Everyone's the expert...

[68RRFlyer]

This one amused me so I figured I'd pass it along.  I'm sitting at my "desk" minding my own business when one of our deadheading crewmembers comes up from the back and says, "Hey, are you that dude who restores cars?"   "Yes, I'm that "dude"" I reply.  "Oh, well here's something interesting, I bought a brand spanking new Charger R/T in 1969.  Ordered it myself."  "Wow, great!" I replied.  He proceeds to say "Man that 426 is an awesome motor!"  I said,  "Wow, you had a hemi in it?'  He says, "No, the R/Ts came standard with the 426, I think it was called a wedge or something."  So I very politely said, "Umm, well the R/Ts came standard with the 440 and the 426 Hemi was the optional engine.  Maybe you're getting the phrases mixed up on the motors?"  "And he says, "No, I ordered it with the 426 Wedge.  I still have the paperwork."  I said, "well, did the valve covers have spark plug wires going through them?"  "No, and I know what a hemi is" he replies.  Again, I politely stated the facts, and he proceeds to tell me "You don't know what you're talking about" and "you could order anything "back in the day" if they made it for any car, it wasn't model specific.  Trust me".  He gets pissy and stumbles to the back.   So here I sit thoroughly confused as to what just went down here.  I go from "the cool Mopar car guy" to the "jerk who thinks he knows everything" by trying to very politely, tell him what's right for the car he was referring to.   Soooooooo from now on unless I know someone's a true car guy, the conversation will be as follows:

Enthusiast:  "Hey, you that car guy?"
Me:  "Yeah"
Enthusiast:  "Well, I got a 66 Road Runner with the 383 Max wedge Hemi"
Me:  "Wow!  Sounds neat!"
Enthusiast:  "Yeah, you couldn't get that thing with air, but I did and it has a heater delete too"
Me:  "Wow!  Sounds neat!"
Enthusiast:  "Had the "beep beep" horn.  And a little known fact, Disney sued Dodge over that and as a result, Petty stopped racing NASCAR during the 66 season due to copyright infringement since he was running the SuperiorBird, that special car built for the NHRA and crossed over to NASCAR that was based on the 66 Road Runner."
Me:  "Wow!  Sounds neat!"
Enthusiast:  "Yeah...thought you'd like that.  Should have held onto that one.  Worth about $65K now"
Me:  "Wow..neat!"

Sorry, had to vent.  Just don't get some people some times.

Cheers
 

[Ghoste]

I feel your pain, believe me.  That is another of the reasons I seldom take my car to cruise nights.  It's hard for the experts to stagger over from the local bar and give you a history lesson if you're out of town enjoying the car on the local byways at 60 mph the way it was meant to be.

[PocketThunder]

"SOUNDS NEAT!"                   that was awesome.. 

Hey if he says he still has the paper work tell him you'd love to see it and have him bring it in..     

[Chad L. Magee]

I run into that type of situation periodically.  To me, I think that they are trying to impress you with what they know about Mopars, but fail to do so because of their lack of general knowledge in the subject matter.  It is best to leave them alone in their little world.......

[Aero426]

If you take time to get wrapped up about stupid things someone says to you, you will spend a lot of time at the keyboard.   This stuff happens pretty often.     When it happens at a show, I will usually not try to get into an argument.  If my reply to the incorrect statement doesn't seem to get through, I just politely deflect it and just move on.    It's not worth the hassle of engaging those people much furthur.   You know they don't know.   

[PocketThunder]

If you take time to get wrapped up about stupid things someone says to you, you will spend a lot of time at the keyboard.   This stuff happens pretty often.     When it happens at a show, I will usually not try to get into an argument.  If my reply to the incorrect statement doesn't seem to get through, I just politely deflect it and just move on.    It's not worth the hassle of engaging those people much furthur.   You know they don't know.   

Having a /6 in my 69 Charger 500 was a blast at car shows!!!!!!       

[Chad L. Magee]

I imagine it was.   You probably were plauged with "experts" claiming that it was just like their 69 Charger 500 that they ordered new back in the day.  It would have been neat to plop a real 1970 Charger 500 /6 car right next to it at the same show and then sit back for the fun. .....

[Sublime/Sixpack]

Some people put their foot in their mouth by trying to be something they're not, and some just get a little mixed up. I've found that sometimes its better just to let it go rather than correct them. I was filling up the Charger the other day and an older gentleman came over and said what year is that? 1970 I said. Does it have the Hemi in it? No mine has the 440 SixPack I replied. Yeah, the big hemi, he said and grinned. I just smiled and let it go. He was a nice guy, just a little mixed up on the details.

[RECHRGD]

Some people put their foot in their mouth by trying to be something they're not, and some just get a little mixed up. I've found that sometimes its better just to let it go rather than correct them. I was filling up the Charger the other day and an older gentleman came over and said what year is that? 1970 I said. Does it have the Hemi in it? No mine has the 440 SixPack I replied. Yeah, the big hemi, he said and grinned. I just smiled and let it go. He was a nice guy, just a little mixed up on the details.

Yes, us older folks can get confused sometimes.   After having my car for 12 years now, I've heard them all and found it much easier to just let them talk without correcting them.  For the most part they just like the car and want to strike up a conversation about it.  Some of the know-it-all arrogant little kids are another matter though.   Bob

[bull]

Yup. It's best to just agree with the know-it-alls because it makes them go away faster.

[Hemidog]

Yup. It's best to just agree with the know-it-alls because it makes them go away faster.

Yeah, I've got a couple of them at work too, and the fish gets bigger every time! You just can't reason with them, so just act uninterested.

[tan top]

Yup. It's best to just agree with the know-it-alls because it makes them go away faster.

Yeah, I've got a couple of them at work too, and the fish gets bigger every time! You just can't reason with them, so just act uninterested.

yeah i  do the same  or go oh cool really & nod my head

 

[John_Kunkel]

When somebody backs up their assertion with "No, I ordered it with the 426 Wedge.  I still have the paperwork."   I would ask to see it.

[Silver R/T]

ya, I would've asked him to bring paperwork so I could take a look at it.

[chargergirl]

Everyone walks away and leaves me with MR MOPAR...the same ones that know all and don't know anything and start tearing a car apart and they are SOOOO wrong. While they try to get me to agree...I "go blonde", blink twice and say, "wow, cool"...a lot and they seem happy and go away...I get extra Margharitas later for putting up with and being nice to the one the "boys" couldn't take. Of course that works cause I'm a girl!

[jb666]

Cool story, sounds neat! 

[Mike DC]

   
I usually won't argue nitty-gritty stuff with anyone unless I get the feeling they're genuinely into these cars (and rational) enough to be worth it. 


If the guy is telling me about his old '66 Duster with the tri-carb 427 and the rare factory sidepipes . . .  well, I just smile and let him keep rolling.

       

[Smokey Bear]

I just smile and say "cool" every once in awhile when they are looking for some acknowledgment. Other than that I don't keep the conversation going or ask any questions.

Eventually they go away and we both end up happy.

[68RRFlyer]

That's pretty much what I've adopted .  It's even worse in my field of work where everyone's the expert.   Good times!

Cheers   

[Cooter]

NEVER fight a battle of wits with an unarmed person......


Here's a question for ya'll .....If we've had threads here posted about every incorrect, idiotic, stupid thing about a Mopar said by NON car people, Why do we still feel compelled to correct these idiots?..I'm NOT a Chevy/Ford guy, but I make it my point to Seem as if I know nothing about said Brand X car I'm looking at so the owner doesn't have to "Correct" anything...I believe as "Mopar" people, it is an involuntary action to try and correct as if someone else is listening and might just buy the incorrect information spewing forth from said idiot...I still have the occasional moron that inevidably asks "Hey, does that '58 Plymouth have the original "HEMI" engine in it?" Reply: "Um, not exactly, as NO Plymouths came with the "Original HEMI" in 1958...Just cause it has fins and Looks like your typical HEMI car from '58, doesn't mean it has a HEMI"...And here we have the "Correction"...

[DC_1]

I had a very similar situation when a guy came up to me to talk about my 68 Charger RT and claimed he had one back in the day almost exactly. He asked if mine had the 6 pack. I said no, its got the original motor and setup. He said he had a 6 pack on his and that was the way he ordered it new. I said you had a 68 Charger RT with a 440 6 pack? He said no, it had a 426 6 pack. I said you should of kept it because it would have been a one of one and he would be a very wealthy man, then I changed the subject. This is the reason I hate cruise nights sometimes. You end up with some guy in a 91 Grand Am telling how he had the badest Mopar around with of course a Hemi and proceeds to name off buzz words he has heard over the years with very little actual knowledge of what he is talking about.

[kidsixpack]

You guys ar correct.  We all have these stories.  My favorite was the guy that told me he had a69 Dodge Challenger 440 Hemi. I didn't say a word.....
KID

[hemi-hampton]

I like when People tell me there 68-70 road runner or super bee they had, had the original 440 4 bbl motor in it

[moparstuart]

I like when People tell me there 68-70 road runner or super bee they had, had the original 440 4 bbl motor in it

it seem like 50 % or more of those cars have had 440 transplanted into them too

[RTDaddy]

If everyone had really owned a Daytona like they tell me when they look at the wingcar, there would be enough left to circle the planet.     Let'em live their dreams. 

"IF YOU'RE UNDER CONTROL YOU AIN'T GOING FAST ENOUGH."