I haven't NCRS or Bloomington shown a car since the late 80's, becoming a little frustrated with my perception of judging inconsistencies. After a decade of saying I wasn't doin' it anymore, for some reason I'm getting the itch again. (As a side note, all four previous experiences resulted in Top Flights and 1 Duntov with friend's 67 which we jumped through all the hoops with together) I'm sure my judging manuals, at least any I could still find are completely obsolete. One of my 67 435's, which has never been shown before is the car of this focus. It's still got laquer without clear, which in the forementioned timeframe was imperative. I keep hearing rumors that NCRS & NCCB have relaxed their deductions on base coat/clear coat paint. The 67's paint is like one of my old girlfriends now.....striking from 20', the closer you get the more the age shows. If it was '89 again, I'm certain this car would Top Flight in it's present shape, but I just don't know how much times have changed. The car's also presently got 5 repro bolt ons. I guess it'd be worth the trouble to take the original rallys off the other 67 and detail them properly instead of a big originality hit for the repro wheels. Opinions????????
-
-
Re: Judging questions/comments.....long, sorry
I would not touch a thing until I got some new judging manuals and score sheets. I too had the same "experience" or burnout and have recently found a renewed interest. Paint condition alone will not cause you to not get a top flight. Check out the new score sheets (vastly expanded since the 80's) and give your car a personal "judging". You may be pleasantly surprised with the result AND it'll point you toward the things that need attention the most....
Good luck and welcome back to the hobby
Steve -
Welcome back, yep some things have changed
Yes, this club and the sport/hobby in general is dynamic. We continue to learn about the cars and this is reflected in updated score sheets, judging guide reference material, and judging schools. But, some things haven't changed....
This is NOT a solved science. There IS a portion of the restoration process that's based on art. We're a club made of human beings and on any given day, some of us assume the role of 'judge' while others play 'owner'. We do this as a SERVICE to our fellow members and I can guarantee you, there WILL be errors of ommission and commission when any Corvette is judged (anywhere by any organization). Do NOT expect 100% correct answers to each/every question. Some judges know more than others in certain area about certain things. The whole process is supposed to be a FUN learning experience and not a blood sport...
Yep, things have changed. First, there are no longer NCRS Judging Manuals. The name of the book was changed to Technical Information Manual and Judging Guide to reinforce the fact the publication is intended as a supplement to the judge's personal knowledge and that it's NOT an algorithm for how to correctly restore each/every Corvette.
Second, the score sheets have been removed from the JG books in order to permit faster change. These are available free of charge by requesting a current copy from either your local chapter judging chairman or the office of the national judging chairman (currently Roy Sinor). This was done to 'rationalize' the Flight judging process....
It's basically a 4500 point scoring system that covers 53-82 Corvettes. The later cars have a LOT more component items to assess (emissions systems, safety components, Etc.) than the earlier cars. Therefore, like an accordian, something had to 'give'.... A steering wheel may garner more Flight scoring points on an early Corvette than it merits on a later Corvette to spread the percentage evenly considering the added items the later car has.
On paint, yes, the club's changed things. This used to be a one line item component (originality and condition). The obvious use of clear coating (or other major deviations from known factory original paint and its application) resulted in a full deduction then. Now, exterior paint is broken into two line items. One is simply color (no condition) and regardless of how your exterior paint is applied, you can get full credit for the basic color matching the trim tag (or judging guide description of factory available alternatives on early Corvettes prior to the use of trim tags).
There's still a paint line item for originality/condition and the use of obvious clear coating or other significant deviations from factory original application can result in a full deduction. But, roughly 1/3rd of the points assess prior to this change are now associated with color. So, the 'bite' is considerably less for those who choose to clear coat or depart from factory original lacquer paint material....
On wheels, you mention '67 bolt-ons. This is covered in the standard deduction area as well as the JG text of various years. It used to be, the owner got an automatic 10% deduction for presenting a car with fresh reproduction KO or BO wheels. Correctly restoring a set of original steel wheels and original wheel covers (the majority of Corvettes shipped) can EXCEED the price of current reproduction KO/BO wheels.
Most mid-year divisions have changed the judging criteria making it an automatic 90% deduction for the presense of reproduction KO/BO wheels vs. factory original, real McCoy, KH wheels. This deduction applies to originality, so you can still get condition points with reproduction KO/BO wheels. And, there's fine text in the deduction description to soften the 'blow' for certain reproduction KO/BO wheels that are closer in appearance to the real KH wheels of the era....Comment
Comment