Just want to give you guys a heads up on the car show part of the Daytona weekend this year. I am the Chief Judge again this year. We are going back to the 3 minute time limit for judging cars this year (with multiple judges). I believe the time limit makes for fair competition in that judges can't spend a lot of time trying to find flaws in cars they don't personally like. And with the judging sheets the judges are required to look at specific items that have specific numbers of points assigned to them. I like to emphasize different areas of the car each year in an attempt to improve the breed. The first year it was fenderwells, the second year the fuel cap area, and so on. This year I'd like to place emphasis on the interior. That kind of puts us good ol' boys down south here at a disadvantage because Mr. Sun is really hard on the interiors down here. For the gals out there, I think if you will check the past years you will find a LOT of female winners here in Florida (and no they didn't win by wearing their bikinis at the show - although I personally do not discourage it!). So how about all you guys and gals up north that are snow bound about now start getting those Fieros ready to bring down here and try to whup our collective butts in March. I will be available on Sunday after the show and awards banquet Saturday night to discuss your score sheets and provide you with honest feedback on what you need to do to score better in the next show. I promise to be honest, but not brutal. As always we are looking forward to seeing all of you again. After a misereable hurricane season here in Florida we are being blessed with an absolutely marvelous winter, so come on down and enjoy it with us!!! Remember to bring sunscreen, hats, and maybe even a sweatshirt or jacket for the evenings. As a final challenge, I'd like to see all you 4.9 guys come down and see if you can show up the SBC Fieros. Too bad we can't get some track time on Daytona!

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Tom Corey
Melbourne, FL
87 Green T-Top GT 5Spd SBC ZZ3 V8

Tom,
Are you telling me that I need to shift points around on the score sheet this year? I guess you can discuss that with Frank and he'll relay any changes I need to make to the judging software.

-FieroLinks

Can we get a list of what the judges do look at?

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____________________Marty
The Pearl White GT Build Up

quote Originally posted by achawkins: Can we get a list of what the judges do look at?

From what he said, You should wear a bikini.

Judges look at almost everything on the car, depending on class the points will shift from one area to another. A 'Daily Driver' classes will not have the engine compartment or front compartment judged. Custom may have more points toward paint or the modifications, etc. 'Modified' will have more points in the engine bay. etc. etc. etc.

Daytona Score Sheets have not been made yet and there will be a few meeting between now and then. SO they are up in the air at the moment.

-FieroLinks

I have been judging for a few years now at Daytona (did not make it for 2004) and we look at everything. Top to bottom and front to rear. This includes door jambs, trunk hinges, front hood hinges, the above mentioned gas cap area, my favorite the wheel wells and tires, fit and finish, and overall condition. The engine compartment should be cleaned up of any loose and not secured hoses, wires, and again overall condition. As a judge I can not touch your car or get down on the ground to see the underside, but I can sure bend over good enough to see underneath. In the past some cars would have had a higher score if they paid a little more attention to the underside as some really clean cars had dirty and in some cases filthy bottoms. It's all in the details.

Details like the paint BEHIND the outside rearview mirrors. Is it painted all the way or just touched up? Another tie-breaker.

The gas door hinge area is used a lot of times as a tie breaker if two cars are so clean that you have to look for something as trivial as dirt in this area. It happened before in the past.

Wheels. Get the Q-tip out and clean around the lug nuts.

Wax. Get rid of any wax residue left behind as you clean your pride and joy.

Glass. Clean that glass inside and out.

I could go on and on but it all boils down to the DETAILS.

Now I am not going to give away all the secrets but I will leave you with one more that is a point killer.

I give max point deductions for steering wheel covers, dash covers, ans seat covers. The thinking is that you are covering up something like cracks, fading, blemishes, tears and or just not being clean. It's not fair to the "other" guy.

Talk to previous class and first place winners and they will tell you they clean their cars with Q-tips for that last DETAILING.

Don't let the above discourage you. When I went to my first Fiero show in Kissimmee Fl back in 1995 (?), I laughed at a guy who was sitting behind his car with a rag buffing his exhaust tips. Well guess what?

Hope to see you in Daytona and get a chance to inspect your beautiful Fiero.

Do you like beer?

Well, my GT will be in the daily driver class. So, do I need to even open my hood/trunk? or leave them closed? If I still have to open them then I got some detail work to do!

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____________________Marty
The Pearl White GT Build Up

Beer is good....Money is better.

The 'Daily Driver' classes are for people that don't have the time to fully detail their car. The front hood and the rear decklid are left closed and there is nothing on the judging sheet from them in those classes. But this means that points move into over areas like: Seats, Seatbelts, Interior Trim, Steering Wheel, Pedals, Carpet, Dash, Windows, Window Seals, Mirrors, Wheels, Tires, Visible Suspension Compents, etc. etc. etc.

'Daily Drivers' are not eligable for 'Best of Show'. They are not judged as fully as the other classes and that wouldn't be fair to the guy the Q-Tips every inch of the inside of his front compartment (don't forget to get in around the headlights and headlight doors).

There is normally a 'Display' class that isn't judged. Like my work-in-progress in always in the 'Display' class because I never seem to paint it. I do wash it before I leave for the show.

-FieroLinks

quote Originally posted by achawkins: Do you like beer? Well, my GT will be in the daily driver class. So, do I need to even open my hood/trunk? or leave them closed? If I still have to open them then I got some detail work to do!

I am not a beer drinker BUT I do like money (lots)

I think there should be a TRUE WIP class. I'm going to have my hood and doors closed but deck lid open. Then next year I can get the Most Improved Win! My check list is as follows.

1. Motor Swap
2. Rear suspension
3. Rear Brakes
4. Front Suspension
5. Front Brakes
6. Paint
7. Wheels
8. Interior

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4.9 Caddy in Garage! Car in Driveway! ACK!

****************************************
http://home.cfl.rr.com/fierose
Central Florida Fieros
http://www.centralfloridafieros.org

Proud Member and founder of the DOWN SOUTH SUNNY WINTER PICK ON SNOW PEOPLE COALITION!

Who is the guy with the beutiful red GT parked right across from archie and norm last year? Love that car. I think he said he was in the florida fiero club, IIRC.

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____________________Marty
The Pearl White GT Build Up

Paint brushes are a very good substitute for "Q" Tips

quote Originally posted by achawkins: Who is the guy with the beutiful red GT parked right across from archie and norm last year? Love that car. I think he said he was in the florida fiero club, IIRC.

That would be C. Stevens, his 87 GT is a lot of years in the making. Yes he is in the CFF club.

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4.9 Caddy in Garage! Car in Driveway! ACK!

****************************************
http://home.cfl.rr.com/fierose
Central Florida Fieros
http://www.centralfloridafieros.org

Proud Member and founder of the DOWN SOUTH SUNNY WINTER PICK ON SNOW PEOPLE COALITION!

I have been to Daytona the last 4 years , and EVERY year the daily drivers DID have their front and rear compartments OPEN. 2 years ago , they made us open our gas cap door also.
So , someone needs to clarify this. The daily driver class may not be judged as critically as the Custom or Modified classes , but it is a tough class to compete in because they seem to change how they're gonna compete each year in Daily Driver. One year it's Fastbacks and Coupes , the next year they're all combined. Or they may be broken down in daily driver stock and daily driver custom. Last year it was sub-divided by mileage. How is it gonna be this year?
For the record , I have had very good luck in the daily driver class the past 3 years , so will not show in that class again this year. Hopefully they will have a "high mileage Stock" class.

quote Originally posted by Kento: That would be C. Stevens, his 87 GT is a lot of years in the making. Yes he is in the CFF club.

That would be Craig Stephens and his 1986 GT...Jesus Joe how long have you known me? Thanks for the nice complements and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again this year. Hopefully we will have the 1987 Dingman IMSA GTO FIERO there at Daytona again this year, I will keep you posted...

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8T6 GT

quote Originally posted by red GT: That would be Craig Stephens and his 1986 GT...Jesus Joe how long have you known me? Thanks for the nice complements and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again this year. Hopefully we will have the 1987 Dingman IMSA GTO FIERO there at Daytona again this year, I will keep you posted...

Heck, I'm not an english Major!

Hey, If I remember my red Fiero was also parked right across from Archie too. He could be talking about my car not Craig's "87" Fiero. Just joking, I know which car he is talking about and Yes it is one bad ass Fiero.

This years show should be alot of fun and if you are reading this post and have not attended the Daytona show you are really missing out.

quote Originally posted by Ronnie: ... EVERY year the daily drivers DID have their front and rear compartments OPEN. 2 years ago , they made us open our gas cap door also.

Yep sure did.

In my humble opinion the judging and competition takes all the fun out of the show. I prefer the show and shine format. After driving all the way to beautiful sunny Florida the last thing I want to do is spend hours cleaning my car. I would rather spend that time visiting with the other owners and talking Fieros.

If I go this year it will be in display class, as no Fiero that I own is nice enough to compete for a trophy.

That is the thing about the show,.... there is something for everyone. There are different classes depending on how serious and or how far along you are in your buildup.

To be perfectly honest my favorite part of the show and the cars are the projects ! i Love going to the back and checking out what everyone is working on.

That is what i enjoy most.

I started this thread to perk up interest in the show, particularly for people that may want to come and show for the first time, not to start another thread full of flames and arguments. With that thought in mind, I want to respond to some of your comments. First of all, the judging details and scoring details for this year have not yet been finalized, but should be by early February. Second, for those of you who don't want to prep their car and show it, you don't have to - just show up and enjoy all the Fieros and the weather. The really fun part for me is checking out all the innovative little things people have done to their Fieros I see new things every year. You can pick up a lot of good ideas, plus you can ask questions and get answers from folks who have "done it all" on Fieros. I would like to say in advance (since some have responded on this thread with information that may not be quite accurate) that while I intend to emphasize the interior this year, there has been no final decision made yet regarding how we will do that. Also my view of the "Display Only" class is that it is not a class, but is what we generally write on the window show decal of previous show winner cars or special cars that the owners want to display, but not show competitively for a trophy. With the "Display Only" on the sticker, we know that those cars do not require judging. It is definitely not a category for cars you don't wish to wash or prep for display, but want to park. We will have an area for parking cars and support vehicles in the rear of the show area. FieroLink, you have PM.

[This message has been edited by Tom Corey (edited 01-13-2005).]

Is the fee to put your car in different for each class or is it one standard fee to get your ride in the gate?

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____________________Marty
The Pearl White GT Build Up

[This message has been edited by achawkins (edited 01-13-2005).]

I showed up last year and left my car at home this year I will be parking cars and will have mine at the show. I will only be showing off the engine swap since the rest of the car will be trashed as I dont have time to complete everything I want to do. Even without my car I had a MAJOR BLAST!

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4.9 Caddy in Garage! Car in Driveway! ACK!

****************************************
http://home.cfl.rr.com/fierose
Central Florida Fieros
http://www.centralfloridafieros.org

Proud Member and founder of the DOWN SOUTH SUNNY WINTER PICK ON SNOW PEOPLE COALITION!

I've been attending the show for the past 4 years and working it for the past 2 years. Even though I don't always get to see all the cars, I've had a great time each year. It's always great to see everyone and the wonderful modifications that they make to their cars. It's also great to see the faces of all the 'non-Fiero' people when a large group of Fieros go driving by, all in a row. Or the expressions they make when they hear a V8 Fiero go rumbling by.

-FieroLinks

Hey guys , I hope I didn't come off sounding negative above. I was just trying to let everyone know that you do need to do some cleaning up in the Daily Driver Class also. They do look.
Daytona is the "Best" show that I have attended and it's always fun to see everyone we've met thru the Fiero community. The banquet is always good and lots of really nice door prizes are given away.
Lots of nice cars in all the classes.Always neat to see everyone's new mods, or really nice Stock cars. I'm beginning to think that in the years to come, it's gonna be hard to find a nice , clean , stock car !!
I like the judged shows better because it's not a popularity contest. The judges have always done a great job in Daytona

The thing about the show is that it is set up for both those who want to compeate and those who just want to come and socialize. The objective more than anything else is to try and have fun, and I do love seeing what's maybe new for the year. With a little luck the weather will hold.

When the classes are finally decided upon they wil be posted to the show web site

http://floridafieros.org/daytona2005

Plus at the bottom of the web site is some links to other 2005 shows, and room for more

Frank

quote Originally posted by achawkins: Is the fee to put your car in different for each class or is it one standard fee to get your ride in the gate?

The cost is the same. Your registration fee allows you to drive your car into the infield area of the Daytona Speedway (you usually get a free pic and a little plaque of you in your car from the speedway folks) and park in the Fiero show area. Its the same if you are with passenger, and/or tow vehicle with trailer - if the Fiero is on the trailer). There will be Fiero guys there directing you where to park based on show class or if you are just parking to be there for grins. If you park outside the spedway and walk in you will have to pay a gate fee.

Daytona is THE most fun show that I have attended. This year I am going to "display class". I,m tired of all the cleaning after 10 hours of driving.

My interest is peaked. I checked out the flyer with the show dates and location. What about times? Is there admission for the general public to just come and watch? I know I probably won't have my Fiero by then, but I'd love to come and see what other people have done--maybe I'll get some more ideas for my design of "The Hottie"

Could you post the details for those of us who have never been? BTW, am I understanding it correctly--do they have different categories for babes who want to enter their cars? or is it just divided by category for judging?

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I may not know alot about cars...but I make a Fiero look good!
"The Hottie" Coming Soon!

Miss-Tress007, the car show itself runs through the entire weekend, Friday thru Sunday. This is a huge car show of all types of cars. So yes, there is general admission into the show thru the gate. I'm not sure what the spectator cost is. I'll let some of the Florida crowd chime in on that.
The Fiero show is a part of the "BIG" show. We have our own set of judges just for the Fiero's. Actually , I'd almost be willing to bet that there are more Fiero's there than just about any other single model car there in total numbers.
And , no , the babes compete with the guys. Of course, they look much better cleaning on their cars !!

$5 for Friday & $10 for Saturday and Sunday gate admission. Friday most all are at the hotel, Saturday at the show and Sunday either heading home or back at the track.

quote Originally posted by Miss-Tress007: My interest is peaked. I checked out the flyer with the show dates and location. What about times? Is there admission for the general public to just come and watch? I know I probably won't have my Fiero by then, but I'd love to come and see what other people have done--maybe I'll get some more ideas for my design of "The Hottie" Could you post the details for those of us who have never been? BTW, am I understanding it correctly--do they have different categories for babes who want to enter their cars? or is it just divided by category for judging?

The Daytona show is a show within a show http://www.daytonabeachcarshows.com/springdex.html so not only do you get to see a collection of Fieros but there will be on or about 2,500 other cars - some show - some in progress.

$25 dollars lets you drive in the track area 3 days, or you can pay $10 per day, per person to walk in. Best to use the Fiero no matteer what the condition. Like state above you get a photo of your car on the track. I have the last 9 years worth and have seen my car change from a stock black GT to the "Emerald Dragon". The track entrance fee is included in the show flyer price.

You do not have to put your car into compeation - many owners just bring them in so that they can be with the crowd.

Then there is the hotel! At night in the parking lot you run into all sort of Fiero people and then some Mr Mike, V-8 Archie, Ed Parks.

It is a chance for somebody who is just starting to play with there Fiero to learn from other who have gone before what to do or not to do .

Frank

quote Originally posted by Jack Cooke: This year I am going to "display class". I,m tired of all the cleaning after 10 hours of driving.

DITTO!! Except make that about 20 hours of driving

quote Originally posted by jscott1: DITTO!! Except make that about 20 hours of driving

Ditto part deux, except it's a 30 hour drive!

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quote Originally posted by mrfiero: Ditto part deux, except it's a 30 hour drive!

Hey, you know you guys know that none of us can stand to drive these cars we've worked so hard on ANY distance and not have them clean enough to stand around and gloat over. I'm putting mine in the Display class, too, but you can be sure it will be show ready. Besides half the fun is cleaning and checking out the cars in the parking garage until all hours of the night before the show!

Guys if you go, you have to make Tom promise to start his car up for you !

If he does, bring your drool buckets.

My god that car is a beast !

Last years special visitor to the Daytona show.

quote Originally posted by Tom Corey: Hey, you know you guys know that none of us can stand to drive these cars we've worked so hard on ANY distance and not have them clean enough to stand around and gloat over. I'm putting mine in the Display class, too, but you can be sure it will be show ready. Besides half the fun is cleaning and checking out the cars in the parking garage until all hours of the night before the show!

Not quite sure I agree with you on the "fun" part of cleaning after a 23 hr. drive, Last year we brought the wife's T Top and drove thru a snow storm on the way down to FL . We whipped into the hotel parking lot with a gray coating all over the car and only 2 clear spaces in the windshield ( went through an entire tank of washer fluid). Believe me the cleaning wasn't fun.

quote Originally posted by Phil: Not quite sure I agree with you on the "fun" part of cleaning after a 23 hr. drive, Last year we brought the wife's T Top and drove thru a snow storm on the way down to FL . We whipped into the hotel parking lot with a gray coating all over the car and only 2 clear spaces in the windshield ( went through an entire tank of washer fluid). Believe me the cleaning wasn't fun.

but you could take the Tops off when you got there. I'd like to see you do that in RI in March.

I'd love to go to this show.

quote Originally posted by Phil: Not quite sure I agree with you on the "fun" part of cleaning after a 23 hr. drive, Last year we brought the wife's T Top and drove thru a snow storm on the way down to FL . We whipped into the hotel parking lot with a gray coating all over the car and only 2 clear spaces in the windshield ( went through an entire tank of washer fluid). Believe me the cleaning wasn't fun.

Maybe you're missing my point. It was an adventure, right? Now you have a story to tell. Besides, you could have just left the gray coating on it and sat on the beach! Besides, you probably did better in the show than most of the guys that don't take their cars out of the garage for six weeks while they are cleaning it and getting them show ready! Hope you have a better trip this year - and more fun. Don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for winter to be over - it got down to 47 here this morning and will only hit around 65 today - looks like I'll have to button up the T-Tops or run with the windows up and the heat on going to work this morning! : )