GMTruckGuy74

Just some notes I'd like to share.... - The Tucker Convertible was a nice unexpected surprise. Lots of controversy about the existance of this car, but it's cool to see in person. 5 million dollars is a lot though for this *undocumented* car (no official Tucker plans or drawings have ever been found). Seller was passing out a small two-side professionally done brochure, which shows the car with the top down. - The Futurliner drew a crowd all day, and it was a great thing to see. Driver's cockpit was open for you to climb the steps up into and to sit in either rear passenger seats or the more desired driver's seat (Oldsmoboi's pic on page 1 is a great representation of what it is like to sit there). I've attached a picture of my son in this seat to this post - Weather was so-so this year, but at least it didn't rain (some small drops/drizzle was felt briefly around 9:30 AM, but it was only for less than a minute). Breezy throughout the day, low 60's tempature, cloudiness with brief occaisional sunlight/blue skies. Not the best weather I've experienced there, but not the worst either. From speaking to a few shoppers in the vendor fields and also to some vendors, Wednesday most vendors couldn't open or set up due to 50 MPH winds, Thursday was the nicest day of the event, and Friday was rain & wind. - This was my 20th year (anniversary) to the AACA Fall Meet. My dad took me as a 14 year-old back in October, 1989. My dad asked to join me and my 4 year-old son this year and I of course said 'yes'. In hindsight, I should have asked someone to take a picture of the three of us (three generations of my family represented), but I did take a picture of my dad and my son - my dad's 20th anniversary since his first time there (he took me in '89, '90, & '91, then joined me last in '03), and of course Justin's 1st visit. Attached is the picture of "pop & Justin taking a break". - Vendors: my biggest gripe every year. Seems more and more leave before Saturday, and many others start packing up early Saturday morning. I of course look for literature, odds-and-ends stuff, and diecast/toy venodrs. Some of the usual vendors I visit every year there weren't around this year (disappointing to me), and I overhead many vendors say that starting next year they won't be sticking around for Saturday ("the people coming on Saturday are here for the show fields only", is what I hear a lot). - If you notice, many of my pictures are not from the show field. Since I go for only one day, I like to see the vendors and the cars for sale (car corral) more than walking the show fields. I will go there to see the trucks (now two separate areas this year; light-duty in the middle of the cars and heavy-duty/commercial still in the back). I'd love to be able to walk & take pictures in the show field, but there's so many people and it's hard to get a shot. It is a goal of mine to attend the show for two days - one day (likely a Friday in the future) for the vendors & car corral, and one day for the show cars (has to be a Saturday, since show cars are this day only). I hope you've enjoyed my experience at the AACA Fall Meet and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Final batch of my pictures... (Note - I have some I didn't post, and I have some rear and/or side shots of some of the pictures posted here. If you want to see anything else, please just ask!).

More to follow...

More to follow...

More to follow...

More to follow...

More to follow...

More to follow...

Here's my first batch, more to follow...

Thanks, I'll include some in the next post. Just FYI, you need to fix the name of the truck in the headline - it's spelled F U T U R L I N E R (only one 'E', not two <get rid of the first>). But I know you're a smart guy and maybe you wanted it to be with two 'E's anyway

Thanks Oldsmoboi! I saw the '70s Mack COE (Magnum), the old '16 (or was it a '21?) Mack Paddy Wagon (police truck) and the pair of '27 Mack touring buses last weekend at the Gerhart's All-Mack show in Lititz (near Lancaster), PA. Pretty awesome stuff! Do you have video of the '64 Mack B-series 'Republic Services' garbage dumpster truck? That was an awesome Mack truck I haven't seen before and was drawing a big crowd. So, should I go ahead and post pictures here then?

Is this the official place to post AACA Fall Meet (aka Hershey) show pictures? If yes, then I'll add some of mine later. I saw the Futurliner earlier in the day when it was still cloudy out (no rain at all, got there around 8:00 AM and it rained before that though; was cloudy until about 10:30 AM). My pictures of it didn't come out too great because of the cloudiness. But I think it's funny that both Drew and I took similar pictures of the gold "GM" letters (mine's attached below).

Good for you! Sometimes to get what you want you really have to work at it. And now I'm sure that you're not the only person in the country that wants a civilian version Caprice. And I'm sure the General is 'listening' to the public right now; I'd bet that the Caprice PPV concept car will make the major auto show rounds in 2010 to gauge public opinion on a civilian version. So in the end you may not have to go that route, but you're better off to be safe than sorry and do as much planning until it becomes easier for you. Last night I attended my local fire dept's annual fire prevention open house. My local PD has just received two new 2010 Dodge Chargers. One is a Hemi V8-powered unmarked <black> car, while the other is a V6-powered marked (but no roof lights) marked car. The officer standing near it said that NJ has a contract with Dodge right now, so many PD's will be ordering those this year. But he also said that 2010 will allow Ford and they have something special on the books ordered (if it comes). I asked if it's a Mustang (which we have no use for), and he said no, so I'm stumped on what this 'special' Ford could be? Anyway, he also mentioned the new Chevy Caprice PPV and said that his chief is impressed with that so far and the department really miss their old Chevy Caprices the most. I can see my township ordering as many Caprice PPVs as they can starting in 2010 or 2011.

Thanks for all the positive replies so far. I'm glad to see there's an interest in this event. I will go forward with the planning stage, and hopefully more posters will consider joining as the months go by.

Thanks for the product suggestion AAS, that seems to be exactly what I'm looking for in leather cleaning and conditioning products (Lexol). I have an Advance Auto parts store near my house to check out (so their website says), and if not a Pep Boys store isn't too far away either. z28luvr01 - I definitely stay away from Amor-All on the leather seats. I've been using Meguiar's dash protectant in my vehicles since I bought the Saturn SKY in 2006. I like the natural look it gives compared to the "used car look" of high gloss Amor-All. I appreciate you sharing your dislike of Meguiar's leather products and recommending Mothers instead. I think I will go for the Lexol products since this poor Caddy is in need of something a little more healing.

Thanks for the reply & info PONTIAC06. When leaving the baking soda in the car, do I buy one of those fridge boxes that opens on the sides and just place it in the car? And you're saying to leave it in the car at all times, just like with the fridge boxes? I too like Meguiar's products, and I use the leather cleaner/conditioner foam on my wife's '08 Pontiac G6 seats, but the Caddy's seats need something more involved with the process. I think the Mothers product uses Aloe as an ingredient, and I'm thinking that would be a good thing to make the leather softer and more like-new in appearance.

And here's another on-going display to entice the C&G fans...

Yesterday I did some online research and it seems that the best thing to use for dry leather is warm water to wipe down the seats, then a good automotive leather cleaner and follow up with a leather conditioner. I see both Meguiars and Mothers offer leather cleaning & conditioning products - anyone personally use either brand? I'd like input on which works better. Since I'm going to the AACA Fall Meet in Hershey Saturday, if I see either vendor there I'd like to buy the products directly from them. Thanks!

Thanks for the input... I was beginning to think I was crazy for suggesting this I know this is pretty far off - 3 months - for some to make plans, but for those of us in cold weather months the only way to see a group of classic iron comfortably is to visit car museums. I thought this would be a good idea for a bunch of classic car-starved enthusiasts to meet and see a great collection of classic automobilia. There is another museum in Allentown, PA - America On Wheels, but IMHO the AACA Museum has that place beat. Plus it's in Hershey - Chocolate Town USA! For those that never visited Hershey, they have a great Visitor's Center with a Chocolate-making Tour (ride), a 3-D Show (extra cost), shopping & restaurants. And there's the Trolley Tour I mentioned earlier too. I will be going to Hershey Saturday and planned to stop by the museum before heading home. I will try to speak to someone about this type of group meeting & tour and see what information they can give me. Hopefully more C&Gers will respond yes - I'd like at least 15 people so we could get a tour guide for the museum (and possibly the permission to sit inside of the Futurliner :AH-HA_wink: ).

Well I did say Saturday in the poll, but if a Sunday would work better I'm game for either day on a weekend. What a better way to meet (or catch up) with fellow GM enthusiasts than to hang out at a really cool automobile museum? With it being winter, seeing some classic iron in the comfort of a heated building can't be beat. If there's enough of us maybe we could have lunch there in the museum (see the link I provided). And if we have 15-20 guys we can get a tour guide to take us through the museum. And did I mention that the GM Futurliner will be there on display? Of course being winter it will be cold outside, but think of all our GM vehicles assembled outside in the parking lot - I'm sure the museum will allow us to park in front for a large group photo. And like I said earlier, I'm planning on re-lighting the plans for a more warm-weather C&G meet at the 2010 All-GM Nationals show in Carlisle, PA in June, so this would be a good segway from this winter meeting. I see like 30 people have read this post, but only two other people besides me voted. I understand that this is a small area for C&G members, leaving out the west coasters, southerners, and maybe those too far up north, but it would be a totally cool way to get together in the winter. And Hershey is a hotel capital, offering the big name places as well as small, independently owned bed & breakfast places - so those wanting to make a weekend of it can do so (road trip!). I know costs need to be factored in - museum admission, lunch costs, if we want to take a tour of the area (Hershey offers a "trolley tour" of the town that is very historical and fun to do), so maybe that's holding some back. But think of the memories this will make, and maybe it can become an annual thing if it's a success? Please let me know if I'm here too...

Well I definitely want to submit the '96 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, but it won't be ready for pictures for a couple of weeks (I will be spending some time with it towards the end of October giving it TLC). I will also submit the G6, likely soon, and if it gets passed over so be it.

An overview shot of this huge show from 2007 (they don't have 2008 listed on the website).

And here is where I got the idea... http://www.aacamuseum.org/visit/tour.aspx

Camino and I floated the idea of a C&G-sponsored meet at the All-GM Nationals show in Carlisle, PA a couple of years ago that never got out of the planning stages. That idea, at least with me, is still on the back burner and I may try to do something for the 2010 show. But moving on... The AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania is a great place to visit and the GM Futurliner will be on display there starting mid-October and lasting until early Spring. Seeing as how the winter weather in the northeast prohibits car shows from happening, maybe a C&G meet at the AACA Museum would be a good way for some C&G members to meet, take a tour of the museum, have lunch somewhere, and maybe even do a tourist-y attraction in the area. Anyone interested? Depending on the amount of people that say yes to a Saturday meet in January, I'd be willing to put this together. Post your thoughts too after voting.

Cruise Back to the Future -- The GM Futurliner Comes to the AACA Museum Date: 10/11/2009 - 4/30/2010 Time: All Day Location: Museum's Lower Level Concourse See link for the rest of the article: http://www.aacamuseum.org/events/event.aspx?id=245