senorscion

First off, I thank the moderators who helped me today with a posting "glitch". If this post belongs elsewhere, feel free to move it.-Bob


A few days ago I found something (with a park) and a cooperative
sponsor to kick in some dash plaques. Plant City has a monthly Hot Rod show, but as of a few days ago, the Chamber of Commerce/Plant City is now sponsoring an all import meet! Shocking, isn't it? Some of those PC folks have never seen anything like a modified Scion.

The meet will be from 3PM to 9PM, so we can beat some of the heat.
Cops will block off parking lots for us at 3PM. NO fees to park!
The biggest lot to meet is to the East beside the train station, 109 N. Palmer Street.....and right next to the registration tent. When we fill up the lot there will be some spaces open next to the hot rods.

I have been telling some people That I know about the meet.
You can also post this on to the forums that you belong to. The whole import scene will benefit if we can get an overwhelmingly good turnout. Most of the time all they have is hot rods. It would be impressive if import drivers could run them out of FREE dash plaques one hour into registration. Bring somebody with you. Roll in together, park together. Tell everybody you know.

A few details: 21 July 2012
ALL IMPORT SHOW/MEET PLANT CITY 3PM-9PM
All years. All Import Makes. All Models. Dash Plaques. DJ Music.
No registration fee. No trophies. No pressure. Clubs welcome.
Sponsored by the Plant City Chamber of Commerce. 3 huge parking lots.
Downtown Plant City next to the train station is where the registration tent will be. Food will be available

The easiest way to Plant City is take I-4 to exit 19, 21, 22 and go South.

For more Info, call 813-754-3707, 800-760-2315, info@plantcity.org, www.plantcity.org and/or if I can be of some help, let me know. 813-839-4281/bobstoresit@yahoo.com.
Thanks.-Bob

senorscion

senorscion

senorscion

Someone just new to Kissimmee called me today checking for directions from Kissimmee. He said he wanted to bring his Toyota.
Yes folks, it really is ALL IMPORTS, Any Year, Any Brand.

His phone went dead before I could get all the directions out.
If you are new and coming from Kissimmee, Get onto Interstate 4 and drive west.
The first town you will see is going to be Lakeland. Plant City is about 10 miles to the west of Lakeland.

Use exits 22, 21, and exit 19 and drive South on Thonotosassa, Alexander, Wheeler or Park Road. Each of these streets touches Baker Street(US92) which runs East-West.

Baker Street is also called US92 and when Baker Street touches Palmer Street, drive 1/2 block South on Palmer. Pull into the first parking lot on your left. The lot will be blocked off for us. Tell the cops that you are in the car show. The registration tent will be at 109 N. Palmer street, one block South of Baker.

To avoid traffic jams when it's time to leave, the quickest way back to Interstate 4 will be the same way that you came in.....so make a note how you got there.-Bob

senorscion

Answers to last minute questions......

1.Can I bring my dogs?
Folks, you need to ask that question to the Chamber of Commerce.
Their numbers are 813-754-3707, 800-760-2315. On the day of the show,
they probably will be busy as heck assisting with the All Import meet/show
to get cars in and registered and to help things work smoothly.
They may not be answering the phones.
Most people are coming to hang out with people interested in cars.

2.What kind of food will be available?
There will be no shortage of food. There is a restaurant across the street
from the registration tent. There will be a variety of food trucks on Palmer
Street. The DJ will periodically be announcing the types of food available.
Food will be almost anything you have ever eaten at a large car meet.
Boy Scouts and others will have bottled water and sodas.

See you there, folks. Arrive early....-Bob

senorscion

BBQ, cool cars, and hydrogen

As I was exiting I-4, I called in a takeout order to Johnson's BBQ at Alexander and MLK.
Picked up lunch and when I got to the big parking lot at 109 Palmer around 2PM, I found a shady parking spot near the road. I opened my hood and walked over to the historic train station to find a shady spot for lunch. I toured part of the Air Conditioned Railroad Museum. A closed hood is just a parked car, but an open hood is a car meet! Some of the hot rods had already parked in that same lot.

A 370Z from Gainesville pulled in a short distance away and began their show prep. Beautiful blue paint, carbon fiber, wide wheels and suspension work, exhaust....great looking car....Her boyfriend was helping with prep and regretting that he had not brought his own Z. A Ferrari pulled up a few spaces away from me. Saw a few Honda' s and a nice green 240SX. I like the way he had additional spot welds 1" apart on the strut towers and the inside front fenders. That's one way that you make a car last longer, by strengthening it.

Around 3PM Blown Runner drove up in his Toyota Jurassic Park replica and parked in the grass display area near some of the hot rods. It turned out that he had installed a roll-out canopy for shade....what a setup. I admire it when people are not intimidated and park in great places to be seen better. If you haven't seen his latest edition of a hand crafted sound system mounting, you missed out. It is not the normal open-a-box-and-install speakers. He also is a stickler for tuning for sound quality instead of just loudness.

When I finished off lunch I started walking around the edge of the big parking lot shooting the bull with some of the hot rodders that I knew. I saw in the lot to the South that there were a bunch of 350Z Nissans and I headed over there. I knew some of those guys from a show at Baylife Church where they had won several trophies and also took the Club Participatrion Trophy..........beating out the High Rollers Car Club.

When I emailed Justin of Redline Customs (they do excellent vehicle wraps) he showed up with about 20 Z-cars. There were 240's, 260's, 280's 300's and 350's. They rolled in together and even parked by year model. Justin also brought the Military Tribute 350Z and since I saw it last, there were a pile of Military member's autographs on the hood next to the service emblems. Justin has the ability to create a wrap of any picture he has ever seen and does really nice work. Later on, ALL the Z's drove down Palmer Street nose to tail and parked in a few rows of the big parking lot.

Pam signed in my car at the registration tent in time for me to get a magazine and one of the dash plaques before they were gone. I bought some bottled water from Becky's Hot Dogs across from registration and walked around looking to see what new customizing trends the hot rodders were up to. Some of them have good ideas, but haven't yet figured out how to light an engine compartment like some of the import cars.
Three blocks to the West, and an hour later I sat down to guzzle some high performance Gatorade. There were some clouds to the East providing cloud cover and it was cooling off slightly.

The Tampa Bay British Car Club had parked their MG A's, B's, and a Jaguar on the street next to the big lot and a few of them had driven their Mini-Coopers and a TR6 up onto the sidewalk. I recognized the Mini with the British Flag on the roof and quad driving lights from the Friday car meet at Slick's Garage in Palmetto a few weeks ago and yes, it is the same Slick's Garage that is on the TV show.......and Slick's really does build the cars that you see on TV!

Nature Coast English Car Club arrived and set up their 1275 Midget and a Supercharged MGB Across from Tampa Bay British Car Club and outside Big Dog's restaurant. It was the first supercharger I ever saw on an MGB and it even had the MG emblem cast into it...........doubled the horsepower according to the owner. Car was bright yellow and super clean.

A RHD Honda with a really nice hoodless engine compartment did a drive by ....twice......and didn't stay........ LOL The DJ was announcing car clubs in attendance as they rolled in.

Around 6PM, the clouds started sprinkling and rain was coming down in buckets a few minutes later. Everyone plastered themselves against the wall under the awning at Big Dog's Restaurant. I went inside looking for the owner of the Yellow MGB convertible. We both stood in over-ankle deep water as I helped him get his top up. The other British convertibles were putting tarps over their cars.

I moved to Big Dog's Patio and shot the bull for a while with Michael Eng, Editor of the Plant City Observer newspaper. My soaking wet shirt felt really good after the day of heat.

When the rain stopped, a lot of the hot rodders had already left, as Mild99 from the Seffner/Brandon Thursday night meet arrived. Mild99 has started selling LED's for underhood/interior lighting, at below-market prices, but you will have to hit the Seffner meet to check them out. Mild99 is also the photographer for the Seffner/Brandon meet.

I had some good discussion with three car owners about their Hydrogen Power Generator setups. This is an old "new" idea that increases gas mileage and horse power by burning hydrogen............ along with gasoline.....a good idea since gas prices are heading up again. A truck in attendance had four hydrogen generators mounted up front........gotta talk to that guy.....find out what I need for my four cylinder.

The blue 370Z and a beautiful red Toyota were parked in the center of the big lot. The Toyota looked like it was out of the movie "Fast and Furious". One of the nicest I've seen for a while. He just got out of the military, and I hope to see him at some of the other meets. His car might be a best of show for the November Jacksonville meet.

It was getting dark as I was driving down a flooded Dale Mabry highway in Tampa, on my way to Subway Sandwiches to pick up dinner.........and I had to drive backwards out of some deep water. Nobody drives backwards these days.

At home the movie I put on was Fast and Furious III.
In the opening scene, Vin Diesel is in Panama driving a Black Monte Carlo................backwards.....LOL-Bob