Event Coverage 2017 LA Roadster show

Dean said:
"I, too, would like to hear from the roadster owners who didn't come exactly why."

I finally have a roadster. Electrical issues are keeping me away. I WILL be there next year. I'll happily pay the fee. Things change, but, seeing old friends there will always be the biggest draw. And, you know what? The number of us old farts is smaller now. Getting to be less and less of us, all the time. We're the guys who walk funny, because we hurt, from years of work. We're the guys who CARE how far the portacan is. I'm sure John Buck is taking this stuff in and will make it better, next year. The truth is, these shows have to somewhat cater to we old fellas, because we have most of the cars and parts. Young people need to support all the shows and events that they possibly can. $50 isn't enough, in 2017, to grouse about. If $50 busts your wallet, this hobby might be out of your budget.

I hope to see you there, next year. All, ya'll.

 

I will agree that Rod Shows could have done a better job in the form of a press release explaining the fee this year, but by the same token a lot of people claimed to not even know about it, even though it was on the LA Roadsters web site for at least the last 5 months, not to mention all over this forum and other forms of social media including Facebook ~ so I'm not sure how many would have read it anyway.
As for the Fairgrounds, it has not been sold to a "Chinese Conglomerate" - it is Owned by the County of Los Angeles and is leased for operations to the Los Angeles County Fair Association, a California Non Profit Corporation.
Not sure what happened on your other things, but I got the always in demand Headlight Sticker, a coupon for the goody bag (which had the Program and Dash Plaque, among other things) and another coupon for the Pewter Mug. There were no picnic tickets for anyone, your arm band was your admission to the Great BBQ. The gates weren't supposed to open until noon on Friday, but since some folks showed up early they let them in at 10:00, certainly that can't be a complaint.
As for the swap meet, I thought it was better laid out than the past few years ~ the ones complaining about being to spread out and away from the main stream only have themselves to blame - they PICKED the spot they wanted. If you are dumb enough to pick a spot away from everyone else, oh well.
Can they do better in the years to come? Of course, and they will. Rod Shows has done a great job making the GNRS bigger and better than it ever was and I expect they can do the same with this.
Just my opinion.

 

I will be there. I do think they need to offer the same $ deal as above to the non convertible hot rods,
I too got all the goodies and passed them on to the person who attended in my absence with their HAMB roadster. With the mug it was a bargain. Should be same $ for all, to make the non roadster parking show just a good as the roadster show. Thats how it used to be. Great cars in the swap meet, great cars in the preferred parking, and great roadsters inside the fairgrounds. I am calling and making that recommendation.

 

What "whiners" are you talking about?

And what about the Winternationals and the Auto Club Finals? Is the Fairplex allegedly not making enough money off those events either? I don't buy it.

If the county of L.A. ever sells the property, it would be because of GREED.

Sounds like tradition was ruined this year at the L.A. Roadster show, and isn't that why were all on this board in the first place?

 

There's is some truth here. I'm 36 been going to fathersday every year since I was 12. Always camped in the swap meet. Walked the actual roadster show only twice. All the cars and things I like are in the swap meet area. The reason why your guys prices are falling on your plastic streetrod billet cars are because the younger groups don't want them . All the big shot pocket Rodders always looked down on unfinished cars ratrods and kids. Guys would strip a real hotrod to build a streetrod and hang the cool parts on the walls. Us younger guys search high and low for original hotrod parts and speed equipment and greed has really killed it for the younger generations. When a old rich dudes buys a 32 3w for 60k it should not make all the rest the same. You guys say your getting old and the younger kids are not into hotrods, it's because you guys have all the cool parts we need to keep building these cars and having fun with them, but y'all hoard them then act like it's gold and we just can't afford them so yea it will die off unless you guys start to realize there's more to hotrodding then making money. Most of us younger guys are raising families paying bills and taxes and wishing you could build a hotrod. If I payed 50 bucks to put my car in the show all the old guys would call it a piece of shit and not want theirs parked by it. That's why we care more about the swapmeet than the show. We don't have the big money to just buy a car so we have to build them, and we need parts. I have said it before the la roadster club should of embraced the younger guys with help and knowledge instead of riding around in a golf carts and saying things like look at that piece of shit right in front of someone like me that has busted my ass to recreate my grandpas car, a true real hotrod. After I heard that guy say that last year about my original 32 roadster, that was it for me and I'm glad lots of roadster guys boycotted it. We just need a pomona swap meet for pre 1955 cars and parts with no streetrods or parts for them. Sorry for the rant but truth hurts.

 

I have a question for you. Is your car finished, painted, as in shiny paint? If not, that might have been why... The LARS has a "dress code" for roadsters that's been in place far longer than you've been alive.

 

It has not been brought up yet but the guy with big pockets (John) was also trying to fill them by doubling the price for inside vendors. Notice this year 1/2 the building was rented from vendors. Big, big decrease. Twice the price and 2/3 the attendance. They will not be returning next year.

 

When the traditional movement started in the early 1990s and people brought out survivor Hot Rods that's when the split started. Since they had crappy paint and old chrome they were not allowed in the roadster parking area and had to go to the preferred parking.
Ever since then Hot Rodders stayed in the swap meet and preferred parking and the street rod crowd hung around the plastic roadsters and the vendor area.
Maybe it is time to relax the painted car rules and let history roam free.

 

This dress code is why the younger crowd won't go. It's a roadster show not a fashion show. And my car was shiny and glossy over 80 years ago and I found it built it drive it all with ford parts and a flathead, and because it's not "shiny" I get the look at that piece of shit. Here's a funny one just Saturday a guy was standing at my car and told his friend driving by in his billet crap hey bill, look as he points to my car and says before then points to "bills" car and says after. Hell I didn't even wipe off the dust from elmirage.
The ones who understand loved it and the history. That's all that matters to me.

 

And that's an acceptable reason for saying someone else's car is a piece of shit? I am all for shiny paint but if they are willing to take someones money to allow them in their show then they should at least show them some respect "dress code" or not.

 

Not sure where you got that information, but 3 vendors told me the inside booth cost was the same as last year.

Sent from my XT1650 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

@paintslinger805 I love that car and the passion you put into it

 

Thank you

 

No, of course not. Don't put words into my mouth.

 

Here's the difference between the younger generation and the old generation. 16000 people at trog pismo and crickets at Lars. How many cars at trog are shinny and clean? No sbc or heaters with all the natural a/c you can breath. Just saying times are changing. The shows that race cars and use them like they should be will take over parking lots shows. Even 10 year old kids want to see a hotrod being loud and running not sitting with do not touch signs.

 

So you get all butt hurt because ONE guy called your car a piece of shit (why do you care what he thought) but you call other peoples cars "Plastic Streetrod Billet cars" in a derogatory tone and then you call them "big shot pocket Rodders" - So really, you are no better then the guy you are calling out. You're doing the exact same thing!
And using Street Rod to put down someones car just shows your ignorance of the history of the hobby. The term has been around longer than you might realize, certainly longer than you've been around, and I'll bet you'd be surprised to know how many old time "traditional" cars that you admire have been called street rods by their owners! Just as the guy who called your car a P.O.S. needs to stop and remember what it was like when he was a kid and show some respect, so do you. Broaden your horizon's and you'll find that there were quite a few, as you call them, "Real Hot Rods" in the Roadster section, they just happen to be finished, done cars.

 

Yes, times are changing. Change is actually very traditional. Nothing ever remains the same. But if you give up on a 50 plus year old tradition (that was FORCED to change for various reasons over those years), then we are doomed. Just because one asshole called your ride "a piece of shit", doesn't make everyone over the age of 40 wrong. We are all on the same side here, just with slightly different perspectives.

 

If I were you I'd consider it a badge of honor if some Tupperware, billet laden shitbox driving wrinkly old fart with horrible taste called my car a piece of shit.

 

The "Dress Code" is why the younger crowd won't go? That's funny in light of all the Raving about TROG where there is LITERALLY a Dress Code!
As for LARS, it has always been about arguably one of the Premier Hot Rod clubs putting on a Exhibition of the Best and Nicest Roadsters - that is why and how this show has survived 60 years. In the early days guys didn't Bitch because they couldn't enter their Primered or In Progress car into the show, instead they drove it there and then went to look at the cars that inspired them to continue working on their cars to make them better.

 

Funny thing is I never said it hurt my "butt" feelings I know my car is the "shit" and of those "real hotrods" at the Lars show are really nice. I'm sure they get driven all the time. There is a big difference between a hotrod and a streetrod. And the crowd that has them. Who cares right, I sure don't."

I guess that's why we stay in the swapmeet. To get inspired and rub elbows with hotrodders. Lol
If finished done cars are your bag more power to you but my car will never be done, many more tinkering building bigger and bigger flatheads,rearends and transmission and racing the shit out of it. Race ya there!!!!! Over and out

 

Just wanted to contribute a few of my red cents to this. My father and I have been going to LARS since I was 8 years old. I'm 35 now, and in all that time, we've only missed two shows. Well, three if you include this year, but I can't say we "missed" it. I moved to Austin, TX 4 years ago from San Diego, and have made a special trip back each year to spend father's day with my dad at this event. After hearing about the changes for this year, and witnessing last year's miserable showing, we said "no mas."

The event pricing is absurd, the lines and mismanaged entry each year is dumbfounding, and frankly the swap meet barely has anything worthwhile anymore. Cars are typically over-priced because of the show's draw, and the atmosphere has been fading for several years. Sadly, I find it highly unlikely we'll make the trip anymore. We'll probably find something local in Austin, or the surrounding metros, to attend on Father's Day while I still have one to celebrate with!

 

Not really !

 

I have sold at the swap meet for the last 5 years. I’m happy to finally see marked assigned spaces although needing to buy in person starting Wednesday, then waiting in line for hours Saturday morning sucked.

Most other swap meets allow entry for sellers around 5am. Why do they wait until 9am Friday and 6am Saturday?

Lots of confusion for people who didn’t know they could buy in advance and a single person stopping each truck to ask for a wrist band made for an agonizingly slow entry.

No porta-cans is inexcusable and can only be explained by a stingy promoter. He has run large shows before, no excuses on that one.

Brownie points for allowing swap buyer parking actually near the swap meet. I’d like to know how many swap buyers actually went inside to the exhibit hall area.

The attendance at each gate should give an indication of what people mainly come to see.


All the talk about tradition is fine but demographics have changed and the show can’t survive on gold chainers and their shiny plastic rods.

People pay to actually SEE something, not empty space. Anything done to decrease things to see is going to send the show into a death spiral.

While $50 may be a bargain compared to many things, the bottom line is if the price is a tipping point people won’t go.

It would be better to have twice the cars at half the price because that makes the show so much more than 150 almost identical 32 Ford roadsters.

The “bring your own car” space between the swap and the exhibit halls was a ghost town, not a giant gathering of all kinds of interesting (shiny and not) cars to see.


Less “bring your own” cars = less buyers for vendors = less future vendors, buyers and spectators = extinct show.


I would look into condensing the space more since the distance from the LONE exhibit hall to the swap prevented many people from going to the other one even with the tram service.

I myself didn’t have a problem with the swap prices since we got 3 parking spots compared to the 2 spots many swap meets give.

If all spots can be bought online next year and the gates open earlier then the swap will be ok assuming the buyer decline doesn’t continue.


I know of at least one long time vendor just outside the exhibit halls that won’t be going next year. He’s not alone.

 

I wanted to go this year but it wasn't feasible. Last year was the first time I went and it was awesome, and I spent about an hour, maybe two actually looking at the roadsters and other cars. The swap meet, open houses, and dinner with friends made the weekend for me.

Next year I hope to have my roadster in full dress and to drive it there. $50 doesn't mean much to me (Roundup is $40 and you get into the show, period). For all the swag and dinner $50 sounds like an ok price. But I also get the change in guard offending many regulars. I guess I'll try to do my part next year to bring it back and I'll have fun regardless of who else does.

 

That reminds me, I'm out of beer!

 

Oh no !!!!

 

Nothing wrong with segregating the cars if that is the tradition. The old school only guys don't mind not dis-inviting hot rods to a meet if the car has a sbc and no hood !!!!! Or bangers only.

I quit selling at the swap meet when they didn't assign spaces and the resultant free for all left people without a space while guys used up the spaces with trailer and car parking. The free roadster entry used to be a fricken nightmare also.

Griping about $50 to attend a 3 day show IS Whining. I am charged that here for a one day car show and MAYBE a free Tshirt. Even if they let pre 72 cars and trucks into preferred parking FREE you would still have fist fights over who would get to power park at the front.

 

Please tell us how the free roadster entry "used to be a fricken nightmare". I've not known that to be the case. What am I missing?