Frantz

Just think how many factories the Model T put out of business. Labor cost per car has been going down since the car was first produced for sale.

Chevy 216? I'd be talking with the folks that did the work... If they're a reputable shop they should make it right for you unless it was 300 miles and 10 years ago....

Hey now, I resemble that remark!

I'd disagree here. You get significantly more today in just about everything but style, and style is subjective. The cost really isn't out of line either when you factor inflation and becomes a bargain when you consider the features added (including those forced by regulations.. but those are consumer demand too via the political system). There are still low frills options out there that people simply opt not to purchase. Base model cars and trucks exist and generally sit for a long time until someone purchases them. Base models simply don't sell well. Folks who only buy used cars and complain about what is or is not offered in new cars surrender their voice by not putting their voting dollars into the product. The avg new car in the US is $33k I believe... buy a tractor that cost $33k and look at simple and small it is and you'll realize. Cars are cheap for what they offer because we have excellent competition to pick from and huge economies of scale.

Off topic but did you get up to the museum while the yellow Anderson was being shown? It had a hitch bolted (or maybe welded, I forget) to and only to the fuel tank. Worked since 1920!

Depending on how much life is left in the old Buick this wouldn't be a bad option. Of course... it will take away some points when you get it judged =-D

Thanks for the sited quotes. Not quite as one sided as I had imagined and glad we could enlighten you a little. If absolutely nothing else, I'd be delighted to find out you've realized CR is a biased source. I've hated them for years because they pretend to be something they are not. At best, it's mob responses in an organized manner. I still believe that the car industry is great for consumers because you can haggle. I still believe if it was such a profitable industry as many believe, then more people would look to become investors. Knowing what a dealer actually makes doesn't actually affect the negotiation much either because if we could stay in business selling them much cheaper than we do, then we would in order to gain volume from the guy down the street. That's how competition works. I think it's unfair to attack the industry for being all about money, as that is the entire point of all industries, at least successful ones. And you can still get within a few hundred bucks of a final deal with about 10 minutes of online research before sitting down once with the dealer of your choice using such industry controlled tools as TrueCar (at least for new cars). A few minutes longer on used, but the value of a used car to you can vary based on your own priorities as not all used Honda Civics are the same... For myself as a sales person, I don't really care how much I make off you, but the easier you make it for me the more I am going to help you out in the future. Now there have been customers who pay a little more than avg and they get some extra care. I've spent money out of my own pocket to make things right for them. But even if I get a flat (aka we didn't make enough money for me to earn a higher commission than the min per car we make), if you make it easy on me I'm going to want you to come back. I still have a great customer from when I sold Fords who now buys me lunch when he needs a new truck because I still help him get the same deals I was offering him. No one is making much but it's a darn easy sale and he gives great surveys. If you come in with all this data on how much we're making and how it's all a scam and you spend my time and go to 10 dealers to try and "keep me honest", well frankly it's hard to argue that it's worth my time, plus you're more likely to give a less than perfect survey, and that's worse than losing money on a car. It's certainly your right to do so, but looking at both sides of the perspective would give you a better experience so long as you have a good sales person (who does want to get paid well for being good). You deserve to get a good deal and can do so easily. And a good deal does leave room for profit, just like with anything else you buy.

Forgive my earlier short post... I just woke up and was surprised by this comment.The 239 Y block shares it's oil water and fuel with the Flathead but that's about it. Yes it's the same displacement, but it's a whole different set of numbers to get there. Wider bore and shorter stroke. The Y block gets it's name from it's deep skirt design, something not shared with the Flatty. In fact I think it's worth noting that Ford choose to call the family by it's block shape rather than OHV design, showing it was entirely new. Nothing much to gain with a 272 other than cubic inches. If you're going to go with a different Y block than a 292 or 312 would be the way to go. 292 could be had with a 6v system if you're trying to make it as cookie cutter as possible. Still, nothing beats the charm of a car with the right motor IMO.

Mine is a '54 as well, but it's just a Customline so not as fancy as yours. Hoping to get farther along this year than I did last year but we'll see how that works out! Not only can you make the 239 reliable, but you'll have a rolling piece of history with the proper motor in there! In 2018 you can keep anything original. The old idea of putting a modern motor in it always feels like a very lazy answer when coming from someone claiming to be an expert. Then folks who trust their input figure that must be the case. I've always liked oddball stuff and telling people that it's really not that hard to keep thing original is part of the fun for me. Plus I can talk about why it's oddball which gives a more interesting conversation IMO. For '54 my story generally goes "well it's the first year for the Ford OHV V8 and while it has the same displacement as the old flathead it made 20 more HP. When Ford saw what Chevy was doing for '55 with the introduction of the SBC Ford stepped up their displacement making the 239 a one year motor. This was the start of the CUI wars between Ford and Chevy and the Y block reached it's max size quicker than Ford expected." So rather than just being a small low power V 8 it's part of the story, and relatable in history with the performance motors right around the corner. To me that's much more interested than "yeah, oil filters were hard to find so I put a mustang motor in it".

239 motors are out there and cheap when they come up. Hot rodders often replace them with more modern motors, and of the Y blocks, it's the odd one out in many ways. But they are fine motors too. I picked up a spare, carb to pan, for $100. Gasket sets are still available and you can still get the fuel pumps rebuilt. There is an entire facebook page dedicated to 1954 fords and it's pretty active with a mix of restorers and hot rodders, so the parts are out there and you'll find someone close by. Good luck and we're all happy to help to the best of our ability.... welcome to the internet age of the car hobby!

On a budget? '56 Mercury... even the four doors look awesome. Just the right amount of chrome with the typical understated FoMoCo styling.

Good car to go with if the body is all in good shape. Not as many parts as say a 1965 Mustang, but parts are out there and not too bad, especially mechanical stuff. The less it needs the better but I'd take a car that won't need anything other than a wash to get cosmetically to your satisfaction that needs mechanical work over one the other way around. Depending on the price, I'd buy it anyway, but that's why I have so many unfinished projects.

Harbor Freight.

It's actually an interesting situation. They were reconditioned to manufacturers spec and sold in a showroom. The VINs and odometers were unchanged, but additional badging was added to designate the cars. Tires, notably, were updated. Such a car will reach a new 25 year mark in a year or so. I would say they SHOULD qualify for an acceptable vehicle as reconditioned by the manufacturer, of course with documentation. While I don't have that documentation, it does look like a factory job and for 40 cars, clearly not a one off. I mean... we let that Safari thing on the showfield and they only made what, three? And I don't buy into any intent to mass produce that thing! To the OP... if it was a dealer option then the wheels would be wrong... if it was a factory accessory that the dealer ordered and installed you'll be fine, but yes, certainly hunt down some factory documentation. Judges aren't trying to take away points just to do so, but if we catch something we don't think is right and there isn't documentation then you'd likely lose some points.

I had a cheap shelter like some of those above and it worked okay... then a really strong storm came and caused more than $500 in paint damage because I didn't have it set up quite sturdy enough. I've also seen tents like those above attached to platforms and have held up for over a decade with no issue. I'd imagine both the platform and the tent each are over $500 for those quality ones that won't get damaged by the sun after a year. I'd bet you could find a local barn with a little space for $500 for the winter. I rent a 20x60 shop with electric for $200 a month from a local guy. It's a better than normal bargain, but they can be found.

AACA is not as much about being competitive against one another as it is against yourself and history. Our clubs goal is to preserve cars to showroom new. It's the job of owners to do that. Judges do not know, nor are they expected to know the ins and outs of the cars they judge. It's up to the owner to be honest about such things. There isn't anything to be proud of in sneaking something past the judges. As was said above, in many cases the wrong transmission isn't enough to knock a car out of a 1st Jr anyhow if the rest of the car is right. You can't even see the transmission for a RWD while judging all that well. Youd lose max points for transmission drive and for the shifter. I'd say it would be better placed in DPC. If you insist judges have to know they car they judge, half the cars wouldn't be judged at all. AACA isn't trying to claim to have the strictest judging standards, there are marque specific clubs for that. Judges are volunteers who give up our time to be there and help facilitate events and do their best with standards specifically designed to judge cars that you may not be familiar with. There are plenty of cars that have awards that wouldn't on a different day with a different judging team, I don't think that's bad for the clubs intent at all. I don't think a 1958 Ford Consul with an automatic transmission but otherwise fully restored is doing anything to hurt the hobby unless the owner is going around telling people it's stock... but if it's because his wife can't drive stick, it doesn't sound like that's happening. Would it be better for the hobby if he never restored the car and never showed it at events? I don't believe so.

No Im just asking for the link.

I judge the 36E category fairly often, which the "bigger" motor AMXs fall under. Great class that I would love to see more entries. You'll find some classes harder to compete in than others. There are more 400 point Mustangs in 36D than AMX's in 36E. So while you don't directly compete against another AMX, it's generally more likely to get a 1st with a performance AMX than a performance Mustang because there are fewer "perfect" examples. There are some classes where folks get a 1st that would not do well in others. Generally the cars with more aftermarket support are the ones more challenging to place in, so while not the intent by any means, there is a sort of fairness to it. If you aim for 390 or more points you should be good to go! If you don't want to judge, at least read the guidelines a few times and mock judge your own car. There is a good chance you know it better than the judges (another advantage of not having a Mustang).

Go fund me?

If you are able to do brake work youself... do so. Drums work just fine and will be cheap to fix. Dont touch the paint. Motor just needs to run. If it can move and stop then thats your max return. Of course you should really just keep it and learn a thing or two. Youll be driving and enjoying it in no time.

We all are guardians of history from time, but its also an eventual loss. I think they get more people interest when running and like it or not...people are the reason we care.

Its that first one that opens the door for all the rest!

Ramblers were pivotal for me not only to get into the classic car hobby, but in my transition from just caring about performance to getting excited over the people and history of the machines. They have some of the oldest lineage in domestic companies, predating all surviving domestic auto makers (other than autocar).

it's a 62 American.

Congrats to all, and thank you for bringing your cars out to a wet show field!