AACA SHOW TODAY

[Guest Richard D]

Well I took my Skylark to the show today, there were about 300 classic cars all laid out nicely. However the swap meet and car coral were an embaresment, only about 5 sellers and 3 cars in the coral. One of the Judges gave the skylark a going over and said it would have done very well if I had proof it came with radial tires. The RPO plate was not good enough without more documention. Minus 5 points per tire = minus 20 points. This is why I just take my cars to small meets and show7 shine. No Judging.

[padgett]

Whenever I take a car, it is "display only". Of course I doubt that I have ever had a showorthy car except when I took delivery of my GS in 1970 - and then I would have gotten arguments about the radials.

Thought replacement items such as batteries and tires did not count ?

BTW, he did not notice the 350-4 decal wasn't stock ?

[Barney Eaton]

I thought that about 1973 was the first year that GM used/offered radials on their cars.

Are you saying that your Skylark came with radials?

[Guest Richard D]

Radials were an option, mine may have been dealer installed. Since I did not officially enter my car the Judge was doing me a favor and did not notice(or mention the aftermarket air cleaner and decal). What gave it away?

[padgett]

Font mostly.

BTW something is niggling that the Continental mk III was the first to have radials standard.

Now that I think of it, the H70-15 dog-bone Dunlop radials were probably something I had the dealer install on delivery.

Of all my old cars that GS "sleeper" I bought on my return from SEA is probably the one I most wish I still had. Power everything including PDB, posi, and Muncie 4-spd, rear console (around shifter) but not front, sport steering wheel, A/C, power windows, Sherwood green with saddle tan interior (non-stock), full instruments (swapped the tach and the speedo almost instantly). Had to add cruse control because it was not offered with a 4-spd in 1970. Body color front bumper was not stock in 1970 nor was removal of most chrome.

Kid in a Mustang T-boned it in early 1972 which is how I happened to order the GTO station wagon.

Edited March 6, 2011 by padgett (see edit history)

[Guest Richard D]

Padgett there were about 4 Judges there, one was black with multi-color stripe, looked very nice. But so far you have the only original white one I have seen.

All the Best

R

[padgett]

Have always liked white though is much harder to make "pop" than resale red. Also things like that decal are why I refuse to judge any more. I always spotted things (and the owners agreed) that others didn't.

[NCReatta]

Padgett there were about 4 Judges there, one was black with multi-color stripe

I read this as:

"Padgett there were about 4 judges there" (like people judging cars for the AACA) "one was black with multi-color stripe" (I couldn't figure that one out.. How'd that black man get a multi-color stripe, and where? or do I wanna know..?) Teaches you to read things over I suppose..

[padgett]

Was kinda like Reattas, first batch of 69 Judges were "Carosel Red" kknown by Chebby as "Orbit Orange". After that they could be any color. 69 stripe was the hockey stick, 70 & 71 had multicolor eyebrows like mine. All had functional Ram Air.

Were a few other changes such as the rear spoiler was said to have trapped a GM exec's fingers so was changed to not. 69 & 70 came with 14x6 Rally IIs sans trim ring. They are in baggies and have 15x8 WS-6 Snowflakes mounted.

[wws944]

IIRC, GM really started getting into radials in 1974. Maybe 1975. My parents '73 Electra did not come with them. And I think Padgett is right - Lincoln started offering Michelins a couple of years before GM did. And GM used domestic manufacturers - who, considering that Michelin invented the radials back in the 1950s, took their sweet time to produce their own variations. Generated a lot of FUD in the meantime.

Pretty much all of the Judges that I've ever seen are the orange-red color. Goats, of course, came in lots of colors. (Unless the Ferrari variant. )

BTW, screw what the judges think. Your Skylark looks great!

Edited March 6, 2011 by wws944 (see edit history)

[padgett]

Don't forget that between bias ply and radials we had that Fiasco known as bias-belted which never worked right same-same "2 ply 4 ply rated" which Bill Neely said "weren't even safe in the driveway".

[Ronnie]

Padgett, was that the same tire that was called the "Wide Oval" or was that something different? I sure smoked up a bunch of those wide ovals with my '57 ford that had a transplanted '63 Mercury 406ci and 4 speed transmission. It ran out of breath pretty quick with the small 4 barrel but the torque was great for spinning the tires all the way through second gear.

[wws944]

Reading the wikipedia entry on the 1968 Pontiac GTO, it says:

Redline bias-ply tires continued as standard equipment on the 1968 GTO, though they could be replaced by whitewall tires at no extra cost. A new option was radial tires for improved ride and handling. However, very few were delivered with the radial tires because of manufacturing problems encountered by supplier B.F. Goodrich. The radial tire option was discontinued after 1968. Pontiac did not offer radial tires as a factory option on the GTO again until the 1974 model.

Leads me to wonder if Buick offered radials, even if on a more or less vaporware basis, on the '68 Skylark like Pontiac did?

[Guest Richard D]

I read this as:

"Padgett there were about 4 judges there" (like people judging cars for the AACA) "one was black with multi-color stripe" (I couldn't figure that one out.. How'd that black man get a multi-color stripe, and where? or do I wanna know..?) Teaches you to read things over I suppose..

I am not the best at putting what I am thinking on paper, but after eight years I can type at almost four words a minute!

Cheers!

Richard

[padgett]

"WideOval" was a Firestone trademark. Goodyear had "Wide Tread GTs" (Eagles didn't come until later). First domestic radial I know of was the BFG - think it dated to 1968. Had a set of Radial T/As on my B/P Corvette in 1971ish for rain tires and to fit on the trailer (12.65x15 Blue Streaks wouldn't)

Should this be in the general forum ?

[Thriller]

If I recall correctly, 1967 was the first year Buick offered optional radials. It is in the BCA Judging Manual.

The thing that surprises me is that AACA judges would be stricter than the BCA about something like that, but while claiming to be the know it alls miss things like the decal (not that I could have picked that out myself). BCA judging says don't deduct for radials if it is 1967 or later. It doesn't make sense that they would deduct for something that is correct on the car unless you can prove it came with that option...especially when you have proof.

I'm of two minds (at least) about judging. Every time I've had a car judged at a BCA National, I have come away angry about something...typically it is because they deducted for something that in the judging school you were told not to deduct for...or the forms not being filled out correctly or.....

Better stop now before I get into rant mode.

[Guest Richard D]

All the above is why I use my large car collection (2 cars) as drivers. It is much more rewarding to drive them than have them sit in a garage under a cover. I don't think I will ever have any cars I happen to own judged.