Sounds a lot like some drunken former drug addicts I used to work with. Their minds were permanently warped.

 

At a cruise in a guy stopped to chat about my 56 Super 88 2 door sedan, he had some Oldsmobile knowledge but was incorrect in his stats
claiming that while there aren't many 2 door post around there are less rag tops, I had to plead ignorance as to the numbers because I don't know how many converts are still on the road vs how many 2 door post super 88's are still on the road, however I did know the production numbers ragtops vs 2 door post and advised him that there were over 4000 less 2 door Super 88 sedans produced and while there may be less converts still out there, there were less 2 door sedans produced than converts! even though I remained polite on my stance he became agitated and walked away mumbling something, I thought classics and cruise ins were supposed to be fun !! why get worked up ??
I did come home and reviewed 3 different sources that confirmed my facts just in case the subject came up again ! 2 doors , 4 doors, wagons,
rag tops I love them all !!!

 

We were fortunate to have several cruise-ins and some local shows within a 60-mile radius of St. Louis last summer, my 1st season with my 1967 4-4-2. At two different local shows in small towns, I had the so called "Judges" question the authenticity of my car being a true 4-4-2. Their reasoning was my car couldn't be a real 4-4-2 because it didn't have a 4-speed manual transmission. Luckily, I had Cowl Tag decoding documentation on my phone, and that combined with additional documentation of a 1967 4-4-2 sales brochure showing the TH400 was an available option, convinced them. My thought in each instance was, why in the hell were these yahoo's judging a car show???

 

Exactly. Monkeys probably know next to nothing other than one particular car. Screw getting judged to a point for me. I get that super researched numbers matching everything is very very cool. Me personally. If I can't run thru the gears why would I own it? Then you run into clowns like that telling you that your car isn't real. Should have shown the verification of your 442 cid motor. That probably would have helped.

 

There first thought was “this isn’t a Chevelle or Camaro!” Hey, that’s not a Chevy or LS engine?!

Other than select few, I stopped going to local car shows years ago. I’m tired of seeing the same 20 cars. I make a point to go to a lot of out of town car shoes, simply to broaden my horizons. I like seeing cars I haven’t seen, or meeting new people. If I happen to meet new people with cars similar to mine, win win!!

 

Matt - I completely understand your reasoning. Because last summer was the first season for me having my car, all the shows were new to me. Plus, there weren't many to begin with because of all the Covid related cancelations. I plan on going to many more this summer. One of the very best things of having my car at shows or cruise-ins is, that out of about 12 total events I went to last year, my car was the only 1967 4-4-2 at any of the events. I saw a few 65's and 66's, and more commonly a few 68 - 72's, but nary a 67. In this case it's fun to stick out in the crowd. I would have to think there's at least a few other 67's in the St. Louis metro area, but I haven't seen one yet.

 

Intelligence is knowing tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting a tomato in fruit salad

 

Pick your shows for what you want to get out of them. If it's just for fun and socializing most any will do. Should you want some bling (award) and recognition for your work try a concourse or a national show. Just remember Idiots abound everywhere and don't let them get into your head and rune your time. Life is shorter than you have been told, have fun and enjoy it.....Tedd

 

That is a funny story. My 63 Riviera’s air cleaner also says 445 on it. I’ve owned it since I was a teenager and there always seemed to be one person at a show who would ask me about the 445 cubic inch engine, lol

 

I have been awarded peoples choice, or best street machine, things like that, but not very often. I’m ok with that. My cars aren’t nearly nice enough to win every show I enter. The ones I have won awards, I wouldn’t be surprised if maybe the judge also was a Olds fanatic.

 

Part of the blame for this is the machoness of American male culture, where you are not a man unless you know X or have Y skill. I teach riflery and women are hands down better students than men. A man may be able to outshoot a woman, but it is usually women who show the most improvement at the classes as they can listen and their ego doesn't force them to bullshit that they know stuff that they obviously don't. Rare is the man that says, "I haven't shot a gun since I was a kid at a fair, please teach me everything" and then absorbs it all, whereas that is usually where the women are due to our culture of guns being macho man zone.

Car knowledge is also that way; too many men think they are expected to know 4 holes means a roadmaster and similar. This leads to persisting in being wrong to save face. I've had the "your 67 442 is fake because auto trans as well." That's almost as bad as saying a Hurst Olds is fake for being automatic.

 

Hallelujah, glad to hear I'm not the only one to suffer that BS!

 

So many of us have. Idiots Idiots everywhere.

 

Try having someone tell you 60s Toronados didn't exist because "they didn't make front wheel drive cars back then!"🤨

On a side note, even though our young thread starter Bill has moved on to a Dodge Dakota, he still loves Oldsmobiles and cars in general. He'll be 24 years old Saturday. He was 16 when he joined us. Kid's done well for himself.

 

Side hack real quick. I bought a 69 Toronado from the original owner that bought a brand new 89...🤮 Super cool car. All gold. No top. Bench seat factory eight track car. That front drive 455 was just the ****. Front drive burnouts. Unreal in the snow. All that weight up front and a 455? Biggest snowmobile ever. I have heard stories about being able to drive down a complete blocks worth of houses thru the front yard with 18 inches plus of snow. Lights off. Breezing down the block... Err so I heard.

 

All you heard is true!🙂

My 69 was the best snow vehicle I ever had till I realized it was a little rare to be using it for that. 97 Bravada was also VG in deep snow but was a POS otherwise.

What's wild is teenage gearheads born after 1985 readily accept and acknowledge the FWD. It was adults born in the 70s that claimed it didn't exist.

 

Try telling a guy who thinks he a guru on cars that you have a 55 with a stock 4 speed auto. Many will not believe it. Also park is reverse with the key off. Yes I get the strange grin of disbelief. Just part of the game we play....... Tedd

 

Dare I let my Scots ancestry show?

"Fookin' eejits!"

 

And they drive like it too, (see my Mustang Wreck thread).

Ok, I read that, to park, come to stop, put in reverse, kill engine, pawl engages, we're in park. To go....shift to neutral, then start?

 

Koda, exactly Paw will not engage till engine is in reverse with the key off. The selector shows no park anywhere, start in neutral and press on down the road. All that changed in 56 when the first generation Jet-a- way came along....Tedd

 

Ah yes. This is why my father doesn't know the hydramatic. His father's first Olds was a 56 88 with a "power pack," and the Jetaway. I think power pack was the Super 88 4bbl engine in the normal 88.

 

Finally, first car show around here in over a year this past weekend, incredible sight. People gathering together, beautiful day, lots of fun, about 100 cars. Mike drives a 67 Camaro resto mod and says, man your 4 forty two is the ****; Gail says she had a ragtop 69 4-4-2 growing up in Wisconsin - kicks herself daily for selling it. Chad runs up and says his dad had a 74 - does mine have the swivel buckets too. And there’s a dunking booth across from where I parked. So far so good...

And then one guy, who thought he was a Bloomington gold judge - about 20 minutes after much evaluating and pointing, says “i’ve got the correct windshield wiper blades for this“. OK I’ll bite, I reply... ‘you must’ve owned one, or currently do’....and he says ...hundreds!

OK, wow, hundreds of... 4-4-2s? He replies, yes hundreds. And then his wife / girlfriend / consort pulled him away, thankfully. So how many of you have owned “hundreds” of 4-4-2s, or even Oldsmobiles? And he said it with a very straight face.

Oh yeah, there was a dunking booth there too

 

Great story, glad you were able to finally get out with your car again to a show!

 

Should have said not interested unless they're NOS in original GM packaging...😛

I worked with a Mustang freak who always called my Hurst/Olds a "four-forty-two". (Yeah, we all know Olds people who say that too)

Finally broke him of that by pointing out that H/O is to 442 as Cobra is to Mustang GT. Sometimes you have to explain it in terms they can understand! 😼

 

Only thing that chaps my *** more than “four forty two” is “cutty””.

 

Here are a few other gems I've heard from so called "Judges" when they are checking out my 1967 4-4-2. On my car identification card describing my car I have it identified as a 1967 Cutlass Supreme, 4-4-2 optioned, Holiday Coupe.

Judge - Do you mean your car is a 4-4-2 clone? My response - No , it is a real 4-4-2. In 67 the 4-4-2 package was only available as an option on the Cutlass Supreme model.

Judge - What do you mean your rear end is an "Anti-spin 3.55". My response - Anti-spin is Oldsmobile terminology for positraction.

Judge - What in the heck is a "Holiday Coupe"? My response - Oldsmobile terminology for 2-door hardtop.

At small local shows if it ain't in "Chebby lingo", most Judges are just gonna scratch their ***** (sorry I meant heads) and say what the F?

 

You have to know your audience. In those shows, it's a 67 442, hardtop, limited slip 3.55.

 

Exactly!!!

 

Glad to hear Bill is doing well, it's hard to believe he's 24 now.