Event Coverage FUNNIEST THING OVERHEARD AT CRUISE OR SHOW?

I had my 1957 T-Bird at a local show & shine a couple years ago. Just put a new 350 Chev engine, TH 350 trans. in it. Valve covers had the raised Chev Bow Tie emblems on them. I found T-Bird emblems that fit perfect inside the Bow Tie emblems. Was sitting with a friend back in the shade. A couple "ol guy's (older then me) started looking over the engine, one of them said to the other, that's the best engine Ford ever used in these T-Birds. Still get a kick out of it today.

 

The older I get.... I find the less I know...

 

In 2012 I got to help my friend Frank Morawski with the showing of the Carrillo Roadster at The East Coast Indoor Nationals. Even though it was a feature car at the show, Frank still had to go through the registration process. The woman at the counter started taking the information. She wanted to know what kind of car it was.............muscle car, hot rod, street rod, truck or what. Frank answered it was a Bonneville car...............she marked it down as Pontiac...............we chuckled for days about that

 

When I was into showing my car just after I finished restoring it, I would always get the "my friend/dad/etc had one just like it." Then I would ask them, did they really have a 1932 Hupmobile? "Well no, but it looked just like it".

 

My wife and I were leaving a cruise night with our '46 Ford "Woodie" and I had a big band CD playing. A lady stopped us and asked us what year the car was. My wife told her "it's a 1946". When she heard the CD she asked "if the radio only picked up music from the '40s".

 

At a small town show we attended last year three guys were looking at my car and my wife overheard one say" I don't want to give our award to a trailer queen."
That's when she informed them we'd already put 6k miles on it this season and didn't own a trailer. No retort, they moved on and I laughed.
My friends car got the award.

 

Wow! So you actually drive this around?

...yes when ever I can

Oh wow that's cool! So it runs pretty good then?

....it runs ok

Man you must get some terrible gas mileage.

...ugh!

 

every woman is a different factor. your mileage may vary.

 

Before Dad tried to "kill" his '27 RPU and vice versa he was always being approached by lookie lous and hot rod experts, the little car just seemed to draw them out. One day at a cruise, a guy rode up on a bicycle and loosely chained it to a no parking sign about one space up. He came over and checked out the car. Then he finally said nice 350. Dad said actually it is a 327. The guy laughed out loud, "Who do you think you are talking to here an idiot? I used to be an engineer for General Motors, I think I would know a 350 when I see one."

I must have been smiling a bit because he turned on me and said,
"So you are laughing at me, you think you are smarter than I am?"

I said, "No I don't think I am smarter than you, I know I am."
He said again, "I used to be an engineer for GM you know."
I said, "Before or after you hit your head?
He said, "I can prove I used to work for General Motors."
I said, "I can prove you didn't."
He said, "Just how would you do that?

I pointed to dads 327 with 283 Power Pack Heads and said, "Because that is a FORD motor you are talking about. Anyone with half a brain would know it, just look at the ram air inlet rings.

He turned and took another long look and then said, "Oh wow you are right, my bad." Then headed off.

Later when he came back, he found something mysterious had happened to his bike. Some how the parking pole it had been leaning against was now running up between the bike frame. The "Engineer" had a terrible time trying to figure out how in the wide world he had gotten his bike in that situation, not to mention how he was going to get it undone.

 

Me at local cruise in in my 65 Barracuda. "Nice Mustang"
But seriously, if you don't like questions or people looking, don't drive an old car

 

Last carshow I went too in august 3 geniuses walked up to my car and spent a good 5 minutes looking all over my engine. Finally the brains of the group started explaining to his buddies that its a genuine 327 block, then he states to his friends that its got the exact same headers as the ones he is using on his engine. His one buddy, still doubtful, asks him how he can tell its a 327, so he points to the casting numbers on the block and starts reading them out loud, then says "yup all 327s have these casting numbers"
Now here is the kicker, my engine is a 2.0L ford 4 banger. I wish i could say that I was making this shit up, but So far it's been mistaken for everything from a diesel, to a v6, inline 6, and several different v8's. I think most people just get excited and start saying stupid things, but these guys actually spent a good 5 minutes inspecting the engine and still had no idea what they were looking at.

 

I put a 383 Chrysler engine into a 54 Bel Air in 69-70. A bunch of us hung out at an A&W, under the canopy were the customers, back row was the loiterers. We were the unofficial security guards, a lot of things were nipped in the bud by a pack of "crazy hippies" in the back row. The car hops appreciated us having their back, we would get drinks (non alcoholic) on the house.

Sitting in the back row with my hood open, guy about my age comes up. My engine was out of a 65 so it was Chrysler green. Looks under the hood sees the front mount distributor and says "Why did you put a Buick engine in it?"

I said "Hang on" and keyed the ignition. Insert Chrysler whinny starter noise. "Why did you use a Mopar starter in it?" was the next thing he said. Me being the smart ass even back then at the tender age of eighteen said "Like a bad movie I dubbed in the wrong sound effects" He just looked at me and walked away.

My O/T big car Pontiac is another case. "Pontiac never put stick shifts in those", I've lost track how many times I heard that one since I got my first 2+2 in 1970 and my second one in 1986 that I still own. One car show a young guy came up to me and asked me why I put Mustang 2+2 emblems on my car. Had to ask him why Ford put Pontiac emblems on it's Mustang since their 2+2 was introduced in 1965 and Pontiac had 2+2's in 1964.

Or "yeah, it'll go 140, look at the speedometer".........lost track how many times I've heard that one about Gen 2 Firebirds. My usual retort to that is "wouldn't do 140 if you dropped it out of a airplane"

 

Sooner or later I'll read everything that I've encountered..

 

When the dad and son are checking out your ride and the dad says something stupid while schooling his kid, just let it slide. No sense making a man look stupid in front of his child, the kid will eventually figure out whats correct if he is interested. My dad told me all kinds of wrong crap growing up. I found out later how often he was either wrong or just made stuff up. I don't think less of him for it, its just part of being a dad. I may have done the same thing and just don't realize it yet.

 

Around here in my area, every guy with a tubed car can be heard saying how it runs in the 8s. There must be more 8 second, street outlaw wannabe guys here then in the whole country. YEA SURE!

 

Its a rat rod a dune buggy and it has a v-6!!!!!!!!!! Oh and its fast as hell with its 85 horse Flathead(a.k.a.v6)

 

A number of years ago, I drove my '51 F-1 up to a car show in Winnipeg. At the border, the nice Canadian Border Patrol agent went through the usual pack of questions...

"Do you have any alcohol, tobacco, or firearms?"
(No, But this big bag of Cocaine is OK, Right?)
"Where are you from?"
"Where are you going?"
"How long are you going to be in Canada?"
etc, etc,

Before the last question, he pauses for a few seconds, sticks his head completely out the window, and looks at the '51 from end to end and asks:
"Are you going to sell or leave the truck in Canada?"

I couldn't help myself:
"Only if I plan on walking back to Grand Forks.....sir"

By all rights, he could have ordered a full inspection right then and completely disassembled that truck on the spot.
Thankfully he just chuckled and said: "I suppose your right, have a good day"

 

One bloke looks at my 390 in a Caddy- "what motor is that?"
"390 Cadillac"
" But that's a Ford motor!"
"Yes, Ford made a 390, but this is a Cadillac 390"
"but Chevrolet never made a 390"
I said that "they probably never did, but this was a CADILLAC motor"
"But all Cadillacs have Chevy motors!"
I walked off and grabbed another brew from the trunk.

 

Had the same crap with my '67. But asked why I put a Ford motor in it. 428 fender badges. Oh yeah, the factory didn't 4speeds in those big ragtops.

 

Was admiring a really nice '64 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk. The owner came up and we chatted about the car. I asked, "289?"
He replied proudly, "Yes, and you may not know it but that is the same exact 289 that Carroll Shelby put in the original Cobras!"
I just smiled and said, "Cool!"

 

And every SBC with corvette valve covers IS a corvette engine!

 

Just 2 weekends ago, I had a really nice, naive guy explain to his 8-9 year old daughter about how great the new LS Corvette motors fit in old, dangerous cars and make them safer. My 9 year old tells him "only thing safe about it is the seat belts mom made him put in it. Oh, and the engine block is older than my mom".
I had to turn away- didn't want to make it worse on the dad - tears of laughter at your expense are always embarrassing.




That's my boy in front of our '31 all Henry bodied SBC powered coupe.

Sent from my old quadrajet & a 6 volt lantern battery using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

But isn't that the real American Graffiti car?

 

You actually drive it , & it will do over 45mph

 

So if you're not the original owner, is it that guy in the photo ???

 

Wicarnut, I agree with you about the know it alls and the loud mouths ones. Look at the car , if you like it just nod your head and keep your pie hole shut if you don't know what your talking about.lol.Bruce.

 

Very cool car you have there.

 

Older lady asked me if she could be my girl friend and go steady and she could ride in the A and she could drive it.....I'm 73...............And apparently all hot rods are roadsters to some.

 

Was at the Detroit Autorama this year looking at the great 8 Cars. 2 guys next to me are shaking their heads and saying these guys must have $100,000 dollars into these cars.

 

I like playing "stooge the stooge".... You walk back to your car, and there are people there looking at it. You just stand there and look at your car as well. You wait for the "brilliant " comment, and agree with it. Something like " yeah, but he should have done XYZ, because that looks like shit", then I will agree and say , " yep, it sure does". Then they will pick a few other things (because their car is a a 2014 turdbox), and I will join in and agree.
I love the look on their faces, and how quickly they disappear when I then go to the trunk, open it up and grab a drink.