A helpful hint for all you chassis judges.

[imported_buick5563]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Shop Rat</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">(Forgive me people...PLEASE)</div></div>

Forgive you for what? Yours is a wonderful post.

</div></div>

The old people part

Mike

[57plymouth]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: buick5563</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Stop being accusatory. These folks are here to help. If you want to be feisty, go on Geraldo, if you want to learn, ASK. (Forgive me people...PLEASE)

Old people want to help YOU.

Have fun,

Mike </div></div>

If I am supposed to learn by asking, but I can't talk to a judge, how can I learn by asking?

I guess I'm not being clear. I'm NOT trying to be an a$$, just trying to learn. I think I should keep reading the internet to try to find out about my car. I don't want to start a fight at a show...;->>

[imported_buick5563]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

If I am supposed to learn by asking, but I can't talk to a judge, how can I learn by asking?

</div></div>

I'm not trying to get you riled up at all, but I think you may be giving judges too much credit. They don't know all of the specifics about your specific car. Find somebody in the Plymouth club and find somebody who has a 1957 Savoy. Perhaps I am making too broad an assumption. Is there a Plymouth forum? Email them. Be specific with questions i.e. what color is the firewall supposed to be, is it glossy? etc.

Are there specific questions you want answered or just a blanket what's my car supposed to look like. Many of the car manufacturers assembled their cars the same way (at least in the late fifties) so my earlier example regarding fender bolts would PROBABLY apply to your car, too.

These things take time. I met my mentor more than ten years ago when I was still in my late twenties. We have almost nothing in common other than a love of 55 Buicks and a twisted sense of humor. That comes with a twenty year age difference. It is an overused saying about he has forgotten more than I will ever know, but in this case, it is absolutely true.

Mike

[MCHinson]

57Plymouth,

First, I have not used their services as I have a much more common Model A Ford and information is easy for me to find, so I can't tell you all of the details about how you use their services.....

But, As a member of AACA (I trust that you will soon join) you will have access to reseach at the AACA Library and Research Center. You don't have to go there, they can help you obtain the information that you need. They can help you with copies of original literature on your car. Novaman already posted a list of their 57 Plymouth literature somewhere a while back for you. Have you contacted the Library and Research Center? Feel free to call me if you want to discuss it further.

[ted sweet]

if everyone was allowed to ask the judges questions judging would never get done.

[Shop Rat]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 57plymouth</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I am supposed to learn by asking, but I can't talk to a judge, how can I learn by asking?</div></div>

Since Bill and I won't be going to anymore shows this year you are welcome to my copy of the 2007 Offical Judging Manual. Send me your address in a PM and I will mail it to you. After you read it you will have a better understanding about how AACA judging is done. And anything that you don't understand, someone here will help you with.

You can also make a copy of the judging form from the book and walk around your own car and judge it. Make sure to do it fairly, as if you were judging someone else's car. Then add up the deductions in each catagory and see what you come up with.

We will help you, we just can't do it on the judging field. And as judges we can't reveal scores to you.

[novaman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If I am supposed to learn by asking, but I can't talk to a judge, how can I learn by asking? </div></div>

Like I posted earlier, use the AACA library. Also, join AACA, find a local region, most likely they have a member or two that are judges. Pick thier knowledge. As has been mention here, ask specific questions about items. There is no way they we can sit here and tell you EVERYTHING about your car and whats right or wrong. It's even hard if you posted pictures of the car to tell everything that is right or wrong. Much easier in person. Also remember that AACA is a general club. our judges go out on the show not knowing util morning of, what class they are going to be judging. Who knows, they might have to judge a Continental Beacon or a Mora. Have you ever seen one? Try judging them!

Sorry, lunch over will check back this evening.

[Jay Wolf]

"If I am supposed to learn by asking, but I can't talk to a judge, how can I learn by asking?"

My suggestion would have an AACA judge or two look at the car not at a show. Have them give you suggestions that they notices that might be a cause for a deduction.

In our region we do that for other members especially before their first show. Little suggestions like:

Remove the floor mats before judging.

Wipe the grease off your zerks.

Change your valve stem caps to steel.

Lay your owners manual over that stain on the trunk mat.

Remove the foam dice.

If you have a couple of judges look at it they will tell what most judges will question or see.

[novaman]

Sorry about that but the boss gets a little ill when were late geting back to work out in the shop.

To finish what I was saying. The biggest thing is to make use of the library, AACA national judges in your area and try to make contacts with other owners of cars like yours. Not all of the judges will be completely fimialr with your perticular car (I'm not) and can't tell you everything down to the nut and bolt about it but there will be some judges that probably can but they probably couldn't tell me which of the three styles of dogdish hubcaps fit my '62 Chevy II station wagon. What I was trying to pint out withteh Beacon and the Mora is that AACA judges have to judge a wide varitey of vehicles and most likely can't get into the really nitty-gritty details of what is right and wrong. If you want the really nitty-gritty stuff you'll need to join a club for specifically your car. Like I'm invovled in the Chevy II Novas and belong to a Nova club as well as AACA. You'll find most AACA members belong to multiple clubs.

[Shop Rat]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jay Wolf</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Lay your owners manual over that stain on the trunk mat.</div></div>

Better yet...don't. Judges are more impressed by owners that don't try to hide flaws.

If the stain is there then it is what it is. And one of the first things that is taught in Judging School is, to move things like owners manuals and Do Not Touch magnets to find the flaws.