Mark McAlpine

I encourage you to join the AACA. I belong to both the AACA and VCCA (and belonged to both long before I joined the AACA Board of Directors last year) and love both clubs, but you're missing out if you don't belong to the AACA. You can join while at the Eastern Fall Nationals in Hershey. Most people think the club's Antique Automobile magazine alone is worth the cost of membership dues. (Are you a U.S. military veteran? If so, the AACA thanks you for your service to our country and offers a 1-yr free membership to all veterans who have never been a member of the AACA before. Stop by one of the membership tents at Hershey and fill out a membership application. Your membership starts that day, runs through the end of the year and covers all of next year--you get three bonus months by joining at this time of year.) The AACA Library & Research Center is a true world-class organization, and its staff is second to none. We refer to the Library & Research Center as "America's Automotive Library" because it already has the largest collection of automotive literature and it's going to get bigger--we just need more room. (Standby for a couple announcements over the next few months about several major acquisitions.) And we've taken car of that.. When you visit the show field on Saturday, look toward Hershey Park Drive--the 2-story, brick building (the former Pennsylvania American Water Company building) is the future home of the L&RC and AACA HQ. (We own it, but it's currently undergoing renovation to convert it from its former purpose as a computer data center into our HQ and Library.) We expect to move in by the end of April. Oh, I forgot to mention that the VCCA houses its collection in the AACA Library & Research Center (as do the Buick Heritage Alliance, Dodge Brothers Club, Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Historical Society, Lincoln Motor Car Foundation, Museum of Bus Transportation, National Corvette Restorers Society, National Woodie Club, Pierce-Arrow Society, Society of Automotive Historians Dunwoodie Archives, and the Gerrard Classic Auto Literature Collection). Again, I encourage you to join the AACA--you'll be glad you did. Stop by and talk to me at the membership tent in front of the Giant Center on Friday between 12-2 PM. Even if you don't join the AACA, I'd be happy to talk to you about old cars.

It's difficult to deconflict national activities with every region's activities, even if only trying to deconflict national tours with activities of the different AACA touring regions. The overlap of next year's Reliability Tour with the Grand Nationals wasn't planned--they were spaced two weeks apart (and a month before the Southeastern Fall Nationals in Elizabeth, IN) until the problem arose with trailer parking at the AGN host facility and we had to move it two weeks later on the calendar. We know this is far from optimal, but it could not be afforded--it was the only other weekend the NB Center was available. It would be great if the Snapper's Brass & Gas Touring Region would expand one of its future Spring, Summer, or Frosty tours into a National Tour and open it to all AACA members. We've got openings in 2021-2024.

I look forward to seeing you there. What cars do you expect to bring? Also, please ask your region if they'd be interested in taking the lead for an Eastern Spring or Fall Nationals (or tour) around Syracuse in 2022 and 2023. (A tour would be especially fun.)

Hello CalCoupe, You're doing the right thing by asking for advice on the Forum, especially if this will be your first time going through the AACA class judging process. I understand what you say about the bias-ply and radial tires. Many owners have two sets of wheels & tires so they can drive and enjoy their car, then put the a correct and new appearing set on the car for AACA judging. Which AACA Nationals are you going to show your car for its First Junior? If you haven't attended Judging School before, I recommend you do so. Even if you have no intention of becoming an AACA judge (who know, maybe you will decide to), it's good for anyone entering their vehicle into the judging process to understand what the judges are looking for when they walk around your car. If would be best if you could attend a Judging School before you show you car so you can take the new information and look at your car from a different perspective and still have time to correct anything you think needs to be addressed. In the meantime, I recommend you review the AACA Official Judging Guidelines and if you have more questions, post them on the Forum. Other members are happy to share their experience and opinion--we've all been in your position before and remember well the first time we had one of our vehicles judged. It's an anxious/stressful experience for most people, so your fellow members are happy to do anything they can to help relieve that anxiety/stress. My main piece of advice when going through the class judging experience is to remember the AACA General Policy for class judging: "The objective of AACA judging is to evaluate an antique vehicle, which has been restored to the same state as the dealer could have prepared the vehicle for delivery to the customer. This includes any feature, option or accessory shown in the original factory catalog, parts book, sales literature, or company directives for the model year of the vehicle." If something on the car doesn't look like it would've on the day you picked it up new from the dealer, address it (paint it, polish it, repair it, or replace it). I know this is easier said than done, and sometimes is expensive, so prioritize your efforts and start with the easy and inexpensive things to fix, then focus on those items that might cost you the most points (especially if it's something that can be seen easily). After the Nationals, regardless of what award you car receives, write the VP of Judging and ask for a copy of your Judging Form. As 61Polara said, you won't be told the specific points that were deducted, but the areas/items that received deductions will be circled so you know what to look at and correct on your car. Good luck! And thanks for bringing your antique vehicle to an AACA Nationals and sharing it with the rest of us! Let us know what show you're going to so we can cheer when your efforts are recognized and your car receives its First Junior Award.

Marion & I are ready to return to Ontario--count us in, Joe. And we know that if you and Lynne are organizing it, it's going to be great. Hey, if you submit you application to host by the end of the month, I can present it to the AACA Board of Directors for approval at their Board Meeting in Hershey. Just kidding, but I hope you submit an application soon because I want to know the dates of the tour so Marion & I can block them out on our calendar now. Thanks again for the great Vintage Tour this summer--it was an experience we'll always remember and treasure.

The Grand National dates have been changed due to a trailer parking issue. New and final date is July 23-25th. Message added by Steve Moskowitz Thanks for the update and information, Steve--appreciate the notification so we can change our hotel reservations.

I agree with Matt Hinson that incorrect radial tires would receive the full 2-point deduction per time. Mount the wheels with the bias ply tires. Depending on whether the chassis judge can see your spare tire(s), you're looking at a minimum of 8 points deducted for incorrect radial tires and possibly 2-4 more points if the chassis judge can see 1-2 incorrect radial spare tires. Bias-ply tires would only receive the max deduction if they're not authentic (wrong size or wrong sidewall) or not serviceable (bald, bulging sidewall, etc.). Badly worn bias-ply tires might receive a deduction for condition, but not the full 2-point deduction (assuming they're the correct size and sidewall) because they're correct and serviceable. If the bias ply tires look like 3/4 of the tread is worn, I'd deduct 1 point for each tire, so a total of 4 points (plus possibly 1-2 more if I can see the spare tire(s) and they're equally worn). They may be serviceable, but if they don't look like they would've when the car was new and delivered to the original buyer (the AACA judging standard), then a deduction for condition would be appropriate. My rule of thumb is would you have accepted the car with tires in that condition the day you picked up new from the dealer. If the answer is yes, then a deduction is probably not appropriate. If the answer is no--you would make the dealer correct the issue (in this case, replace the tires)--then a deduction would be appropriate. What do the tires look like--do they look worn--would you have accepted them in that condition on a new car? Your call (but ultimately also the call of the chassis judge and team captain who judge your car). Something to keep in mind: your car not only has to have a minimum of 365 points (out of 400) to receive its First Junior Award, it also has to be within 10 points of the top scoring car in your class also going for its First Junior. If you show your car with radial tires, you're giving up an easily (but not cheaply) corrected 8 points minimum. If you show it with badly worn bias-ply tires, you're giving up an easy 4 points minimum (again, easily but not cheaply fixed). What's the rest of the car like? Can you give up 4 or 8 points minimum and still be within 10 points of the top scoring car going for First Junior in your class? (Or will you car be the top scoring one in its class and the others have to be within 10 points of your car?) Consider replacing the tires, but at least look at your car from a judge's perspective and fix anything easy to correct that might cost you points (e.g., clamps, belts, filters, decals, cleanliness, surface rust, etc.) to help your car score well and balance out the points lost for the badly worn tires. If you know someone that's an experienced AACA judge, have them look at your car and point out what they see as possible issues that might result in point deductions. Between his/her eyes and yours, you can come up with a list of what needs to be addressed before the car is judged, prioritize what needs to be done, then work through the list and knock off the easiest things and those you can afford to do with the time available before the car is judged. If you haven't already reviewed the AACA Official Judging Guidelines, I recommend you do so. The Judging Form (Form 3-5 in the Section 3 Appendix) breaks down what the judges are looking at and the information contained in Section 2 under "Specific Guidelines" provides some specific information that's very helpful. (Sorry for what may seem like a pretty dumb suggestion--it's unclear from your post if you've gone through the AACA judging process before. I apologize if you've done this many times and were just asking for an opinion on which tires to have on the car and how many points would be lost for radials or badly worn bias-ply tires.) Good luck! I hope your car does well and receives its First Junior. The fact that you're asking about which tires to have on the car shows you're attentive to detail and what your car to do well.

If you haven't watched the 1965 film "The Great Race" with Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Natalie Wood, I highly recommend it. It's a over-the-top comedy about a car race around the world from New York to Paris (going west) in the early 1900s. It's not realistic, but very funny. The Leslie Special driven by Tony Curtis and Professor Fate's "Hannibal" car driven by Jack Lemmon in the movie are on display at the Stahls Automotive Foundation in Chesterfield, MI.

Marion & I are looking forward to the Library's Yard Sale. We always find some neat stuff. The prices are always great, so an additional 20% off will be awesome. I hope they sell everything at the sale--not only will it raise funds for the new building, but it will be that much less stuff to move to the new building in the spring.

This year is the 25th anniversary of the Woodward Dream Cruise, so it should be even a little bit more special than usual. Heading down to Woodward now to pick-up some shirts and dash plaques before they sell out this weekend. Thank you to everyone for posting photos so people who can't attend the cruise can still enjoy it vicariously.

While visiting family in Michigan, my wife Marion and I stopped by the monthly cruise-in hosted by the Irish Hills Region in Temperance, MI, on Tuesday, 13 August 2019. What a great event! Even though the Irish Hills Region is a small region, they did a great job hosting the cruise-in and we came away with some neat ideas for what our region and other regions/chapters could do to make our shows or cruise-ins more fun. First, the Irish Hills Region President Scott Pickard, his wife Lisa, and his son Cody are really nice people and definitely dedicated antique car enthusiasts and AACA supporters. They brought their camper (and two Mustangs) out to the cruise-in and set up an AACA membership display, raffle tickets for multiple gift baskets, fan belt toss (more on this later), and a video playing in the background highlighting the fun things the region does and that you can do while attending AACA national events. Their niece was also there helping out enthusiastically. Rain earlier in the day limited attendance to a little over 30 cars (it's usually over 80), but everyone we spoke with was having a great time. Scott introduced us to a number of the region's members, and we enjoyed speaking with them and seeing their cars. The cruise-in was held on the premises of a local bowling alley & outdoor sand volley ball facility. (The bowling alley has a huge grass field in addition to its large parking lot.) The owner of the facility is very supportive of the region and its monthly cruise-in, including having a special discounted menu for car show participants and delivering food & beverages to them by golf cart. (Great burgers and salads!) Here's few of the great ideas we saw at the cruise-in that I think other region's could employ: - Door prize drawing for a free 1-year AACA & regional membership. (Scott used one of his region's free memberships.) - Each gift basket included a copy of the Antique Automobile magazine and an AACA membership application. - "Fan belt toss" (like a ring toss game) where cruise-in participants and attendees tried to toss a fan belt over a variety of inexpensive but nice to have car-related items (e.g., cans of brake cleaner, rust remover, cleaning products, etc.). Participants received a free ticket for three tries at tossing the fan belt, and spectators could buy three tickets for $1. - Video running on a TV (mounted on the side of the RV, but it could be set on a table just as easily) showing photos from the region's past activities, plus from past AACA Nationals (not just from the show, but also from activities associated with past shows such as visits to car collections, car museums, historical sites, etc.). - Raffle ticket drum made out of Ford Mustang hubcaps, chicken wire, and some 1/4" steel supports cut to look like jack stands. - AACA membership display with regular AACA membership applications, Military Sponsorship Program free 1-year membership applications, and copies of Antique Automobile magazine. The efforts of the Pickard family and the Irish Hills Region show that small regions/chapters can have fun and attract new members--it just takes a little work and a lot of enthusiasm.

Day 6 (Friday, 9 August): Regrettably, the AACA Vintage Tour in Kingston, Ontario, had to come to an end. This was my and Marion's first AACA National Tour. (We have participated in both our Tidewater Region's "Square Car Tours" and the Old Dominion Meet Association (ODMA) Region's Annual Fall Tours, but this was our first national tour.) What a great way to be introduced to AACA national touring! The tour was outstanding: the cars were great, as were the places we visited, but the best part was the people we got to know and new friends we made on the tour. Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the tour for making it such a great experience. We enjoyed meeting and speaking with everyone. Congratulations to the Tour Chair Joe Konarowski and his wife & Registration Chair Lynn Konarowski, for planning & leading such a fun tour. Thanks also to the Tour Co-Chairs Rick & Diane Morrison for all they contributed to making the tour such a success. (The first photo below is Joe & Lynn with their 1930 Cadillac onboard the car ferry on Tuesday. Lynn was seated in the navigator's seat of the car, so may be difficult to see in the photo. The second photo [from right to left] is of Don Barlup--former AACA President and current VP for National Headquarters & Library--presenting an award from AACA HQ to Joe & Lynn Konarowski and Diane & Rick Morrison for hosting the tour. Thanks also to our new Canadian friends Dave & Louise Wilson for allowing us to ride with them in their beautiful (and comfortable) 1930 Dodge Brothers DB6 sedan, Joe & Lynn Konarowski for allowing us to ride with them on Thursday in their 1930 Cadillac 353 sedan (also beautiful and comfortable), and Marty & Dale Roth for allowing us to ride with them on Friday in their 1930 Packard 733 touring car (also beautiful and comfortable). What a great introduction to touring! We're already looking forward to our next tour and, we hope, to returning soon to Canada for another AACA national activity.

Day 6 (Friday, 9 August 2019): The AACA Vintage Tour visits Ft. Henry in Kingston, Ontario. The original fort was built during the War of 1812, then rebuilt in 1832-1837 (the fort we visited) to protect the strategic waterway and Lake Ontario end of the Rideau Canal from possible "invading forces." (Some of the tour guides referred politely to "possible invaders" until directly asked which possible invaders were the British concerned about, while others specifically said that the fort was built to protect from invading American forces. Canadians--always very polite, eh?)

Day 5 (Thursday, 8 August 2019): The AACA Vintage Tour visits Gananoque, Ontario, and takes a boat cruise around the beautiful Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River at the northeast corner of Lake Ontario.

Day 4 (Wednesday, 7 August 2019): The AACA Vintage Tour visits Farm Town Park in Stirling, Ontario.