TMCP #650: Ask Rick – Father’s Day Car Shows, Summer Cruise Nights, and Patriotic Auction Temptations
The MuscleCar Place
The MuscleCar PlaceJun 5, 2026
TMCP #650: Ask Rick – Father’s Day Car Shows, Summer Cruise Nights, and Patriotic Auction Temptations
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Term
four chassis race car
This means it’s a race car built from the ground up for racing. The frame/chassis is made to handle hard driving and racing parts, not just normal street use.
Bump stops are like safety limits for the suspension. They stop the suspension from compressing too far when you hit bumps or load the car hard in turns and braking.
Racing slicks are special tires made for dry track driving. They have no tread, so they can grip harder on a race surface, but they’re not meant for wet weather.
Term
Super low to the ground
This means the car sits very low. A lower ride height can help it feel more stable and stick better when you’re turning hard.
The Ford Mustang is a sports car made by Ford. It’s popular with car fans because it comes in many versions and has been around for a long time. When people talk about a “Mustang roundup,” they’re usually gathering Mustangs and the people who like them.
A dash plaque is a small award/label you get at a car show. People usually put it on the dashboard while they’re there, and then some keep it as a souvenir.
A best-of-class award means your car was judged the best in its category at the show. Instead of being compared to every car, you’re compared to cars in the same group.
A press board wooden plaque is a low-cost award typically made from compressed fiberboard (often called pressboard) that’s shaped and finished to look like wood. It’s used for mass participation awards because it’s cheap to produce.
The Ford Super Duty Lariat Tremor is a heavy-duty pickup truck. It’s meant for towing and rough roads, and the Tremor package adds off-road-focused features. The podcast is bringing it up as part of Ford’s lineup that gets attention in enthusiast media.
Vinyl is a man-made material used for car seat covers and interior trim. It can look like leather, but when it ages it can crack or get ugly—so it’s often a sign an interior needs refreshing.
The Renault Wind is a small car from Renault that can be driven with the top down. It’s designed to be practical for everyday trips, not just for show. The podcast is describing how it can fit people and work during normal driving.
The Chevrolet Camaro is a sports car from Chevrolet. Early Camaros are older models that many collectors look for. People may talk about them a lot because they’re a big part of muscle-car history.
“Crash parts” are components used to repair a vehicle after damage—typically body panels, structural pieces, and other parts that restore the car’s original shape and safety performance. The speaker is saying the company’s background is in making these repair parts, which affects how you’d judge their ability to produce new replacement bodies.
CNC is a way factories use computers to control machines that cut and shape metal very accurately. It can help replacement parts fit correctly because the measurements are consistent.
Presses are machines that shape sheet metal into the right form. For car body panels, that shaping needs to be accurate so the part matches the car’s original lines.
They’re discussing replacement body panels for a 1968–1969 Dodge Charger. In other words, it’s about the outer metal parts that make the car look right and fit together properly.
A “replacement body” means new bodywork meant to replace damaged exterior parts on a specific car. It’s not just about looking good; it has to fit correctly and be made to the right specs.
Licensing departments are the legal teams that decide whether someone is allowed to copy or sell certain car designs and parts. The speaker is saying companies may need permission, or they could get sued.
Stellantis is a big car company. Here, it’s mentioned because the speaker is talking about whether companies need permission to make replacement body parts.
GM stands for General Motors, a large car manufacturer. In this segment, it’s brought up as another company whose legal licensing rules could apply to replacement parts.
The Tesla Semi is a large electric truck used to move freight. Instead of using gasoline or diesel, it runs on electricity. The podcast is mentioning production scale and how quickly parts and components can be made.
The Chevy El Camino is a classic muscle-era vehicle that looks like a car but has a truck bed. This specific one is a 1968 model that the seller says is an SS 396, which is a higher-performance big-engine version—real ones are especially valuable to collectors.
“SS 396” is a performance version of a Chevy that’s associated with a big 396-cubic-inch engine. Since some cars get modified over time, people try to confirm it’s the real deal, not just a car that’s been dressed up to look like one.
“Concourse level” means a car is restored to be perfect for car shows. It’s not just running and looking good—it’s meant to be extremely correct and pristine.
The Cupra Born is an electric car shaped like a hatchback. It runs on electricity instead of gasoline. The podcast is basically saying not to expect it to match the performance story of older muscle cars.
“Hot rotted” is a casual way of saying the car has been changed a lot in a hot-rod direction. The host is basically saying it doesn’t look like a careful, original restoration.
A “restomod” is an older car that’s been fixed up and improved, often with some modern upgrades. It’s usually meant to keep the classic look while making it nicer to drive.
An “M code” is a factory label that tells you which specific engine or build option a car had when it was new. Collectors care because it helps confirm what the car really is, not just what it looks like now.
“Four-barrel” describes a fuel system on older V8s that uses a carburetor with four separate openings. More openings can mean more fuel delivery when you press the gas hard.
The Mercury Cougar is a classic Ford-family muscle car with a stylish, sporty body. In this part, the host talks about a 1979 example and how it looks—especially the grille and hidden pop-up headlights—and notes it seems solid and rust-free.
“Big block” means the car originally had a bigger, stronger V8 engine. The host is saying the El Camino they’re talking about didn’t start life with that larger engine.
These are headlights that hide in the car’s body and pop out when you turn them on. The host likes this look because it makes the front end cleaner and more distinctive.
“Rust-free” means the car doesn’t have corrosion underneath, which is a big deal on older vehicles. Less rust usually means fewer expensive repairs later.
Term
Kreger ss's
“Kreger ss’s” appears to refer to a specific wheel/tire setup (likely a wheel brand/model) that the host personally likes on this car. Because the transcript doesn’t provide enough detail to confirm the exact product name, it’s best treated as a wheel reference rather than a widely standardized automotive term.
“No pillars” means the car’s side windows look like they flow without the usual vertical support posts. That’s why the car can look more open and sleek.
The Chrysler 300 is a big, classic American car that often came with strong V8s and flashy styling. The host is mainly talking about the dashboard and gauges—saying the Chrysler’s looks more futuristic than the Mercury’s.
This is a special, high-performance Mustang from Ford’s Shelby line. The “heritage edition” is a limited-style version, and the host is saying it’s the kind of car people pay extra for because it’s rare.
NPD is a company that sells replacement parts for older cars. The host is wondering if similar parts support will still exist for today’s modern cars in the future.
The Dodge Challenger is a muscle car, meaning it’s built for strong performance. The podcast mentions it with other famous performance cars, which shows it’s a popular choice for car fans. People often talk about it because it’s recognizable and has a lot of enthusiast interest.
An “AACA winner” means the car has been recognized by the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), which runs judging at concours and shows. For buyers, an AACA award is a signal that the restoration and presentation were evaluated and met a high standard.
Body filler is a repair material used to fill dents and make the car’s body smooth before painting. The host is saying that if the restoration is solid, the filler shouldn’t crack or bubble after a year.
A Shelby GT 350 is a special, high-performance version of the Ford Mustang made by Shelby. The point here is that it’s easier to buy than the older, more unique car they’re discussing.
A Shelby Mustang is a special, performance-focused version of the Ford Mustang. Shelby cars are usually more powerful and more collectible than regular Mustangs. The podcast is talking about how hard it can be to find one of these cars compared with buying something new.
“Meet reserve” means the bidding got high enough for the seller to accept the deal. If it doesn’t meet reserve, the seller usually won’t sell at that price.
A 1969 Dodge Charger RT is a classic muscle car from the late 1960s. In this segment, they’re talking about whether this specific Charger RT is a good buy and how its condition and modifications change the price.
“Numbers matching” means the important parts on the car are the original ones it left the factory with. People usually like it because it’s more authentic, and it can make the car worth more.
Aftermarket performance parts are upgrades made by other companies to make the engine breathe better or feel stronger. They can be good, but they also make it harder to judge the car’s “original” value.
Edelbrock is a company that makes popular engine upgrade parts. An intake manifold helps air get into the engine, so using an Edelbrock one usually means the car was modified for better performance.
Exhaust manifolds are parts that collect the engine’s exhaust gases and send them down the exhaust system. If they’re upgraded, it can help the engine breathe and make more power.
A concourse restoration is the highest level of restoration, where the goal is to make the car look like it just rolled out of the factory. That usually means taking the car apart completely and rebuilding it carefully so every detail is right.
Car
Oldsmobile
They’re calling an Oldsmobile a “blue chip” classic, which basically means it’s the kind of car collectors really want. The idea is that if it’s restored well and looks right, it holds value better than more questionable projects.
A “blue chip car” is a collector term for a classic that lots of buyers want. The host is saying this Oldsmobile is valuable because it’s in great condition and restored really well.
LIVE
The Muscle Car Place, online podcast, episode number 650.
This week, Rick is here to kick things off for the month of June, and we're going to
cover a myriad of topics in-depth, specifically the ins and outs of putting on a really nice
car show, even when it's not to make money.
Rick did one for years just effectively for good PR, and it was really hard to do.
And he definitely did not like having 50's music on the PA, he'll share that.
Then we discuss the business of full reproduction car bodies.
This is not a new thing, certainly.
In PDCell's, the mainline ones are ready, but more are coming now from various players.
You've seen the video, so did Rick.
I saw in that video, trademarkable brands being stamped into tailgates for trucks.
Automatically, I'm like, well, that's not going to fly with that manufacturer's licensing department.
And that video was the first time that I've ever seen China, mainland China, even spoken
about in the classic sheet metal business, let alone the bodybuilding business.
This is the Muscle Car Place online podcast, brought to you by National Parts Depot.
This is the weekly show dedicated to people worldwide who love American muscle cars.
If you're buying, selling, restoring, even racing them, this is the place for you.
Now, here's your host, Rob Kibbe.
Yes, indeed, I am Rob Kibbe, and welcome to the Muscle Car Place podcast.
Well, happy June, everybody.
First show of June, and Rick is here to walk us through all the trials and tribulations of life
and putting on car shows and figuring out if repop bodies are a good idea to sell to your customers.
Picking cars off a bring a trailer to get ready for independence and then to flip them and make some money.
Or maybe most importantly, not lose money.
All coming up, a production note for you.
This was our first interview done for video, and the audio itself is a little off.
It needs some improvement.
We're working on it, and ironically, we had even nicer equipment than we normally do.
But something was off.
The interview itself, it's been polished by our own man, Bernie.
So put some faith in that it's pretty good.
Like the content is like all Rick's stuff.
It's gold there, but just want to let you know that in advance.
We'll tune it up.
We don't want this to be a podcast network where you come in here just recorded Zoom calls.
That is not our intent.
We have a higher standard than that.
And we actually put all the nice pieces in place just for that.
But we'll get a squared away for the next one.
Just want to let you know that in advance.
So speaking of audio being off, I am recording this show to you from our rental apartment here
in Charlotte, North Carolina.
And just for logistics reasons, I had to do this show from the road.
And man, I am out of rhythm.
This is so much easier than Iowa Command Center.
So since that's the case and since I can hear it echoing in here,
I don't know what it sounds like to you.
But I'd like to try a little something different this week.
Since this is our first week here in Charlotte and yesterday,
we attended the high performance expo show.
I had a bunch of recording gear along to do interviews from the show.
And I got a few and I think we'll probably share one
towards the end of the month.
But I needed to do a sound check.
So I just had to all sit down there.
And frankly, I thought we'd stop at some point.
I did a little mock interview there so I could get everything lined up and nice.
And it ended up being a very good interview.
You know, it's interesting that you can have a conversation
with somebody that's maybe deeper in an interview format
than they would have with you one-on-one.
At least that was the case here.
So I thought I would share it with you.
So up next is the Dallas Gibby Racing Update presented to you by Lexani Tires,
Lionheart Tires and Rolling Big Power Tires,
all available for purchase easily online at simpletire.com.
Burn cue the intro please.
The Dallas Gibby Racing Update, driven by Lexani Tires,
Lionheart Tires and Rolling Big Power Tires,
all available for purchase easily at simpletire.com.
Now, here's the update.
Loose is fast and on the edge, you're out of control.
Here at the Performance Expo 2026,
my first interview of the day is up and coming race driver,
Dallas Gibby.
Dallas, welcome to the High Performance Expo.
How's it going?
What are you here for this week, Dallas?
Running summer shootout round one in my first late model race.
Okay. What's your goal with your career?
Professional driving, any kind.
What has been the most humbling experience to date
that you've had to learn and overcome in your racing career?
Probably last year at the shootout.
When can you expand on that?
Just wasn't very good.
I don't know. It's kind of shy.
Didn't really know what I was doing a whole lot.
Do you find that it is a challenge when you go out
and maybe you're not fast initially to get in the mental space
you need to resolve it on the next run?
Sometimes. It's definitely frustrating,
just because I want to be good right away.
But a lot of guys have a lot more laps than I do,
especially at that track.
It's like my second time over there.
We picked up good second round.
What are you looking forward to this weekend?
The late model race, by far. Really excited.
It's a different driving car than a legends car.
And this is the first time you're doing something that
I really have zero context of.
I've never driven a late model car.
I've driven your legends car around a lot.
I've seen them a lot.
But this is the first time you're racing a car that
I wouldn't think that I could get in and understand right away.
So what's different about it?
You've run two tests now.
What's different about the car or how you drive it?
Let's start with the car.
What's different about the car itself?
So it's a four chassis race car.
And then you've got what are they called bump stops?
I mean on the suspension.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You've got a V8 with probably like 400 more horse than a legend car.
Big old racing slicks on it.
Super low to the ground.
It's super fast.
I don't know.
Just faster, bigger.
Everything is just better.
You're rolling faster.
You're going faster.
You're in the throttle faster.
You're not turning faster.
Smooth on the hands.
No legend car.
You're really up on the wheel.
But basically everything is different.
They're both fun in their own way.
I'm sure.
I mean you're probably very comfortable in a legend car now.
Yeah.
You know where every corner is and you know how to push it.
And you know.
I mean at this point Dallas you typically go out and spin yourself out.
You're aggressive now.
Very aggressive.
Yeah.
How long do you think it will take you to get aggressive in a late model?
I mean I was pretty aggressive already.
Spun myself out the first run at Orange County.
But I got a good lap doing it.
So I feel like my billy to get in the car and find the limit pretty, pretty quick.
One of the best things I can do.
Is it hard to find the line of speed?
That's what I think is challenging.
I mean when you go to a track especially a new track.
Other than tribal knowledge.
I don't know how anybody figures out like over here you run high and over here you run low
and over here you run in the middle.
Every track we've gone to right now kind of has the line for the car you're in.
Is that hard for you or is that fun?
I think some guys are better at it than me.
And some where I want to improve.
They just kind of feel it out.
I mean obviously there's stuff like track walks and just being told where to run.
But a lot of the time they just have a really good feel of where the speed's at.
A lot of guys are more experienced than me so I'm sure that's part of it too.
But I think a lot of it is just feel.
And also during the race in a late model more so.
Kind of run up higher in the races or lower just depending where the grip is at.
Okay I mean you feel the grip.
Is the feeling of the grip solely what you're going by?
For the most part in a late model you also have a spotter so you can say move up half the car.
Seems like guys are rolling faster there.
Stuff like that.
As the rubber builds up or as the track heats up or cools down in the late model
you kind of run at different spots in the race.
Are you scared?
I'm not scared.
I think I'm a little nervous.
Because you want to do well or just because it's new or?
I want to do well but I also just I don't know.
I can't really describe it.
I just really want to get in the car.
Okay yeah.
Well so the flip side of racing unfortunately is that the 80% of racing is business.
So we're at a trade show here and you know everybody has a different personality type.
If you're not a D dominant personality type that's not a bad thing.
It just means you have to know how to meet people best.
How do you most want to interact with new sponsors?
Do you want to get to know them over a long time?
You just want to reach out shake their hand and say I'm the guy that's going to get you to the
front.
What makes you most comfortable?
How so?
Like can you expand upon that?
Sure you're not a known name here.
People do have to meet you and for the most part they will have never met you or heard of you before.
But you want to get to know them because many times they're going to represent a company that
you want to represent.
You're in the marketing business right?
You're driving a billboard.
Yeah.
You are a driving billboard driver.
That's what you want to do for a living.
Is it hard for you to get to know people that you've never met before?
I don't think so.
I feel like I can do a decent job at that.
I think mastering that is what will get you to the top more so than mastering driving a race car
because as much as racing is about being good in the car and being fast.
If you have money you can keep progressing.
Finding a good balance of getting driver development and obviously moving up and
improving and learning how to drive a race car itself.
A lot of the racing industry's business I think that's where a lot of guys kind of stall out.
You can have all the talent in the world driving a race car but if you don't know
how to get a sponsor shake hands put yourself out there.
I think that's where a lot of guys can stop.
Yeah out of the billions of people in the world there are a handful of people that are just so
good and so elite that someone will walk up and sponsor them and even they didn't get sponsored.
Initially everybody has to start somewhere so I'm proud of you here.
Today's our only day.
You got a pocket full of business cards.
You've got a mop of hair.
I know I need a haircut.
Yes do well.
I'm very proud of you.
Thank you.
All right signing off.
Signing off.
Excellent outro burn.
Best in the business.
Hey if I could just say one thing to you.
I know that you maybe started following this show for muscle car content and we do that here
but recently especially with Alice's growth in racing I've been sharing a lot of that here.
A lot of that is personal stuff.
Thanks for letting me do that.
I do appreciate it very much.
What we're doing right now is really hard and sometimes it's nice for me to be able
to explain it to somebody.
You to help me process what I'm doing and what's working and what's not.
But I can tell you he has this dream and I want to help him chase it.
I want to help all my kids chase those dreams.
Dallas is the only one with car dreams though.
So that's the only reason that I share so much of that here.
But I don't know.
Well just finished up our dance season.
I'm an awesome recital Sunday.
Truly truly enjoyed it.
Never thought I'd be a ballet dad.
But I am.
Okay up next is our interview segment with Mr. Rick Schmidt.
If you have ever run a car show or if you want to take some notes from someone who has been
there and done that and then there's a pretty fascinating look at how vendors have to vet parts
specifically full production bodies just to sell them legally with the clean conscious.
So just a reminder here the auto quality is a little off on this one.
We'll get that fixed the next time.
The flip side though is you get to see Rick on video and that's fun.
So enjoy.
The Muscle Car Place weekly podcast interview is brought to you by our good friends at National
Parts Depot.
See them through the link at themusclecarplace.com.
Up next on the National Parts Depot hotline is Mr. Rick Schmidt live and in video.
Rick welcome.
Thank you.
This is a little different than I'm used to actually
seeing myself as I'm blabbing away.
So it's going to be an adjustment.
What's the thing you're supposed to do to think about baseball?
I don't know about that but.
We'll tell you what this is our June show.
So Rick happy flag day.
Flag is June 14th.
I think it's Donald Trump's birthday.
It is my dad's birthday.
That's the reason I remember.
Okay cool.
Obviously the month of June has Father's Day.
So Rick what do you do for Father's Day?
Hopefully as many as my daughters who can make it by the house and make it by the house and we'll
do up some good food and maybe go hang out by the pool.
I don't know just relax.
Probably won't go out to eat anywhere.
We'll probably work in a visit to my dad who's pretty much stuck at home just with
age and conditions.
So we'll march over there and bug him for an hour or two and make a day out of it.
My church a few people in particular tried to railroad railroad's a strong word.
Convince me to put on a Father's Day car show at our church.
They've seen that done at other churches and I will admit it's a neat fun thing.
And the old Father's Day car show is something I've certainly seen in the past.
That's the last thing I want to do on Father's Day.
Go run a car show.
You at NPD you have had your own series of car shows and I don't know if you do those anymore
or not but you've probably learned a lot of lessons about them.
I got really good at doing car shows and I got really good at knowing what attributes
and deliverables were worthwhile benefit and what traditional things that are always done
at car shows.
I found to be an unnecessary expense and complication but I thought I had a pretty good
recipe with our Silver Springs all forward and Mustang roundup and then those always
happen in January.
In Florida the weather's great in January typically so if everybody's going a car show
in January they're like yeah.
And then in October we started doing our all GM October Fest and these were the Silver
Springs State Park.
Back then it wasn't a traditional state park.
It was leased to a ongoing chain of different operators where it was more of a traction.
They had a carousel.
They had bears and wild Florida Cougars and an alligator show and kids playground and
a petting zoo and of course the very famous blast bottom boats.
So many things to do in a little shopping area down by the spring.
They've got a mansion stage which is this huge concert stage and that's where we'd
have our microphone set and we have a band play in the middle of the day up there and
that's where we gave away all of our awards.
It was a really great place to do a show but eventually the state came in and kind of
claimed the Silver Springs and I get why they did it because it is a very environmentally
sensitive area.
It's the largest freshwater spring as far as flow.
I don't think it's in the case of the country.
I think it is in the world.
Don't ask me how many gallons per minute flow up through the spring but the state came in
and turned it back into a traditional state park.
They got rid of all the fluff that made it a tourist attraction and gave the whole place
back to nature.
The only thing that stayed was the glass bottom boats and they also ranked kayaks and
you can kayak out there but everything got wiped away which didn't make it that great
of a venue for the show because what made our show special wasn't just a car show.
It was an event that the entire family could enjoy because there comes a point about an hour
or two into a day-long car show that your kids and likely your wife have had enough
and they're bored and that wasn't a problem at our show.
There was a full days of activities, food, fun, playing around to do.
Once it all got stripped away I could kind of see the writing on the wall that
this was going to kind of turn into a different event, a more boring event.
I couldn't just bring in the entertainment because after all I was doing these shows for free.
It was all paid for by NPD.
We didn't charge any admission or participation fees except for day of registrations.
They had to pay a fee.
I can't remember what it was, 15 or 20 bucks but I didn't get any of that.
That went straight to the park.
I didn't keep any of the monies and of course we had huge crowds and the park would sell
parking fees to those people.
They had to have an incentive and they got lots of revenue from all the concessions,
selling stuffed toys and food all day long and the glass bottom boats so everybody won
and everybody got to participate in the car show basically for free.
So it grew.
Some years we had 11, 1200 cars packed into that place.
It was quite a spectacle but to do it in the way we did which was organized
and really hummed along effortlessly that took a lot of work leading up to the shows each year.
And it became overwhelming work.
And then to imagine how much resources and cash and talent I'd put into the shows each year
just to occasionally have the whole entire thing rained out.
Yeah.
And then they had a concert series so it's not like I could reschedule because as soon as
our show was done concerts every weekend on that stage.
So after 20 plus years almost 25 years of putting these shows on it wasn't what it used to be.
The park wasn't what it used to be and I didn't want our fantastic show to kind of linger off into
obscurity or just linger off into just being an average show.
I wanted to go out with the bank so I just announced one year you know what we're done
but we're going to do one more event one more GM one more Ford and they were blowouts because
everybody knew that was going to be the last one so we really had a good time and
brought in some more and we went out with the bang instead of just continuing on with a whimper.
Was the purpose of it to celebrate the culture to be a good marketing tool for NPD?
There are lots of shops that have the Thursday night car show.
There are three body shops in my town that up all over the years had a once a month Thursday
night car show and they've all come gone.
The ones that I've seen that stick around are the big ones but you pay money to go to them.
It is a for-profit enterprise and they're in the business of doing car shows that's what they do.
It's expensive to do a car show you know the right way since mine was free dash plaques no
because more than half the people throw those away anyhow.
I go to so many shows I can't start collecting dash plaques another thing for my kids some day
to throw away. It was only the important stuff we used to keep it simple stupid to
a great degree. I also didn't give out many awards at our shows
because that was another expense and I gave out nice awards I gave out a huge engraved
beer steins glass engraved beer mugs and they sold beer and cocktails on the property
back then so you could literally win a best-of-class award which was really hard to do at a show where
there's 1,100 cars and we're only giving away 30 awards and that includes the best ofs the best
Ford the best Mustang all inclusive I think if we gave away 25 to 30 awards so winning one of those
mugs was one hell of an achievement not like a lot of other car shows you go to where everybody
gets a participation award here's your cheap press board wooden plaque everybody gets one
just for showing up I never dug that I used to go to shows and I'd get my little plaque and I go
boy I'm so proud of why did I this is what I paid for when I gave my $15 at the gate was this thing
so we just have a different way of doing things to where that took a lot of the pressure off of
people knowing that it's tough to win an award you didn't worry so much about the competitive
atmosphere and you were just happy to be there happy to have your car being seen and to win
something that's just icing on the cake and then of course you can take your mug walk right over
we call the beer boat they had one of the old retired glass bottom boats that they serve tap
beer out of and you go fill up your mug with beer and have a celebratory cocktail to celebrate your
win sure was it good pub for npd I mean I assume that's where I'm sure it was I would never have
any way to measure it I couldn't monetize it I never thought did it give me a net revenue just
from the good faith of the show I don't know it's not like I invented the show either it was a
an Orlando based club a group of guys who started the show as Silver Springs and then I got involved
as a sponsor and then as clubs go it takes a lot of work and a lot of volunteers to put on a show
and is the show grew bigger because I was helping promote it I brought in all the big magazines
Dobbs Publishing back at the time which was Super Ford and Mustang Monthly I brought them into the
fold so we were publicizing the heck out of the show but the bigger it got the more the club was
like we didn't sign up for all this work it's all a big juggle as people were not going to juggle
anymore I was picking up the bowling pins and juggling them myself until eventually seven or
years in I realized I'm producing the whole entire thing and then going forward by our biggest
justification was there was just a giant party a thank you party to all of our customers what
doesn't a car show need besides the dash plaques I mean I'm like you Rick usually the goodie bag I
get I flip through it real quick yeah I mean to do something with it it ends up in the trash later
besides that stuff what doesn't a car show need well it doesn't need somebody all day long calling
out ticket numbers for six packs of oil and microfiber towels and bottles of quick shine
it doesn't need that all day long six diet 5247 I repeat 68524
seven are you out there I refuse to have any of that going on I did do giveaways but I made
them meaningful it's kind of like the wards were few but they were nice and meaningful
instead of just giving away a bunch of nothing all day long we would do a hard luck trophy
and that was a hundred dollar gift certificate and we did a longest distance driven trophy
another hundred dollar certificate if it wasn't worth a hundred bucks then it wasn't worth taking
up time right on stage time so yeah we don't do the litany of cheap door prizes we did put some
promotional stuff because we would bring in some of our suppliers bigger preferred
suppliers so that they could display their crafts like eating Detroit spring every year
would come down and put up a tent at our show we became very very close friends and
we just had lots of vendors uh back when they were kind of the only deal in stainless steel
break every year would come down so we had TMI our little small little manageable uh
everybody had some product this could see new products and some eye candy to look at there
and they would all have their gift certificates and their bail giveaways and they would pick one
car out of the field to say I love this car TMI their idea I think was fantastic they would give
away a full interior and of course inflation has happened but back in the day they'd say
TMI interior items up to 500 dollars in value well back then 500 bucks would get
you a full set of seat upholstery door panels quarter trims pretty much a new interior and they
would go out and choose the recipient the winner they would go out into that field of thousand
1100 cars and find the car with the absolute radiest in need sorry looking interior
that they could find and say this fella needs it more than anybody is in the whole entire
place and then they would announce his car number so somebody who just had barely had vinyl on their
seats you know they had towels all over everything and just that had never been able to get around
to or maybe afford it now they'd have a 500 dollar coupon in their hand to buy all
new stuff I do like the idea of good meaningful car shows it's interesting that I mean what you're
describing sounds exhausting from the organizational level and the workload required to put that on
participating would be a ball but putting it on sounds like it would kind of suck it was a long
day especially on the days when I knew the weather wasn't going to be good it was one year of snowed
for the Mustang show soon I'm driving in my saline it's dark it's 5 30 in the morning so I'm
already just Friday night we have our big party for all of the vendors and magazine people and
suppliers so Friday night we're blowing it all out having this nice party in advance of the show
and by the time Elaine and I are done cleaning up after the party and everything else and of
course there's been some cocktails involved with the party you're in bed at one in the morning
and the alarm goes off before 30 so that right there was always a kick in the pants to start
out the day and then you get there in the pitch of dark and then all of my employees that I had
set up for a registration rose parking the cars inside the field all of that we had organized
we met with them get them all outfitted with their orange vests and their flags and everything they
needed and last minute instructions for the registration people we ran to get because we
had to park a car in order to park 1100 cars inside of this state park we opened registration at
7 a.m closed it at 10 and we had to close it at 10 because the park opened at that moment and for
insurance reasons they didn't want cars still rolling in and parking while they had visitors
starting to walk through so we had a 7 a.m to 10 p.m window to park a thousand to 1200 cars
you have to park a car every 10 seconds plus you're battling with these guys who want I don't
want to park here I want to park over there I want more space in between my car I want room to set up
my tent and put my stuffed animals out and all of that you still need to average 10 seconds a car
and then the registration out in the parking lot was four tables four long rows and each of those
rows would wind up being sometimes in the middle of the day easily an eighth mile deep
the good guys show that I love to go into every summer they have a pre-register early
registration pickup the day before and I go every time and it's worth the hour and 10 minutes it
takes me to drive there and drive back to get a little sticker do not do it tomorrow yeah so much
better but putting on a quality car show I mean it's hard sounds like you did and you know the
reasons were pretty significant for those that are listening that want to put them on I don't get
a lot of people requesting that typically it's a few buddies on a Thursday night at the local
body shop they'll have a guy spinning 50s tunes and you know maybe I would run by other rules never
had a DJ no DJs are great for some people and then others get parked next to the DJ
speaker and if you think about how loud those speakers have to be to cover a state park that's
packed full of over a thousand vehicles yeah it was torture I've been going to car shows all of my
life I'm sorry if I'm a sour pus on it the 50s and 60s music blaring over the speakers so loud
that I can't even talk to car owners it were talk to friends that I stumbled across and were sitting
there screaming at each other over this damn DJ and like why is it a necessity at all car shows
for every show that I put on I'd have two or three people walk up to me I really wish you had a DJ
I just say I'm sorry but as long as I'm running the show and I'm on the grassy side of the ground
over my there will be no DJs at one point what we did started doing is we had the live music
two sets on the mansion stage if you wanted to listen to it you brought your lawn chairs up and
you sat down in front of the stage and you'd listen to the music it was just the right level
and that was very popular different topic here we've been talking about your trip to
revology what an interesting opportunity that was for you to see that and I'll mention that my
comments to you regarding revology wound up making it to the high brass and Tom Scarpello
himself at revology he did a short video and gave npd I gave us a very very nice it was just
very very thoughtful what he did in return for me being on the muscle car place and talking about
his products and what high quality I considered them being and trying to explain why they were so
pricey to people so yeah that was really nice but I thought you would like to know that that's the
kind of listenership and the reach that you have is it didn't take long it got right back to him
there's a few people there there's one key one for sure that I'm positive was the linchpin there
but I'll thank him later I don't even need to guess who it was Tony thank you so but it brings
up the topic of full bodies for cars I think npd has at times sold replacement bodies and I'm gonna
say they were first gen Camaros maybe from real deal steel or dynacorn we've changed suppliers
on the GM side of things we've changed to a couple of guys who branched out on their own
and we're getting more timely builds I think better quality better fit and tolerance builds
I'm actually very proud to sell our current line of it's just first gen and I think early
second gen F body and GM bodies cool that's going really well we were really late to the
body game because when the body game was early in its infancy boy those bodies were rough
ill fitting and not square and true and they were a nightmare for the people who were trying to
use those bodies as the basis of a business like Rivalogy has become but there's plenty of other
people who've tried to get into that business I won't name any names a lot of big guys who are
going to build hot restomotted mustangs using a fresh new body and those business plans really
got bit square in the ass with the amount of labor that they had to put into those bodies just to
make them work and still they weren't happy with the quality it's evolved quite a bit since then
obviously with anything the more you get yelled at and the more you get sued and everything else
the more you're going to refine your fixtures or find somebody else to do the assemblies it is all
worked its way to where at first I said I refuse to sell these bodies because I can't sell them
in good faith I cannot myself stand behind what the quality might be of that purchase plus and I
didn't want to us to be the monkey in the middle between the manufacturer having somebody spend
17-18 thousand dollars with us and then be really really pissed off I didn't want to put our company
in that position I didn't feel comfortable with it over the years and it's been 20 plus years now
since these bodies first started popping up and I'm much more comfortable with it now I do understand
that there's a place in the hobby for them I don't believe there's a place in the hobby or I don't
necessarily agree with illegal builds where people are using the bodies to just graft over the
VIN number and title from a rare and valuable Mustang or Camaro that is so absolutely derelict
it can't possibly be restored and transferring the VINs is usually not legal and then they'll pass
it off and try to finish the car and auction it as a genuine thing I don't believe that's good but
used for the purpose for which they are built and intended and a lot of it is a restomage craze I
think the bodies are just fine and I think just how many to sell a year or lobby so for example
there's um if you follow Larry Chen but Larry Chen's got a big following on automotive video
automotive culture for drift cars and things like that and he just recently went to China
and visited I think it's called the Jun Cheng I saw that yes about a 39 minute video
super interesting you know if I did my own googling I could figure out that that company's
background is in crash parts they have the resources to have CNC and presses and all the stuff
how would you vet a company that one in particular they're planning to release a 68 69 charger body
as part of their line they don't just make 240 z's in Toyota 86's how would you vet
anybody that's bringing you a new replacement body that's very complicated there's a lot of
questions that would have to be answered that go beyond whether or not the body's a quality piece
does Stellantis or GM or Ford do these bodies need to be licensed with them or maybe they
don't need to be licensed then are they still going to sue you into oblivion to make it so
difficult for you to be in business that you can't be in business I saw in that video trade
markable brands being stamped into tailgates for trucks automatically I'm like well that's not
going to fly with that manufacturer's licensing department and that video was the first time
that I've ever seen China mainland China even spoken about in the classic sheet metal business
let alone the bodybuilding business and there's a lot of people I've ranted about this before
where people think Taiwan and China are the same place and the same thing and no it's
very very different I have a lot of loyalty and I have a lot of faith when it comes to
pursuing and achieving quality and continuing to build upon quality I have a lot of faith in
the long-term relationships I've had in Taiwan I don't have that much faith in mainland China
manufacturers so they're in the collision parts business I know that deal there's so in
cheap parts to repair shops who want to fix the car with cheaper parts so that they can make more
money is the quality there I don't know I have familiarity and I know what to expect from my
manufacturers and contacts in Taiwan I have no familiarity with China it could be fantastic
it could be a major move and a major competitor and a new influx of parts into the USA
but those parts have to be not putting me at odds with any of the licensing departments
and any of the big three yeah how do you vet a fender or a roof or a door Cheryl
or god forbid an entire body that doesn't happen fast or easy when we get a major part
you get a sample or two you really cross your fingers and toes that when you send it to either
a customer or a shop you've known for a long time you're just looking for somebody who's got the
vehicle that that part would fit to and their vehicle is not some twisted up rolled over repaired
wreck of a thing it has to be a good benchmark vehicle that's never been in an accident that's
never been rusted to death and had a bunch of different patch panels put into them it has to
mostly original sheet metal vehicle to test all this reproduction stuff in it's hard to find
takes a long time and then if you're counting on a customer to do it you're counting on their
ability to work on a vehicle their talent level not screwed up to whether or not their opinion
is reliable or if their opinion isn't worth the email that it's written in how many bodies a year
do you sell now of the ones that you currently have already vetted and offer I can't imagine it's
not a ton per year I think we deliver somewhere between 12 or 15
and then compared to fenders or floor pans I mean that must be a bazillion to one
you know ratio and fenders those go out by the semi truck loads probably every day body purchases
is a rare thing yeah well that particular company was at SEMA last year and they were
in hot rod alley rick I went by I saw what everybody else saw I went ahead and put my name
on the list and when this charger comes out I would like an email and I just said hey what is
this gonna cost and the price I was told was 8000 dollars that was inconceivable I said
is that in the United States and I was told yes in California so maybe there was a landed
8000 dollars there could have been a language barrier there and maybe there was
so I'm going to say that maybe my question wasn't understood the end result was
they had a lot of nice looking products sitting there including some 240s and some
everything you saw in that Larry Chen video I saw sitting there on the floor yeah was impressive
looking well let's go ahead and get to the funnest part of the show this is where Rick
just rips car picks to shreds but makes some good perspective buying choices so rick
independence day or the 4th of July whatever you want to call it but independence day is the real
name is just around the corner and we need a red white or a blue car not to put in a parade
but just to turn some heads at the local fireworks and our goal is to get rid of this car at the end
of the summer and we don't want to spend more than 50 000 bucks we don't need to make money here
we just need to get rid of it later when we're done with it and not lose money
now I accidentally sent you a red a white and a white car so I have screwed up already
but of these three they all should go for less than 50 and you need to pick the one that you
think is the best fit so what do we have for car number one it is a red 1968
Chevy El Camino says it's an ss 396 it's sitting on what looked to be some aftermarket variant of
what's looking like a rally wheel but they look like they're 17 inches with low profile black
wall tires on it true honest verified big block el caminos have become so high dollar
I would be cynical that this truck was born as an ss 396 otherwise it would be done more to a
stock or concourse level this is kind of restomod slash hot rotted but it does look
pretty original under the hood I'll give that for it is this a body style you like I love the
body style yeah I've got a really killer 72 which is the different front end but not too far
different than this I guess 72 is only 7000 original miles on it it's not a big block
though factory color was yellow battery finished in red and I mean I've got a claiming 40 some
thousand miles on that that would be something again if it was a 40 000 original mile ss 396
one would be tempted to do a really top notch restoration on it not what I see here I'm not
wild about the truck the advantage you have though if you're going to see the fireworks is
you could put all of your friends in the back yes you could yeah that could be a few fireworks
from the bed you surely could you have a cooler back there it's only an 8800 but there's three
days left this is just a local cruising quality car what do we have for car number two all right
we're talking this is a 69 cougar mercury cougar convertible and it's an m code which means it's a
four barrel that's a 351 winster four barrel it's already bid to higher money than the El Camino
was people don't typically fake m code winster cougars so you don't have to worry about
like I am with the El Camino that it was not born as a big block it's a secretly good looking car
79 is arguably my favorite year for the mercury cougar I just love the horizontal chrome front
grille that goes from side to side with the pop-up hidden door headlamps I like the side body line I
just like everything about it I think it's a sexy looking car from any angle you look at it and this
is out in California so it could be a nice solid car too and not something that grew up on the beaches
of Jersey or something another color change it was originally medium line metallic and repainted
white it looks really nice and white in fact I prefer the white over the bright red of the
El Camino just because red's so overplayed and it looks elegant and white and medium line
metallic it's not exactly everybody's favorite so under the hood the valve covers and air cleaner
freshened up but the rest is not underneath it's not but it doesn't look like an abused car it's got
clean looking interior this looks like a good honest car again it's not a show car it's just
a cruise around and enjoy a type of car but boy it's nice and dry and rust free underneath too
there are very few cars I love with kreger ss's but this is one of them I like that that's a nice
look on that car yeah what do we have for car number three again our goal is one of these red
white and white cars for Independence Day 4th of July that's going to turn some heads what are
the 62 Chrysler 302 doors I think we've had one of these before but it was a different car it was
I dig these cars I really do of course it's not a convertible but it is a two-door hard top with
no pillars the 62 is a really good year it's really good looking handsome car and a superb
color for the interior red I love white cars with red interiors I think they're gorgeous
hi I'm right there with you and of course this year of Chrysler 300 has an absolutely dynamite
futuristic space age instrument cluster and dashboard whereas the mercury is kind of a
big snore in comparison it's cleaner under the hood glass packs those would have to go
car like this would be quieter than that don't dig the yeah so that's my only demerit I really
like this 300 since you said I don't have to make money I just need to not lose money
I'm not parading it so I don't need to have a convertible I just need to enjoy it throughout
the summer I'm digging the Chrysler okay as long as I don't overpay for it I'll always be able to
get my money back out of it same holds true for the Cougar the El Camino just has all of the look
of turnaround and run what's the top money to put on the Chrysler then to guarantee you're okay
25 25 okay now we're gonna do the exact same exercise but this time the $50,000 price limit
is gone you still don't want to lose any money you still don't have to make any money I think
I put in your comments you do but I don't care about that part you just need to not lose money
I just need Mr. Rob right yeah that's all it is yeah I don't need to be whacked with a frying pan
when the cars get sold and the lane discovers how much money I just lost now some of these
you may be tempted to keep knowing you but yeah some of these you may already own what
do we got the for the first one here first one is uh 2020 so this is a modern car
it's only got 458 original miles on it's a Mustang Shelby GT350R heritage edition
very collectible I can probably guess that the car is going to sell for more than what it's
stickered for and new just because of the rarity and the trajectory of thing I'm going to be honest
with you just where I am with my collecting personally I'm full up I need another car like
a hole in the head but I'm not dead yet I still see things that I like I am getting to the point
where if I buy one I have to consider selling one but I've lost my desire and my spark to buy
practically brand new modern vehicles and store them away because I'm already seeing the writing
on the wall with some difficulties we're having in our shop with electronics and things going on
with cars I've got from the late 90s and early 2000s I can see the writing on the wall that long
term years down the road there's going to be some serious hurdles with these modern vehicles and
all the technology and the airbags and whether or not there's going to be the support system
out there that classic that the old cars you know that I'm in business for whether or not
the support system of say an NPD puts out there for parts whether that's going to exist for these
more modern ones and then what are people going to do anyhow I'm saving all my slots for classic
stuff stuff like this Hellcats demons the Shelby Mustangs Z01 Corovettes ZR1 Corovettes all this
modern stuff it's everywhere as a category that some of them are each by one is very
but as a category they're plentiful everywhere they're omnipresent if you wanted to start collecting
cars like this and you had done a virtually unlimited bank account you could have a 500 car
collection next month put together because there's so many of them for sale so many of them that were
put aside with ultra low miles and it's to a point where where would I end finish it
doesn't even excite me because they're not hard to find I'm saving my spots for classic cars that
are of a type in a condition where they would be truly very difficult to replace
and that's more where my passion is right now not newer stuff so if you're to buy this thing
with a week to go it's at $77,000 what's the number you got to buy it for to sell it for
it's going to go over $100,000 for it and me I have no maybe somebody else is ready to scratch
check like that but it has no appeal to me I'm going to get over and grayer and all I care about
is stuff that's older and simpler okay good news the other one's pretty sweet I chose it because
the auction was going in it has ended so I now know the price oh and it didn't sell they had a
reserve and it didn't sell yeah so into 43.5 do you like it what is it it's a 1950 Oldsmobile
series 88 convertible I love these Oldsmobiles I love 50s Oldsmobiles love love love it's that
same old stereotypical bright red which there was a whole lot of other great colors that this car
was available in that I think would be more elegant class here but at least it's got the
matching red interior to go with it and at least it's not a white interior so it doesn't look like
Santa's sleigh boy it looks well restored under the hood it looks like the undercarriage is very
nicely restored it's an AACA winner from long ago in 1994 but you know what that tells you
is a national award winner too but it still looks great which means the restoration held up
sometimes an older restoration is a very solid buy because you know what you're getting all the
body filler isn't going to crack and bubble on you a year from now because the restoration is only
a year old and all of the shortcuts have yet to surface I think this car was grossly under bid
I make you a bet back in 94 the person who had it restored had easily six figures in the restoration
30 years ago yeah if the seller's reserve was only a little bit more than this like 50,000 I would
snatch this thing up in an instant so much more appeal for me than just buying a brand
new Shelby GT 350 which I can do any day of the week but you're not going to find a car like this
very frequently okay we should keep track and see if this thing ever shows up or shows up
somewhere yeah at 43.5 it did not sell meet reserve I don't blame them for not selling
them yeah why would you you got to be pretty desperate seller to let that go for that price
what do you think is a very fair price to pay for this car and still own it for a couple three months
and let it go see now I'm just worried that I don't know where the market is right now but I can't
imagine that this car wouldn't bring easily low end 50 to high end 70 okay car number three
now it's way under $50,000 right now seven days to go but I have a feeling it'll get close to that
because they always do what do we have for this one we have a 69 Dodge Charger RT 68 69 Dodge
Charger has long been on my wish list and I've just never found the right car I don't know if this
is the right car I don't know that I'm gaga about looks like it's painted in a non-original like a
viper blue but no it says finished factory in bright blue uh was repainted in electric blue in 1991
I don't care for the color but if you look at that venn you'll see that says X class
because bright blue is killer b5 bright blue oh white screw with that I want the viper blue
yeah if they repainted a b5 car there's something wrong with them but yeah
this is a real rt xs means rt xp would be a standard car but this is a true rt I'm not familiar
enough with the description to know if it's a numbers matching car it's got a lot of uh
aftermarket performance engine parts in it atlebrock intake manifolds so included the sale
is original wheels and tires exhaust manifolds and intake manifold yeah there's certain things to
like here what I don't like is knowing how much I would have to pay to uh repaint the whole day in
car colors not gonna fly with you I'm not gonna fly every time I walk by it I'm just gonna think
about who the owner was who did that and just want to bring their neck punch something I don't know
this car just would annoy me every time I looked at it and it's a nice car that
should have been repainted in the right color well what would you buy it for to correct it and then
sell it to get rid of it the summer without me man I don't even want to say on the podcast what
my definition of a good paint job is is costing these days but it's steep at $15,000 is the car
over your price $15,000 if I bought this thing for $15,000 and paid somebody to repaint it
to a standard that makes me happy I would immediately be upside down and that's if I could
buy it for $15,000 that ain't gonna happen because it'll probably go for I'm guessing I don't what
do you think 30 to 40 at least if this is a real rt rick even in this color I have a feeling it'll
crack 50 grand probably without an issue no thanks and then once I started peeling the layers off
the onion and tipping the dominoes over I would find myself in a full tear down and rebuild
concourse restoration which would be great when it was done but that's not our goal
goal sounds like the Oldsmobile is your winner if we can just find the right price yep yeah that
Oldsmobile see that's a blue chip car is it a real rt 69 charger no but it's blue chip in the
condition and the detail of the restoration and just the overall you can just tell all the
bright trim on it a collector of quality vehicles would be in the market for this Oldsmobile
well that was the very first video edition of ask rick rick you will be sliced and diced into
little 30 second segments that people can take out of context all day long great well as soon as my
piece checks start rolling in rob and you know it'll all be worth that's what I say too it's
it's a whole worth it when you count the money so rick happy father's day catch you the next one
same to you man thank you rick excellent as always okay I'll be back next week should be back from
the home studio god willing but between now and then hit me up on facebook or instagram anytime
be sure to subscribe to us on apple podcast spotify and youtube and yes you can find every
show plus all the merch at the home page of the muscle car place dot com website and as always
don't forget to keep chasing your dreams and keep letting me chase mine thanks for listening everybody
bye bye thanks for parking at the muscle car place online podcast sponsored by national parts depot
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car place
About this episode
June’s TMCP #650 blends racing, car-show logistics, and the business side of collecting. Rick Schmidt shares how to plan a Father’s Day show, what makes it fun (and not salesy), and why awards, parking windows, and weather can make or break the day. The conversation then shifts to late-model racing—spotters, grip changes, and finding the line of speed—plus how sponsorship and networking shape results. Finally, they dig into reproduction body sourcing, vetting, and legal/ethical pitfalls.
Father's Day is right around the corner, and on this month's Ask Rick, Rob Kibbe welcomes National Parts Depot CEO Rick Schmidt for a wide-ranging conversation covering everything from car show planning to collector car buying strategy. Drawing from more than twenty years of experience producing NPD's legendary Silver Springs Ford and GM shows, Rick shares what makes a great event, why most car shows overcomplicate things, and how creating an experience for the entire family is often more important than the cars themselves.
The discussion also dives into the evolving world of reproduction bodies and restoration parts. Rick offers an insider's perspective on the quality improvements seen in replacement Camaro and Firebird bodies, the challenges of manufacturing and licensing, and why some projects help preserve the hobby while others raise serious questions. If you've ever wondered what goes into bringing reproduction sheet metal and complete bodies to market, this segment is packed with fascinating insight.
Of course, no Ask Rick episode would be complete without auction picks. This month Rick evaluates six vehicles ranging from a 1968 El Camino SS 396, 1969 Mercury Cougar Convertible, and 1962 Chrysler 300, to a modern Shelby GT350R Heritage Edition, a stunning 1950 Oldsmobile 88 Convertible, and a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T. Along the way he reveals which cars he'd happily cruise all summer, which ones he'd avoid entirely, and why some of the hobby's most interesting opportunities aren't always the most obvious choices.
