MTFCA Forum

This weekend was our 41st annual Car Show and Swap Meet sponsored by the local VMCCA chapter. Members put countless of hours on this, our towns largest Car Show. When the weather is good we can expect over 300 vehicles of every description. Everyone is welcome at no charge and there is no judging or awards. Folks drive the cars in when they want and out when they want and the informal nature on the grass is easy and works well. With renting the park, insurance, security costs and all the things that go into this we still make enough to run the club and provide a few scholarships to local academics.
I take a load of brass and rust to sell, can't find much to buy and shuttle 1, 2 or sometimes 3 vehicles to show. It would be easier for each member to donate $50 and skip the effort but I find these very worth while:
It gives the public a chance to view a variety of cars and hopefully generate interest for the hobby.
I get to visit with dozens of friends and acquaintances that I don't get around to seeing anywhere else.
As most active members take some task it creates a comradery and makes all feel part of the club.
I get to see some great cars and often parts I can use.
Making new friends and encouraging younger car owners is also rewarding.
VMCCA caters to restoration and preservation but it would be a small car show if ours were the only cars there.
Bakersville, Hershey, Chickasha and the others have much the same assets in larger proportions but this is what we have here.
Though we are getting older and have less energy to do these it still seem worth while to me.
Rich

1920 Ford (Peerless) Speedster, 1931 Ford Fordor and 1924 Packard. What's Wrong with this picture? The same car. T body and A running gear. They seem to do those things. Some sort of hybrid with T parts? As the camera battery died I couldn't take more photos but maybe it's just as well.

Just my opinion, but I think that any off-pavement venue is a real plus for any
car show. The HASSIE club puts on a yearly "All Original Car Show" on the grass at a
local park. They rule out all rods and customs and anything riding on "hot rod" wheels.
The cars must be fairly stock to even be considered. The show field is large ... maybe
200 cars ? And many want to have a car in the show, but are denied for space reasons.
Thusly, one is far more likely to see only one Mustang and a large smattering of non-Chev/
Ford cars than they would at other shows. Last year we had TWO Locomobiles, one a
steamer, the other a very late example. Typically, a few T's of different vintage and body
type get in, but one will also likely see a Moon or a Flint, or a Graham, or a Peerless.
Post-war cars get the same treatment. You might see a single tri-five Chevy, but you will
see a 59 Olds 98 convertible or something equally as obscure. It is a real delight to attend
this show.

The folks that let us show on the grass are most generous. The Jerome, ID Swap Meet Car Show was always my favorite. Lots of shade too. Like so many things it is no longer there. The wonderful people who made it happen are mostly gone now. The City gave them a lot of grief over it also.
I would have been happy if we had enough of the right cars to be more exclusive at our show. These things are fragile. Each year another restriction is placed on us mostly because some other group has stepped out of line and caused a problem.
Perhaps the diversity has been good for me. I find the folks with the rods and customs friendly and more interesting as I get to know them. One young fellow who used to come to see my junk with the cruse night crowd had bought a 1959 Chevy with all the best patina in the world. (Sorry for using the "p" word but I can't think of a proper synonym).
He and his wife "get it". They reminded me of Joy and me at that age. She is so supportive and drives it all the time.
With the lack of the cars I like some of these other things fill in and are almost as satisfying.
Letting youngsters get in the Speedster for their parents photos and visiting with people that don't know old cars is much different than how we did thing 40 years ago but very rewarding. I don't really miss all the experts who really knew old cars and pointed out what was wrong endlessly.
OK, maybe I miss some of them.
Just a little more rambling.
Thanks
Rich

As for the Swap meet these are my finds. Like the diversity of the cars, the parts are mostly later things that the current folks are interested in. T era stuff is scarce and it's hard to find anything worth taking home. This also makes them less expensive as there aren't many buyers for them. I have dragged mostly the same stuff to meets for many years trying to replace the volume if I should sell some. Although not much sells I often find folks who see these and mention something they have. It leads to some good acquisitions that way. All and all our little meet is just fine for me.
I have no idea what the door fits but I can hang it on the wall for inspiration and details for other things I might build.
With my camera battery re-charged and my $3.06 tax money sent off to the State I'm just enjoying the afterglow of the meet.
Rich

Nice finds Rich!
The interior on that door is really cool.

I like & attend car shows but honestly the really old timers I prefer to see just aren't around any more. Usually an A or 2 but T's are rare as heck.

Duey, it is a cool door. When I build something I often have good photos but having something real is better. The details are so amazing on the real things. Best of all, these things are often inexpensive when we don't really need them.
It also adds some charm to the shop. Charlie, it's always changing. I miss those guys too. If I didn't adapt to the new folks it wouldn't be worth going. On the other hand if I have the only Model T there it will be the best one.

Another gratifying discovery is when the T's strike someones fancy and they are all over it, I enjoy that enthusiasm. Even if they ask the same old questions or make silly comments it reminds me of the days the old cars had that "new" magic for me. Changing bands or tires and monthly maintenance sometimes blur that. Those folks seemed pesky in the past but always have some fun about them.
I do limit the shows I go to and that probably helps my tolerance.
Whoever said we are ambassadors to our hobby was right. Unless I want to do this on my own I need to keep these things in mind.
Rich

I feel the same about all my hobby interests ... out of gratitude for what the oldtimers did
for me in sharing stories and knowledge, I feel indebted to an amorphous body of anyone who
shows interest or enthusiasm to pass along the welcoming vibe shown to me so many years
ago. I gotta admit, I get my own set of jollies out of their excitement, as it takes me back to
those days when I was a total greenhorn and bubbling over with questions and desire to be a
part of what "those guys" were doing.

I can still feel that giddy thrill that things brought to me way back then, and it is a real
pleasure to see that same excitement in the eyes of others. The TT has an exceptional "reach
out" to a general public that way. I have been told more times than I can remember that they
see "the cars", but the truck was something they had never seen, and they were really excited
to come talk me up about it. The questions may get repetitive and sometimes silly, but it is all
in fun and I enjoy it.

My favorite questions are "What year is it ?" .... to which I always kick it back, as "take a guess".
This can lead to some pretty funny answers. The best one, although not heard very often is, "Are
you the original owner ?"

Hehehe.
What this brain sees is the backwards deconstruction to what that door WAS.
Fantastic photos Rich. Thank you.
The second set: Twist the lock, lift the flap, slide your whiskey flask down into the pouch, close and twist and think you’re safe in the rear seat with booze in the car.
Someone will ramble across this post someday and say “Yeah, that door is for a ‘31 Erskine. Neat find.” Or some-such...
Burger, intersestingly good notions! I’m a first generation way back whenner.
Car show positives: A nice lady owns/runs an eating establishment just down the highway from here and we also work together on a Chinese boat race day. She sells food and drink and I play her up with babble on the mic... The food at her establishment is actually quite good. Maw and Me are horrible food critics and I’m even fussier than Maw. Read on.
My own delusions of grandeur have me thinking IF I shuttled the 3 running T’s here out to her very small car show in late August (2 rustballs and a Calico, one or two illegally on the road, depending), The T’s just might be a big hit at her car show but dang it, usually busy that weekend yet the steam buddies and myself have started to get things sorted there too so may have the time to sit in a lawn chair, answer questions, get up and start 90 or 100 year old Ford up and make some smoke for ‘em... Dobba deeba, dobba deeba, dobba deeba.... etc.
These disjointed ramblings are what this brain says. True.
Rich, is it OK to post these 2 pics of a 20‘s Center Door, door?
Think “Through the looking glass” Not a set-up but a happy occurrence.
Happy Trees/sad axles!

Darn right Duey. I really enjoy seeing these things. Maybe that's weird.
Rich

No. I believe it's not.

Burger, Saturday I went to a tractor pull to watch and after I parked my 14 an older lady said "what year is it" and I said "take a guess" and she said "I bet I am older than your car" and I said "I bet you are not" then I told her it was a 14 and she was shocked and said "it got me by 25 years".

Have some fun some time (if you can keep a straight face) and tell your enquirer how
you bought the car new (make up a believeable story) and then wait for the response ....
Maybe include some indirect comment like "I was thinking about buying a new one in 1913,
but with a baby coming, we decided to wait till the following year .... " and let that year
sink in ! At some point, you can let the cat out of the bag and fess up and probably both
enjoy a good laugh.

Oh yeah, sure .... I look pretty good for 130, don't I ? !!!! Hmmmm ....

Our car club opted for a small town car show this year. Menan, ID has 781 residents but their cars show drew about 80 or so cars. Several old ones were there I hadn't seen or met the owners before. It was a nice change from the larger celebration in Idaho Falls. A 1926 Chevrolet is between the two Ts. Here is a Studebaker truck as mentioned in previous posts. And below is a 1927 Buick. This quaint Speedster showed up. Lots of fun to look at.

They had a lot of trophies awarded by sponsors for their favorite.

Holy cats! That show in Menan is one I'd like to see. Lots of anteeQues and some interesting "moderns". Your trophy right? Good!
Do you happen to know what green car was parked next to the quaint speedster?
I see '70-'71 Pontiac and started to drool.
Probably a Goat but MAYBE a lowly Tempest or a Le Mans... I still own one of my two '70 Tempests.

I don't know Duey. I shot all around it but it wasn't on my list. Here is another corner of it and some other shots.

Green car; 31 Ford Model A slant windshield for those that might wonder. Cool rear springs on that one speedster.

Gary who owns the car is talking to Joy in this photo. He is our resident Model A expert having owned some since he was 14 years old.
The friction shocks and front axle on the Speedster are pretty nice items. The rest of the car could use some attention. The wishbone is not connected to the pan yet as the axle needs some tweaking. The owner was enthusiastic but puzzled by some of the finer details.

Just the same, Thank You! for that accidental shot of that (I'm sticking with) 70-71 maybe 72 Pontiac! Yummy!
Hard to tell if it's the original vomit green or a nice charcoal as our cameras will mess with color every great once in awhile.
Thanks Rich for the more photos!
We are so short of antiques at our show in Eden Valley, MN. I'm busy with other concerns that day so I don't bring...something since a long time.
And afraid of someone nabbing the rad cap on Lucky! A crummy hub cap.

Pontiac called that color "Vodero Green" in 1969. When I think of "vomit green",
I think of a color far lighter and more yellow ... and of course, with chunks ! An
acquaintance bought a very nice '72 GTO in that color out of a wrecking yard. We
happened upon it just after it came into the yard, and the only parts missing was
the drivetrain. It was a bare bones stripper car with some little decals on the side
that read "455 HO". A hole in the still very nice carpet belied a missing 4-speed.
Gears in the still-present rear end were 4.10, if memory serves. Being such a fresh
arrival, it did not take much detective work to find the previous owner, and this led
directly to the engine and transmission, sitting in a garage about 20 miles away. I
never saw the car put back together, but it sat there with its engine and trans on
cribbing, waiting for the day. Can't say these are my favorite bodies of the muscle
era, but this was one special car.

I'm more than happy to share my accidents. Also it is pleasing if it brings some recollections of cars I don't notice. It's a big hobby out there and the interest in other cars is often overlooked.
Rich

Pretty cool story Burger! The other companies painted their cars similar right then too.
I know now what that horrible color is called on my last Tempest.
This one had a six in it. The one I smashed up a little was a red one with a 350 and a three on the tree. Naughty car.
Took out the rear end of a beautiful 76 Le Sabre sedan with it. That poor Buick was only 4 years old...
No no no, the lighter green you're thinking about with the chunks is the Avacado appliance green.
Rich, I'm Pontiac and Cadillac centric when it comes to that era but if it has a hand crank to start it? Way better.
Show me a 67 GTO that's not restored and I look like Hannibal Lecter. Thu thu thu.

This interesting T bucket was at our local Heritage Day cruise in last Saturday.
Attendance was down this year due to the rain but last year the weather was perfect and nearly 1000 cars showed up. Everything from rat rods to Mclarens and race cars and modified pulling tractors. Very few stock antiques unfortunately.
Car owners seem to like fact that there is no entrance fee.
Not sure why the text is between the photos.

That's different, looks like an 8N. At least it's a Ford engine...