Help from Show Veterans

[MustangPaul]

Hi all--

After taking the GT to three years of cruise-ins, local shows and such, I've decided to take a shot at a MCA show--the three day show in Biloxi, MS. (Inside--wonderful Air Conditioning!)

I have a few questions:

First, I'm showing in Daily Driver class, so closed hood and messy undercarriage is ok. Any tips, tricks, advice for getting the GT ready for a major show? I know what I usually do to get it ready--detail inside and outside, but any other advice?

Second, I have to drive about 100 miles to get to the show. What should I take to clean up the car after I get there? I have a tray in the trunk with soft rags, detail spray and such. Anything else?

Any other advice?

I have no thoughts that I'll place, but I'm excited to get some feedback on my car from the judges.

Thanks for any and all feedback!

--Paul

 

[69PaleHorse]

Hey Paul,

I responded to this thread in Classic Tech. Glad you found your way over here to Sound and Shine as well. I'm sure the guys here can help you curry that pony of yours.

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=466968

 

[MustangPaul]

Pale- Yeah, after I posted over there, I had the flash of brilliance that I should see if there is a show/shine board. How about that! I freely admit it--I'm an idiot! Ah, I guess that is the first step to curing it.

I've been reading the posts in here and I'm banging my head that I've never found my way in here before. All sorts of good information!

--Paul

 

[dysinger1]

just be meticulous and clean everything, if you spray your motor off with degreaser and powerwash it, the day of the show spray tire shine over the whole thing and it will look brand new. use a black spray paint and do the fender wells and tire wet them too, also you can armoral your gas tank cover which helps. man i could go on and on, just clean the heck out of it. thats about it.

 

[Stylin Cobra]

you might want some "back to BLack" to shine up the weather stripping. The day before the show I remove my front wheels and clean the calipers/inside of the wheels and the wheel wells. If its an indoor show then bring a jack so you can have your wheels pointing the same direction if the is a pattern to them. Don't forget to do the door jams and just under the side skirts! If you plan on entering more shows you might want to invest in a floor drop to park you car on. A tooth brush works wonders in the engine bay and anywhere else that has small, hard to reach places.

Good Luck and have fun

 

[DJsZincGT]

I agree...clean everything. I mean everything. It doesn't take as long as one might think. When I go to any show I try and make sure the engine bay, trunk, wheel wells, interior, inside of wheels, exterior, and the outer 6-12 inches of the under carriage are spotless. I also tend to clean the gas tank cover because if you are walking up behind the car it sticks out like a sore thumb and if it's not clean you can tell it. This last show I attended, I went the extra mile and cleaned the control arms, springs, sturs, rear end, catback, etc. Basically anything the judges could see if they put their head down to luck under there. I clean everything, even the tread on the tires. All the little details help. It helped me to get 1st in my class. The one judge I had a chance to talk to at the last show loved my car. His only comment was, "that's one clean car". It makes you feel good when someone respects your work.

You can make a daily driver look nearly as good, or sometimes even better than the trailer queens. It just takes a little work.