Just curious as to how the Trans Am Nationals turned out this weekend, I know it rained but I hope the show was still fun for whoever went to Dayton. Anyone win any awards or have any pics, since I was unable to make it down there.

 

Nats was good except for the rain. Got 2nd in class M. Some real nice cars in that class this year. Was disapointed in the winner though. There were at least 4 other cars that I could see winning first, but the one that won was not one of them. I heard his buddy was one of the judges. Supposedly he had been complaining the last few years and refused to come to the show, saying it was biased because the judges were locals. So he happens to show up this year when there are out of state judges and one is his buddy, and then he wins. Not a coincidence in my opinion. The car had some pretty serious flaws that I and the other class members saw and discussed.

I have not heard much about the other classes. But I hope they turned out more fair.

Also got the kids pic for Special Wish at Tipp city.

Got some pics, still have to download them though. I will try to get them up for viewing soon.

 

It was pretty typical. The weather was pretty sh!tty, in fact quite a t-storm blew through about 3 on Sat pm and chased everyone away. Sunday was OK, but overcast. The truck/trailer lot turned into a mug bog.... eww.

As usual, the judging end of the show was abysmal. The classes, the tech and the judging arrangements were the worst of any national meet I've ever seen. It's not surprising how many choose to opt out of the competition.

Still a nice place to see fine cars (and a display C6, too).


RRRR

 

yeah I dont ever agree with the judges hardly. when my dads car was new (800 miles) a couple years ago, he got a 61 out of 100 points. how does that happen? the int./eng./paint were flawless and clean. I can see it not winning the class, and thats ok, but how do you poss. deduct that many points for a car thats flawless? its rediculous. but its still a fun event, and tons of cool cars to check out and get ideas for your own car even if its not an Fbody. plus the drag race at Kilkare dragway is always fun.
chris

 

That shows judging has always been tainted IMO. They class cars wrong and if your a "buddy" you get bone-us points

..Congrates on placing in the your class.
The best part of the TAN's is the cruise-in at TipCity

 

I totally Agree with Hot Rod Hawk
The judging has always been suspect, and when the tech guy asks what you did to the car. You know the classing is messed up. I've been going to that show for 12 years and it still the same BS. I'm not sorry I missed it this year.
But it is a great place to meet people and see some great Cars

 

They have a lot of people there doing tech that are very clueless. Last year they wanted to put me in light modified becasue I had a little 2"X4" pontiac sticker in the bottom of my back window. I take that out to show stock, and I park in my class, and the kid behind me has exhaust tips that aren't stock! I don't go there to show anymore. I still register and tech my car and everything, but Just go there to enjoy the cars and the relaxing atmosphere. Tipp City is by far the best part of the weekend, I was really disappointed that it was raining that night, and we didn't go. Still got a good deal on some rims in the swap meet though, and had a very relaxing weekend. I will continue to go every year, but I refuse to have my car judged

 

I have to respectfully disagree. That may have been the case years ago, but it no longer has the capacity (or local interest) to accommodate the number of cars that show up. 2 years ago, we arrived in the parking area and were told they had no room to park us... WTF?

There's no real incentive to clean and present your car. It's just a bunch of clueless local yokels looking the cars over.

Seems like it's just a way for the locals to get people there to spend money in their backassward little town.

I won't go again.

RRRR

 

Other than one guy I talked to before who won in his class everyone seems to agree that the judging is messed up. Even so it would have been nice to make it down there to see all the cool cars.

 

Ya its worth seeing, it is the largest all Pontiac F-Body show. Both times I went with my car I was put into Prostreet???
...and I took a 3rd one year and a 4th place another year, but I felt there were way nicer rides than mine that should have placed but they didn't!.
The one thing that bothered me was over hearing a couple of the judges telling the judges that were doing my class that I had Took a 1st place at Autorama twice and I was sponsered by SLP Eng and had factory support on my car. Well all true and all but It wasn't right of that husband/wife team too come off with the "it's not fair too the reat of the class" crap that they were spinning on me!!
I built my car myself not the above mentioned people, they were major sponsers of my project.
...jelious [sp?] people shouldn't judge car shows!!

 

Hot Rod Hawk, I've seen your car at autorama before but I didn't realize it was your car, this year I have to pay better attention.

 

Wow 1st 2x @ the Autorama. Awesome!

In my book what your car has won in the past should have no bearing on how it is judged at any show. Maybe @ a cruise in where they really don't judge. At the Nats you paid your $ too. And frankly a show is about how that car is presented that day...detailing and cleaning as much as what mods are done. So in my book the most important thing for me to do at shows is presenting a clean car. On that level, we are all equal reguardless of what is done mod wise.

But in saying that I'm about to contradict myself a little here...

There is one thing that peeves me at some shows about judging cleanliness...the trailer queens versus driven cars. To me they are totally different animals and should be judged as such. I admit I hate showing up against someone who never has to really clean the car. I figure I drive the car, its my only car. I drove it from GA to OH. To me I'm more impressed with a driven car that clean then any trailered car. I find myself turning my nose up at most of them. I mean if someone gets handicapped for winning at other shows, like you have some advantage maybe we should start handicapping them for not driving their cars and having an advantage!

And not all, but some are just check book cars...just opened a catalog and got a shop to install and fabricate. See I'm also of the do it yourself minority. The mods and work were done by me and a close friend. I did not pay anyone to turn my car into what it is. It was my blood, sweat, and tears that did it. People at shows first ask what $ I have spent on the parts & what I had to pay to get a shop to do the detailing & shaving. I have to say, no, Joe and I designed, polished, painted, modded, tweaked, installed, invented, & built it all. I never paid a shop to do any of my custom work, or installs.

Heck when I asked shops, before I met Joe and realized what I could do myself, they refused the work. Most could not or would not do what we have done because they do not have the love of the car, so they don't have the same attention to detail or desire. I have so much of the can't be done, not worth the effort, not made for that car, never been done before on a V-6 mods. I feel like a v-6 3rd gen pioneer sometimes cause no one has the answer. Joe and i have to find a way to make it happen ourselves. Personally, I think that should count for something at a show. Bolt ons versus hand made!

Oops, got on a tangent there. Sorry to rant!

Back on track...
If I may ask...How do they class your car in the Autorama? Thats like the World of Wheels down in Al and TN right? I was surprised when I was classed in the conservative class at the WOW. Really nice cars @ those shows! I showed in AL and won my class before. Never expected it with all those beautiful cars there.

 

Thanks man for the props
Aurorama is part of the "WOW" events.
The car was classed contempory custom the first year I showed at Autorama then the second time I showed I had done a major amount of work too the car that put into Competition stock 1959-present.
Autorama has a three time limit you can show a vechical without updates that move the car into another class. So I'm still safe in Comp stk "if" I felt like disassembling the car too clean it spotless for this show.
It's just as you said...presentation, presentation, presentation.

 

I give respect to everyone who shows their car regardless of it being a trailer queen or daily driver, I know I never have a chance to win a show even though I have 2 years of custom mods into my car because I drive my car daily in the summer and I live on a dirt road. Dirt roads suck, if I wanted to clean my car up perfect it would take me too long.

 

MY compliments bro. My car was a daily driver for the first 3 years of its life, and I still enjoyed showing it even though I knew I wasn't going to win anything. I still had plenty of compliments on it anyway. My dad hates trailer queens, but I say to each his own. Some guys get just as much enjoyement out of trailering their car everywhere and showing it, and that's cool with me. We are all car lovers, just some of us have different tastes of what is cool.