VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION Forum Questions Modifieds are a Good Thing

Except for judged cars, modifications which do not affect the look of a Chevy should not be condemned as heresy. Cars are to be driven. They are not artwork. We need to get our cars on the road to show the kids of today that Fords were not the only "old" car. In reality, there are not 1% of the cars in our club that are not modified. Most of the modifications are trivial like zerk fittings, tires, or modern bolts but where do you draw the line at modifieds? Is a GEO Metro a "modified" Chevrolet?

i agree with you

Yes, cars are to be driven, but they are also
works of art. The real challenge is to keep it
authentic and original and still make it work
right.

So I bought this 28 touring. A few trips around the block and I knew it was underpowered. So I took this 2000 S-10 4.3 Vortex and installed it. Then I didn't like the stick shift behind it so I also installed the autotransmission. Now I was afraid of blowing the rear end so I installed that also. But then I became concerned about the stopping power of the 4 wheel mechanical brakes and just went ahead and slid the entire S-10 chassis under it, frame and all. Now I could go fast and also stop but the cold wind blowing on me made me decide to just take the cab off the S-10 and install that. That combination didn't look too good so I also mounted the bed on the chassis also. I had to drill a hole in the hood in order to mount the griffin, but after all I had to keep it original. Anybody got a problem with that?

When I want creature comforts, I will drive the new car :) When I want to enjoy the true vintage aspect, we take the 60 out :p I also love to burn up my stock bias plys with my stock 348 :eek:

Hey Raymondo! You forgot the CD player and the speakers! I play Connie Francis music on mine. Of course, I had to convert the 1930 to 12 volts for the CD player, and then I installed a 65 amp alternator. I also found that electric windows are cool too, and then there is the 12 volt electric beer tapper in the rumble seat as well. Now, I'm thinking about removing the cloth insert in the roof and installing an electric sun roof in it's place. Wadda think??? Is that going too far??

Don't forget the A/C, and those stupid neon lites, also delay wipers are nice

Thanks! I totally forgot about the A/C and the delay wipers. How about cruise control and an electric rear window defogger too? Hey, I just want to make my 1930 Chevy drivable and a little more comfortable! :p

Hey, don't forget the OnStar system, you might need it if the airbags deploy.

Air bags? What air bags??? :eek:

John, with my Airbag doing the navigating you don't need an Onstar, you wouldn't hear it anyway. When my Airbag deployes I usually only hear HER but then I have only had her 38 years she isn't really what I would call a vintage one, so I guess I am driveing a modified '53 Belair.."Okay "Wild One , Dear! I will get off of the internet and take out the trash" WOW!I thought she was asleep!

The air bags were installed for SAFETY, so they can't be a modification, plus it was easy because they were in the newer seats that were in stalled and the in the tilt column already, we got to take this all of the way now guys, but remember we leave the stock rims on the car

That's why I installed a CD player so that I don't have to listen to the "air bag"! Stock rims? You mean I was supposed to leave my stock rims on my 1930 Chevy??? Darn, and I really liked those racing slicks too! :(

Has any seen my duct tape

JYD, did you put an Offenhowdor 8k double bubble humpper pumper on your Twin Four BB? or a Rodchastor flexamonojet to make the wheelie bars spark when you dig out? I need one for my pickup.

How many points would your 1931 lose in VCCA judging for these modifications? Fuses for hi &
lo beam hidden under dimmer switch. Real bulb
sockets inside tail lamp. Uvira hi tech headlamp reflectors. Solid state generator cut-out under
correct Delco cover. Volvo part inside speedo
cable. Now, I'm not saying I actually did any
of those things...

d2d2: No points lost because those parts are wrong. Now, if they were correct......well......?

MrMack: I put on one of them there 10 barrel Holly's with 6,200 CFM, and now my '30 coupe vacuums the freeway. Works good though until I get one of those stupid mopeds stuck in one of the barrels! Got a hot air ballon stuck in there the other day too. That was fun getting that out! Hey, for a 194 engine, it really sucks!!?? :eek:

But what if you, as a judge, can't see
any of those things?

JYD, what do you mean that no points are lost if the part is wrong? I am not really sure what you mean here. as far as modifications go in all reality most cars that are restored have certian mechanical modifications that enable us to enjoy the vehicle better, or it might even be the next years design that was better. I know I have the 61 wheel bearings which are the roller type, and I removed the ball bearings from my 60, because I drive my car and we all know that ball bearings were good but not that good. But as far as a change like that no one knows unless they are told, and I really don't view this as a modification as much as an "invisable upgrade"
D2D2, like you mentioned the cutout onder the original cover, I really don't think anyone is taking off the cover to judge the car so.....
John 348/340HP

"invisible upgrade" is a perfect description.
Safety glass and seat belts have been accepted
in most antiques for a long time.

JYD - Should I have counted up from zero
instead of subtracting from 100?

Safety glass, that makes sence, seat belts you need them for a car seat, must get family involved, especially the young ones. The VCCA allows both glass and belts. My car was driven from New York to Springfield this past summer, and the wheel bearings are just the tip of the invisible changes. But I guess they are still to be considered modifications, but these changes will not warrent a deduction, because the can not be judged, because they can not be seen without some form of disassembelly, so......
John 348/340HP

Why do we need seat belts?

"The chariots shall rage in the streets; they
shall jostle one against another in the broad
ways, the shall seem like torches, they shall
run like the lightnings." NAHUM 2:4

John: Regarding "no points deducted if it is wrong", I was just being facetious....I guess that you had to be there to understand what I meant. Sure, "invisible upgrades" are fine since no one can see them anyway, and many cars have invisible upgrades, like wheel bearings, modern rod inserts, and etc. Yes, I believe that the VCCA does allow for both safety glass and seat belts, which are safety upgrades, and that's a good thing. But where do you draw the line? I personally know of a beautiful Chevy roadster that is a constant trophy winner, and it has a modern CD player hidden in the car and the judges haven't caught it yet! But, I do have to admit that the music coming from that car is great, and the idea of having a CD player in the car is pretty cool!

When I first read the original posting, I had no idea that this Topic was going to be "The Topic to top all other Topics" but here she be!
.....Oh! JunKyard Dog "What do Facetidious mean"? I thought you may have just been pulling our legs, but now I wonder........

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