I have had  one car judged in my long and illustrious membership, and scored about 650 points. I drove the car to Pennsylvania unrestored, much as I had received it. I think the judging procedure was fair. That was in 1978, and I have no idea what the procedure is like now, although I doubt it is  much different. I can only say what I feel would ideally be the right procedure. This essay may be of some help to "newbies" who are about to restore their first 300. Read carefully, it could save you a lot of money and grief.

The basic standard is "original." We must define that term before we apply the evaluation process. The logical definition for this term is that the car should be as manufactured. That is to say, it should ultimately look like it did the day it rolled off the assembly line. However, we can and should be willing to go one step further and apply a slightly different standard for the concours judging. That standard would be that the car should look like the manufacturer intended it to look like as it rolled off the assembly line. This gives more room and more potential credit to restorers who are willing to go the extra mile. "Trailer Queens" are often scoffed at, but they often represent the best example of the marque.

Intended appearance is an interesting term, and can lead to some measure of misunderstanding. What it means is this; what the car would have looked like under ideal conditions, if everything the assemblers had done had been executed perfectly with flawless parts. For instance, paint runs may be "factory original" if the car came that way, but you should not expect to have this type of defect overlooked by judges. After all, a body shop can remove them and they were not supposed to be there in the first place.

Paint is an interesting subject.........I have my opinions, of course. Nowadays body shops apply base coat clear coat polyurethane that gives a finish you can't believe. Gloss is a mile deep, and the surface can be polished out to the point where it is literally as smooth as glass. Great, huh? Yeah, for looks and durability, you can't beat it. But what do you do if you're a judge, and it all comes down to the paint job, all other things being equal? Car "A" has the beautiful new clear coat, while car "B" has a very well polished, flawless acrylic enamel paint job. "A" may look a bit better, but what kind of paint did they use in the 1950's? Not clear coat, that's for sure. I think that if I'm the judge, I give the nod to the guy with the original type paint unless the club dictates otherwise.

Fasteners are in the same league; there should be no points deducted for stainless steel bolts, washers, exhaust systems, or clamps. No, they weren't factory original, but they are steel, which is the original material. The rust you see on standard fasteners wasn't original, either. What's wrong with preventing it by using something that looks exactly like the original and is made of the same basic material? Nothing, in my humble opinion. No judge should be able to dock you for not having the original fasteners, but he can dock you for the rust if you do. Don't try clear coating them to avoid rust, either......that's definitely not original, and besides, I tried it and it doesn't work! 

Speaking of clear coat, I seem to remember some really angry 300 owner who had points taken off for his ram manifolds, which had been meticulously painted and clear coated. They looked like they must have had body work done to them.....you couldn't even see the marks from the casting molds. They were as smooth as glass, and they were gorgeous to look at. His air cleaners and valve covers were just as nice. I think they only docked the rams, and he was livid. See what happens? This guy probably put 40 hours of labor into a project that resulted in a deficiency because he didn't do his research. I have a picture somewhere of a G engine with a gold fan and pulleys, silver rams, and bright silver exhaust manifolds. It looks like the guy spent a lot of time doing the work, all for nothing. Better isn't always better. 

Information concerning originality is readily available. The 300 Club has many skilled expert judges, and when they are sober they can really do a good job! They can tell you what color a wire is supposed to be, what carburetor is supposed to be on your engine, what the carpeting is supposed to look like,  and why that GMC 671 blower sticking through your hood disqualifies you from the Seniors Division. (That doesn't mean you're old, it means you scored a certain point level with your car.) Other good sources are   original factory brochures, parts books, factory photos, and photos of cars which have scored high points at club meets. There are many features installed in the day by dealers such as chrome dress up kits and wire wheels, but I don't recommend you use these unless the original assembly line parts are missing. Those repro Chrysler wires from Ebay look nice, but the original wheel covers are best for the concours. Hey, you want 900 points? Change the tires and wheels before the event.

Consumables such as tires, batteries, fan belts, exhaust systems, brakes, rubber parts, and hoses are usually waived from point deductions unless the original items are still available. Most car clubs accept a good facsimile of what the original part looked like. Again, it's up to the clubs and the judges to determine how far they want to go with this. Restoration Battery in Cincinnati still makes exact reproductions for Chryslers 1924 up, so take yer chances, dude. That judge just might whack you for that DieHard.

Interiors are readily available for most 300s from Gary Goers, Legendary Auto, and Year One. They aren't cheap, but cars with dried up leather interiors with cracks, mildew, and rat bites don't seem to win many trophies, especially when the guy next to you has a $4000.00 cancelled check he can wave at you and the judges. The bikini girl applying the Lexol to his new upholstery doesn't hurt either, but we'll ignore that for now.

The 300C one page back seems to have suffered a fate worse than the 300B in the Tech section, but it can be saved. "Yeah, right," you scoff. Don't scoff too much, worse cars than that have been restored to perfection. I know a guy who did it. My body man's landlord, John Curtiss, has a car collection you wouldn't believe. The centerpiece is a 1922 Locomobile Dual Cowl Phaeton, a touring car that barely fits inside any known garage. It's magnificent, to say the least.

The car was literally pulled from a field with a chain, it was that bad. John's wife looked at it and just shook her head. "You'll never be able to do anything with that," she said. Several years and an ungodly amount of money later, the car stands as one of the best in the country. Blueprints were acquired for parts, existing parts were cautiously borrowed for duplication, and parts were manufactured from scratch based upon nothing more than photos. The car cannot be described.........it is yellow and green with tan leather, hand turned dash, etc. My grandfather worked for Locomobile in Bridgeport, Connecticut in the 1920's, so the car was especially interesting to me. I couldn't even hazard a guess as to its value.

Point being, anything can be "restored." Note the quotes. Legitimately, a pair of serial number tags can ultimately qualify as a restored car. Ask any 57 Chevy owner armed with a Danchuk catalog.  What do you do if you find that rare fuel injected D, but it's dissolved from the belt line down because it was stored in a swamp, and beavers ate the interior? Shrug and walk away? Nope, you go look for a New Yorker and you start swapping stuff as required. Some people say "It isn't original because you used a body donor. That isn't right." Really? What about just a fender? That's okay. All right, two fenders. Still okay, right? Both fenders and a hood, trunk lid, and two doors. Eeeeh, yeah, we'll go for that. Where does it stop? It doesn't. Replacement of original damaged parts with equivalent original parts is always allowed. What difference does it make if the entire body is replaced wholesale rather than one piece at a time? Some of the cars you see going for 200 grand at Barrett Jackson don't have 5 percent of their original parts intact. To my way of thinking it doesn't matter, as long as a clone isn't the end result. If you start manufacturing cars that never existed, now we have a problem. You gotta have those serial number tags! If the car existed legitimately and you are simply making it exist again by replacing whatever needs replacing, more power to you.

Most newbies are overcome by the sight of an actual antique car in the flesh, especially a 300. They lose their sensibilities (and later most of their net worth) at the thought of actually owning a Brute. "I've gotta have this!" quickly overcomes "You're crazy! Nobody can fix this pile of junk!" and home the relic comes. Two divorces and $50,000 later, you have what used to pass for a good parts car in 1975. "Poor Joe," your neighbors sigh. "Look at him. All he does is work on that old junk car. His wife left him, his kids left him, and even the dog won't go near him unless he has a pork chop in his pocket. He lost his job, his stock portfolio, and his mind. What a shame." But he has  a half restored 300. Good deal, Joe. What do they know.

For the average enthusiast, I recommend buying a car that is either fully restored or darn close to it. You'll pay more initially, but you'll be much better off. Frame up restorations often entail work the average person is incapable of, and require equipment that will cost you too much money considering how often you'll use it. I speak from experience. I have engine stands, engine cranes, and more tools that Bob Vila. I doubt I'll ever use most of this stuff again. I've learned my lesson. 

For those of you who insist upon attempting this insanity, consider doing the following: Have 911 on your speed dialer, reserve a room at the local hospital, and retain a good attorney for either the divorce or the bankruptcy proceeding. Also, get used to people saying things like "Gee, he always smells like grease," and "He used to be so handsome. What happened to him?" Oh, nothing, but a roasted face and several blood transfusions will do that to you. Remember the old guy (played by actor Roberts Blossom)  who owned "Christine?" There you go.

If you have a big garage, and I mean big, and you have a large balance in your checkbook and suffer from some sort of incurable brain damage, go for it. You can learn this stuff. I learned body repair, welding, painting, and all sorts of things that ultimately help to maintain a car as well as restore one. I also learned that I don't really like body repair, welding, painting, and all sorts of things that ultimately help to maintain a car as well as restore one. I discovered that I enjoy the finished product much more than the work it takes to get there. 

Injuries and accidents are part of the game. I have several nice scars from melted undercoating which I was removing with a torch and a putty knife. I have a finger that points in an odd direction after having a 200 lb sandblaster fall on it, and it seems that for almost six years I was always bleeding in some fashion or another. I ruined several pairs of glasses working on cars, removed a rather significant quantity of meat from what passes for my shins by unintentionally smashing into things, and I think one of my internal organs is missing. I'm not sure which one. 

My friend Bill had a Chevy Caprice fall on him, resulting in several surgeries to repair shoulder injuries. Another local genius was smoking while he was working with his brake system, and soon discovered just how flammable brake fluid really is. He ran for the fire extinguisher, but he was too late. The gas tank went, then the 20 lb gas grille propane cylinder blew up and destroyed half the house. His wife was very happy. Things can break, fall, explode, or catch fire, so be very careful doing this kind of work.

I recommend that before beginning a restoration project  you remove the gas tank and drain the fuel system, drain out all the brake fluid, remove the battery, and make sure there aren't any gas cans, flammable liquids, or propane cylinders nearby. Use lots of solid floor to frame support to put a car up in the air......cinder blocks are better than a floor jack any day. Don't put any body parts you really like and want to keep  inbetween or under heavy objects such as engines or transmissions. Don't disassemble anything you don't understand, particularly power window  assemblies. You know those things in there that look like scissors? That's what they're called, and that's what they are. They're loaded under tension, and if you have your hand inside one when you unbolt the wrong thing, you'll have to get used to being called "Lefty."

My 1959 Dodge is about 90 percent. I was amazed when I looked underneath........I'm used to 300s that have been mouse habitats and oxidation experiments. "Wait a minute," I scoffed. "What are they trying to pull? Where's the rust?" There isn't any, and I can't understand it. Part of me is very happy, while the alter-ego is subconsciously reaching for the sandblaster and the Rust-Oleum. It's nice to have a list that reads "detail the engine bay, take off the skirts, and clean the headliner" rather than "call Redi Strip, try to find out what kills mold, buy more bandages and burn cream, and set the traps. Oh, and find out if a raw liver compress will fix axle fluid scalding."

It's fun though, all kidding aside, and very rewarding. To spend ten years restoring a car, then taking it to be judged at a national meet can be an extraordinary experience, especially when the judges start rolling on the ground in hysterics. "Hey!" One will scream with glee. "I didn't know the hemi was optional on the 300G! And that tri color vinyl interior is just the best we've ever seen." Do the research, then do the car.

Make lots of notes, take lots of pictures, and be prepared for the project to take much longer than you had planned. Don't be afraid to spend whatever you have to in order to get what you need. Parts are expensive, and so are good materials. Don't worry, you'll get it back some day when you sell the car to pay off the hospital bills. It's the best thing going, and somebody has to do it, so why not you?  After all, plastic surgery isn't that expensive!

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