NCRS Membership Advice

[Paul E.]

I am a new NCRS member. I have a 1979 L82 4 speed with 17,000 original miles. That does not mean that the car looks brand new. It certainly needs some work. In talking to NCRS members at Carlisle, they recomended that I have the car judged to find out what needs to be worked on. I am trying to find out when judging occurs, I live in a Buffalo NY suburb, or if a few members look at the car. It is almost original. I have new carpets etc, but I would like to know where to go next. It has original paint, except the passenger door which was replaced before I got the car, and the repair is terrible. Do I get the door fixed or paint the entire car? The questions can go on, but I need some advice on how to proceed with the NCRS. I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!! I attended a fantatic car show in Olcott Beach Saturday with 1009 cars. It was fantastic!!

[Jack C.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Take a look in the Driveline to see if a Judging Meet is going to be held near to you or perhaps circulating a message asking for an inspection of your car from members in the surronding areas. It all depends on what your ultimate goal is and how much time and money do you have to invest. You will find that we are all out here to help and certainly, there will not be a shortage of opinions.

[Terry M.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Go to the top of this page and click on "CONTACTS." Page down on that page to look for an NCRS Chapter near you. There is a Western New York Chapter, but Lake Erie in Ohio might be closer. Contact whichever Chapter you wish and ask them when and where their next Chapter judging meet will be. Register for whichever event suites you.

Good Luck.

[Mike B.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Hi Paul,

I don't know if you're a regional chapter member or not, but I've always been since I joined NCRS. There must be one in the Buffalo area. You'll meet lots of new friends who are willing to guide you in the right direction.

Most folks have their cars judged regionally through their local chapters, then later have it judged nationally. The local chapters can help shake the "bugs" out of your car before the national meet if you proceed that way. Some folks elect to go directly to the national meet to have their cars judged.

I've never had my '65 judged yet, but I'm going to have the '66 regionally judged when I finish her. Then on to the nationals.

Good luck with your '79.
Mike

[Alan S.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Hi Paul,
It sounds like you have a pretty nice car!
The Western N.Y. Chapter (Susan Manno) seems like a good match for your location. Even if they don't have a chapter meet coming up I'll bet you could interest a couple of members in comming to take a look at your car.
Lunch, adult beverages, and a Corvette to look at, are a strong draw!
Regards,
Alan

[Floyd B.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Paul,

First of all, Welcome Aboard!

The best thing I did after purchasing my '73 and joining the NCRS was to obtain the most current TIM&JG for my car, a Judging Reference Manual and a set of score sheets. I then spent an entire weekend "judging" the car myself.

Did I later learn that my judging of the car was atrocious and I missed many details and misinterpreted the manuals at several points? sure I did!

BUT, I also learned a lot about my car, myself and the judging process.

You can obtain all of the documents I mentioned above for a grand total of $42.00. Believe me - they are well worth it and you will need them as you restore the car anyhow.

I am not discouraging you from getting your car judged at a meet. That is certainly a prudent step before starting to pour money into the car. When I think about the expert advice we receive for the cost of the entry fee; I literally feel like I'm stealing something. But it is also a much better experience if you have some idea of what to expect. This may be a really poor analogy but it's hard to win the game if you don't know the rules.

-Floyd-

[Terry M.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

This may be a really poor analogy but it's hard to win the game if you don't know the rules.

-Floyd-

Floyd,
That is an excellent analogy. I have observed many people bring a football to a baseball game, and they generally wonder why they have no fun.

[Joe R.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Gentlemen,

This is a perfect example of what I purposed to Roy Sinor several years ago and had Roy's blessing that it was needed.

First this is in no way a criticism of the NCRS, Roy Sinor, it's directors etc., it's merely a suggestion that fits nicely into this thread.

Second, I applaud the above suggestions from our membership to a new member and novice Corvette owner trying to enjoy his purchase and be a part of a wonderful organization.

The purposal to Roy Sinor the director of judging was to form a Novice Class composed of some of the most knowledgeable judges and members with years of experience.

The purpose of this Novice Class is to HELP new members with their Corvettes. Those Corvettes would be judged without points with the sole purpose to HELP new members or members not familiar with a judging system prepare their Corvettes for judging.

Why you ask have this when we already have an excellent judging system?

Many new members are turned off with the NCRS when they find their new Corvette purchase doesn't meet the standards of the present judging system.

Yes, I know there is a chapter, regional and national judging format.

Yes, I know it's hard enough to get enough competent enough judges at some of the meets.

And I do know there are people in the NCRS that are willing to dedicate their expertise, training and time to help new members with their Corvettes.

My rant is over! I hope this encourages some discussion and thought to this suggestion.

Respectifully,

Joe Ray

[Kurt G.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Paul,

First things first, welcome to NCRS. You're gonna really like what you have gotten into. Lots of good advice here. I have to agree, get a Tech manual and judging guide. Before you judge your car yourself though, take the time to learn your car. Take the tech manual, go out tothe garage and learn your car. Look and find casting numbers, date codes, etc. item by item. Then, after you've spent the week or so it will take to do that, print off a set of judging score sheets and go out and judge your car. Pay attention to the operational section, as those are the hardest points to suffer a loss in, since each area is worth 25 points each. Also, while you're doing all this, get active in a local chapter. Get to know the guys and gals in the chapter. Then, have a couple of them look at your car to "judge" it with you. Then take it to a chapter event and have it judged for real.

Our chapter, Midway USA is a new chapter, with many new members. We did somewhat the same thing this summer, but in a bigger way by having judging school. We all learned a ton, and with the help of the Oklahoma Chapter, which I can't say thank you to enough for their help, we now feel better about preparing our cars for judging.

Fortunately for me, my 72 had been judged before, so I had a starting place. However, I did the steps I mentioned, in the order I mentioned and won't have the shock of getting a less than expected judging score when my car is judged for the first time with my name on the registration form. Plus, with the help of a couple of guys from Oklahoma and Texas I feel confident I'll get that coveted top flight the first time out.

Good luck, and again, welcome.

[Donald S.]

Re: NCRS Membership Advice

Paul,

You missed the Chapter meet in Buffalo at the beginning of June. I would suggest joining the local WNY chapter (see link under contacts in header at the top of this page) and join in the fun.
Welcome aboard!

Don