While it's true we must go by the rules...I think any AACA member that attends a show...trying to a particular award...should be with their vehicle until it is judged. Yes, we all need to make "pit stops" and such....but at every show where my car was judged, I could see the team coming and made sure my trunk was open, windows up, etc. I also thought it imperative to be with the car while they were there should they have questions, etc.

I understand what the rules are about opening hoods. However, I think it's crazy to expect judges to open the hood and trunk before judging. The owner surely knows the drill...and should ensure his vehicle is ready to be judged.

In part of this thread is was asked if a car with 4 headlights is held to a higher standard than a car with 2. The simple answer is...the more parts...the more chances for deduction.A car with factory A/C like my '72 Scamp has many more parts under the hood than a car without...so there are more things that could be chipped, defective, incorrect.

Matt M, Honestly the times that I have had to open a hood or trunk, or have been on a team where the Team Captain had to, have been rare. It mostly happens in bad weather, or bad weather is predicted, and the owner is usually another judge or someone working at the show that can't be there when the judging team arrives. Most of the time they find the Team Captain for their class and let them know that the hood and trunk are down and why. And if there is a trick to opening/shutting them they share that. I have even had them tell me which class they will be judging/being Team Captain in incase they are needed, and give me their cellphone number just incase.





Right you are. The more "plain jane" the car the higher the likelyhood it will do well. Less stuff to be able to deduct from.

The only issue you ever have with hoods being closed is with the newbys. I've never judged a vehicle going for a Senior, AGNM or Senior AGNM that didn't have the hood up. It just doesn't happen.

I don't go to shows to have my car judged.

I go to shows to have fun.

Therefore there is no need for anyone to ever touch my car and I prefer it that way.

I have seen too many "trophy hounds" argue about this, that, and the other. Spoils the fun for everyone else in my opinion.

On a local level we do the same thing, but if you're showing up to a national meet, put a Do not Judge on it, and save the Judge's time and aggravation. If you don't, and your hood gets raised to judge your car, you're a victim of your own problems....

What makes you think I don't put a "Do Not Judge sign" on it? Besides, the "Do Not Touch" signs that are placed on the car apply to judges too.

If your vehicle does not have a blue Do Not Judge window card, then it will be judged according to the rules of the AACA which includes opening hoods and trunks if they are not already open for whatever reason. If your vehicle is being judged, you will be asked to remove the Do Not Touch signs/magnets as the vehicle did not come from the factory with them in place. And many times owners try to use them to cover bad places in the paint or an area of rust. If the owner refuses to remove them while the vehicle is being judged then deductions will be taken per item.

One more time: Owners that do not want anyone touching their vehicle while it is being judged should stay with the vehicle until judging is complete. They should be available to open trunks, hoods and doors for the members of the judging team.

Like I said, I go to shows to have fun, not to be judged.

Ex98th was simply letting you know the best way of handling things.

At an AACA National Meet, if you register the car in a judged class, and don't specify at that time it will be entered as a "do not judge", and then you stick a do not judge sign on it, you create headaches for the judging team. Now the team captain has to ge through the deal with Adminatrastion explaining why he doesn't have the cars score sheet, etc which adds to the time getting all the teams through admin, etc.

As Shoprat pointed out, judges in doing thier job on the show field will ignore the Do Not Touch signs in order to perform thier duties if the car owner can't be located. Which goes back to the point Ex98th was making; if you don't want the car judged and to make sure judges do not touch it, make sure your car is registered as "do not judge" so it has the Blue window card and the judges won't touch it as there will be no need to.

Thanks David.

Then make sure you don't have it judged by follwing the rules of the show.

I am not sure what the big deal is about a judge touching anyone's car. I have two Senior Cars and I don't care if a judge touches them or not - in fact I would think if anyone understands how we feel about our cars it would be a judge and I have full confidence that he/she will treat my car properly.

After all, it is only a car

Case in point at the Hershey show which we just got home from today. I was the Team Captain for the team judging class 20e (1938-39 production cars excluding Fords). The one car going for it's Senior award belonged to Fred Young, the man that usually teaches the judging school. I happened to be checking the cars to see who was there and Fred was writing a note to let the team know where we could find him if we needed him since he was also judging. I introduced myself and told him we would take very good care of his car. He had only opened one side of the hood on the car. With the help of one of the other judges on the team (taller and stronger than I am) we gently and very carefully opened the other side of the hood. We left it in that postion for Fred to close it. I will guarantee you that he did not have a problem with that.

I still find this odd. especially, if Fred is a judge. Why didn't he have everything open as needed? You may have known Fred...but what if it was someone that never showed a car at an AACA event before...would you have opened up the car?? Do you think that owner would have had a problem with it??

I can't answer that. I know he was in a hurry to get to his class, I think he was Team Captain also. We have duties before the judging starts. We must verify who showed up and who didn't to report back to Admin. We must verify that the information on the windshield card is correct for the vehicle and has not been tampered with. We usually take a quick look at the vehicles, we look for fire extinquishers in advance if we have time. Maybe he was in a rush and just forgot. Maybe he counted on us to lift the other side.



Yes, we do know each other, hard not to after so many years taking classes from him.



Simple answer is yes I would. It is my job to do so if the owner is not available to do so. In 20e all of the owners but Fred were there or a respresentative was there. So we had them open doors, hoods and trunks.




If they did then the Chief Judge would let them know that the Team Captain is authorized by the AACA to open hoods. The Team Captain or the Interior Judge is authorized by the AACA to open hoods and/or trunks. They would be told for the future that if they do not want Team Captains/Interior Judges to open hoods/trunks/doors that they must stay with the vehicle until judging of it is completed.

It is the rules. We go by them.

DNJ card should be blue? What, then, is up with the white one I saw on Saturday?

Should be blue. My only guess would be a last minute change at the show field and the only available paper to print a DNJ card was white.

Not in this case, I'm afraid. Add it to the list of inconsistencies.

I wish someone, with authority.. such as Fred would comment on the opening of compartments.

You don't need an expert. Just read the Judging Guidelines:

d. The team captain will open hoods in absence
of the owner. The interior judge will open
and close doors very carefully. Do not enter
a vehicle and sit when judging interiors.
Lean in and observe the interior from each
side of the vehicle. Removal of "on location"
documentation items is the only exception
to "hands-off" judging. Chassis judges must
not crawl completely under a vehicle. Kneel
down and look under the vehicle.

thanks...I still don't think it should be done... deduct and move on.

My advice is check with Joe Vicini and ask how many complaints they have ever had regarding this issue.

Rules are in place for a reason. We follow them. Owners have the right, as I have stated here more than once, to dictate who may touch their cars. They do that by being there to let us know what those rules are. If they walk away then we go by the rules set down by the AACA.....period.

I take it you do not show and do not judge so you are not directly involved in the process.

i'll preface this by saying... i haven't shown at an AACA meet, i dont plan to show at an AACA meet, and it is highly doubtful that i will ever judge at an AACA meet....


i will however say... that if i ever saw ANYone, touching my vehicle, opening my doors, etc. and i had not authorized it, regardless of what color hat they were wearing, there would be some immediate issues to address. ESPECIALLY if i had a "do not touch" sign in place.


in my 15+ years of showing various types of vehicles, in various types of environments, i have NEVER heard anything so ludicrious as a judge opening a car up to view / judge it.

and that... is the rest... of the story

when you sign up for AACA judging dont you authorize them to touch it?

Hey Stonefish, what about a BMW Isetta? The "hood" has to be unbolted to expose the engine. What happened to the rule "if you can't see it, you can't deduct"?

I give up...;) I'm tired...