Chrooomme... and not pink. Sounds like Scott and I think alike. What ever project i'm on I like to pay special attention to. It really help if i'm looking at a sea of our cars tho cause it's the same. If I see that you put a hole in your dash to install something, and I like the way it came out, MAYBE I will do it or simular. I also like looking at the driver. If she's hot, well, I miss alot of car looking and who cares about the hole in the dash
The biggest turn-off at a Crusie-in are 80's+ cars. Armoral tires shinning are a joke, do new tires look shinny? Owners detailing their cars at the show and stuffing the detail bag under the car...this makes a nice photo. I can understand a quick dusting, but a complete wax job? Here are some pics I took at local cruise-in's Click Here
Wow, lots of opinions. I like cars that stay reasonably close to stock, while being very modded underneath the stock appearing wrapper. In other words, I don't like extravagant paint, painted trim, wheel tubs, or most anything you may have seen on an 80s/90s 'Pro-street' car. Solid paint color, sane rim sizes, and plenty of stock chrome. After that, anything goes! Ray's car is the perfect example of the "resto-mod" style I like. It looks like it almost could have come factory that way, but you just know it didn't.
Number 1 for me is cleanliness. I'd rather see a clean, stock car than a pigged up custom any day. It doesn't take any money to clean your car, only pride. If you don't give a darn about dirt, then that set of chome valve covers isn't going to help the appearance of your car.
I like a lot of things. I've always liked the 30's and 40's street rods, especially the oddball brands. I don't care for the billet everywhere cars, but a touch here and there, with a simple paint job, especially a chopped car if done right. I like shoebox and tail fin cars of the 50's, and if it's done like an early gasser, it really gets my attention. The factory hot rods of the 60's and 70's are great, too. A limited run car or truck or special package cars that are factory stock are ok, too, as long as they aren't red. Red is overdone. I can enjoy a car restored to like new shape, but if it's restored, I don't want to see billet or later things thrown on it. Wheels are another thing, if it has wagon wheels on it, I just walk on past. Anything over 15" belongs on a truck. I like good bodywork and paint, nothing ruins a killer car more than a crappy paint job with mismatched body panels. Another thing overdone is flames and stripes. Flames are cool on a 40 Ford, but most of the time they look out of place on a 60's hot rod. Like Frank, I like drivers, but I see nothing wrong with trailering a car a long distance to a show like Ray and I do when we go over to Georgia. We both did a lot of driving after we got there! I also understand trailering a rare or brass era car, no way would I want to drive a Model T on the interstate or risk getting run over by an idiot on a cell phone in Atlanta while in a original Shelby or Cobra. I also like to look at engine details, a little oil shows me it actually runs, and blued chrome shows it runs regularly. Road rash is fine on a hotrod, but I hate to see the wrong wheel drive cars with the erector set wings and tractor turbos fretting over a little dust on their mismatched parts. Oh, I forgot about the interiors......pink and yellow in a red car just don't get it with me. I like solid colors or a well done two tone, keep the fuzzy cow seat covers in the trunk, please. Same goes for the steering wheel covers that look like they were pulled out of the garbage at a kindergarten. Most of the billet wheels look like crap, too. Give me a simple three or four spoke with a nice fat grip. One last thing, I don't care for the Pro Street look. Either it's a race car, or it's a street car. Not a race car driven on the street. I'm not taliking about street cars that are sometime raced, it's the pro stock lookalikes that can't take a curve at 15, must less 55 mph.
My thinking was described best by Tim Keck's 5th comment The "LOOK".Some cars got it(even the bellybutton ones),most don't.You can't really describe it,but you know it when you see it.And it makes you stop & just drool! More into drag than show
I know you guys are talking about cruise in’s but in general I’m just going to state what I look for at car shows. Being that I have judged more then a few shows, picked a few top 20 in a judging panel in some of the bigger shows with more then 150 cars out there. Not to mention I’ve won more then a few 1st places (not by default either ) and a few magazine features without the help of where I work . Now that wasn’t to toot my own horn but to show my reasoning for what I’m about to say below. 1. First off I concur with Bob on the bellybutton ones unless it is something really unique. I can walk a mustang show and big deal everything looks the same! Unless it is really, really different! But really, what hasn’t already been done with one. Even more so for the stock ones, if I wanted a stock looking car I would just buy a new one. Now on the other hand if it was a hard car to restore to stock like some gremlin, pinto, some pre 74 Japanese car or something no one makes parts for then yes for sure by all means stock it is! But come on, you can build a mustang, camaro form pure after market parts these days. What’s the big deal about that? I mean if you can really make your mustang and camaro stand out form the rest of the crowd then by all means I’ll look at it. But really how often does that happen. 2. To me you don’t need a trailer queen or a high $$$ car to get me to look at it or vote for one. If it is clean, even more so different and unique from 5 feet I’ll look at it. If I have to decide between two cars then it goes to the paint or innovations. 3. Personally if you paid someone to do “create” car your not worthy of a trophy nor will I even bother to talk with the guy. Because about 99% of the time they don’t even know what’s done to the car. The guy who built the car is the one who deserves the trophy. 4. If you say your cars is a daily driver and clearly it is not. Sorry that is a minus one. You can’t hide road rash. I would rather have someone tell me yeah they drive it on the weekends only or something. Bottom line don’t expect bonus point from me if your have some sign on it that says “daily dirver”. 5. “Modified” at a car show doesn’t mean that it should be when cuz you have cyl heads, cams, roller rockers, gears, tq converter, pistons.. etc. I was at one car show with my other car and one guy was pissed off that my car won first place and his didn’t. He said his car was “more” “modified” then mine. He stated all the things that was done to his drive train and motor and that mine was just bolt ons. I told him this is a CAR SHOW people vote on things they can “SEE” not what they can’t see. That is why they call it a car “SHOW” some people don’t get it. 6. You can’t have a “show” car and a “race” car at the same time. I mean yeah you can, but really, one will suffer from the other. Nice paint job? Its history on the first burn out! I always love the guy that tells me he has 600 horsepower and the car will do 10’s in the ¼ when it has regular radials on the car and he’s said it’s never been to the track in it’s life. Another minus in my book. 7. Gaudy things like mismatched colors under the hood like yellow, red, blue etc… looks like they have the color wheel under their hood. Stick with no more then three major colors under the hood. Also wheels that don’t fit right or fulgy wheels period. Ugly graphics or over the top paint jobs fender flares. Lastly stupid things like stuff animals and most of all don’t put your trophies you won at cars show. 8. Bad! Simple things that you should keep keen but are dirty. Like dirty wheels, dirty air cleaner filters and paint. Interiors with cups and trash inside. All are a big NO NO! Either It be a car show or cruise in… for gods sake it’s to show off your car not your garbage truck! 9. I look also for different and innovations! Custom stuff one off stuff. I know a lot of you guys don’t like motor transplants in cars ie: the Maverick with the 2jz (that’s a Toyota engine if you don’t know ) in it. But I do. Personally I like almost anything if it is different. BTW putting a 350 chevy in a 32 ford is NOT different! I mean if someone spent that much money on the 32 just put a freaking ford in it. I mean it not like back in the days where no one made anything for the 302. A true car “enthusiast” loves almost everything to a point (yes 350 don’t count in ‘32s lol) but when it is done tastefully at least more then others who are narrow minded. I for example get knocked on for big wheels on maverick. But I think I should point out that I have Mavericks with stock wheels drag 15inch wheels and 17’s and up! Again it’s about diversity and knowing how to present it tastefully. 10. What about a standard? So who says there is a standard to building cars or a right way or wrong way? I do! I think it is easy to verify this one. Look at trends that magazines create or cars that they feature for the standard to that one magazine. That is what the standard is like it or not! This is what I actually look at cars like. You rarely see a cover car on the cover of a magazine that is so hideous its like wow that really ugly! Though there are some times your like huh why did they do that? But the major part of the time, that is the standard of what it “should” look like. I personally look for feature cars all the time for the sport compact car industry. Yes there are really ugly ones out there but there are some really nice ones too. And yes there is a “standard” the car should meet like it or not. Take for example Victoria Secrets models. Is that the way “all” women should “look” NO but they pick those models for a reason. Is it a standard? No not for all women but yes a standard in general for that “type” of deal. Get the point? 11. What about “do what you like”? By all mean go for it! It’s your car! However I think it is easy to say when people rag on your car and tell you it is just ugly or “don’t do it!” is the marjory of responses…. you have your answer. Also personally, Movies and TV don’t create that standard because they are in it for the “look” and directors and whole “Hollywood” thing is just wrong. Prime examples the new Knight Rider, the GTO in XXX with Vin Disel and Fast and Furious 1 and 2. All get the Thumbs down! 10. Exceptions I look for. The kid that is really trying hard to build his car over the older guy who has tons of money! I was that kid once before and I know what it is like. Anything to encourage that kid to keep it up I will do so. Given the original post was about cruise in’s but thought I would give my one cents on everything pertaining to viewing a car. If I have offended anyone describing your Maverick or worse your mustang…lol! I’m sorry to a point but just saying it like I see it.
Dang Derrick, took me longer to read your post than it did for the rest of the entire thread!!! Good post though!
I read it Derrick....and I liked it! Made very good sense to me. I think everyone that posted had good input (for me anyways) Thanks!
to me the...Hotrod Power Tour...was 1 of my favorite car shows... reason: it's a...Car Show on Wheels...(all daily drivers) Mike and I sat on the tailgate of his truck and watched 100s of cars and trucks come by...i liked that they were all going in the same direction... ......
