Some belated car show pics

[69 OUR/TEA]

Posting this alittle late,but here goes.A couple weeks ago here in Hartford,Ct was the 53rd Annual Frank Mirattas auto show,and every year a good friend of mine who owns a custom paint/restoration shop,has a booth of usually 6-7 cars for display.This year as usual just like the TV shows,we were cramming to get our other friends 86 Buick T-type done for the show,and sorta last minute he had asked my other friend who I had sold my B5 69 to if he wanted to put it in there as well,so I had to take that one back for a few days of last minute cleaning detaing to.
My friend who owns the shop,the owner of the Buick,who works for him,and myself which I go help out there on occasion were going to town sanding/buffing,assembling,painting all the bits and pieces,etc to the car those last couple weeks.After setting up at the show,was good to kick back and hang out that weekend there for some good times with good friends having laughs, etc.
Anyway,this was the first show for the Charger since I have finished it,for the new owner.It felt wierd sitting there with it as I had owned it for 13 years and now staring at it not being mine,oh well.
Even more,during the judging,there is a well known shop that usally has something really nice to display as they do top shelf work and usually come out with an award.This years show they had a 65 Mustang,real nice as usual,on the turntable,mirrors under it,etc.The car won 3 awards,Best restored eng/eng compartment,Best restored interior,and Best restored.As I am invited by my friend who owns his shop to stay after and help partake in theardjudging with any knowledge I can contribute,I got to see how that car was getting judged,about 12 judges all share in opinions,and was very suprised to see that when the judging for those 3 Best restored categories,the car in topic for giving it a run for its money was my Charger.Even though it was edged out for a couple little things and did'nt get any of those,I still feel very good that something I did was able to hold a torch to even be thought of competing for something like that.
When all done and said though,there were 2 awards for Best Musclecar early,67 and down,and late,68 and up.The Charger got Best Musclecar late,so  was appreciative to see it got something.More so for the new owner because the new owners little boy asked his dad if he was going to get a trophy to put on their shelf at their house.
Anyway,here are some pics of that weekend....

[69 OUR/TEA]

And also in the display for my friends company,my other friends 73 Gold Duster of which he as owned for 29 years now.Not stock as you can see,big block stroker,pistol grip 4 speed,dana rear.Original color though!!!This car I did the paint/body resto in 2002 which involved NOS 1/4's,trunk ext,rocker panel,door skin,inner front fenders,rad support bottom,numerous other areas,painted in/out/bottom.

[69bronzeT5]

Gorgeous Charger.....love the Duster too!!

[69 OUR/TEA]

And my other friend who works at the shop,who actually is an engineer and is a wiz at building trannys,and knows his s#%t about turbo Buicks,with his 86 T-Type,stage 2 built engine making an insane 1,100 hp to the rear wheels.He likes his power as he also has a 70 Hemi Challenger clone making 700 + hp.

[69 OUR/TEA]

And some other cars....

[69 OUR/TEA]

And this 35 Ford,which with no suprise won the top award Best in Show.This car travles around and maybe some of you might see it in person at a show near you,this thing is absolutely over the top!!!!!Because I got to stay after the show closed,we took our shoes off to go on the display carpet and check out the under side.Pictures will not do this car justice to see all the fine build details it has.I laid under it,and can tell you the bottom side of this car,running boards,floors,inside of the fenders are straight as an arrow and sanded and buffed as well as the out side of the car.The frame structure,torque tube,independant rear,just stunning!!!!
Then,sorry,no more pics,my battery died after shooting lots of this car.

[69 OUR/TEA]

Also want to add about the 35,is that what makes it so apprciating ,and I am not really familiar with the old Fords,is that if you know what a 35 Ford looks like,this one does not.It is hard to recognize as thumbing thru the photo album of the build,there was no part of this car untouched,the metal was so altered,leaned,stretched,shrunk fenders ,etc.the meatl work was second to none.Whoever did this build,hard to hold a candle to them.

[1969chargerrtse]

Great pics.  Love the B5 Charger.  Looks better than new!

[Fred]

'35 Ford.................what a beauty!   

[tan top]

 good pictures  , thanks for  posting 

[Charger-Bodie]

Excellent job on the work you perfomed on the cars Paul. You should be very proud!

[myk]

Those cars look so good they don't even look real-like something out of a dream lol...

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Awesome! 

[bill440rt]

Looks like it was a great show, Paul! Awesome pics!! 
Undoubtedly, your work is stunning as always. 

[PocketThunder]

Excellent work!  from one Paul to another..      

[bakerhillpins]

Great work! Not your trophy but it really show how much work you put in! It is a beautiful car indeed!   

[BrianShaughnessy]

  Lookin good!   

[RJS]

Paul aside from the wheels and tires on the Charger what did it get dinged for??

[69 OUR/TEA]

Paul aside from the wheels and tires on the Charger what did it get dinged for??

For the interior category,they said because my front seat frames were not restored/painted,and one had said the rear speaker package tray looked liked I put an old one in !!!! IT IS BRAND NEW FROM LEGENDARY !!!!! And quite honestly,the orig one that I took out was not that bad,and the new one IMO was dam close to how it is supposed to appear.I expect stuff like that from people who really don't know Mopars anyway.

Engine and compartment,couple of them pointed out how my neg battery cable did'nt have paint on it from the bolt and alittle ways up on the cable,but yet nobody said anything about the orange box,and the edel carb.Or maybe they did see it,oh well.Me as well as the new owner don't care as we want the car to be reliable and run good.


Outside,yeah,rims and tires,and the Stang was a fully painted bottom spinning on a turn table with mirrors under it,the Charger,as delivered from Dodge,factory undercoated.One guy said even though it was undercoated,it was real nice as it does'nt look like a undercoat sprayfest under there,everything else,brake/fuel lines all new,rear all detailed,leaf springs ,exhaust,gas tank,etc.They did ask me if that was how it was supposed to be,originally,told them the car is a 74k orig body,never had any floor,trunk pan work,and the orig undercoat was NEVER scraped or removed,so what they are looking at IS original.Couple guys actually applauded the fact that I left it that way.
The new owner really does'nt care about most of the stuff that we would,he just wanted a correct looking nice Charger to drive and enjoy,and take to some local cruise and shows.I actually told him many a time that the wheels and tires are not corect looking for the year,and he does'nt care he loves it with the chrome rims and white letter tires,so I did my job,I made the buyer happy.LOL

[RJS]

So it sounds like the usual nitpicking, nothing to make you throw the car away though!!!!
The battery cable used to go the other way when people didn't believe a car company would do that but now with Barret Jackoff everyone is an expert.
I would spray the cable and nothing else and have fun fun fun!!!