that too many guys want instant gratification and want to throw their project together fast and get it on the road.

I'd bet even money that TX3100guy and Hogfarm both have more time in small parts of the build in their trucks than some of the S-10 swap patina truck guys have in the whole truck from haul the AD into the yard to drive down the road time. The extra attention to the most minute detail as apposed to slap it together as fast as you can and get it running.

Personally these days I would rather see someone put their early effort in to having a solid and very safe chassis that is done right when it comes to building a modified truck. The nice paint and fancy interior can come later but it has to be safe to drive first and not shiny and unsafe to drive as we used to see a lot of back when I got into this seriously. The chassis on some of those rods back then rival some of the crudest rat rods that aren't even licensed or street driven as far as sketchy. Impact universal sockets butt welded into the steering shaft as Ujoints on a car that was then driven on Texas highways at 80 mph. I know he was doing 80 as he was following me.
With that I'd rather see a person build a safe solid truck that they can safely enjoy and then decide if they want to take it to the next level rather than get burned out shooting for perfection and never getting to drive it on the first build they do.
Both the two guys who I would like to have paint my truck have health issues that may not allow for it but in the town where I live we have a couple of rebuild shops that turn out late model rebuilds from totals that look better than new when they roll them out for sale and I am thinking about hitting one up to have them paint my 48 when I am able to trailer the truck to them in pieces. It won't be cheap but it won't be 10K either.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Good point but cost still governs!!! Just a small dent with paint on most cars can run up to $2k!!. Sadly I think the days of restoration have taken a fatal inflationary hit. Fully restored ADs may be the only way to go.

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Fully restored stone stock AD trucks aren't worth all that much dollar wise unless they are 100 point national Chevy truck association contenders. The concept that a stone stock restored truck is worth more than a real nice fully finished custom truck is total nonsense these days. That hasn't been true with any vehicle except for actual classics that are on the registry of classic cars since the early 70's.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

Must say a nice, but not perfectly restored running AD for under 30K is a bargain as the cost of restoration - even partial- can easily cost more. This i know.

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That may be where you live and what the local market is. Here in the valley a stone stock AD or TF that is nice but not a high caliber show level truck = one that will score 95 points or more on the judging sheet at a national level show it is hard to get 30K for one. The ones you see bring the big money at Barrett-Jackson are probably 98 point trucks that you can load in the trailer and take to the National Chevy show and be able to compete for the top awards. I posted a truck on the look what I found that's for sale thread a few months ago that is one of the nicest stock or real close to stock AD trucks I have seen and photographed in a while and the price wasn't that high. 25 K and it is one nice truck but he messed up when he two toned it as GM never sold trucks with different color fenders and never sold two tone trucks before 1954. At a Judged show he couldn't show it as an original truck and would have to show it as a modified truck because of the paint job. Out in the park at that show it brought attention to no end especially from the lowrider Bomb a guys.

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Was upping the insurance on mine recently and kinda got stumped when they asked about replacement values. Haggerty suggested 30K as an average and sure they got that from somewhere. I Am clearly not an expert on ADs but been watching the market now for 10 years. You really have far more experience and would be interesting to hear your take on what it would cost to do a reasonable renovation right now with and without shop labor costs. Your take on parameters like base price of "restorable" AD, powertrain, bodywork, paint and rubber would be amazing!! Yes i know the variables are overwhelming but even a rough guess is appreciated!!

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I love the sign! it looks great. I'm not always likely to stop someone to talk about their truck. The sign answers a bunch of basic questions and if I want more info I can try to locate the owner. The only question I have is why isn't the interesting and unique story of the truck's name on the sign?



My truck got one trophy back in '99. First year after new paint. It had been driven from MT to MA which impressed the guys running the show. The announcer said "Cars and trucks were meant to be driven, and this one definitely has." Nothing since. It gets put in with modified trucks since it has EFI. But it's much more stock than modified so it doesn't stand out against the big buck and wild build trucks. But that's fine. The real trophy is how it makes folks smile. Almost any time it goes out someone will share a story about an old truck or a truck related experience in their life.

You really have stuck with the project. I hope it is as rewarding to show as it was frustrating to complete.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

As final act of defiance the truck worked over my son and I last night as we worked to install the grille. Given that it is an aftermarket part, it was 90% accurate, but the 10 % inaccurate meant that it took us 3 1/2 hours to get it installed and aligned properly.

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Then this morning I discovered that one LED headlight bulb is DOA, but the lights aren't a necessary item for the Saturday car show. I also found that the Ididit horn ring was chipped and as a result, when I turned the Kill Switch back on, the horn blared constantly. Luckily Summit has them in stock and I will be picking one up tomorrow to make what I hope is the final fix before Saturday.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

looks great. don't sweat the small stuff, pull the fuse or unplug the horn. let the light be dead for a day. enjoy what you have. it's not about the trophy its about the wow factor when others see it. it would be cool to get a trophy though, lol.

Re: Getting ready for a car (truck) show
 

It is fairly well attended small town car show. There will be $100,000 trailer queens built by trained mechanics, as a result I have no expectation of a trophy. If anything, I stand a fighting chance on crowd favorite since the show is less than a mile from my house and all the neighbors plan to attend.....LOL

I have no need to turn on the headlights during this daytime show, so the only folks who will know it has a dead bulb are me, the company sending a replacement, and all of you!

As for the horn, I will give it a stab at fixing today, if that fails for some reason, then pulling the fuse is next on the list........