Pet Peeves of Looking at the Engine Compartments at Car Shows

[c00nhunterjoe]

Oh man, i hope you guys never look under my hood.... lol

[Kern Dog]

I don't think that any other car dealers used stuffed dolls in the showrooms. The Road Runner cartoon was an excellent marketing tool that Plymouth latched onto. I can't recall any other cartoons that GM or Ford was associated with. Ford did build some ugly econoboxes that could have been marketed as SpongeBob, Square car.

[A383Wing]

ugly econoboxes that could have been marketed as SpongeBob, Square car.

Pontiac Aztec comes to mind

[8WHEELER]

ugly econoboxes that could have been marketed as SpongeBob, Square car.

Pontiac Aztec comes to mind

This is why Bryan never opens the hoods on his cars, he does not want to hear '' hey this is not factory correct''. He wants to get to point A to point B, without needing a tow truck.

Dan

[myk]

Oh man, i hope you guys never look under my hood.... lol

Me neither.  The black engine bay and dark blue plug wires alone would give some of these guys a seizure lol...

[Back N Black]

I don't like the yellow/blue crimp connectors. Take the time and solder the connectors so it looks somewhat correct.

[keith88]

Some of you are not going to like mine..But i do. What i don't like are dirty engines compartments, one could at least get the dirt off.

[Mopar Nut]

I like it!   

[talladegaowner]

How about a nicely detailed engine and engine compartment with a generic battery?
Then there are plumber clamps rather than repro clamps, which don't cost a lot.
Chrome where it doesn't belong.
Electronic ignition modules in cars trying to look restored to stock.
"Fitzall" hoses and belts.
Electric fans in 60s cars.
No decals, which are very affordable.
Over spray where it does not belong.
Purple or red ignition wires.
Braided hoses.
Generic radiator caps.

[keith88]

How about a nicely detailed engine and engine compartment with a generic battery?
Then there are plumber clamps rather than repro clamps, which don't cost a lot.
Chrome where it doesn't belong.
Electronic ignition modules in cars trying to look restored to stock.
"Fitzall" hoses and belts.
Electric fans in 60s cars.
No decals, which are very affordable.
Over spray where it does not belong.
Purple or red ignition wires.
Braided hoses.
Generic radiator caps.

You must hate mine than, I have few of those.

[talladegaowner]

No, keith88, I don't hate any car. I'm basing my comment on the cars I've seen at judged events
where car owners are trying to earn a trophy or plaque and overlook the small stuff. Some of these
folks complain when the judges don't recognize their cars.
My point? A few small details at very little cost adds up to big rewards if a car owner is seeking a trophy.

PS-I like your car a lot. It looks well kept and the General Lee touches fit the era your car is from.
Keep up the nice work.    Mike

[keith88]

Thank you i was just kidding anyway... everyone has there own things that they like or think there important to them, really depends how much your a stickler you are for completely stock or not. I'm good just as long as it looks nice and kept clean. But i do know what your talking about. I just won my 1st trophy with this car this past Sunday and it wasn't expected.

[talladegaowner]

As I looked through your pics, I did notice your glass trophy reads "top 25".

Congratulations!

[ODZKing]

I agree Talladega, and let me go one step further.
I have always maintained that "it's your car to do what you like with". So if it looks good to you, that is what is important.
I personally, am not interested in trophies, I have lots. I've proven I can win them, so most of the time we park our 2 cars in non-judged together.
That being said, seems to me that it is not fair when a car that is near factory correct gets parked in a "factory" class with a car that has items (previously mentioned) and gets judged as an equal, and worse yet WINS!  I call it the "ooh, shiny" syndrome, that is all some judges (used loosely) see!
Not to pick on your car Keith but since it is near the top here, your engine bay is beautiful. Neatly done, clean ... it's awesome for a modified class.
On the other hand if it is a all car show and it's favorite fifty or forty etc., no reason a clean well kept vehicle such as yours shouldn't be recognized.
Just my take on the thing, I'm sure some may disagree.  

[keith88]

Yea i know what your saying i used to go to a show once a week all season back 10-15 years ago with a camaro that i owned at the time and won my fair share but i did run into people who really would complain about stock with non-stock and the such. And than you have the peoples choice ones that basically work on who has the most friends at the show. Now i just do cruises for the most part and this show that i used to go to all the time but never got any thing, it has changed since i was there last several years ago they used to have classes know they do a best of show than the top 25 cars there i was lucky to be one out of over 300 that showed.

[talladegaowner]

I agree with you both. Especially the "it's your car". If a car owner wants to change the color
that's his prerogative. I changed the wheels and tires from stock. I don't go to what I call 'purists' car
shows. I like cruises as well. Meeting with friends, old and new with like interests are the best part
of the hobby, besides enjoying my car at these outings. My car has been in my family since new and I've owned
it for 30 years this month (9/15).

If I earn a trophy, that's the icing on the cake. Win, lose or draw I try to enjoy myself as much as possible.
I'll also invite people with cars in my class to join me at car shows with their cars.

[John_Kunkel]

I have always maintained that "it's your car to do what you like with". So if it looks good to you, that is what is important.

A good philosophy but don't be surprised if you get comments about originality and taste.

[tan top]

I have always maintained that "it's your car to do what you like with". So if it looks good to you, that is what is important.

A good philosophy but don't be surprised if you get comments about originality and taste.

    that's true   




 think its up to the individual , on how they want to organise & dress up or down their engine compartment  etc  what ever makes them happy , each to their own , we all have different tastes  

,  what peeves !  well not sure that's the correct word for me , but when I see  glass or plastic fuel  filters , long lengths of rubber fuel hose , wiring hanging all over the place not tapped up & or wrapped in a harness , yards of it draped all over the engine bay ,   poorly done terminals & connections  etc , think its crazy /dangerous / fire hazard /  risking your charger or ... going up in flames  , or wonder why mopar  or chebby or ford etc  has electrical problems etc

[talladegaowner]

There will always be people who can't accept what you've done to your car. They don't count.
I admire a car no matter the make or year. I still look at the cars from the 40s and older.
That's where it all began.

[Ghoste]

The thread wasn't about what should be law though, just what your personal pet peeves were.  I listed mine knowing there are lots of cars that belong to members here that fell into those categories.  My opinion isn't right, its just what bugs me as an individual.

[Lord Warlock]

I like braided lines, if done well, not crazy about my own right now but that is because not all of them have the correct ends put on, like on the heater hoses, and I've got some weird looking clamps back there, plan on getting stock ring clamps to hold them on, just haven't done it yet. 

Have to understand, some of us are building the car the way we remember it was when we first got it, or are making modifications that we wanted to do back in its heyday and couldn't afford to do so then, and we can now, so we are doing the engine bay up a little.  My bay can look stockish with the pie pan air breather on, or it can look modified if I use the edelbrock triangular one with the foam top. I used to use the triangle shaped one in the 70s, do I put one on the car...for now.  Went a little overboard on braided lines though, spark plug wires are braided, radiator hose (upper) has a braided sleeve on it, heater hoses are all real braided hoses, vacuum lines in grill area for headlights are braided. some vacuum lines in engine bay is braided too.  Edelbrock 750 is polished, and just put in a chrome alternator and ordered a firecore polished distributor.  I may have gone overboard on shiny, but when I grew up and went to car shows of model A's and B's and 50s cars, chrome was in and ever popular, kind of made an impression with me. 
Engine bay is one of only a few areas where the stock look is obviously not correct.  17 inch magnum 500s are a giveaway also, but couldn't fit 335 drag radials on 6 inch rims. interior is stock looking, exterior is stock looking, but open engine bay and it aint stock.

Plan on doing same thing with my 2010 challenger, for xmas this year it looks like i'll be having a KB  blower installed on the 5.7 to bring it up to 392 power levels. Without investing in a new car.  Could be black case which would go well with the yellow paint, but plan on paying 600 extra for polished...the 5.7 needs some bling in the engine bay.