Quote: Do the "other guys" have this much "drama" or were they more welcoming to your restorations.
I am dumbfounded on this one Alan! Every car I have ever had judged (brand X) was explained in detail as to what was deducted. On BOTH of my other Chrysler OE cars, I received a vehicle summary along with the OE certificate. NOT WITH THIS ONE! I was told that the summary sheet and Certificate was processed by the judges and then sent to Jim Belinda for HIM to forward to the participants. Why would the certificate be sent but not the summary sheet if BOTH were sent to Jim by the Judges? If both were completed, wouldn't it make sense to send everything at once rather than double the cost and effort of shipping the two documents separately? It just seems a little weird and different from the last two times!
The deductions seemed to change from what we were told at the show. I have a strong feeling that a couple of extra deductions might have been added AFTER the fact. Why all the secrecy?! I guess time will certainly tell. In essence, we really didn't take the car to be judged! We knew what we were bringing and thought it would serve as a learning experience for those who "judged" and saw the car. We did this to show the entire hobby that ANYONE could compete or be involved with the highest program in the Mopar venue. So many times I hear people talk about how they "only" have a certain type of lowly vehicle and could "Never" compete or be viewed as one of the elites. HOGWASH!!! Everyone involved in this Hobby is just as important as the next person. It doesn't matter what kind of car you have or the engine between the fenders. This Valiant is BETTER, NEATER, COOLER AND BADDER than ANY car I own.....period! It is my personal favorite amongst a pretty neat group of my Muscle Cars. This is the type of Car that made the Chrysler Corporation what it is! Not the HEMIS....not the SIX PACKS! Many of us grew up in the back seats of cars just like this. Going to Church, School, Grocery Shopping, Vacations, Trips to Grandmas, Holiday Journeys, etc...! I actually think that this restoration may have exposed some of the "cracks" in the Judging program. The wrong Color Power Steering Fluid??? Where did THAT come from? I also thought the Judges were to ask permission before removing parts off of your car! No one on the Valiant team remembers anyone being asked if they could remove our P/S reservoir cap! We were also told that NO CAR would ever get a perfect score and that they would ALWAYS find something to deduct in order to keep a perfect score from occurring. I guess if a car could be transported from 1970 they would fabricate something in order to accomplish that particular objective. Keep in mind that none of this is about "sour grapes". We just broke every OE record and took Best of Show at the event! It is simply about measurable continuity within a Judging program. It should be transparent and structured for everyone involved.....including us peons with 4 door vehicles!
