Quote:
Originally Posted by WMHat
Congratulations on your win. I plan to enter a small show myself Sat, Nov 5, with about 150 entrants. I am told I will be in the Speciality Class. Any advice for me would be helpful since this will be my first show.
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I've been to many shows. These were my 95th and 96th trophies. What I can tell you is that all shows are different. I've won many shows that I shouldn't have and lost many that I should have won. There are usually cliques and politics that I try to avoid.
I prepare the car differently depending on the type of show, judged or people choice. But I do the following for all shows.
My goal at each show is to have the vehicle as clean and presentable as possible. Then I try to have something interesting that sets my vehicle apart from other like vehicles. A good display describing the vehicle always helps. I also always carry a fire extinguisher and first aid kit as many show require these. I don't take trophies from other shows for dispaly as I think this is a little arrogant. I like the vehcile to speak for itself regardless of its past victories.
Pay attention to detail when preparing your vehicle. Take the extra time to clean not just the sidewall of your tires but the treads as well. Remove the rocks and debris between the treads and wipe them down with tire cleaner. Don't use so much tire cleaner that your tires look wet. A nice dry black look is always better. If the wheel barrel is visible make sure it is clean also. Dirty inner wheels stick out like a sore thumb at a show.
One area that is often overlooked is the vehcile's interior. I take a portable vacuum cleaner so I can remove any dirt and lint on the carpet, seats, and bed (I have the carpeted bed). I also carry a set of floor mats that I install at the show and remove my driver mats. Be sure to clean the chrome/satin interior pieces. I've noticed that on the SSR the satin pieces make fingerprints glow in the sun. If you are using Armour-All or some other plastic/rubber cleaner, go easy with it. Again, a wet look in the interior or engine compartment is a turn off for judges and other participants.
One thing that seems like common sense but apparently isn't, is that you need to roll down your windows, open your hood and bed cover. I see cars that are locked up at shows which never makes sense to me and they never win. If you're worried about dust blowing in, you shouldn't be showing the car.
If your vehicle is modded it can be a tough call as to the proper class, modified or custom. Custom is usually a really hard class as there are a lot of people who spend tons of money on cars. Unfortunately, in the custom class the rule is "bling wins". I try to stay in either the stock of modified classes.
There are a million other things that I could go into, but you'll learn these as you compete in more shows. The most important thing is to have fun and talk to the other people at the show. Most of my best friends, I met at these shows.
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