Hello from Carlisle, PA

[jimynick]

Welcome to the site and that's a great collection of Mopars and thank you for your work at Carlisle, too. I have yet to make it there and hope that this year is the year. Should I do so and if your time and events allow, I'd also be happy, as would my compatriots, I'm sure,  to ply you with cool, soothing beverages and hear some war stories!   

[Cuda Cody]

@jimynick   this would be the year to go if you are thinking about it.  Carlisle is great any year, but this year is going to be AWESOME.    

[mopar thunder]

Welcome Ed!  Carlisle is a favorite place of mine for shows. Thanks for putting on a great venue.

[soundcontrol]

Welcome from Sweden! 
One of these years I will make it to Carlisle.

[blown motor]

Welcome from    I was there in 14, hoping to make it again this year. Great show.

[cudaboy340]

Wow, thank you all for the warm reception!  But we all know that Mopar people are the best!  I've always said, it's the cars that attracted me to the hobby but it's the PEOPLE who have kept me here.

As far as the club tent, the size is based on the number of registered show vehicles.  Any club can rent a 20'x20' tent and if you bring at least 25 cars, it's totally free.  To get a 20'x30' tent, a club must register at least 50 vehicles and to get a 20'x40' tent you need to have at least 75 cars.  Unless a club is in one of the less densely populated areas, I can't offer an upgrade to the tent size.  There just isn't room because you know every club would want to pay the difference and get a bigger tent.

With regard to my Dream Garage, I meet with my builder tomorrow to finalize the plans and sign the contract.  Next week the excavator starts!  This has been too long in the making and I'm anxious to get it done.

My plans for the 383 'Cuda are a little unconventional.  About 7 years ago I tried to start a movement in the hobby.  It occurred to me that I had owned my Road Runner for 20 years but hadn't driven it since the late '80s.  Like many people, I was waiting for "some day" to come.  I have this really solid RR that's sitting and waiting for a full rotisserie restoration.  Several of my cars fit that description so I started thinking, "Do my cars need to be perfect in order for me to enjoy them?"  NO!!  So I set out to encourage people to stop waiting for "some day" and start enjoying their cars.  Do the minimum amount of work that's required to make the car safe and reliable...then DRIVE IT!!

Here's what I plan to do with the 383 'Cuda.  I hate the red oxide primer so I plan to shoot it flat black, add a black Hockey Stick Stripe and a nice set of wheels and tires (probably a restored set of Rallyes).  The 383 is worn out so I'm looking for a used, running 383/440 with a 4-speed crank to drop in.  I'll install a full stainless exhaust (which I can reuse when I do restore the car).  I'll replace the brake and fuel lines with stainless (again, I can reuse them when/if I restore the car) and I plan to upgrade to disc brakes.  It's a bolt-on job and makes the car much safer in today's traffic.  That's it!!  When I'm done, it will look kind of crappy...but I'll be driving a real, 383 4-speed 'Cuda!!

In my opinion, there's an advantage to this method, too.  You can learn more about your car (what it actually needs, etc) rather than blow it apart for restoration not knowing what works, what doesn't etc.  I might do the same with the RR but I'll leave the original B5 rather than the flat black.  I'm only doing that to the 'Cuda because it's already in primer.  Personally, I love original paint even if it's pretty rough.  Here's the RR from back in the day as well as my '67 Belvedere which is mostly original paint (except lower 1/4s) and even the hood is original paint from a GTX of the same color...

Ed

[cbuczesk]

I spot a 1971 BMW 2002 back there!

Chuck

[Cuda Cody]

Great idea!  And you'll plenty of thumbs ups and smiles everywhere you go.   

Here's what I plan to do with the 383 'Cuda.  I hate the red oxide primer so I plan to shoot it flat black, add a black Hockey Stick Stripe and a nice set of wheels and tires (probably a restored set of Rallyes).  The 383 is worn out so I'm looking for a used, running 383/440 with a 4-speed crank to drop in.  I'll install a full stainless exhaust (which I can reuse when I do restore the car).  I'll replace the brake and fuel lines with stainless (again, I can reuse them when/if I restore the car) and I plan to upgrade to disc brakes.  It's a bolt-on job and makes the car much safer in today's traffic.  That's it!!  When I'm done, it will look kind of crappy...but I'll be driving a real, 383 4-speed 'Cuda!!