Show Suggestions

**snomon1017** · 04-10-2006, 07:46 AM

Does anyone have any pointers about preparing a car for a show . . . do's, don't, etc. I have a 100% stock 2003 Mustang Cobra Convertable and will be showing it for the first time this coming weekend at a popular vote show. I have all the documentation, including certificate of authenticity, manual, brochure, tech data card, window sticker, and 2 posters. What sort of display do I set up? Detailing tips? parking? etc? etc? etc? I m as green as can be, as this will be my first show as a participant.

**dennish** · 04-10-2006, 09:04 AM

This is probably the best advice you will ever get when going to your first car show!! “Chill and enjoy your self.” Mingle with the rest of the show car guys and don’t get upset at some of the comments you will hear. This is suppose to be a fun outing and give you a chance to meeting people with your same interest. One show last year a 41 Ford was judge as the most original Ford car with a Chevy engine so the judges are not professionals and some times don’t have a clue. After ever show someone seems to get upset that so and so won a trophy and spouts all the reason why he shouldn’t have won.

Make sure you car is clean before leaving for the show. I always pack a bunch of MF towels, some QD, glass cleaner, spray bottle of water/car soap and one with just distalled water, tire stuff, and a duster. I always make a small sign with the make, model, year, engine size and of coarse the sign “If you aren’t naked please do not lean on my car” A nice cooler with soft drinks and a few chairs.

Enjoy!!!!!!

**OCDetails** · 04-10-2006, 11:59 AM

I’ve judged several car shows and it is always interesting to see who came prepared and who didn’t. You see the guys trying to bum product off of others because they forgot that the car might get dirty on the way to the show. You see the guys who have obviously done this before and are relaxed. Then there are those frenzied “I didn’t realize how dirty my car still was after looking at some of these cars!” types. You don’t want to be one of those. Make sure you have done a very thorough inspection of your car before you go. Go over your car as if you were judging it. Be very critical. I’m probably a pretty harsh judge just because I know what is possible to get clean. If I can see it then it can be cleaned. Therefore, if I see dirt or grease or fingerprints or anything like that, then I assume it was just ignored or missed. If you can see it then you can clean it.

A couple of tips for when you get there is to shine your tires again. Get the sidewalls and the tread. It isn’t a practical thing to do on a daily driver, but on a show car it adds a lot to have black sidewalls and tread. It makes the car look brand new.

I would also suggest doing a once over of your wheel wells too. Of course they get dirty on a daily driver, but the two times they should be spotless are when you buy it and when you show it. Just some tire shine and a tire swipe can do the job, but you’ll probably want to get most of it clean when you are preparing the car and take off the wheels.

Make sure areas like just under the bumper or front lip are clean. Those are fairly commonly missed areas. Same with under the sideskirts. Just run a microfiber with some QD sprayed on it in those areas just to make sure they are clean.

Don’t forget the door jambs. Those areas get missed a lot. I just use a good spray wax in there and that does the trick. Judges can get really critical of those areas since they are so commonly overlooked during the detail process. Waterspots are not your friend, so look for them wherever you think they might be.

Speaking of spray wax, I would use that anywhere there is paint in an area you don’t normally wax. Under the hood, in the engine, under the trunk, door jambs, etc. Anywhere there is paint you should do something to shine it up. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t going to stay clean for long. After all, it is a car show and the cars are supposed to be ridiculously clean. So get ridiculous and clean things you normally wouldn’t. Good luck! I’ve got some other show prep tips on OCDetails.com, but the article links are out of date and I need to update them.

**John U** · 04-10-2006, 11:24 PM

As said earlier...chill and have fun.
Popular vote shows, especially the all makes shows at a mall or fair, come down to the tallest blower sticking out of the hood or wildest paint etc.
If you want a proper test of your Q-tip skills find a judged Ford show where you will be in a class with your peers and each car is judged with the same parameters.
My personnal favorite areas to check when I judge are:
-Behind the gas door...some are a mess, some are spotless.
-loose change under the seat.
-ash trays
-dirty corners on exterior glass surfaces
-dirt/waterspots in tailights or sidemarker lights
I was asked in a tight competition once to remove the top of the aircleaner to see which car was cleaner!

Again have fun and meet some interesting people.
JU

**snomon1017** · 04-11-2006, 07:46 AM

Thanks for the great input! I do plan to enter a judged show one of these days but since this is my first show, I really do just want to have fun. The show is at a nearby Air Force Base and since I work Army (with the requisite Fort Bragg sticker on the windshield), I figured that it would add some healthy interest/competition.

As for cleanliness, I'm on the car at least 3x/week, Pinnacle top to bottom. Car is garaged under 2 covers, driven maybe 500 miles/year. As for OCD, I think I qualify but it is a good excuse to get outside, listen to some music, relax, and enjoy.

Question though: at what point does a stock car cease being stock and become something else (modified, etc)? Ex. Steeda has all sorts of billet and chrome dress up parts and while these obviously change the way the car left the factory, they are actually just window dressing. I can understand actual mods (cold air intake, blowers, etc) but what about, say, chrome bolt caps under the hood?

**OCDetails** · 04-11-2006, 11:27 AM

Basically there is a difference between performance modification and appearance modification. When car shows talk about 'modified' they are usually talking about performance modified. If you did serious appearance mods (body kit, paint, interior, etc) then you would probably be in that class, but you would need more than 'bling' mods to qualify in that class. Chrome bolt caps are nice looking mods, but your car is hardly modified because you have them.

**BILL** · 05-02-2006, 07:12 AM

Wish there was a auto detailing show on t,v, just like american hot rod. american chopper. car crazy, etc....why not american auto detailing, i think it would be very informative and very interesting to see how its all done......
there...... just my thinking

**MikeyC** · 05-02-2006, 10:29 AM

I would just like to add that popular vote shows can turn into a complete joke. I was at a show last year and there was a very minimal turn out of cars and spectators. So, this one guy's friends stuffed the ballot box and he won best in show. Now let me just say that this guy's car looked like it was put together yesterday with parts from 10 other cars and before the show he was cleaning his car with paper towels and windex. The car was an extremely swirled piece of poop and he beat my immaculately clean, blindingly shiney car.

Basically, I'm just saying don't sweat popular vote shows. Just try to have a good time.