mmissile
Well-Known Member
I like multi-brand shows. 45 years of looking at the SOS....is enough.
The Nats at National Trail Raceway Aug.12-14
- Thread starter Diesel Doc
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I like multi-brand shows. 45 years of looking at the SOS....is enough.
Jackpot50
Well-Known Member
I'll be there looking for parts always better your car.
Cruise to Buckeye Lake pretty cool lots of people, Heath wants everyone out of town their loss.
See ya there!
Cruise to Buckeye Lake pretty cool lots of people, Heath wants everyone out of town their loss.
See ya there!
RT68440
Well-Known Member
My dad and I will be going Friday morning and leaving Saturday night. We've been going since 1998 when we bought the Charger. A lot of people seem to not like the Nat's, but we always have a great time. I really haven't noticed a downfall IMO but have noticed an increase of golf carts which can get annoying. It's such a tradition for us and hope it doesn't go anywhere. I'd love to be able to drive my dad to the Nat's in the Charger when it's done. We've talked and look forward to the day that were able to attend with the Charger since 1998...
auwing
New Member
I am not going for the first time ever. i can not give them anymore money it is now the worst show of them all. not even called Mopar nats anymore. last year there was half the cars and vendors. the swap area was bad.
67 B-body
Well-Known Member
Yes, the weather is looking awful!!!!
Total bummer!
Total bummer!
BigYellaStella
Well-Known Member
Still going, have to, my dog dishes will be there and bad weather or not, I live too close not to at least try to enjoy it a little bit, maybe see what someone might give me fore her... Or its a sign to keep her afterall....
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Me and 3 friends from the Big Easy Mopar Assn will "BE THERE!" (lol). I have never been, and I am SURE that I will enjoy it. Flying in Thursday, flying out Sunday. Last big Mopar show I went to (with one of the guys who is going this time) was 1982 when the Mopar Muscle Club, National Street Hemi Owners Assn, and the T/A Challenger AAR Cuda Club all converged on St. Louis.
Diesel Doc
Member
Still going despite the weather looking horrible. I've got a non refundable hotel room for 3 nights. I have worked outside in all weather conditions for 35 years as a diesel mechanic so as long as swap meet vendors and such show up, I'm there.
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Anyone staying at Hampton Inn in Heath?
RT68440
Well-Known Member
We couldn't get a room anywhere near Heath. We stay out by the airport. We've been staying there for years now. Usually when we get back to the hotel from watching the cruise in Heath we sit out along the fence by the runway and watch the planes come in...
67 B-body
Well-Known Member
I sure hope the swappers show up with plenty of parts that I shouldn't be buying!!!!
Passed a motor home on my way home from Detroit Airport that was pulling a trailer with a 70 RR onboard... They were obviously heading to the Nationals (South bound on I75)...
I gave a BIG THUMBS UP out my window when I went past them...
Passed a motor home on my way home from Detroit Airport that was pulling a trailer with a 70 RR onboard... They were obviously heading to the Nationals (South bound on I75)...
I gave a BIG THUMBS UP out my window when I went past them...
67 B-body
Well-Known Member
Similar situation.... I already paid for the campground site for three days....
Diesel Doc
Member
It looks like Friday morning and early afternoon will be the best time there. Saturday looks like rain all day maybe. If Sunday is a wash too, I might head home first thing in the morning.
Diesel Doc
Member
Well we made it! Hope the weather holds out.
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About to leave from south Louisiana....
BigYellaStella
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Be safe & see you there!
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Just got to Atlanta, Ohio is the next stop!
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LAND!! a little sleep, then NATS!!
This is definitely a RANT, so if you don't want to know the inside scoop on the Mopar Nationals, don't bother reading it. Anything that is associated with mopars is fun to some extent. However like the one guy said above, Heath has a new Mayor that hates everything about old cars and wants the cruise out of his town ASAP. The old mayor welcomed us and all of our money with open arms and you used to be able to do burnouts while setting right next to the police cars. They would not do anything about it if you shut it back down and drove away slowly. Don't try it now or you will get a ticket for sure.
I have a super nice all Black 1965 Satellite 426 Street Wedge 4 Speed car that Jim Belinda (Head of The Nationals) haggled me for about 3 months on whether he wanted it in his Special 1965 Year 50th Anniversary Tent last year or not. Well by the time he told me that he wanted it there it was so late that we had to get a motel quite a distance away and still paid through the nose for it. Got my car there Thursday to get it all set up in the 50th Anniversary Tent and the gate was locked to the area he sent me pictures of. Then it took us over an hour to get an answer out of anybody about what the heck was going on because it seems he only hires all of the unemployed people and high school kids in the area to work for him. The one thing that is sorely needed is an air conditioned construction type trailer centrally located with at least one person in it during the whole show that actually has a clue to what's going on down there. An older woman finally suggested that we look up the track manager.
So we finally walked all the way around to the back of the race tower and managed to find the track manager who was exceptionally sympathetic and helpful to us. He actually came out and drove a golf cart from his office to the gate and opened it for us to get our trailer rig inside. On the way in we noticed there was no special 50th Anniversary Tent where he said he was putting it up on Thursday and never was one for the whole event. In the end there were about only 10 cars there and we all had to park out in the sun all weekend alongside of the road coming in from that gate. some of those supposedly elite best of the best in the country actually had rust holes in them big enough to stick your hand through. We also never heard a single word over the loudspeaker system referring to the 50th Anniversary Car display area. To say we were really disappointed would be a gross understatement.
They also did not have their old 100 point certification judges that I've heard left him to go to Carlisle from now on. To make matters worse they did not even have the four poster hoist inside of the tent where they were supposed to be doing that type of judging. That was a real kick in the butt to the poor guy from Sweden who had his very nice and rare 1965 Dart Charger car shipped over here to Florida, picked up by one our best restoration shops who detailed it for him and delivered to the Nationals for 100 point certification judging. He, his one buddy and both of their wives flew over here from Sweden for the festivities. Whoever was doing the judging finally came and looked under the hood, inside of the car and inside the trunk. Then they told him they would have to come up with some way to get it off of the ground so they could look at everything on the bottom side of the car. When they finally came back much later than they told him, they had an old roll of carpet and some homemade plywood car ramps. Then they told him to drive his car up on the ramps so they could look under the front end. Then they told him to back it off of the ramps, turn it around and then back it up onto the ramps so they could look under the back end. You want to talk about a group of really pissed off Swedish people !!!! Can you even imagine how much time and money he had wrapped up in getting that rare car over here ????
I totally agree that this show has been dying a slow death for years, but for the last 2 years it has really gone downhill as far as organization, prises handed out, vendors and just general attendance period. A good mutual friend of mine and Jim Belinda told me that for years Jim, a good friend of his and Jim's sister were the ones putting the show on. Then his sister quit working for him on this show coincidentally 2 years ago. It's not too hard to figure out who was doing all of the organizing and beating the bushes for donated prises to hand out during the show ????
I'm not just some young disgruntled Mopar fan, I'm 65 years old and never missed one of these shows from long before they moved it to INDY and back again. I also personally know some of the big time 1962 to 1965 New & Used Mopar Parts Vendors who still attend Mopar shows around the country, but would not even consider going back to this show anymore. I also made up my mind I was not going anymore either 2 years ago until Jim wanted my car down there for his Special 50th Anniversary Tent and then he went and totally screwed that all up for me too. So they have seen the last time I and my other close Mopar friends who have attended this show faithfully for all of these years and as far as we're all concerned they can stick a fork in this show because it's pretty much done.
I sincerely apologise if I've offended any of you, but every time I even think of this show my blood really starts to boil over, actually to the point that I'm seriously considering selling my car and just forgetting this whole Mopar hobby after restoring many of these fine old Mopars for well over 45 years now. To those of you who are still attending this show, best of luck and I hope you all still do have a reasonably good time down there.
I have a super nice all Black 1965 Satellite 426 Street Wedge 4 Speed car that Jim Belinda (Head of The Nationals) haggled me for about 3 months on whether he wanted it in his Special 1965 Year 50th Anniversary Tent last year or not. Well by the time he told me that he wanted it there it was so late that we had to get a motel quite a distance away and still paid through the nose for it. Got my car there Thursday to get it all set up in the 50th Anniversary Tent and the gate was locked to the area he sent me pictures of. Then it took us over an hour to get an answer out of anybody about what the heck was going on because it seems he only hires all of the unemployed people and high school kids in the area to work for him. The one thing that is sorely needed is an air conditioned construction type trailer centrally located with at least one person in it during the whole show that actually has a clue to what's going on down there. An older woman finally suggested that we look up the track manager.
So we finally walked all the way around to the back of the race tower and managed to find the track manager who was exceptionally sympathetic and helpful to us. He actually came out and drove a golf cart from his office to the gate and opened it for us to get our trailer rig inside. On the way in we noticed there was no special 50th Anniversary Tent where he said he was putting it up on Thursday and never was one for the whole event. In the end there were about only 10 cars there and we all had to park out in the sun all weekend alongside of the road coming in from that gate. some of those supposedly elite best of the best in the country actually had rust holes in them big enough to stick your hand through. We also never heard a single word over the loudspeaker system referring to the 50th Anniversary Car display area. To say we were really disappointed would be a gross understatement.
They also did not have their old 100 point certification judges that I've heard left him to go to Carlisle from now on. To make matters worse they did not even have the four poster hoist inside of the tent where they were supposed to be doing that type of judging. That was a real kick in the butt to the poor guy from Sweden who had his very nice and rare 1965 Dart Charger car shipped over here to Florida, picked up by one our best restoration shops who detailed it for him and delivered to the Nationals for 100 point certification judging. He, his one buddy and both of their wives flew over here from Sweden for the festivities. Whoever was doing the judging finally came and looked under the hood, inside of the car and inside the trunk. Then they told him they would have to come up with some way to get it off of the ground so they could look at everything on the bottom side of the car. When they finally came back much later than they told him, they had an old roll of carpet and some homemade plywood car ramps. Then they told him to drive his car up on the ramps so they could look under the front end. Then they told him to back it off of the ramps, turn it around and then back it up onto the ramps so they could look under the back end. You want to talk about a group of really pissed off Swedish people !!!! Can you even imagine how much time and money he had wrapped up in getting that rare car over here ????
I totally agree that this show has been dying a slow death for years, but for the last 2 years it has really gone downhill as far as organization, prises handed out, vendors and just general attendance period. A good mutual friend of mine and Jim Belinda told me that for years Jim, a good friend of his and Jim's sister were the ones putting the show on. Then his sister quit working for him on this show coincidentally 2 years ago. It's not too hard to figure out who was doing all of the organizing and beating the bushes for donated prises to hand out during the show ????
I'm not just some young disgruntled Mopar fan, I'm 65 years old and never missed one of these shows from long before they moved it to INDY and back again. I also personally know some of the big time 1962 to 1965 New & Used Mopar Parts Vendors who still attend Mopar shows around the country, but would not even consider going back to this show anymore. I also made up my mind I was not going anymore either 2 years ago until Jim wanted my car down there for his Special 50th Anniversary Tent and then he went and totally screwed that all up for me too. So they have seen the last time I and my other close Mopar friends who have attended this show faithfully for all of these years and as far as we're all concerned they can stick a fork in this show because it's pretty much done.
I sincerely apologise if I've offended any of you, but every time I even think of this show my blood really starts to boil over, actually to the point that I'm seriously considering selling my car and just forgetting this whole Mopar hobby after restoring many of these fine old Mopars for well over 45 years now. To those of you who are still attending this show, best of luck and I hope you all still do have a reasonably good time down there.
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