First Classic Car Show as Participant [photo dump] & Electrical Gremlins

"Mark - Sixpots None The Richer" (marklinde)
09/02/2020 at 08:55 • Filed to: Chevrolet, Bel Air, Wagon, Kolbenfresser, Germany, car show

After visiting countless shows as a civilian, this was my first event as proper participant. Needless to say, I was looking forward to talk to other owners and very curious about the interactions with visitors.

The “US Car Classics” took place in Diedersdorf, a village just 15 minutes south of Berlin. But the Bel Air found a way to make the trip last 12 times longer...

I had two goals for the event: Enjoying it for what it is and getting to know other owners. The latter is especially important to me because I don’t have friends who are into (classic) cars and I’m simply missing meaningful conversations about my passion. And on a more serious note I don’t have a network of people who can help me and to learn from yet. I’m aware of clubs, but because of reasons I don’t want to join one at the moment.

Getting to know people is a huge task for me though. One problem is that my first instinct still is to hide behind my father’s legs when encountering strangers. My social awarkness makes networking a struggle for me. And on top of that I’m terribly self-concious. It’s a horrifying thought for me to be the guy who’s monitoring people’s reactions to my car while being enthroned on a lawn chair next to it. That means passively lingering around the Chevy to use it as a conversation starter is not that easy either.

In the end I think I found a good compromise. Since the event lasted two days, I used most of the first day to walk around with friends in order to ease myself into this new experience.

On the second day I returned to the car more often and talked to the people parked around me as well as to visitors who showed interest in the Bel Air. After a while I found myself sitting in a lawn chair on the bed of a pick up truck.

Did I become the cliché I was so afraid of? Fuck it! It was fun and I actually achieved the goal of talking about cars and networking a bit. The Bel Air generally received kind words and respect from other enthusiasts.

And the vistors? Considering the line-up of cars it’s fair to say that the big Chevy wasn’t exactly the star of the show. And yet a good chunk of people showed their appreciation and were quite astonished by the condition.

Speaking of the line-up of cars: Enjoy some of the pics I took at the event.

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It wasn’t all smooth sailing though. Sadly, the Chevy had another electrical hiccup on the second day. She started up just fine, ran normally for a couple of minutes and died while I was locking up the garage. After ruling out that it was the same problem I had !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I had to face the fact that I needed to be rescued by roadside assistance again.

The guy found a loose cable leading to the ignition lock. After that problem was fixed another gremlin popped up. Somewhere in the dashboard area is a ground issue. The fuel gauge stopped working and when switching on the dashboard lights the water temperature meter is not reading correctly anymore.

It’s certainly possible that those new issues are caused by a mistake the mechanic made. But nonetheless the wiring harness needs a proper check. Currently there’s a bit too much improvisation going on for my taste.

Of course, I noticed the weird wooden construction when buying the car. However, never change a running system.

Two total electrical failures and a high beams flicker I noticed a few weeks ago are good reasons to check the electrical system. That’s more efficient than constantly making smaller fixes and it will put my mind at ease when planning longer trips. Admittedly, I didn’t plan to spend that kind of money on the car this year, but I’m stoic about those unexpected costs. It is what it is, as a well-known statesman said when confronted with disaster.

The good thing is that a proper rewiring will last for years. And if possible I’ll also try to attend the check and repairs to learn a thing or two.

DISCUSSION (13)

Just Jeepin' > Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
09/02/2020 at 09:08

Certainly I’d hope the wiring would be a lot simpler on this than a modern car, so small blessings.

I’m very much with you on the social awkwardness. I can barely stand to look at a car when the owner is sitting behind it in a chair, much less be the owner sitting behind it in a chair.

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Just Jeepin'
09/02/2020 at 09:12

Yes, the checking and fixing the wiring is not a big deal in terms of the skill needed . It’s just time-consuming. And time is money. ;- )

I’m glad that I’m not the only one finding these social situations a bit uncomfortable.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
09/02/2020 at 10:10

Kinja'd!!!

Just a random immaculate Dakota hanging out. Odd thing to import but ok.

That was a seriously good turnout. Lots of unusual stuff too that you wouldn’t exactly expect. I’m really surprised by the variety you got when importing cars never sold there originally it is easy to just go for the ones you recognize like Camaros and Mustangs.

I do love your Bel Air though, especially because it is a wagon and therefore much less likely to have been loved and maintained.

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/02/2020 at 10:31

The are countless ways how a car came over from the US. It might have been imported when new , specifically requested and/or imported as a used car/classic car, a member of the US armed forces stationed in Germany could’ve brought it with him/her or a German could’ve bought while being in the US, fell in love with it and imported it.

This is why there are some many different US cars over here - not just the well-known models.

And thank you! It’s true that well maintained wagons are comparatively rare and special. God knows why the first two-three owners kept it in great shape.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
09/02/2020 at 10:48

I suppose I just never imagined the more obscure cars without much aftermarket support would gain much ground so far from home.

Yes, you just see so few classic wagons at car shows. As much as I like the car I don’t think I would have preserved it so well if I owned it when they were commonplace.

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/02/2020 at 12:31

The US car scene is huge everywhere in Europe. Because of the demand there are a lot of specialists around who order tons of spare parts and/or who have connections to specialists in the US. That was true before the internet became a thing and n owadays most of the stuff is just a mouse click away anyway .
T he support for older and classic US cars is really good. For example o ften needed p arts for cars lik e a 60s Mustang are in stock at German suppliers. W e have to wait longer over here for more special parts to arrive for sure. But that is true for you guys on the other side of the Atlantic as well. Shipping takes a bit longer. A nd we have to pay taxes on top of our order because the stuff goes through customs . Combines with a service fee for the specialist parts are more expensive to maintain, but it’s certainly not horrifically expensive.

And the cars made up until the 9 0s is easy to work on. So almost every car mechanic can fix them without having to be a specialist. Basically the only requirement is having tools in imperical units .

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
09/02/2020 at 12:50

You can build a Mustang from the ground up with ebay parts but y ou’d be hard pressed to find that one special part that broke to replace on your old Rambler even here in the US. I know it couldn’t be too hard to source a 68 Camaro throttle body even in Europe but lots of those cars you took pictures of have very little aftermarket support even here, forcing you to find an old family owned junkyard that has one that was junked 40 years ago. I wonder what sort of networking it takes to source some of the more specialized stuff from across the Atlantic.

I certainly see the appeal though. I suppose I’m just more surprised that the car scene has caught on so much. Maybe I’m just not used to a car import system that works properly.

Older foreign market cars don’t have too much of a following over here. We did get plenty of some of the more iconic European and Japanese GTs etc sold here new but I really think we could do better across the Atlantic in branching out. Japanese imports have caught on in recent years but they’re still very rare to see. And good luck finding an import from Europe.

And for someone who likes French cars, it’s really tough. I finally caught that Citroen HY Van food truck today (post coming) and that makes it just the third Citroen I’ve ever seen.

Kinja'd!!!

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/02/2020 at 15:07

“ but lots of those cars you took pictures of have very little aftermarket support even here, forcing you to find an old family owned junkyard that has one that was junked 40 years ago. I wonder what sort of networking it takes to source some of the more specialized stuff from across the Atlantic. “

I’m not for a second claiming that you don’t have to be a bit crazy to own a rare classic car . I’m just saying that it doesn’t really matter whether it’s the US or Europe. Rare stuff is rare everywhere.
And some of the networks were most likely established over decades . And on top of that q uite a few companies employ people directly in the US who hunt specific cars and rare parts. Whether it’s a US specialist or a German guy/company tasking someone in the States , t hey all end up at the same family-owned junkyard eventually - when they know what they are doing . ;-)

“ Maybe I’m just not used to a car import system that works properly. Older foreign market cars don’t have too much of a following over here.”
Yupp, simply not enough demand to make a system work properly.

Very nice van! :-)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
09/02/2020 at 15:15

The Japanese used car market works like a well oiled machine but the complicated import process and age barrier means they are much harder to get into the states. Procuring cars and parts in the other country is the easy part; you pretty much want to hire someone to do the paperwork for you because of the bureaucratic mess of papers, signatures, and certifications can get your car crushed if you make a wrong move.

And for Europe, the network of people who import stuff here is much smaller. The HY Van came via England like most and you might occasionally see an imported LR Defender, but that’s about it. They still try to source LHD cars if possible but they almost all come from England.

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/02/2020 at 15:37

See, that’s one of the bigger differences: The paper work to import cars and parts from the US to Germany is neglectible. A few standard forms, the bill of sales, an invoice and the original, clean title and you’re done. While getting an expert on board is always adviseable when a lot of money is involved, an amateur can fairly easily do it with a checklist from a trustworthy source.

Here’s an example: https://cfrrinkens.com/international-car-shipping/import-car-from-usa-to-germany/

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
09/02/2020 at 15:45

That is way less than is required here from what I understand. Don’t you need a certificate of de registration in the other country though? At any rate that shipping company’s website makes it sound quite easy.

Longtime Lurker > Mark - Sixpots None The Richer
09/02/2020 at 20:35

https://www.painlessperformance.com/wc/symm.php?Year=1966&Make=Chevrolet&Model=Bel+Air&sb1=+

Mark - Sixpots None The Richer > Longtime Lurker
09/03/2020 at 05:11

T hank you very much ! That might come in handy!