Are east coast and west coast that different?

[SuperNovaSS]

I had a guy come by the other day that bought a part from me off of Ebay. He looked at some of my driver cars and said they would win shows back east. Is the difference that large? I am used to mostly rust free cars with nice paint jobs(but not perfect). Do car back east cars typically have severe rust repairs, etc.? I consider the GTO I currently have listed a very nice original driver; he described it as a show winner. Have I been looking at restored Super Cars to long? Any input is appreciated?


Thanks,


Jason

[MYSTERYCHEVELLE]

Show winner is a subjective term IMO.. I hate when guys describe their cars as such and don't quantify it with what SHOWS?? No offense to you Jason... but there is the local fireman's Show and High School votec show and etc, etc.. shows.. and their are Vette Fest and GM Nats, and ACES Regionals,, and ISCA type shows..

That all said, I am sure the cars on the WC start out cleaner and with less rust, but make no mistake, there are some TOP SHELF cars on this side of the map and repairs may get done, but we do it right.. well most do

[m22mike]

Here in Northeast Ohio, there are still alot of local cars around and yes some have had repairs. Some are very well done sheetmetal work and some not so good.
But also keep in mind that alot of what is collected from around here was transplanted from other areas of the country.
In a nut shell, it is hard to beat a So Cal survivor.
Mike

[Salvatore]

We do have a problem with rust back east. Damp and cold with salty winter roads. I am sure rust is everywhere but Southern California and the Arizona area I think is best for buying used sheetmetal and cars. Water, salt, snow,ice and road grime lay in the small cracks and areas of the sheetmetal all winter and do its dirty work. Yes, west coast sheetmetal is a pretty much top priority for me when used sheetmetal is needed. I love you west coast guys you lucky dogs! Love the Napa Valley wine too.

[Fast67VelleN2O]

A SOLID east coast project needs lower 1/4's, fenders, trunk pan, and at least one floor pan.

[mockingbird812]

The "old" adage applies: get your bodies in the southwest and your interiors back east.

[ANDY M]

"Subjective Judging" is a bit of an understatement. If I take my car to a real car show, where points awarded for restoration is taken very seriously, there is no reason to enter my car. I'm pretty sure that the award plaques from Quaker Steak and Lube or Hooters wouldn't impress anybody.
On the other hand, I avoid the heartburn that comes from having someone scrutinizing my car for things like dust on the frame rails.
Rust is bad news on any car, but there is no such thing as "rust free". These cars came from the factory with surface rust already starting. They were taken off the line and parked in an unplowed parking lot in the middle of a Michigan, Ohio, New England, etc. winter. Then they were shipped in open rail cars or truck carriers to sit in a dealers parking lot until they were sold. After that, you had the option of a Ziebart treatment to rustproof your car, but even if that worked, it still has to be removed to restore the panels back to bare sheetmetal.
You can't win for losing. I've been told that sand in a bodyshell can be just as much of a pain as rust is.
Point is that hard work and attention to details is what wins shows, but pride of ownership is what the hobby is all about.

[Charley Lillard]

Andy needs to come out west and find a rust free car to play with. Yes they are still out here.
My experience has been that the better restored cars are out East. Out west we don't have the rust issues and drive our cars more months of the year. Up until a few years ago it was rare to see a frame off resto on a car out here because it never needed it. In the east you needed to do frame off resto's because of the rust and you got very good at it while we were still just repainting ours and showing them.

[ANDY M]

Charley, would you consider trading one of your "driver" COPO cars even-up for mine?

[ORIGLS6]

Seems like I recall an old yellow Camaro from Michigan that wasn't too bad.