Wish you all well and good by

[Don Izzo]

Re: Wish you all well and good by

Roy, I will wish you a fond farewell, and thank you for all your responces to my direct questions regarding the "Powerslide" tranny.

I always enjoyed your posts as well as your photos!

Back in 1969 when I got out of high school I bought my first Vette a 1962. Lost it when a cop waved me through a red light.There have been others but it Took 30 years sending 4 kids off to college, marrying off 2 daughters and paying off a mortgage before I was able to replace it with the '60 basket case. Your one of the guys who knows It gets in your blood. To others I say, If I have to explain you wouldn't understand.

I share your views regarding the NCRS and the degree of restoration. My 60 is a frame off with all original components. Took me 3 years to put it back together, However you won't find any silly inspection marks lacqure paint or stencils on the frame, and I wont spend years looking to replace that burned out original neutral starter switch while my car sits alone and unused in my garage. Got lots of trophys from local shows and cruise nights but that stuff is just clutter! It's the ooohs and aaahs that really count!

As far as the money goes, when I am asked and I always am, it's not for sale.

Drive it like you stole it! When it wears out (and it will!) tear it down and do it again. I will never, ever, sell my '60. What the wife does with it when i'm gone is here business.

Thanks again!

God bless and Good luck!
Don

[Mike B.]

Re: Wish you all well and good by

Roy,
I sure hope it ain't true. Thanks to your help and example, I will soon have bolt-in, power-assisted brakes on my '61 which will make me even more motivated to do what I like best...drive the hell out of the car! Once the booster is installed, I will make photos and instructions available to others Blasphemous on this forum perhaps, but reliable stopping might be of interest to those who don't own a trailer, or who don't have legs the size of a bodybuilder.

Now all I need is a longer summer season here in the Northeast. FYI: The other car is a '92 six-speed. That car sure can go...and stop!

All the best whatever you decide.

Mike

[Joe C.]

Roy, Nothing in Life is Perfect

The fact remains that the NCRS is the most knowledgeable and well respected Corvette organization on the planet. Think about where the automobile hobby would be today without us!! Sure, it makes me feel lousy to see so many cars trailered to events...........chrissakes now, even relatively valueless C4's, too. There is an extremely wide spectrum of personalities in this, as in any other organization. You've gotta be the one to choose who to "hang out" with. Whatever you decide to do, it's been great talking to you here.

Me, and many of us here drive our cars. The trick is to take care of them, at the same time, just as you do, Roy. I am not an absolute purist, but a tinkerer. I love to "perfect" things operationally........enhance performance, etc. Although that is true, the fact is, that I could not have been able to restore my Corvette as faithfully as I did (yes, including the paint on the manifolds!)without the help I recieved here. We are an elite group, and those NCRS members that don't stop by here frequently are missing out on a wealth of knowledge.

Best regards,
Joe

[Joe C.]

Nothing in Life is Perfect

The fact remains that the NCRS is the most knowledgeable and well respected Corvette organization on the planet. Think about where the automobile hobby would be today without us!! Sure, it makes me feel lousy to see so many cars trailered to events...........chrissakes now, even relatively valueless C4's, too. There is an extremely wide spectrum of personalities in this, as in any other organization. You've gotta be the one to choose who to "hang out" with. Whatever you decide to do, it's been great talking to you here.

Me, and many of us here drive our cars. The trick is to take care of them, at the same time, just as you do, Roy. I am not an absolute purist, but a tinkerer. I love to "perfect" things operationally........enhance performance, etc. Although that is true, the fact is, that I could not have been able to restore my Corvette as faithfully as I did (yes, including the paint on the manifolds!)without the help I recieved here. We are an elite group, and those NCRS members that don't stop by here frequently are missing out on a wealth of knowledge.

Best regards,
Joe

[Clem Z.]

my thoughts entirely. i have only been with

NCRS a couple of years but i have been with corvettes since 1959 when mrs clem and i left on out honeymoon in a brand new 59 corvette.what good is a corvette if you do not drive it. the NCRS should stop giving "paperwork" with the award just a cheap plastic trophy so you could put it on a shelf in your garage. that way there would be no need for $5K redline tires. JMHO

[Ken B.]

Re: Wish you all well and good by

Roy..I have only been a member for a short while.But I joined because of people like you.The knowledge from guys like you is priceless.I am not guy that has alot of money to spend on my vette(75)so all the info i get here is put to good use.If you must leave because of some guy or guys that use NCRS as a money maker then so be it.it is a choice that i don't know that I could make.Too many good people here and way to much experience.You don't know me but i am asking you to reconcider.The forum is a better place with you in it.I can make you this promise....my car will be driven, and driven hard when the occasion arises.and if it breaks I will put it back together and do it again.These cars are meant to be fun..

[Verle R.]

[Ian S.]

Re: Wish you all well and good by

It was my understanding that this board was about answering questions and sharing knowledge on how to restore a vintage Corvette to as close to factory standards as possible. This includes subjects such as broach marks, overspray, bolt head markings and other details some might find not important.

What's the difference if someone wants gain this knowledge so that they can restore a Corvette correctly and then never drive it, drive it or make money from doing it. Either way it is another car that is being put back to the way it was and preserved for the future.

At some level you must have cared about some of these small details that made a car appear factory correct or I doubt you would have been scratching off paint on C1's to prove original color or researching books with Nolan Adams.

If you love Corvettes and have the knowledge to help others restore them to their original glory no matter what the eventual use of the car and decide not do so that is sad both for the future of the cars and the younger owners such as myself. There are enough "old timers" who will be taking the knowledge they have of Corvettes with them as time marches on.

It is disappointing to lose any member of this forum but I am thankful for all the others that stick around and help out. I could not do my restoration with out you all. Thank you!

[Clem Z.]

it is all about the money

i owned a rare car,a new 70 chevelle with the 454 450 HP engine and wnat made this car rare was it was a malibu bench seat car. most of these cars were super sports. when a guy called me and told me he had bought the car from the guy i had sold it to in 1971 i told him to come by and pick up all the paper work and parts i had taken off of the car like the smog pump and exhaust manifolds. i GAVE the stuff to him because it was of no value to me so when i see corvette owners paying BIG bucks on E bay for paper work i have to laugh. the present owner tells me the car is worth $500K plus and i teold him if it was mine i would sell now to the first guy that showed up with the money.

[Jay G.]

Re: it is all about the money

Roy have never met you. But your posts are invauable. Anyone with that amt. of knowledge demands respect and in turn needs to continue to share his expertise. If small minded people neglect to respond to an old driven Corvette 55 or 67. Their loss. But worse our loss. As John Wayne once said "Don't let the Bas----s get ya down". Too many NCRS members will miss your pics and stories.

[David B.]

Re: Wish you all well and good by

Roy,
You helped me with my C-1 rear axle rebuild, my interior questions, and lots of other stuff. You never took a high handed approach, no matter how ignorant my questions were. Straight honest advice is what I got, and always dead on. I will miss you for sure if you decide you have had enuf, but I will keep your PM address and hope to be able to call on your generous nature from time to time.

I just drove my '57 to a local CCA meet and put it in the "fun show". You are right that out of about 100 Corvettes in the show, mine was the only C-1. I remarked at the time that I wondered if it was because no one wanted to drive them any more? Mine isn't meant for judging, but to be a good looking and driving car. I reached a point in my restoration process where I made a concious decision that there would be certain limits to the restoration so that I would not produce a car that I would feel bad about driving.

My car would be dismissed by many purists because it does not conform with JG in a lot of ways, but it sure draws the crowds who love it - and so do I!

I hope you reconsider Roy, don't let a portion of the hobby group turn you away. And, thanks again for all your help. You are "the man".

Dave Banwarth

[John O.]

Re: Wish you all well and good by

Hi Roy

I don't know you except for here. Yes you have giving alot of good advice, don't go anywhere,please..I own a 1962 corvette that I did a 100% frame off restoration myself, minus paint. I have wanted a car like this since I was 12 years old. I'm 49 now and I bought this car in 97.I finished it this year but I had 4 years set back from a divorce and motorcycle accident.To date I have $55,000.00 invested in my car. And that is pobably more than most guys put in there corvettes.I have won alot of local car shows and YES I drive my car all around cause I love it.I have not yet made it to a judging show, but one day I will.I almost died in that motorcycle accident and life is to short.This car was my dream. I have it, finished it and i'll continue to drive it.It's fun to drive and i love it. Yes I have a trailer but will only use it for the corvette if I have to travel LONG distances and use it for security reasons.Stick around cause there are alot of other guys who probably feel the same way.

See ya...........John

[Harmon C.]

You can get a Duntov and drive to nationals

Roy
The choice you make is yours Good Luck. I drove the Corvette I had judged to the Convention in Galviston in 2002 got the Duntov award the Sam Foltz and also the longest driven to the convention. About 4200 miles when I got back home on a complete restoration I did myself. The Corvette the wife and I drove had 100 miles after the restoration when I left home. I lost a Quanta fan belt and that was my only problem and was an easy fix. Just wanted to let you know not all Duntovs are trailer queens and a few stone chips won't cost you the award.You just need to know how good your restoration was done and if you do it yourself you know.

Drive your Corvette and enjoy the compliments at every stop.

Lyle

[Chuck S.]

Ah, Roy, Com'n...Snap Out Of It...

And, quit feeling sorry for yourself. NCRS is a huge, multi-faceted organism, and you are never going to have ALL the members feeling the SAME way about you or the hobby.

Some are in it for the money; there is no doubt in my mind...some are in it for the comraderie; some like the social activities; some like to try and understand all the technical mysteries of exactly how an old car was made 40-50 years ago; some like to find the blind spots in others peoples knowledge by judging their cars; and some just like to plan and execute activities for the good of the organization. Take what you want out of it...ignore the hyper nerds that count ribs if you're not into that, and get with the people you like to be around.

Meeting new people and learning new things is risky for most of us...So, when we start doing our NCRS "thing" we usually retreat right back to the little groups that we know and the activities we prefer. It's the same with all large social groups. Do you remember me coming up to you at Park City and introducing myself? For me, that was "going out on a limb", but I wanted to meet this "Roy Braatz" with the, er, different C1.

We had a nice chat...I found out you looked younger than your posts sound, and more athletic looking than I expected, but in a weathered tan West Coast way. That little chat, short as it was, (and almost getting invited to dinner by Dickie ) were the most memorable things that happened to me at Park City...Well, there were those hot moose burgers smothered in sauteed onion rings and cold Uinta cut-throat ale in town.

Simple philosophy for getting the most out of your dues: Do what you like; when you can't change it to what you like, shrug and go with the flow; and, finally, ignore the unfriendly stuck-up dockheads.

[Norm C.]

For the Love of the Vette

Roy.... I too hope to meet you someday. As the original owner of a "dreaded" C3 with 111K miles yet is top flight material (not yet judged), I wouldn't trade those 111K for a Duntov award. Not to say I wouldn't treasure the award, that would be fantastic!! However, I took my honeymoon, did some other things that can't be listed here, brought home both my new born daughters from the hospital, toured the entire Gulf Coast, most of the eastern seaboard, drove from Florida to Washington State, to California in one trip and highways from Canada to Mexico all in this one and only Vette. Memories like those won't be found at an NCRS meet, yet I thoroughly enjoy the NCRS.

That being said, I hope you reconsider to continue to share your wealth of knowledge and yes all your pics. As the early leaders of our love for Vettes pass on,,, the responsibility of sharing the wealth of experience to the "youngins" passes to those they leave behind. Yes not all will share the same love for Vettes, Yes, some are in it for $$$$$, or awards or whatever, and only show their Vettes at NCRS meets. And when I see someone ask "what is the level of overspray on a muffler" that was applied by a factory worker, working the last half of a double shift who the week before worked at a gas station, I worry if I too will lose that much perspective and pass to the "dark side?" HOWEVER, there are many who DO share the same viewpoint.

BUT ALL have their place, even though we don't share the same viewpoint. Yes ALL, ALL highly rely on this forum and the many experts who have gone before us. Its the leaders like yourself, Joe Lucia, Lyle, Dick, Joe, and all the rest who have that wealth of knowledge and yes the responsibility to continue the legacy of those who no longer can. Without you and those like you, what would be the source of the history and legacy of the Vette?

While a lot of Vette owners and their Vettes will miss your wisdom and experience, and the hobby will lose a valuable resource if you choose to leave...whatever path you choose,,,, thanks for all your insight, support experience and pics of Corvette!!!!!!