1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

As our cars age and begin to get collectible, there are more of us that are just doing simple things like wheels and exhaust and leaving the rest of the car stock. I've noticed over the past few years that there are an increasing number of cars that fit in this category. They get lumped into the modified class with cars that have been completely built, painted non-factory colors, etc.

So I wanted to throw the idea out there for discussion so Denny can get our thoughts.

Here is how I think it could work.

Stock Class: Stock means stock. Stock wheels, stock paint color, stock body and stripes. No stripe or emblem delete unless it's factory. Only exception I'd make would be cat back exhaust or exhaust tips, and thats stretching it. I could easily be talked into not allowing any exhaust mods at all. NO external engine mods, NO interior mods except the radio. Stock appearing suspension, bushings are OK but no lowering or tubular stuff, stock brakes etc. Subframe connectors OK, window tint OK. Factory correct swaps allowed (1LE brake swaps, T5 swaps, rear disc swaps, overhead console) but they MUST be correct vintage and they MUST be absolutely factory correct. The spirit of the law here is "don't kick out a guy who wants to stay stock but is building his "dream" car by adding options the car could/should have had but wasn't ordered with".

Resto-mod Class: Must be a stock paint color and stock body, no hood or spoiler mods allowed. Stock interior with under 3 mods (steering wheel, seats, shifter, etc) No roll bars or cages. Upgraded brakes and wheels allowed, stock type suspensions with upgrades (no IRS, 4 link, watts link etc). Stock induction type must be present, no carb swaps, no LS or LT1 swaps. Induction mods allowed, (big runners, super ram, stealth ram allowed) but again, must still be the original induction type (TPI, TBI, Quadrajet). Any displacement allowed as long as its still a small block, no power adders. The spirit of the law here is "let the guys who want to preserve their cars but update their performance and handling be in their own class and not be judged against completely built cars with custom paint, engine swaps etc."

Modified Class: Anything goes as long as it's a thirdgen.

This is just my idea of how I'd do things if Thridgenfest was mine to run. I'm throwing this out for discussion. I'd like people's opinions, there is no right or wrong answer. Denny obviously gets the final say.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I think the classes need to be better defined somehow. What classes they're in, (stock or modified), sometimes has little to do with the car.

I think I've wasted my vote on Jeremy's cars a few times, since I assumed they were modified and voted for them as such, but Denny had them in the stock classes, so my vote didn't count.

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

Denny marks each person's info sheet with stock or modified for a heads up in voting.

He's said for years that stock was 3 mods or less. Modified is anything goes. I think more classes will confuse it further for the average person voting. Plus who is taking the time to look every car over for this stuff?

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

LOL yes Charlie, Denny writes a S or M on each car's number card.

It should be common sense I'd think. If people can't figure out what class to be in then they shouldn't be voting. Heck I'll get there early and I'll class the cars as they come in. It takes about 5 seconds looking at a car to determine which class it should be in.

Custom painted Trans Ams with aftermarket wheels don't belong in stock class, neither does my GTA with a stroker and a T56 even though it LOOKS stock(it's been in stock class both years I've taken it). In the same way, Sean's blue IROC with nothing but wheels, brakes and exhaust really doesn't belong in modified class with custom built cars with custom paint and engine swaps. I just feel like there needs to be an in-between class. At the very least, let the stock class be STOCK. NO mods unless it's window tint, a radio, subframe connectors, tail pipes, period. Cars with the wrong wheels and wrong paint color don't belong in stock class for any reason.

Again, just suggestions. Interested to see what other guys think.

formula forever

I would not call a Camaro with a aftermarket catback modified. I think it a good call 3 mods or more is modified class.

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

Always thought Denny asked what class you want to be in when registering as well.

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

I can agree to this new category if there is the need for it, I.e. there would be more than three or four cars in that category. Would registration $ increase to cover the cost of additional trophy(ies)? I don't think a new category would necessarily increase turnout. I would however be in favor of raising registration by $5 to afford Denny the ability to advertise via flyers at other car shows or such.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

I like the idea of an in-between class.

Oh, and, there's a ThirdGenFest?

zero13

as one who would fit this new category..IM ALL FOR IT!!!..My car is slightly modified..but mostly are visual bolt ons..and other slight mods..like headers,rear end...I get lumped into the modified class and dont stand a chance when xpndbl shows up..and the only thing we have in common is a lust for beer...and a blue camaro!...I'd be happy for A CLEANEST CAMARO category!

DD9TransAmGTA

iTrader: (1)

Well darn if the no spoiler mod comes into affect i'll be in the modified no matter what lol, I'm getting ready to repaint my Formula and I'm putting a 4th gen spoiler on. Other than that all it has is Gotti wheels and a 350 swapped in which still doesn't stand a chance to most "modified" cars.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

I don't go to shows 4 awards. I go to hangout with like minded people, ideas and to have a good time.

zero13

when i hang out with like minded people,i expect to win something!

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

I voted for you zero!

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

So I think the undertone is that there needs to be a category that xpndbl3 is not able to win?

xpndbl3

iTrader: (5)

I haven't won in years. Don't get all the hate about it. Put in thousands of hours and a stack of cash from overtime and sacrifice and you can have one too. It's still not fast or that nice imo.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

glad this is too far from me...seems like nothing but a bunch of whiners...

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Oh, it's not like that at all! It's a fun get together and there are a lot of great people to meet, get to know, and become friends with. But, sometimes the cars seem to be classified randomly.

NufNuffZ28

iTrader: (10)

I used to be HEAVY into shows and such.


There was always someone complaining about something, so I stepped out of it(although that has not deterred my wanting of having a very clean and nice ride)

We need a thirdgen fest on the east coast....

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

The Mu11et Militia is meeting on 4/13 at Capitol Raceway in Crofton MD if you want a thirdgen meet

92RS(real slow)

I agree with as many cars that show up each year there really needs to be another category. I believe a resto mod class is perfect for this. There are so many cars that end up in classes they really don't belong in. I don't go every year trying to win anything and I don't really care about winning anything but when I see some amazing cars with so much love and care put into them especially 100% stock cars loose out to cars that are quite modified "but technically fall in stock class" its very strange.

intruder

iTrader: (1)

i ask denny yr after yr that i want in the stock class but he won't let me.

zero13

I dont go to this show to WIN anything..I go cuz it give me and my car a show where people appreciate the third gens..Cuz when I go to other shows,the "real" cars get the looks and attention and most people just blow by our thirdgens...I'm always looking at other cars for ideas for mine..and I post tons of pix of thirdgenfest for the people that cant attend due to location...plus it gives me a day away from my little honey!!!

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

Not sure where you guys see all the whining or hatred. This was meant to be just an idea to be discussed.

Steve can win whenever he wants. He's very well liked and has been very helpful at thirdgen fest helping guys with their cars. Truth be told however, I think he's more interested in drinking beer than he is in getting an award, cant say I blame him!

The intent of my proposal was simply to pit similar cars together. Sean's [92RS(real slow)] IROC is in the modified class, but really doesn't fit with cars like Steve's or with my IROC that has an IRS swap. Continuing to use Sean as the example, he's not completely hung up on winning anything, I dont think many guys are. However I'm sure he would like to be in a class with cars more similar to his. If there are going to be classes and awards, people just want to feel like they are classed fairly, thats all.

Not to further complicate things but I'd like to propose yet another class. We'll call it the "silk purse from a sow's ear" class and only Chazman can enter. He's the only one I know that can buy clunkers and turn them into immaculate and beautiful drivers.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Sorry guys....wasn't trying to be a smart-***. I didn't notice the small subtitle, "Discuss plans for the IL gathering set for May 23th and 24th in Crete, IL" until just now. Duh!

It would be fun to attend a just 3rd Gen. gathering. And this isn't too far away wither. But I think this weekend is out for me.

oddscrounger

I like your way of thinking, Mr. Zero... LOL

Amaro83

I think a resto-mod class i a GREAT idea!! I just got my car last October, and I plan on keepin her original. Just gettin the old school white raised lettered tires back on, a new paint job, and new Z-28 stripes!! Oh, and hoping to get duals too!! Unfortunately, I won't make it up there this year, but I'm gonna work real hard to get up there for 2015!!

LFN AT U

iTrader: (1)

Sorry, we have no plans to add another class anytime soon. We added the "Best Project" class a couple years ago so that every car basically has a shot at winning something. At least 1/3 of all ballots now have at least one or two black stock/modified classes so people are already not voting for them and adding another class would only make it worse. Plus, we try to downplay the "show" side of Thirdgen Fest.

As somebody stated, the car info sheets get marked "Stock" or "Modified" when you come in. Basically, it's done on just a quick look. If you have any aftermarket body panels or add ons, different wheels, non-factory color, custom interior, etc you will be in the modified class. We really don't care what's under the hood unless it's really modified and don't care at all about suspension or what's under the car.

I'm not really sure why people want to avoid the modified class anyway. It varies by year but on average the stock classes have been the hardest to win.

oddscrounger

does the minor damage on my driver side relegate me to "project" class? LOL.. see everyone Saturday!

LFN AT U

iTrader: (1)

Minor damage to the door probably gets you into "Modified".

oddscrounger

well forget the minor damage on the driver side... I just blew my clutch... damn it...

Won't be there unless I can cruise down with another car or with one of my buddies. I'm pissed... but better it happened by my house and not in the middle of nowhere on the way down. This sucks!!!

vdoggie

I was dumbfounded when I saw Ron's car in Modified.. I kept looking and was like ..WTF is modified on this thing? A red bar does not constitute a mod imho.. clear covers on the headlamps? No.. I'm still scratching my head.. mini louver cover on rear window? Nah.. His wheels are stock and destroyed every single stock wheel in the show.. All I know is, if his car was in stock, no offense to anyone, especially my wife who happened to get 4th place and only 3 votes out of first place, that his car would have WIPED the floor with anyone else's. I appreciate all the time and effort he has put in and kept this car so damn clean and original but imho Ron got robbed and maybe next time remove whatever the hell is putting you in Modified as I saw a Camaro with a freaking LT1 in "stock" Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat??? Sorry but that is hardly fair or consistent..

I honestly don't care about winning, nor does my wife but I did politic jokingly about the ONLY true female owner of a Camaro there.. I was just trying to support and make her happy on our second wedding anniversary which happens to be today! In any case it was an absolute BLAST and I hope to meet up with some of you locals this year in the near future. Lots of double K Camaro ONLY events over the summer. We will be there!!

Mike and Bee

Confuzed1

iTrader: (4)

I gotta agree.....no way Ron's car should have been in the modified class. It's an awesome example of a stock Thirdgen with a few minor appearance bolt-ons....and one of the cleanest ones I've laid eyes on....Ron is **** about it. He'll admit it! :-)

Of course, if a LT1 powered Thirdgen was in the stock class....well there you go.

All that being said, it's not about bringing home a 5 dollar trophy as much as it's about getting together with like-minded guys with a common interest in Thirdgens. Sorry I missed it, but I gotta pay bills....next year for sure.

83ZZZ28

Here's some good guidelines to follow for judging...

Super Chevy Shows have 3 Classes when judging Camaros... STOCK CLASS ... STREET CLASS ... MODIFIED CLASS.
Go on line to ... www.SuperChevyShow.com/participant-info/car-show/ scroll down starting at Stock Class, then it will list the criteria for each of the 3 classes. That way everyone has the printed 'rules' for classes in advance.

Rod
83ZZZ28

LFN AT U

iTrader: (1)

Zero's car gets put in "Modified" due to the sun shade on the rear hatch. We will let headlight and tail light covers go but any other body add-ons gets you into "Modified".

3.8TransAM

Adopt rules like the Turbo Buick guys do at the Buick Nationals would eliminate a lot of BS.

Stock has 3 mods max, paint gets u booted. Rims/tires/fuel pressure regulators, etc are ok.

Over 3 is modified stock, over I think 8 your dumped into modified period.

Also it is judged by judges, it sucks and its hard work, been there, done that.

One thing people are forgetting here, Denny, Beth or anyone else doesn't give a damn about what you have done to your car or how it looks. The vote is by the people attending, if they think your ride is tacky, don't like the color or the headlight covers your SOL. It's a peoples choice awards.

I've won first place, I've won last place lol. It's cool to win, but has never been a priority for me. I always enjoy attending and getting to BS with other thirdgen folks.

LFN AT U

iTrader: (1)

Jeremy has it right. We've never considered Thirdgen Fest a "show". We consider it more of an "event". In fact, the first four years didn't even have trophies. You can never have participant voting and have it be a real "show". You have people voting for friends or not voting for a car just because they don't like something about it. For modified cars do you vote for the car you like best or do you vote for the car you feel is built the best whether you like it or not? Who knows? Everybody has their own voting criteria and you can have a real "show" with voting like that.

We've never even considered Thirdgen Fest a "show". We consider it more of an "event". In fact, the first four years didn't even have trophies. You can't have participant voting and have a real "show". With participant voting you have people voting for friend's cars or not voting for car just because they may not like the style regardless of how well it's built. For modified cars, do you vote for the car you like best or the one you feel is built the best? Who knows? Everybody has their own idea and that's what you get with participant voting.

Up until a few years ago we didn't even assign classes. We just left it up to people to decide where they felt the car belonged. The problem with that was some cars that were borderline would split votes between classes and not win anything when they could have easily won a class if all their votes went to one class. We had years where the same car got trophies in "stock" and "modified" classes in the same year.

The "stock" and "modified" rules have always been pretty simple. If the car looks stock at first glance that's probably where it's going. If your car isn't a stock color, has aftermarket body panels or wheels, or a non-factory interior you're going to be in modified. We don't really care what's under the hood and could care less about suspension or what's under the car. There's been a few occasions where the class with get changed to "modified" after they pop the hood but it's rare.

Like people have said, if you're coming to Thirdgen Fest with the purpose of taking home a trophy you're coming for the wrong reason. We added the participant voting trophies just to make the day more interesting and to get people involved. It was never meant to be taken very seriously.

cam406406

iTrader: (1)

Not to change subject
But how in the hell did I get 3rd place for modified firebird
My car was the most modded bird there
And some blue fully stock car win!!
Good voting!!!
And 1meanz was great too meet u.

chazman

iTrader: (4)

I certainly would have voted for your car. Unfortunately, I saw it after I had already voted.

Anyways, nice meeting you guys.

LFN AT U

iTrader: (1)

I don't think a stock looking car won Firebird modified. I'm pretty sure the car that won was FAR from stock looking.

cam406406

iTrader: (1)

Can u refresh my mind!
I'm really not making anything out of it but just chatting all u up
But everything on my car is modded!
There is more fab work in my engine bay than any car there by a mile.

LFN AT U

iTrader: (1)

There might be a picture of it on here somewhere but the only thing stock on it was the interior. In fact they came Friday night just to make sure the car could get into the yard without hitting because it sat so low to the ground. I don't know what car was yours but I would have guessed the car that one was the most modified car there.

khulsebus

iTrader: (2)

That was my car, and it's not a LT1, it's a LS1. I asked Denny when I got there, told him the car had a LS swap, and he still put me in stock. I figured I'd be in modified. Oh well, I still had a great time.

LG4TA

Here is my opinion on the show. I think there should be a top 15 or 20 period with all the participants voting. These would be the cars that are not in the original stocker class I have below. There are a few that will say that the buddy system will take all the awards but for the most part the best ones win.

Then I would have the ones that want to be judged on a points basis in the stock original class into different classes like a 82-84 class, 85-90 class and 91-92 class. If you put your car into a points type judging for originality you won't place very well with all type of Mods.