Shop Rat

He lives in/near New Orleans and I just wanted to make sure he and his wife are okay.

Has this request been sent to the closest Region or Chapter to that area?

There have been discussions that putting radial tires on wheels that were meant for bias ply tires is not a good idea. Also, if you plan to show the vehicle at National AACA events the radials will cost you three points each, including any spares that are radial, since they were not a factory option for your vehicle. Something to think about if you plan to show.

Our trailer came from this dealer. The one we bought had been built as a display model but they never took it to any shows as the trailer was too big for the spaces available at the shows. And they knocked off $2,000 because we drove over from W. Va. to pick it up. They didn't have to pay someone to deliver it to us. In this photo we woke up to 8" of snow in New Hampshire. We had taken the trailer up there to deliver a new Jeep Liberty that we bought for Bill's daughter. The back 20' is a car hauler/cargo area and the front 12' is a camper. We used it to haul our Legends race car also for eleven seasons. Enclosed Trailers for Sale, Buy Enclosed Trailer Online, Car, Cargo, Custom, Goosneck

And as I mentioned in an earlier post, don't leave the lot until you make sure that the tires you selected are the ones on your trailer. The segement I saw on TV was very scary and the dealers knew exactly what they were doing when they sold old tires that had been sitting around, sometimes for years.

We never had good luck at all with the Carlisle tires that were on our tow dolly. They kept "cupping" and would blow or come close to it. We had Goodyear tires on our tri-axle toybox camper/car hauler trailer and they were fine. But they started to dry rot. So last year Bill put new Tow Master brand tires on that trailer and we have been very pleased with them.

No they don't. During most of the time that the flea market area is open motorized traffic is not permitted. Also not permitted are bicycles being ridden (pushing one is okay), razor scooters, roller blades, roller skates, skateboards, etc. Also banned are golf carts and/or what would be referred to as handicap scooters that have not been registered with proper personnel at the show by the person using it that has a state issued handicap plate/tag. When the golf cart/handicap cart has been registered a tag is issued that must be displayed where it is visible to show that is is allowed in the flea market area. Will you see people breaking these rules? Yes, you will but please don't be one of them. Several years ago I was nearly run down by a man on a bicylce that came whipping around the end of a row and almost had to wreck him bike to keep from hitting me. He walked the bike the rest of the day. The rules are in place to try to keep eveyone safe.

To someone that wasn't going twenty to thirty years, or more, ago it will be what it is today. To those of us that have been going that long, or longer, it is less so. A lot depends on what items you are looking for as to how well you will like it. If you find a lot that you need and can afford it will be great. We haven't found anything for about the past four or five years. But we still like to go, well at least I do. Bill is having second thoughts each year about going. But we also get to see family and friends in the area by going. So I keep wanting to go. The Meet itself is worth the trip. Finding a place to stay can be tricky if you need to stay in a hotel or motel. There are more options when it comes to camping. Like where we stay they haven't been full for several years since the economy tanked.

Love that stuff. I use the one to polish brass and copper. I have four brass candlesticks and I have used it to polish them to a very high shine. I only handle them with soft fabric gloves on so that no finger prints get on them to damage the brass. The shine stays on for months. You can polish an old penny and the reflection is amazing once it is buffed with a soft cloth.

W. Va. has the same law. And that doesn't mean that someone can take a swig out of a bottle, put the cap back on and claim it is a closed container. The seal has to be unbroken for it to be a close container.

Sounds like the youngish trucker that scraped the front bumper of my Taurus station wagon that we used to have. He stopped twice before he tried to squeeze through and ended up scraping the paint off of the bumper of my car. He didn't want for me to call the police but I did. The officer didn't officially site either one of us because the flowers and bushes in a landscaping area blocked my view to be able to get out of a parking lot safely. So technically the very front edge of the bumper was over the yellow line. But he himself had done the very same thing so he was not willing to charge me with doing that to be able to see. He understood that the guy had stopped twice but then didn't wait for me to back up when I signaled the trucker that I would. It went onto the guy's driving record and was reported to his company. I bet he thinks twice about trying that again.

Bhigdog, you probably already know this but when you do get tires make sure the tires are the age the dealer tells you they are. About two years ago now our RV had a rear tire to blow out. The chassis was a 2001 and the rig was titled as a 2002. Turns out that the tires were already three years old when we bought the rig and the tires had been sitting out in the sun all that time. The information is stamped/embossed into the sidewall of the tire. One of the national TV networks did an hidden camera segment on this problem. They found many dealers that were knowingly selling tires that were too old and they were selling them as recently new to unsuspecting people Don't leave the lot until you verify that the tires/dates you chose are the ones on your trailer.

The rule of thumb that was taught to me in Driver's Ed was that when a driver stops behind another vehicle, the driver should at least be able to see the the bottom edge of the rear tires on the vehicle ahead of them. That should leave enough space to react if the driver in front rolls back or starts to back up. Far too many people roll right up on the back bumper so that they have a better chance of making it through the light. It also increases your chances of getting hit by the car in front.

Our state, W. Va., passed a law that was effective July 1st of this year. Making it a primary offense to drive and talk on a cellphone without using a hands-free device. The law also made it a primary offense to drive and text. Any guesses on how many folks Bill and I see EVERY day doing those things? And where are the various patrol cars that should be out handing out tickets to those breaking the law? Usually they are parked in the local Tudor's Biscuit lots.

If I am doing the driving the headlights are always on. The color of our PT Cruiser is Onyx Green Pearlcoat and having seen them coming toward me, this is a fairly rare color so you don't see many of them, they blend into older blacktop and are hard to see. Regardless of which vehicle I am driving I have the lights on. I am a courteous driver when someone shows an ounce of common sense on the road. I am just getting sick and tired of those that don't "drive" their vehicle, they instead steer their vehicle from point A to point B and are doing things like talking on their cellphone, texting, doing their make-up, eating their messy food, screaming at their kids trying to get me to give them the road. I learned what was called defensive driving. Now I not only have to drive that way but have to stand my ground to keep from being run over by idiots that think it is their right to be an idiot behind the wheel of something that can kill lots of people at one time.

I have been known on more than one occasion to not let someone merge. Why? Because they come barreling out, usually on their cellphone, they never look over to see where anyone might be and expect the person on the main road to get over and let their little entitled hind-end out. Uh, no. Not if I can help it. I had one guy years ago that tried his best to speed and pass me going into a work zone where the slow lane had to merge into the fast lane. I was driving our 35' RV hauling a full-size Ford Taurus station wagon at the time. I had gotten over early to not have to jockey for a spot. I look over into my passenger side mirror to see this idiot with is foot to the floorboard trying to go fast enough to catch and pass me. Aww, he didn't make it. But he did have to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the orange barrels. And the line behind me...didn't let him in either. What I cherish most is the look on their face when they realize they "just got schooled....by a GIRL".

Saw that on GMA and couldn't believe it. :eek:

And just to add, if you are thinking that getting a First Junior award at a national AACA Meet will guarantee you a first place trophy at local shows that is not a given in every situation. The story you posted might be the policy of just that club. I have a close friend here in the AACA that got a First Junior on his car. It was entered in the racecar class, at a small Meet and was the only vehicle in the class due to bad weather. He knows and admits that the car would have never gotten the award if it had been at a larger show with great weather. He migth not have made the cut at all. The car has issues to where if he wanted to go futher with the regular class judging he would have had to restore the car to do that. He did not want to restore the car, he wanted to drive it and enjoy it just as it was. He would let others drive the car. He knew he wouldn't do that if he restored it. Just like him, you need to do with your car what you want to.

Yes. It can happen. There are those that feel that the points required should be tightened up and no point spread. That if someone made the minimum needed they would be X,Y or Z winner.

Yes, the vehicle that is eleven points (or more but has a score of 330 or better) out from the top point car would be the first Second Junior winner. Any vehicles within ten points of it (and have at least 330 points) would also be Second Junior winners. The vehicle that scores 11 points lower that the first Second Junior (and gets a score of 295 or better) would be the first Third Junior winner. Any vehicles that are within ten points of the first Third Junior (and are also above 295 points) are also Third Junior winners.

The part in red is crucial. The highest point vehicle sets the bar for all that follow. If it happens to be a 400 point vehicle then only the vehicles that score a 390 or better will also be First Junior winners.

It wasn't a far leap to wonder if the person that started the thread might be interested in the more modern Asian cars with the screen name he used. And we all know that we get new folks here that have vehicles which are not at all in line with the mission of the AACA. He didn't state from the start what kind of vehicle he had that he might be interested in showing at an AACA Meet. And it is correct that vehicles that have been registered and are on the show field are not permitted to have For Sale signs on them. Vehicles that are for sale have to be in the Car Corral area.

Sounds about right, to an extent. Some of the folks that put their cars in DPC could win in regular class judging according to my husband Bill who has served on the DPC teams for a few years now. Some owners just don't want the stress of going through regular class judging. Some "have been there and done that" and now just want to relax at shows but not have their vehicle/vehicles as a "Do Not Judge". Some have older restorations that are still too good to spend the money on re-doing but not new enough to compete against a fresh restoration job.

So far he has not posted what kind of vehicle he is talking about. But usually when someone talks about "Rice Burners" they are talking about those Asian made, fast "jellybean" cars that the kids street/drift race with.

I just sent the link for the 2012 Judging Guidelines to you. Start on page 3 for the information you want.