After the car was first shown at Corvettes @ Carlisle in August, 2001 we participated in the Super Chevy show at Virginia International Raceway in October, 2001. The car was recognized with the 53-67 Modified class plaque, the ESPN II Award of Excellence and the Best Attention to Detail trophy. VIR is a great facility and the Super Chevy Association puts on a great show. This was our first trip that far south and it's nice to see all the great cars from different parts of the country.

In February, 2002 we participated in the Frank Marrata auto show in Hartford, Connecticut. This was the 43rd annual show and I first attended this show when I was twelve years old. The 62 was fortunate enough to receive the "Best in Show" award, a "Best of the Best" trophy and the "Pick of the Show" cup. It was nice to come back after all these years. In this picture, totally by accident, the American flag was captured in a reflection on the hood.

The Fourth Annual Spring Classic Show was held in Springfield, Massachusetts on April 6th & 7th, 2002. The show had many great cars and had George Barris and Sam Memmolo as special guests. This first picture is of Sam Memmolo from Two Guys Garage and My Classic Car. He is one of the rare personalities who is even nicer in person than he appears on TV. He and his wife Diana spent quite a bit of time with us at the show and both are super people. Click on the link below to connect with his web site. The second link below goes directly to pictures that Sam took at the show.

The second picture is of George Barris with Barbara. His creations have been in many movies and TV shows. No doubt you have seen his Batmobile, Munster Coach, James Bond DB5, Ala Kart and many other show cars. Now in his 70's he is still creating new cars!

The Maple Grove, Pa. Super Chevy show was held on July 18-21, 2002. Last year's show was the largest Super Chevy show in their 21 year's and this year's show was even larger.

For us this was one of those events you only dream about. The car was recognized with the Featherlite Trailers Award, and a class win in the 53-67 Modified Class. To our shock it also received the AutoStar Productions "Car of the Show" award. We were thrilled but also happy to see a Corvette recognized amongst all the fantastic Chevy cars of all models. The Maple Grove facility is one of the best we have ever seen. The people are very friendly and helpful, the grounds are well designed and immaculate and the food in the area is outstanding. Now if they could only do something about the heat and humidity!

To add to an already fantastic weekend we were fortunate enough to be chosen for a feature on the Mother's Car Show Series. The show dates are August 25th and 30th at 12:30pm on ESPNII. Our only hope is that the camera doesn't add the ten pounds they say it does as I don't need it! Our thanks to Jim and Janet Dawes for the companionship and a great weekend.

Our first show in 2003 was in February at the Detroit Autorama held at Cobo Hall. It was the furthest west we have travelled thus far. You have to see this place in person to believe the quality of the cars and the size of the hall. Pictures just can't do it justice.

We were fortunate to receive a first in the "Mild Sports" class as well as the "Outstanding Sports" award. It's hard to describe the level of cars shown here including those competing for the Ridler (specialty show cars being shown for the first time anywhere) Award. For the second year in a row a Chip Foose designed and built car won the Ridler.

In April, 2003 we participated in the Big Block Productions "Spring Classic" car show in Springfield, Massachusetts. The car was fortunate enough to receive the "Best of the Best" award presented by the U.S. Army which was very special in light of the Iraq Freedom war.

Some friends of ours (might be "former friends" now) arranged for a little surprise birthday greeting from the Hooters staff during the awards presentation. I'll be sure to pay them back at the appropriate time! This is a picture of some of the "culprits".

The sixth annual Big Block show will be held in Fitchburg, Mass. at the Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center in April, 2004. Click on the link below for more information.

Having heard great things about the Indy Super Chevy show we made the trip in July, 2003. It was as advertized and this picture is an aerial view of a portion of the showfield.

The 62 was recognized with a 1st in the Modified Class, the "Outstanding Workmanship" award and the "Best Corvette" award. It was great to meet new folks from this area and see all the great cars there. 

The 2003 Maple Grove Super Chevy show was held July,17-20 and was another great show. This is a picture of the two rows of Corvettes taken on Saturday. On Sunday over 180 additional Chevies participated in the show. We were told that this has now become the largest Super Chevy show but I never did get a count of how many cars were there. There were over fifty Corvettes of all years and it was great to see the large turnout on a weekend that fortunately had great weather.

The 62 was fortunate to receive a 1st in the Modified class, the Tremec Transmission Sponsor award and the overall "Outstanding Attention to Detail" trophy which was gratifying given the caliber of cars there. It was great to revisit the area, meet all the friendly folks, see all the super cars there and sample the local restaurants especially the Windsor Inn in Shillington, Pa.

The Super Chevy show, which was re-scheduled to August 1st to the 3rd, 2003 from it's original date over Memorial Day weekend, was held under cloudy skies. Fortunately, the weather turned out better than forecast and Saturday and Sunday, while overcast, were dry enough to make for a nice show. The paving of the showfield in-roads was completed and it was a huge improvement over prior years. Our thanks to Joe Lombardo for getting this done.

The 62 was fortunate to receive a first in class, the Featherlite Trailer Sponsor award and the overall "Best Attention to Detail" trophy but, again, it was all the nice folks we met and spoke to at the show which made it fun.

The weather held out enough in the evenings to enjoy the events along Hampton Beach and we certainly had our fill of great seafood. We're looking forward to next year already.

The 45th Frank Maratta Auto Show was held in Hartford, Ct. January 30 to February 1st, 2004. We enjoyed meeting and speaking with all the folks who stopped by. What we really found interesting was the number of young folks who weren't even born in 1962 who appreciate classic Vettes. I guess it's not only the 50+ year old people who like the older style Corvettes!

The 6th Annual Big Block Spring Classic show was held April 3-4, 2004 at the Royal Plaza in Fitchburg, Ma. We had a great time seeing old friends and making new friends. The quality of cars at this show was great which made up for the rains and floods during this week.

The 62 was fortunate enough to receive the Best In Show award but we enjoyed speaking with all the nice folks who stopped by to chat the most.

The Super Chevy show in Maple Grove was held July 15-18, 2004. This event has become their largest show of the year and it is a great event and one we look forward to each year.

We were fortunate enough to be placed in the Gold Class where the car received the Best Corvette and Best Detail Gold Class awards.

Corvettes @ Carlisle was held August 25-28, 2004 and was another great event this year.

We thought we would bring the 67 this year as it had been three years since we brought that car. We were pleased to be invited to display the car under the Meguiars tent and to receive a Celebrity Pick from Jim and Vivian Lawson who are great folks.

The Mid-America Fun Fest was held September 17-19, 2004. This was our first time there and it was a great event. Mike Yager couldn't have been a better host and his facility is top notch. We were fortunate to have great weather and there certainly were a ton of great Corvettes and people at this event. The number of Corvettes was estimated at over 10,000 with 45,000 attendees.

Mike and Laurie Yager were great hosts. We also had a chance to spend some time with Lance Miller and were fortunate enough to have him select our car for his Judges Choice. That was special to us as his father had chosen the car for his Chip's Choice at Carlise in 2002. Corvettes @ Carlisle is in good hands and we are looking forward to future events there.

The Super Chevy show in Maple Grove, Pa. was held July 22-24, 2005. The weather was hot but dry and there was another great turnout of cars. The 62 was fortunate enough to be recognized with the Outstanding Detail and Best Corvette - Modified Gold Class awards. We enjoyed seeing many old friends again this year.

The Super Chevy show at the New England Dragway in Epping, NH. was held July 29-31, 2005. This years event almost made it through the weekend without rain until later in the afternoon on Sunday. It was certainly better than last year's complete washout.

We saw many old friends there and some new friends from Canada who drove their Vettes to the show. The 62 received the Featherlite Transport award, Gold Class Best Detail and Best Corvette awards. One of the best things about that area is walking along the boardwalk in Hampton Beach and the great seafood restaurants.

The Super Chevy show was held in July, 2006 at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. Sadly, this was the last Super Chevy show for NED, and in New England, as it was dropped from the 2007 schedule. We'll miss the show along with the lobster dinners in Hampton Beach.....

The 62 was fortunate to receive the Gold Class "Best Corvette" and "Best Paint" awards this year.

The Super Chevy show was held in Maple Grove, Pa. in July, 2006. Another great turnout as this is their largest event of the year. Maple Grove is a great facility, friendly people, good food and we get to see friends made over the years.

The was 62 was fortunate enough to receive the Gold Class "Best Corvette" and "Best Detail" awards.

We were unable to participate in the 2007 event due to too many things going on but were there in 2008 with the 63 Coupe.

We spent four years building the 63 and were too busy to do any shows during 2007. Our first show with the 63 was at the Detroit Autorama in March, 2008. We always wanted to build a car to compete in the Ridler competition and, while we knew full well what we would be up against, decided it would be a once in a life-time experience.

While we didn't make the final Great 8 selection the 63 was fortunate enough to receive a 1st in class, an Outstanding Paint, the overall Outstanding Sports and the Championship Auto Show Best in Show (CASI) trophy.

As always we most enjoyed meeting and speaking with many folks at the show. We were especially happy to have our family and friends come to the show to help us as well as share in the experience. In this picture (from left to right) in the back row are Matt Devlin, Jim Dawes, myself, our son Chris and Dave Laney. In the front row are Barb, our son Mike and Janet Dawes.

We made a new display for the Detroit show. One thing we wanted were new signs and two were made. One has the Split Personality logo which is lighted by small lights which reflect through the surface. The other is a sign board which lists the major features of the car and also has a monitor in the center which runs a slideshow covering the project from beginning to the end. Both signs were made by The Ultimate Sign Company in South Windsor, CT. If you are looking for some show signs contact Lou Blanco at (860-290-9057) to discuss what you need. He can come up with most anything.

Our first outdoor show for 2008 was at the Super Chevy show in Maple Grove, Pa. There's always a great turnout of super cars. The facility is always in super condition and the people there are always friendly. There's also a great restaurant in Shillington called the Windsor Inn which you may want to try.

The 63 was placed in the Gold Class and fortunate enough to receive the Corvette Modified trophy, the Best Engine award, the Tremec "Trick Shift" trophy and the Keisler Engineering "Perfect Fit" award. As always though we enjoy meeting and speaking with all the people who stop by to discuss the car. We were surprised at how many folks had been following the series of project articles in Corvette Fever magazine and wanted to see the finished car in person.

Our next show of 2008 was the Rod & Custom Nationals in Marlborough, Ma in August. Rick Finamore is the promoter and he and his staff did an outstanding job putting their first ever event together. Despite the damp weather they did everything to make the event enjoyable. Being with our friends Jim & Janet Dawes and George and Linda Keel made the event great fun as they always know how to enjoy themselves.

The 63 was fortunate to receive the Best in Show trophy which is especially memorable as it was the first annual show. We're already looking forward to next year.

Our last outdoor show of 2008 was the Super Chevy Show in Bristol, Tn. We had never been to the Bristol Motor Speedway and it's an impressive facility. What made this event special was that it was our 40th anniversary.

The 63 was well recognized as it received the ISCA Award of Excellence, the Best Corvette - Gold Class trophy and the Best in Show trophy. Barb and I were also fortunate enough to receive the Partnership Award. I guess being together for 40 years is a good example of a long lasting partnership.

We always enjoy meeting folks from different parts of the country as well as seeing their cars. This was a trip we will always remember.

Our first show in 2009 was the Boston World of Wheels in January. It was a great show with a huge crowd despite the six inches of snow over Saturday night. We were blown away by the recognition the 63 received and all the nice folks who stopped by to speak with us. The 63 was fortunate enough to receive awards for Best in Class and Outstanding Awards for: Sports Car, Detail, Custom Engine, Paint and Display. The shocker was receiving the "Pilgrim" award which is given to the best first time shown car in Boston. What we will remember the most are the comments and questions from all the folks we spoke with and Barb's enthusiasm in explaining the details of the car.

Our second show of 2009 was the Pittsburgh World of Wheels in February. It was our first visit to the show and we had a great time. The 63 was recognized with a Best in Class, Best Custom and Master Builder awards and the Steel City Award of Excellence which is given to the best first time shown car in Pittsburgh. We also met many friendly folks at the show and will remember that the most.

Chip Foose was at the show and Barb waited in line for over four hours to get his autograph. Good thing she is the one in the family with patience! He remembered Barb and the 63 from the Detroit Autorama and even drew her a sketch of the car. It's great to see someone so well respected in the hobby also so friendly and willing to take whatever time is necessary with his fans. Above is the sketch he drew for Barb.

Our third show of 2009 was the Cleveland Autorama in March. It was a great show and the 63 was lucky enough to receive a First in Class and awards for Outstanding Display and Best Custom. The weather finally cooperated as we didn't run into any snow or ice storms on the way which was nice for a change. We had the chance to meet and become friends with several folks we hadn't met before and had a great time.

While at the show we had the chance to meet Ken Schrader. He has a 64 Corvette of his own and he took the time to speak with us and look over the 63. He is as nice in person as he appears on TV.

Our fourth show of 2009 was the Auto-Salon event in Quebec City, Canada. The 63 was recognized with a First in Class, Outstanding Custom, Outstanding Display and the Best in Show - American Car awards.

We always enjoy going to different areas, meeting the people at the shows and seeing the great cars at these events. This was our first show in Canada and we really enjoyed not only the show but the great sights of the city and the friendly people. The show promoter provided a three hour tour of the city and areas which gave everyone a better appreciation of the history of Quebec and it's great sights. If you ever get a chance to visit Quebec it's worth your time.

Our first outdoor show for 2009 was the Super Chevy show in Charlotte, NC. It was their first event held at the new ZMax Dragway which is a great facility. It's a beautiful area of the country and there are enough race shops and museums to keep you busy for a few days if you ever visit. It's also an area where there are many super cars. We had a chance to visit the Hendrick race shops and the Memory Lane museum both of which are worth your time.

The 63 was fortunate to receive three awards including the Best in Show. That surprised us as there were eight cars in the Gold Class and everyone was superb. We had a great time despite the high temperatures. It reached over 100 degrees on Saturday but was sunny all three days of the show.

Our second outdoor show of 2009 was the Super Chevy show in Maple Grove, Pa. in July. We always enjoy the show as it's the largest Super Chevy event of the year, it's one of the best facilities for a show and we get to see many old friends. The 63 was recognized with the Gold Class Corvette and Best Paint awards.

The third outdoor event of the year was at the second annual Rod & Custom Nationals in Marlborough, Ma. on August 1st and 2nd. Rick and Deb Finamore go all out to make it a great event for both participants and spectators. They outdid themselves this year and even the weather cooperated. The 63 was recognized with a Top 50 award and Best in Show. Below is the link to their web site with all the details of the show.

Sho Car Association Web Site

In November, 2009 we participated in the ISCA Category Finals in Houston, Texas. It was a 3,600 mile round trip for us but we enjoyed the travel and the show. We traveled in a small caravan with Randy and Yvonne Davis and had a fun time along the route. The 63 fortunate enough to receive the 2009 Class Championship in Full Sports and second in the Custom Category championship. Our good friends Jim and Janet Dawes surprised us by coming to the show to help and we really appreciated their taking the time to do that. There are many great cars in the Southwest as well as great folks. 

Our first show in 2010 was the Frank Maratta show in Hartford, Ct. It's great to have a show close to home for a change. The 63 was recognized with the Best in Show, a first in class and the Best Paint and Best Engine in the Sports class. We've been fortunate to have three cars receive the Best in Show at the Maratta show. Having first attended the show with my father when I was only eleven years old it means a lot to us to be able to participate in this show. The 2010 show was their 51st and it's one of the longest running shows in the country.

Zaino Polish Web Site Link

Many folks ask us what we use for our detailing products or what's the best polish. This is almost like someone asking "what's the best car?" or "what's the best brand of pipe tobacco?" as everyone has their own tastes and view of what looks good to them. We use Zaino on our daily drivers as well as the Corvettes as we've found it to produce the shine and durability we like.

The only links on our site are for those products we personally use and can recommend and that's also the case for Zaino. Obviously you should use whatever you feel works best for you and that looks the best on your car. Everyone has their own perspective on the depth of shine, gloss and ease of use and it's best to go with whichever product seems to work the best for you.

For metal polishing, such as aluminum wheels, we like "Mothers Billet Metal Polish", for glass cleaner "Stoners Invisible Glass" and, for leather, "Lexol" cleaner and preservative. Zaino also now offers great micro-fiber towels which we've found to be the softest we've ever used.

These are just personal preferences based on what seems to work best for us after having tried many. There are many choices these days, and often confusing claims, so it's probably best to test several to find what you like the most.