Menards Chevrolet Show at Maple Grove Raetrack July 12-14

[IROCZman15]

I am planning on going again this year. Last year was a great time, even though it rained pretty badly one day. This year I'll be doing the car show portion; next year I hope to have the new engine in the car, a roll bar, battery relocated, nitrous replumbed, and have the car well sorted out by mid-summer....to hopefully race there.

I plan on going for both days, but my entire plan includes going out to PA on friday mid day and stopping by at S&W Racecars to speak with them about my options/cost/timeline for having them install a 6 point roll-bar with door swing-outs. I exchanged a few emails recently, but I would like to stop in with the car and find out a solid gameplan. Also, I plan on stopping by at Ed Quay Racecars and discussing having them build me a custom set of 1 7/8" or 2" headers with a Y-pipe and 4" muffled exhaust for spring next year. Friday I'll stay over at my in-laws house nearby to both those shops, and then Saturday and Sunday I'll be at Maple Grove for the show.

here is some info:
https://maplegroveraceway.com/event/...nstance_id=266
and
https://maplegroveraceway.com/wp-con...-Flyer-PDF.pdf

and info/photos from last year:
http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68507


anyone interested?

[IROCZman15]

event is 2 days away. its nice to see we have zero interested people... just like last year

Despite that, I am going for the weekend, as long as I don't have any surprise mechanical issues.

Why does it seem so strange that very few people in the large web group of us new jersey f-body owner's actually use and drive their f-bodys and enjoy going to bigger sized events or long drives. I guess that is why its called the f-body OWNERS assoc., and not f-body DRIVING association. year after year it seems that less than a dozen people from our group of thousands and thousands of members actually attend big f-body events like the camaro nationals in maryland , chevrolet nationals in carlisle, chevy show at maple grove, etc. kind of a buzzkill. But hey, do what ya like... If that means clocking 38.1 miles per year on your odometer taking the car to the local burger king cruise night 11 times with the same old group of cars, enjoy. I have more fun at bigger shows with hundreds and hundreds of cars; and especially one like this weekend where there will be pro mods and 7,8,9,10 second door slammers racing all weekend long as well. I am saying this because it feels odd that I might be the only one that thinks this way.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

I don't have the time to do such an event, doesn't mean I don't want to

I actually think I've only taken the car to one cruise night and one car show in the past 3 years. My schedule is so busy/erratic I find myself going to the hardware store or down the shore in it more than anything else

[Blackbirdws6]

As Nick said, it's a time thing and priorities have shifted. It doesn't mean I don't enjoy the car or want to drive it. If I'm able to get a free day but only have a couple hours to screw around, I simply can't make the big shows and events as they have a bigger time commitment. Proper planning can make it happen of course but its just how it is.

[wretched73]

I haven't had a running f body in at least 8 years. Regardless I prefer working on it over going to car shows. Especially ones that are far away. My local shows always have a good turn out and I get to hang out with my friends.

[sweetbmxrider]

I live vicariously through you....and everyone else

[3.4 grape of wrath]

"our group of thousands and thousands of members". I think you had it right when you said "less then a dozen". Seems like only a dozen members are left here. I too, like working on my car more then taking it to shows and events.
These days I drive it locally but there was a time when it was my daily driver.I would like to enter it in some local car shows but I need to make some cosmetic repairs before I do that.

[The_Bishop]

Never been much of a 'show' guy, and time is damned limited these days to even wrench on the car.

[IROCZman15]

While I totally get what you guys are saying about limited time and whatnot for each of your own lives..... I guess my statement was more towards the whole group of people on here (and guests who just read) as being "why does it seems that almost nobody else seems to ever participate in bigger events, year after year after year; not just this specific time-period. it is disheartening to think that low participation turnout at these type of events is simply/only going to lead to bigger events shutting down and going extinct in the short future. Every year when I go to some of these things, its less participation than the year before. It's never going to be the wild mania and awesomeness that was the late 80s-early 90's of car paradise, but if we keep not participating and hoping other people will show up instead... that doesn't seem like it will work. I'll admit, I had to miss the Camaro Nats and the Chevy Nats this year because I was unable to get off from work for ANY of those days. That sucked, but I at least feel good every time I can go and I always always have a ton of fun. I street drive the car to whatever event I go to, park it, and barely even hang out by it all weekend. I spend my whole weekend walking around, talking to owners and builders and racers, taking photos and videos, and hanging out. I brought a chair this weekend and didn't even sit in it once. I don't enjoy that "sitting around babysitting the car" portion of car shows. So yea, I do know that we are all busy and all certainly do enjoy wrenching on/driving our cars, but I am hopeful that we can get more people interested in events and pre-plan it onto our calendars. especially one like this, with a big car show and 3 days of racing cars that ran e.t.s from in the 5 second zone, to the 11 second zone.

[IROCZman15]

With that being said, here is a rundown of my past weekend. I have probably 450 photos/videos that I have to upload from both
cameras and then sort through... so that part might have to wait for a few days. sorry.

Short version: put down 332 miles o the car, it drove great, 2 days of the car show, watched racing for 2 days, hungout with some friends I knew, made some new friends, stopped at S&W racecars to discuss my 6 point roll bar install, lots of sun, all in all a super fun and enjoyable weekend.

Long version:

Friday: I Had prepped the car the night before so it was easy to leave on Friday at 12noon. My wife was coming to visit with her friends and family but she was not going to maple grove at all so she drove out on her own. It also was better this way because I had arranged to stop by S&W Racecars out in PA mid afternoon Friday. I only really planed on being there for 15 mins, but the shop foreman Mike ended up being a super friendly guy. We discussed options for my roll bar and how best to keep this car a street-car. Afterwards he showed me around the shop at some of the project cars and their tubing benders, cnc machines, etc. way cool. Most of the crew at S&W was already at Maple Grove setting up trucks, trailers, and doing test and tune for their weekend of bracket racing. Then drove to my in-laws house, and went out for dinner.

Saturday: Hit the road around 7:30 am for the 31 mile drive to Maple Grove. Arrived, parked, registered, gave the car a 10 minute wipe-down and that was it. Didn't even touch it or hangout by it the rest of the day. There was a handfull of 3rd gen cars there Saturday and two guys I remembered from years past. Spent some time walking around the showfield, taking photos and chatting with people as well. Then watched some drag racing bracket cars, some "true-street" cars, top sportsman, top dragster, outlaw, 2 alcohol funny cars, and my long time favorite...the pro mods. Walked around in the pits and chatted with people about their roll-cage setups,and asked a lot of 3rd gen drivers what header combination/specs they use and why. Stopped by the S&W trailers and talked with the whole group for a while. Randy and his daughter were in the bracket classes and they did pretty well all weekend long. Hungout with a guy who I went to high school with and his mid 9second monte carlo at various times over the weekend also. Car show awards saturday are always based on the entire showfield as a whole, and not split up into lasses (thats Sundays awards). I always like to go and see how some of the top cars of the group do, and its neat to see some of the people I was chatting with earlier win an award. They do stuff like best paint, best engineered, best engine, top 10 judges choice in the showfield, top 10 event sponsors choice, and top 5 maple grove racetrack choice. I was completely blown away and to be honest, quite embarrassed to hear my name called up for a top 10 judges choice award. No way I deserve that compared to the dozens and dozens of high-dollar, pro built, masterpiece cars out on the showfield. I still feel uneasy about that, but I can't really protest or refuse to take the award; so I guess it is what it is. Watched more racing until about 5pm and then drove the car back to my in-laws house.

Sunday, left the house at 7 am and got to the track around 7:45. Parked in the 3rd gen section and gave the quick wipre down of the car. A few of the other 3rd gen guys arrived, including Joe A. and his awesome 1992 camaro. He is a member here I think, but not active anymore. Its a pro-streeted style 1992 camaro with a 434 cid Shaffiroff motor and a procharger making around 1,050 horsepower! its got a full roll cage, parachute, wild paint, and a serious rear end. lots of work and $ put into the car. I walked the showfield again and watched drag racing most of the day. Mid afternoon they did car show awards; there are LOTS of classes and these classes are broken down into stock, street modified, and heavy modified. my buddy brandon won the 3rd gen stock class, i did in street modified, and Joe won heavy mod. the sun was hot all day. cars ran all day long minus maybe two oil down cleanups. I stayed until about 5pm when only a few classes of cars were left in the staging lanes. Loaded up my unused chair, box of detail supploes, and my cooler and hit the road. A fuel stop on the way home and a nice easy drive most of the way. I passed by Island dragway where they had a ford event, but it was already done of the day.

put 332 miles on the car and it worked really well. used my button to lock-up the torque converter on the long strecthes of highway. temps were usually 180-200. once or twice I noticed it was at 220. trans temp was 160-180. I have a very slight rotational scuffing sound coming from my drivers side rear rotor to investigate. and I think my stereo amplifier finally took a dump. I have had it for 16 years and its been acting erratic this year. Not bad timing either since I was going to reconfigure the whole rear truck stereo system this winter after the roll bar setup is installed. all in all, a very fun weekend; and my favorite car weekend of the year.

[IROCZman15]

here is a link to the photo/video album:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/iroczm...57709700983106

and here are a few quick photos from it: