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This is kinda long so if anyone wants to delete it
just push the button.
I'd like to tell you all about my
experience with the AACA 1st Junior, Senior and Preservation awards. I had
a 55 Plymouth 2 Door Club Coupe 6 cylinder with Sport Tone Trim and 2 tone green
with fender skirts. I had shown it for some years driving it to where ever
I wanted to. Most of the time it would take best of show or 1st place in
the car shows that I went to. I even took it to an all Mopar show and took
Best of Show to my surprise. We had to drive it about 4 hours to get
there, but I put some cleaning time in at the motel.
We were at a National Chrysler's
Products Club meet one time and going out to dinner with some friends in the
car, the engine decided to dump the 6th cylinder. Of which the top rings
gave way and we were running just no good. We had it car hauled home as my
brother in law came and got us. I did show it that weekend but I
was already was in the Prestige class, so no Judging. My friends told
me to come to Johnstown, Pa for the Spring Eastern divisional meet the following
Spring. I took the engine out and had it over hauled along with the
Transmission (Powerflite). With the engine out, I was able to
detail the undercarriage, firewall and inner fender wells and anything else I
wanted to do. I got the engine back in the car a week before the
event. The night before we got it running and I took my buddy who helped
me on a 30 mile round trip to get an ice cream cone and test drive the
car. It ran fine and the next day we were off to Johnstown for my first
ever AACA meet a distance of 4 or 5 hours. I cleaned it up in
the parking lot under, over and everyplace I could think of. Saturday came
and it was on the blacktop parking lot. The judges came and spent a lot of
time on it and I just watched.
That night was the banquet and after
the awards ceremony. Well my class (1954 and 1955 cars) finally came up
and 3rd Junior winners were called. Next the 2nd Junior winners were
called. My name was still not there and I figured it would not be
there. Well 1st Junior was called and lo and behold it was our name.
Was I ever surprised!!!!! Never did I ever think it would make
it. I had done all the detailing myself which I enjoy.
The next year we went to I think
Gaithersburg Maryland for the Senior. That is about 6-7 hours driving time
away on Interstate highways. I did the same. Cleaned it up under,
over and all around. that night at the ceremony, they called my name as it
won the Senior award of which I was well pleased.
The next year I took it to Amherst, NY
about 2 hours form here and it received its first Preservation award. It
may have been that same year, I wanted to take it to a National meet, but
Chryslers at Carlisle was the same weekend and we went there with it as our club
had its meet on the grounds and I found a buyer for the car there also.
I said all this just to say, that in
my instance, I felt I did not do anything special except for meticulous cleaning
and detailing and yet driving it where ever I wanted. I also live on a
dirt road. We enjoyed the car driving it, letting people ride in it or
just set in it and just talking about its design and the war stories restoring
it.
So you can drive them and still get
recognition at a meet. Also at the AACA meets, you are not going against
any one. You are being judged by a score the best being I believe 100. As
they find things wrong, points are being subtracted.
I'm usually not this long in a
message, but it is just my story.
Jack Johnson In Sunny Shinglehouse,
Pa.
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