I only go to local corvette shows and have not had my car go through the NCRS judging process. The next owner can do that if they wish. My experience has been there will be an inevitable NCRS person who will love to nit pick your car and make sure you understand they have spent, what I would say an inordinate amount of time, studying the nuances of Jimmy Ray's paint technique on the 3rd Thursday of May 1964 when he was applying his quality mark to the axle. Some will ask you questions to test your knowledge about your own car. "Is that the original windshield?", knowing full well it isn't just so they can point out you are a lessor corvette enthusiast and your car/knowledge is inferior. And then there are the guys who restore their own cars and make the, "built not bought" comments. I appreciate and recognize the work that went into it, however the effort to demean someone's car because they where fortunate financially to buy a nice one is self serving BS.

MOST are very nice folk who simply love the cars and the social aspect they provide. First show is next week and I cant wait to go!

 

Several years ago my wife and I were invited to be guests at an NCRS function, at the time we had her 55 T-Bird and my 60 Vette, and both were daily drivers, we were in the Classic T-Bird club and enjoyed the fellowship so we felt Corvette community enjoyed the same , wow were we wrong, the only friendly people we encountered were the folks which invited us. We left the function very early feeling like "red-headed step children at a family reunion" and have never looked back.

As to the awards it seems to me the that the goal is a moving target, each year has several versions of judging guides, it seems to me that in the course of 50 plus years somebody ought to know how it was built.

Bill

 

As expected, this thread is starting to spiral. Gross generalities, or assumptions based upon one unfavorable experience.
Yes, there are some members that exhibit a holier than thou, knowitall attitude and a couple of them are extremely active on this forum. I believe they are not active at all within the club.
I have been in the club 10 years and been to dozens and dozens of meets, and have never once seen the attitudes described just above.
Spowell637 it was a pleasure to meet you at the MAC meet, and welcome you into the club. I hope you will join the chapter, and participate as much as you can.
If you have any questions about the club please do not hesitate to drop me a note by email or pm.

 

I think post #2 pretty much summed the whole thing up. Easy Rhino hit the nail on the head.

 

I've been a member 12 years, have campaigned a car and have 7-8 judging points IIRC and attend local events (as I've stated) - out of all my interactions in person, on the judging field and on the NCRS web site - I've met a few "tools" but the majority of members are true hobbyists and are trying to keep the marquee at the highest threshold possible in regards to originality.

Do they always get it 100% right ? No,... but its as good as it gets..

I've met other members of specific model clubs (the Avanti comes to mind) that wish they had an organization with the depth of knowledge and passion that the NCRS provides...and have studied the NCRS judging manuals and judging process to try to emulate the work that has been done in this regard.

Members of this club "hung out" at my elbow and took notes as I judged some 63s at a Howie-in-the-Hills chapter event..

 

I have been an NCRS member for over 20 years. I am very glad I joined.

 

It's been awhile since we had an "NCRS" thread. Maybe a year or so. It always has the same ending.

There will always be supporters and there will always be naysayers. Just the way it is.

I support the organization and have been a member for around 25 years. I have also been a Chapter Officer. It is basically a good organization, and I am glad to support it.

Larry

 

Perhaps I should put this question another way. These are all excellent replies and I don’t think we should second guess any man’s perception or experiences. While I deeply appreciate the knowledge and work that goes into many of these concours quality restorations, for me personally, the quest to create a mirror image of how my car came off the factory floor is frankly, boring. There were many of these cars made and there is no obligation to humanity to preserve each one as a museum quality static display. I personally believe that it is better to keep these beautiful machines on the road and share them with as many as possible as kinetic art and living history.

Over the years working with classic airplanes and motorcycles I developed my own simple set of guidelines that I call “Period Correct” (though the FAA has a strong say on what I can or can’t do with my airplanes). My simple rule goes like this, any modification that was commonly available “back in the day” is legal to reproduce using original parts or accurate reproductions (be it aftermarket or factory). As an example, you will find a “period correct” Wixom fairing and an aluminum flywheel on my 1961 BMW R69S. While these are not original to the bike, they are original to the era and were common modifications during the bikes heyday. This allows some latitude for personalization, performance improvements, and to just have fun with the vehicle while remaining true to what people saw and experienced “back in the day”.

I also allow myself some minor modifications for safety and drivability. For example, it has become apparent that my dual quad carburetors will not operate reliably on today’s gasoline formulations without modifications to reduce intake manifold temperatures and heat transfer to the carburetors; a necessary evil to keep my ‘57 on the road. I also believe my car might benefit from a rear sway bar, if it turns out that this was a common modification back in ‘57/‘58, according to my personal guidelines I would be “good to go” as long at the parts were period correct.

If the NRCS has room in their tent for this type of approach (without looking down their noses), I’d love to play. If not, I’d probably be better off with the solid axel club. I don’t need another FAA in my life, god bless them.



My ‘57

 

As a non-member of NCRS, I am very lucky and privileged that I COULD be a member if I so chose. The option of joining an outfit of that caliber--- one that lives and breathes Corvettes, is a huge benefit to the hobby if one chooses to utilize it. With every marque, you have your few dedicated impassioned walking encyclopedia guys, and they are the ones to learn from if you care to. The fact is, NCRS is larger and better organized than any of the others I am aware of. I may indeed join someday. That is truly a great choice to have.

 

I benefited from NCRS years ago when I got my second C1, but the Society and I have grown apart over the years due to the obsessive and pedantic attitude exhibited by some of its members who post on their website. My biggest complaint is NCRS's apparent inability to accept factory production line anomalies for what they are as a valid part of a car's history, but instead condemn them with deductions for not conforming to NCRS's created version of history as set forth in the judging manuals. Corvettes were mass produced vehicles and mistakes happened. These mistakes should be recognized and celebrated rather than being forcibaly erased by those seeking to maximize points by conforming with the sometimes artificial pronouncements contained in the judging manuals. That being said, I still maintain membership. NCRS #12363

 

I have been a member of NCRS since 1983. I am a "Social Member" In saying that, I have been involved in many facets of the local chapter(s) over the years where I have lived. I did attempt to take a 66 Cpe to Top Flight and succeeded at a Chapter level. That being said, myself and most members are there for the technical assistance in learning about and preserving the history of the Corvette. Yes, you will always have in every organization those that go above and beyond, those that don't ever want to do anything, but mostly it is people who fit somewhere in the middle.

Funny thing, when you see a person at a "show and shine" picking apart a Corvette, RARELY will it be a member of NCRS, unless invited by the owner to give an overview. IT is almost ALWAYS the "know it all" Corvette enthusiast. Because if you are involved in NCRS, you will understand how difficult it is too bring a car to Top Flight. For those that have never participated nor joined due to what the think NCRS is about, Please come with an open mind. You may be surprised on what you learn and observe.

Any organization will have value, perceived value and actual value to the person who has joined it. I have and will always feel NCRS is for the technical knowledge associated with restoring a Corvette to FACTORY specifications. If you want a show car and could care less, ISCA is your better venue. If it is just a daily driver but it still intrigues you to know where your car would fit in?, welcome to 90% of us in NCRS.

On a social only side, no 2 chapters are alike. And with in that Chapter, there will be cliques, generally depending on how involved you want to be in the Chapter and what it's main objective is.It is up to the new person to seek the people they want to fit in with. It is like this in any organization or club.

My only other suggestion is to come and observe when there IS NOT a judging event going on. This is when people being judged, those judging and observer judging are involved in doing the very best they can to judge the car(s) according to the judging manuals. Until they are finished there is and will be a level of stress for everyone involved. Once this is completed, then the "social" side kicks in.

Finally, the mis-conception cars are judged depending on the way the wind blows. NOT, there is a judging manual, it tells you what to expect, how to judge and how to compare. Here is basically how it works: Chapter events are the most lenient because quite honestly it is a learning tool for most everyone involved, Regional more spacific, better trained judges and cars that have already been judged once and should be better prepared. Then National, This is earned and by the time you get there, you better know what to expect and be prepared for the toughest scrutiny. Each level is more spacific to the guidelines and preparedness by the owner. I am not saying there is not judging inaccuracies between the judges, it is still a human interaction, but.... We all try VERY hard to be as consistent as possible.

I hope I have made a clearer picture of the organization, it is not for everyone.... But for those of us that have enjoyed numerous years of membership, we will all agree it has been well worth the financial cost and time dedicated to the organization.

 

Oh, you mean like the time in 1967 when St. Louis ran out of small block hoods, so a few small block cars got big block hoods from the factory?

I kid, I kid!

 

 

No that is wrong........... A better example was in January 1967 when they ran out of the base small block engines and had to install 427/435 engines in their place. But the factory was afraid to report this issue back to GM management, so they still counted the car as a small block when it went out the door. This is the reason that so many more of the 67 cars have the big block solid lifter engine than what the GM production numbers state. It's true.............I wouldn't lie.

Larry

 

Actually, in my earlier post, I too, engaged in some generalizations, and did not call out the most significant personal NCRS experience I have had to date.

A gentleman (who shall remain unidentified) responded to a "Want to Buy" thread I posted a few years back that he had the part I was in search of. When I went to pick it up, he spent the better part of a day, after my begging, walking me through several unbelievable Corvette projects he was lovingly and carefully building to an unbelievable level of detail, and allowed me to ask thousands of questions and take dozens of pictures. Turns out, after spending a lot of time with him, he admitted to being a NCRS guy (I will not say what his level of engagement was, but suffice it to say, he was not a casual member). I can't say that I've ever had a more pleasurable Corvette day, and as I said, he was a NCRS heavy. He was the most knowledgeable, yet humble and helpful, Corvette guy I think I've ever met. I think that if I had wanted to, he would have willingly spent all day with me, and likely invited me to dine with him and his family. On a scale of actual Corvette expertise and experience to helpfulness and personableness, he was the antithesis of a NCRS jerk.

I was remiss in neglecting to mention this earlier.

 

A good place to help you find the right parts that don't necessarily have to more expensive than the repop parts. Also, most chapters have workshops on how to do restorations and save money doing it yourself.
Made a ton of lifetime friends by belonging to NCRS
Yes, there are some turkeys

 

A good place to help you find the right parts that don't necessarily have to more expensive than the repop parts. Also, most chapters have workshops on how to do restorations and save money doing it yourself.
Made a ton of lifetime friends by belonging to NCRS

 

Ease into the hot tub by joining SACC first. Sort of like playing golf at the public links vis a vis a private Country Club.

 

I think that’s probably good advice Dan... I live in the country but never had much use for a country club.

 

As noted above, NCRS discussions stir both positive and negative emotions. I have been a member for 20 years. I have put our '65 through Flight judging and achieved 3 Top Flights (Chapter, Regional, National) since our ownership (the prior owner had gotten 3 Top Flights during his period of ownership). About 10 years ago also put the '87 Coupe we owned at the time through regional Flight judging and got a Top Flight on it. The chase and the challenge was fun. Also joined and got awards from AACA and VCCA.....still members. All that said, I might suggest that you join yourself for a year and get personal experience and not just formulate opinions on the basis of the comments and opinions of others, some of which may not be personally experienced. NCRS has done great things for the Corvette hobby and body of knowledge about factory originality. But, its not for everyone. The first thing I'd do if I were you would be to seek out and join your local Corvette Club...whatever that may be. Its fun and helpful to participate in things with other folks with similar interests. Enjoy your car!