World of Wheels - Calgary, AB
 

Well, I just got the Camaro back in the garage after attending the local World of Wheels show here in Calgary. I'm not really the car show kind of guy and it was certainly an interesting (and exhausting) way to spend a weekend.

A couple of the shows highlights:

The best part of the weekend for me was the opportunity to spend some time with JF Launier and his awesome '55 Chrysler wagon Revolution. JF took the time to show me many of the details of the build of this Ridler Great 8 winner. He is a great guy and a really talented builder. The fit, finish and workmanship on the car was increadible. At one point he invited us in to his display, pushed the mirrors out of the way and crawled underneath the car with Chris and i where we spent fifteen minutes or so going over some of the work that was done and how he did it. The fact that the car is big enough that three grown men could lie underneath it and comfortable carry on a conversation is cool as well...

I also really appreciated the opportunity to give JF a tour of the '67 and get his comments and opinions. Getting feedback and compliments from established builders is always interesting and rewarding.

Thanks so much to JF for taking the time over his busy weekend.

I also had a chance to meet a lot of local forum members and lurkers. I was really suprised at how many people had seen the car before online here. It was great to meet all of you although, in all honesty, the last four days is now just a blur and names and faces are already a bit fuzzy.
Getting the car back into the garage was a bit of a pain - R888's aren't great on ice and skating around when it's only 10 degrees... not ideal.

Ultimately, it was an interesting experience - which I am glad is over.

...and I know... :ttiwop:

I'll see what I can get off my Camera - the batteries died so I don't know what I actually have

A couple of pictures from setup...

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/events/WOW1.jpg

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/events/WOW2.jpg

http://www.onelapcamaro.com/events/WOW3.jpg

Sounds like a good weekend! And the car is home safe...that's a good thing!!

Yeah... honestly Anthony that was my biggest source of stress over the last couple of days.

I did also bring home some pretty cool hardware - Best Pro-Touring, Best in Show -Street Machine and Competition, and Sponsors Choice - none of which hurt my feelings.

That's awesome....well deserved!! OK, you've done SEMA and now this...time for some serious track time...bring on One Lap!! :unibrow:

Nice to see the car out and about.. yea, the R888s have a warning label on them about sub freezing temps and cracking.. so be careful!

Love your car... Oh it should make you feel good that I actually got an email asking about parts on your car. It's funny how many get the two confused. We obviously both have good taste. lol

See ya down here soon.

Thanks Anthony - I was wondering for a while over the last couple of days. Track time is next although I'm still working on some of the details... as it stands right now, I think that I will be loading up the trailer in a couple of weeks and heading down to California for some "fun in the sun".

Next weekend I'm heading down for an autocross school in El Toro so I hopefully won't look like a boob at Costa Mesa.,..

Believe me Steve - from the first time I saw that warning I was on edge. They were only out side for a couple of minutes but I do have to run out and make sure the furnace is on in the garage now... the temp is heading towards zero again.

That's is funny... this was the first time that I brought the car out when someone didn't call the car Penny so we're almost (but not quite) even for now.

I'm in OC this weekend - we'll have to make some plans. I hope to head down with the Camaro around the 7th...

Great display and the car looks amazing...as always.

Your the only guy I know that needs studded tires on his PT car. :lol:

Thanks Curtis. We were fortunate to be able to borrow a friend of Chris's portion of a display and modify it a bit for our use. If he had left it to me I would have probably left it on the ground with a baking sheet under the transmission like the old days. It worked out really well and was an interesting experience to say the very least.

But the tire stuff... oh man... I barely got the car out of the garage on Thursday the ice was so bad and the ruts were so deep in the back alley. The only way that I could get the car turned was to zing the throttle and spin the tires while a buddy pushed on the back of the car to slide it around... what a gong show. I spent two hours yesterday with a pick ax busting up ice to get the car back inside.

I need a change of venue...

way to go!!!car speaks for its self

Thanks Blake - like I mentioned with JF, comments like that coming from builders like yourself mean a lot. Spent some time chatting with your brother... are you sure that you two are related (lol). I did wind up getting a lot of questions about the front suspension and sent a couple of dozen people your way for control arms and some other goodies; made me think that I should have swapped the GW's out.

Standing around at an indoor show with a racecar must be painfully boring and is bad enough with a regular car but yours does look great under the lights! Way to go, James!

Funny thing, Blake who just posted above me is the only other person I've heard describe something as a "gong show" but as soon as I heard him say it, I know what he meant. I may have to borrow that from my Northern brothers!

Thanks Jason. I'm not much of a talker at the best of times (I've been told that I am socially developmentally challenged at best) so it was a bit uncomfortable at times. The car got a fair bit of attention and ultimately a lot of questions - some from experienced guys and some from some of the younger kids. I had to remind myself of how I was when I was there age and still learning and dreaming.

Another cool part of the weekend was when an old racing mentor - Andy - came by and looked over the car. He knows his race cars and his first gen Camaro's and it was nice to have been able to impress him with the final product. He had seen it at SEMA but we didn't have a chance to talk.

For what it's worth Jason - your famous up here in the great white north now... I spent one long day in my Rushforth Design's T-shirt that I won at the PT dinner last fall. :thumbsup:

James it looks like the car show went well. Did you bring you lawn chair? I did not see the cry baby kid leaned up against the front tire. Come on you have to have it all, to win. No cry baby no trophy.

Lets get that bad boy to Cali so we can hit the track.

Rodger

LOL !!!!!!!!!!!! yea the baby or the guy working under the car!


car looks great as always james! and not surprised on bit with the awards it took home!

Thanks Jay.
I had to have Rodger explain to me the crying kid thing... I had never seen or heard of it before (did I mention - not a car show guy). I was going to tell the touching story of the little kid who wanted a picture with the car but was to short to get a good pic... I lifted him into the display and let him lean on the tire like he owned it... instead I find out that you "car show guys" down there lean dolls up against your tires... really?

yea i dont know why they do it... its pretty chezzy, you see it at goodguys shows quite a bit. some people also have the lower half of a man doll lying under the car!

BOY, You Canadians miss out on all the fun. A

Rodger

Thanks for representing, James! That's cool and glad to have a shirt on your back!

I guess we do. A

Up here in Canada we spell it "EH" not "a"

Your car looks great!!!

That is a really nice car.
Sounds like you had fun. Cool pics.:thumbsup: :cheers:

Good job James!!!:thumbsup:

Ya sorry to say we have those car show dolls floating around here as well.... I can guarantee you there would have been lots at the Calgary WoW, always is...
I missed it out of town.

I may have to find a way to dig one up for you James, since your doin the show car circuit now.

Fortunately I didn't see any of them at the show. I did see some pretty dumb things, but no little crying dolls.

Dave - sorry you couldn't make it, we still need to sit down and have a drink if you'll stay away from the snow for a couple of days.

Rodger - nothing good can come of this...

Man I just love this car! Form and function.

i said he was my brother!!! not that we were related!!!!:willy: J/k he is a bit of a WING NUT!! he didn't try and take you drinking did he?? cuz that is another story all in it's self!!

and it's not to late to come to the dark side you know

and thanks for the referals :cheers: