The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk car/truck show manners

Could I be the only one who hates it when people are all over my truck at displays? I can't believe how many people can't leave their hands, arms, and butts off of my truck! Do you have techniques I can use to get people to have respect for my vehicle and leave it alone when on display?!?!?!

Hy Grant Dupee, If you're not going to stand gaurd or post a guard on it, you can get some signs which say "Unless your totally nude, don't touch!", or you could make your own sign. Something like look, admire, but please don't touch. People seem to feel it's only an old truck, so mauling it is okay.

Alot of the people at the shows by us have signs like 3B said, but you can't stop some people I watched a woman last year lean on my truck and when I asked her to please get off she got all huffy.But I do let kids get in and let the parents take pics of them driving,thats fun for me and them and when I see them at the next show they always say Hi.


Pete

My truck just ain't that pretty! If someone is willing to get close enough to it to touch it, maybe they might just remove that birt turd on the fender too. Yup! No need to wash my truck to go to a show... Funny a lot of people connect with a rusty old ratty truck.

the link to your truck is not working and you may have this post
in the wrong forum ..

you might get you a small decal that reads.... unless you are nude dont lean on my truck.

Now that could get quite interesting -- think I'll pass

Dale

It's a problem for sure. How about the ladies pushing strollers that zoom down between the trucks with one kid while the other little brat climbs all over the runnung boards ! I take the wife - she is a lot meaner than me and has no issue protecting the paint *g*

Yup, she's a pitbull on high heels!

I'll vouch for that but I'm glad she was last year at the Ladner show!

Some idiot child walking hand in hand with his (idiot)father or (idiot)grandfather decided it would be fun to intentionally knock the tribute sign made for my buddy (the previous owner of my '55) who passed away a couple years ago to the ground and while I wasn't standing right there I heard Tammy went ballistic on both the kid AND the man walking with him...

Now that is what we need at shows... someone to put the fear of God into fools who should know better but don't! (Thanks Tammy!)

I know with my firetruck, if you let the first kid climb on it you'll have ten in under a minute. LOL I don't mind except for those who jump up and down on the sideboards next to the doors.

I've got the small scratches to show what happens when I let down my guard.

the only true way of stopping it is to leave the truck at home. if you sit there and play guard your not enjoying yourself at the show and might as well stayed home.

Feel the same way 51 ashton ,You go there to have fun and BS .

Pete

Absolutely no way to stop it. Parents are not teaching their children to respect other peoples property. Until society decides it has had enough you'll just have to live with it.

Had the same problem at my first show I ever took the truck to. This old timer came up and put his elbows on the front fenders to look at the engine....along with his zipper from his jacket...I didnt have the heart to tell him to please admire but don't touch. I think I will get some plastic chains with four stands around the truck to keep people back....

Jon

That would be us. raise *

edit: Of course that will just make us look like grumpy old men with toys who don't play well with others!

sometimes, the truth is hard to swallow!

Have you guys been spying on me?

I've always kept my hands in my pockets or behind my back when I'm poking around at car shows or just checking out a cool car in the grocery store lot. Even around the rat rods and unfinished projects. Its just a matter of being respectful of another person's property.

Fortunately my truck is worn enough that most people don't touch because they don't want to get dirty. ...or worse, tetanus.

I had a decal on one of my trucks that said "some people are alive simply because it's illegal to kill them" and it was beside a NRA sticker.... nobody touched my truck

I'll let the little ones sit in it,the look on their face is worth it.I will run the older ones off, they want to lean on it and touch things that they shouldn't. I have two grandsons so the truck gets enough adverse attention at home.

Get a life.. It is all part of the game. If you don't want your truck touched leave it home. I don't like some either but the good ones make up for it.

Gazim, these guys DO have a life and a lot of that life has been spent putting their stovebolt(s) into pristine condition. Those of us with high quality restorations and street rods are best served by staying away from the ignorant masses.

If you think that is an exaggeration, consider this. About 35 years ago a neighbor of mine had a friend's kid over and the bored kid was knocking a golf ball around. The golf ball hit my restored '36 Chevy pickup that had just won first in Class T-2 at the 1976 VCCA National Meet in Colorado Springs WHILE IT WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE and put a substantial dent into it. When I showed my neighbor what the brat had just done he said "If you want to keep it in perfect condition put it in a museum".

Many people are pigs who cant't be trusted around anything nice.

....when building my 37 I put two pretty nasty scratches on it. one was on the top rail of the bed next to the cab on the passenger side, all the way to the metal...the other was a pretty nice scratch on the driver side fender.
Well, I finally touched up the one on the bed after 6 or 7 years, and halfway cleaned up the one ont the fender. I left them so that I remember that even being as careful as I was even I messed up.

So, at shows I do let folks look it over, crawl under it and let the kids get their pictures taken. The running boards have some real small scratches or two but maybe one day, before I die, I'll do a repaint on it and donate it to a museum..NOT, its going to my daughter who will drive the hell out of it just the way I do. I fixed it once... .I can do it again, even better now

So, to each his own. I build'em, I drive'em and I enjoy them. In fact, I just let my nephew drive the 37 to his house and told him to drive it some!!.... but have it back in a week or two. hehehe

Right on,Alvin. The worst scratch in mine was the very first one. Nothin big, and no big deal,I knew it would happen sooner or later as i built it to use it and enjoy it.
Im still careful with it but if a ding,chip,or scratch happens,
I certainly dont go home crying or need a week of therapy.
As far as the rummys at the car shows that dont know how to act around a nice, old car, theres subtle,but effective ways of dealing with them.

Each to his own, I don't go for the crowd that has to have everything to 400 points, or have chains around their toys, but I understand why, I don't want some careless dork leaning on my fenders with his belt buckle or jacket zipper tearing up the paint or un controled kids touching everything in sight with dirty sticky fingers, a lot of us go to great pains to build something to show to the general public, it would be nice if they showed us some respect, and they can leave there stupid dogs home too.

I have no answer other than to stay guard on what you bring, I've seen the nude or don't touch sticker and I think it brings a little awareness to who ever sees it.

I was talking to a guy last year at a show in Loveland Colorado. He had a 1928 Model A Roadster Pickup, all original as Henry had intended. He even had the side curtains for it, a beautiful piece of rolling history. He was in his 60's and had owned the car since he was 15.

The paint on the car was also all original expect for a silver dollar size spot on the fender. After we talked for about half an hour I asked him about the fender. He chuckled and said it happened at a car show. Said he went to get an adult beverage and when he came back there were two guys beating up a biker dude beside his Model A. Seems the biker dude pulled a knife and started cutting a chunk of paint off the fender. Said he wondered how "thick" that paint really was.

Seems like people have had a lot of bad experiences. I ran car shows for years and never heard any complaints. I have entered my truck in shows the past three years and never had anything but fun showing and talking to all the many really interested lookers. Hemmings offers a "please ask to touch" sign with their Father's Day show promotions and though I have one, I have never felt the need to use one. Of course mine is not a quarter million $ truck either, but it's quite nice. I lean on it when I talk with people - and touch it - and I really don't mind if others do. I'm looking forward to our next show in June. If I had to worry about it I'd just quit going. Just my thoughts.

Dale

Going to the shows with a group of buddies and parking together helps. We all can help each other keep an eye on our wheels. The "Do Not Touch" sign magnets provided by some of the car insurance companies help too.

Many years ago in so. calif. I would roll onto four plates on the ground that held pipes. Then rope was run around your car or truck. You ended up with a fence of sorts that would not fall over. Now here in ny you need this fence every where you park.

Guys and their trucks are like guys and their girls. You can look all you like, but don't touch.

I think that'd be up to the girl

Well, I parked next to Bill once and the kids were all interested in his truck that they pretty much left mine alone... so lesson learned was ... always park next to a cooler truck!



John

I have not had any bad experiences just yet. There is always that kid that wants to climb up on the running boards but I'm of the mind set that it wont hurt them if the truck has been around this long. Pretty much every show I go to I end up letting at least a couple kids get in the truck for some photos. I am very careful when offering it up and for the most part, the parents are very cautious - and greatful in the end. The kids are the future of our hobby.

Tim www.46chevytruck.com

LOL Honestly, I don't mind the kids climbing in the hosebed or sitting in the cab "driving" but we have to have some crowd control... They love being in, on and around my truck but it isn't a freeforall or a jungle gym.

If they play nice, they get to play. If not, this "grumpy old grandpa", knows how to move them along on their way with their parents.

BTW: my grand kids play on it all day long and papa never stops them. After all, they are my very own flesh and blood family. AND I can fix anything my grand kids damage because I love them little critters...

I have probably been to 40 or 50 shows of one kind or another and have only had a couple of instances that made me nervous. One with a lady that climbed up on the running board with sharp heals without even questioning if it was alright to do so, twisting and turning while there and another, where a kid that wanted to sit behind the wheel. I gave him instruction on how to get in and not drag his feet across the fenders on my COE (its easy to do) . He promptly ignored me and did just that. Before I could turn around, there were several kids in line that wanted their turn. I think, once you have invested a lot of money in a paint job, it would make you nervous too to let strangers paw and climb all over your vehicle. Will I stay home and not bring my truck out because a few folks that have no appreciation for what you have or why you are there, no. After all, they call them "shows" not climb ons or lean ons and it IS all about talking to folks and having fun with your buds. Just because you bring your vehicle out for folks to see, I don't think you should be openning yourself up to have people abuse it. And, if it bothers you when they do, I don't think it means you don't have a life, just means you care about your hard work and the money you spent Just my thoughts on the subject.....

Bill

Usually I don't have any problems, but I always seem to have people leaning and lounging all over my truck when I attend this show for some reason. Just look at them there all over my beautiful show piece.

You have my sympathies. they are everywhere.

"And, if it bothers you when they do, I don't think it means you don't have a life, just means you care about your hard work and the money you spent Just my thoughts on the subject....."

Thank you for saying that Bill. I find it really offensive when people with vehicles that are daily drivers or beaters say that those of us who have nicely restored or rodded vehicles need to "Get a life". Other than buying a spray gun and painting supplies, my investment is in time, a huge amount of it, not money. Nevertheless if displaying my restored '36 Chevy pickup means having strangers put their hands and other stuff all over it I simply won't display it.

I've owned my pickup since 1965 and find much more pleasure in driving it than parking it at a show anyway. In fact, it's been driven from Southern California to the 1976 VCCA National Meet in Colorado Springs and even to the top of Pike's Peak, 14,110 feet above sea level. That was very cool, literally. Fresh snow in July!

I say use a fence, and or cover the areas with a large magnetic plastic deal like magent signs are made of, like on the running boards etc. either that or keep it in a garage and away from disrepectful people. Thats what I do with something nice.