Topic: MCA Judge's Meeting - October 11, 2013 Dallas, TX

[mgmradio]

Hopeto,
  I probably wasn't clear enough in my earlier post. What I am proposing is to split the unrestored class into two classes ; Unrestored Thoroughbred with tighter %'s and requiring all assembly line parts and leaving the original unrestored as is with a few modifications such as tires and rubber parts replacement along with the shocks and exhaust that are currently allowed.
  I am also proposing a new class for the "Tweeners" in the line of the AACA's HPOF class for the cars that are substantially original.
  I don't consider a car that has only been repainted as having been restored. There are many reasons for a repaint and I have seen cars that were repainted at the dealership because the purchaser wanted a different color. Also some colors are hard to match so a repaint may have been called for. As I stated before, original paint is probably the least important feature that most of us want to study.
  If making these changes just brings one or two new cars to the shows , than I see this a a big win for us all.

  workhorse,
    Obviously you get what I am proposing. I for one would like to see more of these cars at the shows.

[jwc66k]

I don't consider a car that has only been repainted as having been restored.

You don't frequent e-bay often do you - "fully restored" is another word for "painted".
Jim

[hopeto]

Yes and just as many auctions with "original, unrestored" in the title line but when you read the description state "one repaint".
Both are ridiculous!

Sometimes you have to agree to disagree.

Let's slightly change the subject.
If your goal is to increase attendance and pull more cars quit worrying about whether a repaint is a restored or unrestored or adding more classes.
Folks attend events and spend their hard earned money to have an enjoyable time and share some time with fellow car nuts.
They want to be treated with respect and be appreciated.
The classes/awards are secondary.

Just my 2 cents.

[mgmradio]

Yes we can agree to disagree , but I will still do my best to bring these cars out anyway I can. If you have a better idea on how to do this then let's hear it. If not then please refrain from unproductive comments.
 And by the way, I don't care what people put in there auction descriptions..... We are not trying to sell these cars or describe them as unrestored , just significantly original. Try reading what I wrote.
  I do agree with you last statement , but not all attendees think that the awards are secondary.

[midlife]

The problem, as I see it, for unrestored and tweeners is that MCA promotes competition for gold/silver/bronze for these cars.  Because some folks can't make the points, they drop out of showing these cars at MCA.  What MCA should be doing is promoting and encouraging these cars to attend as demonstrations of actual production runs for judges and others to learn from.  A list by credible judges of what is likely not original should accompany the car in its showing so that those who examine the car for details would have a guide what may have been restored or refurbished.  Forget the competition for these rare cars: they are what they are.  The owners would probably love to have a gaggle of folks drool/salivate over various details all day long. 

The competition should be reserved for those cars where actual work has been performed to make it a Thoroughbred, Concours, etc.  An unrestored car should be in competition due them being what they are: a survivor or unrestored car.  The owners should be highly encouraged to keep them that way.  There's no way in which the owner could improve their condition to better their ability to compete, so why compete at all?

[mgmradio]

The idea for the Tweeners cars is more of a certification than a points based system .
 The true unrestoreds are already judged under a point based system , but I feel it needs to be tweaked so that the cars with higher mileage that have had maintenance part replaced can have a place also.

[workhorse]

I forwarded this thread to someone with a similar type car and recieved the following response. They did say it was o.k. to c&p here.

"Dear *****,

Thank you for your email, yes my father still owns the car you were referring to but is now at the age where he can no longer participate in many activities. Thank you for the link to the website, I have read what was said and would add just this. My dad was a lifelong Ford man. The car was purchased new and unlike todays cars, was well maintained. There was no need to travel far back then and on the occasion that we did travel, it was a Country Squire that took us there. Dads car has never been crashed and aside from normal wear and tear type items, has never needed a repair. It is just as dad bought it new.
 
Years ago our family surprised pop by having the car repainted in its original baby blue color. The hood, roof and trunk areas were badly worn from the sun and dads weekly washing with laundry detergent. The new paint energized dad and his love of the car.

We are not show folks by any means but dad did like to stop & walk around and tell me stories of the cars we would see at our local fast food places during summers past. I finally convinced him to let me take us out in the car to show it off a little. I thought he would get a charge out of talking with the other folks about his Mustang but it didn't turn out so well. The paint wasn't perfect, the parts were old and the bumpers weren't shiny like the others. I felt horrible with each comment we heard. Dads pride took a hit too I'm afraid.

I am not a car guy and couldn't find my way around a wrench for anything . I buy a car, drive the wheels off then replace. Probably not what you want to hear on a car website I'm sure. Dad on the other hand could fix anything and was always happy to chat up someone who would listen. The stories began to repeat themselves as time went by but like many I'm sure, we learn to appreciate them as we get older. I feel the same about dads car. There's nothing special about it, it's not a super rare race model type, but it's dads just as he bought it back when I was an infant and that’s enough for me.

I don't think dad would have been into the car show thing, but he would have been into the sitting around admiring cars and telling stories that got better with time. I suppose in the truest sense dads car is no longer just as he bought it, but to myself and my family it's even better because he got to enjoy it that much longer and we got to enjoy it with him."

[priceless]

What a wonderful story!! But, you know, that's what is missing these days, the true sense of being able to go to a car show and joining the camaraderie among other Mustang enthusiast.

MCA is missing this terribly.

We did finally get to advance into the conservator class this year. But, after the past 7 years, all the MCA shows were being more of "work", than anything, no real fun and enjoyment.

The first thing I do on a Saturday morning, at an MCA function, is find the "unrestored's" then I enjoy looking at the THB's.  What true works of "factory" art the unrestored's are, and the THB's are amazing works of art too.

I hope we find a place for the unrestored's with minimal work, for they are an amazing piece of History.

Just my 2 cents.