Preparing for a Concours Event.....some thoughts

[JB in Irvine]

Planning..planning...planning

1. What detailing you plan to do weeks in advance.?

I plan to do specific task weeks in advance, like polishing and waxing the door jams etc. There are several task that if you do, will make cleaning each and every week that much easier.


2. What detailing you plan to do the weekend before....the day before? What should you NOT do.

For example I never wax the car for an event...that just asking for problems like wax residue in some crack. I want to have washed the car at least twice after waxing, before a competition. That way you have a few chances to catch any wax residue somewhere.

In every Concours event I have done, all the cars look great and have a wonderful shine. For Porsche events they look for dirt and mistakes...you get no extra points for the car shining more than others.


3. How do you plan to get the car to the event, without it getting too dirty?

What roads are you going to use etc. How are you going to travel in the car and not introduce some lint??


4. What are you going to pack?

I have a complete detailing kit...it duplicates almost everything I have in my garage, all in small bottles etc


5. When are you going to get to the event? When can you place the car?

The time you have on the day of the event is crucial. Its the day of event prep work thats the most important


6. Plan day of event detailing.

This is the key. At the top level of PCA events all the cars are great....its the day of event dirt that kills you. You need to know what to clean and how. You need to make sure you can get all the areas you need to work on done in the time available.

[Brad B.]

Great Post! Here's my thoughts...

1. What detailing you plan to do weeks in advance.?

A lot of it comes from knowing your event and what your competition is and what the judges will be looking for. Jaguar Concours has a series of judges that look at specific parts of the car. The chief judge, usually the most experienced, concentrates on the engine and boot so much time is spent prepping that area. I spend the majority of my time...several days...prior to any event, working solely on the engine.

Major polishing, paint touchups, even dissasembly of parts for better cleaning is done well before an event.

2. What detailing you plan to do the weekend before....the day before? What should you NOT do.

I agree, just before the event is nothing but dirt. And I also never wax before an event and don't even take wax to the concours. Just QD.

3. How do you plan to get the car to the event, without it getting too dirty?

This one makes me laugh! I drove hundreds of miles all over the country competing in concours class against cars that almost always were backed out of their trailers! Boy, talk about envy!! I am in St. Louis and competed in Detroit, Chicago, Louisville, Kansas City, Tulsa, New Orleans, etc. I have driven through hail, rain, bugs the size of small pets, floods and gosh knows what! I always arrive the night before so I can wash the car, give it a QD and be ready for the show the next day. It's stressful, but a good prep makes it relatively easy.

4. What are you going to pack?

I have a very minimal kit but it includes things like QD, touch up paints for gloss black, matte black, silver, body color touchup, art brushes, x-acto knife, long tweezers, rubber dressing, medical swabs, glass cleaner, MF towels, waffle weave towels, lint roller, undercarriage spray, tire dressing, metal polish, NeverDull, brake cleaner spray, canned air, small california duster. (That's all I can remember right now)

5. When are you going to get to the event? When can you place the car?

Placement is very important. Things look different at different times of the day as well. Glass streaks show up in different light. Low light or shadows make dirt show up in crevices that you didn't see before. Some defect that you didn't see before because you were blinded by a shiny piece of chrome is now obvious, etc.

6. Plan day of event detailing.

Be methodical! Do one area until completed and then move on. Too often during the excitement you tend to get scattered and forget something. Sit down and work one area until it's perfect!

[JB in Irvine]

Originally posted by Brad B.
This one makes me laugh! I drove hundreds of miles all over the country competing in concours class against cars that almost always were backed out of their trailers! Boy, talk about envy!

Thats interesting...in PCA you can only trailer the car in if you go full concours. In Street Class you have to drive. Full Concours requires you to have suspension you can eat off! For me...thats too much!

Street Class is also the division with the most competition.

[Richt]

Damn i always give the car a coat of glaze and a coat of wax at a show, maybe this year things will change?

Do you guys ever remove wheels at the event?

[Pats300zx]

You guys have brought up some very good points.

This past year I decided to invest in a trailer to bring my car to shows. Its not an enclosed trailer but an open one and cost me about $2000.00 when all was said and done. It has noticibly cut down on the prep that I have to do to the car once I get to the shows. Since I find myself doing more and more shows it helps me cut down on the mileage that I was putting on the car. I have also spent alot of time and money detailing the suspension on the car (ie powdercoating etc) and driving the car only seemed to diminish my efforts.

I also have a nice detailing kit that I take with me to shows. It is a nice stand up type tool box made by Black and Decker that comes apart. I have all my supplies in once place (QD, towels, Qtips, dressings etc).

I agree 100% that placement is everything. Nothing like getting your car put in small corner where it is hardly seen.

I have never waxed at an event either. I kinda feel that there were always to many other little details that need to be attended to.

I have seen alot of people take their wheels off to display their suspensions at shows. For me, that just seemed to be more of a hassle and something that might cause me to miss the tiny other little details that needed attending.

[Richt]

Any top tips for claeaning under arches and insides of wheels, at an event without removing wheels??

I just use the trolley jack to lift it up and get the awkard bits, best i can?

[Richt]

with reagrds to waxing i can wax with P21s in the same time as i could spend using qd? Although i have just brought some EFCP so i will maybe just qd on sat at the show im going to.

[Brad B.]

Originally posted by RichPug306xsi
Damn i always give the car a coat of glaze and a coat of wax at a show, maybe this year things will change?

Do you guys ever remove wheels at the event?

If you mean remove wheels to clean....then yes, absolutely. Especially since with the jags I have wire wheels which necessitate that.

But for displaying cars, more of the formal have very strict rules on how to display the cars and you are not allowed to deviate. Doors closed, windows up, no past tropies displayed or things on the seats, etc. This would be considered VERY tacky!

Other shows like Hot Rod shows or custom shows where you are displaying custom suspension work or undercarriage treatment might be different. That's where you see wheels off and mirrors on the ground. But judging on those shows is usually Peoples Choice with no strict rules or judging sheets so you are appealing to a crowd. That's where "flash" counts!

[Brad B.]

Originally posted by Pats300zx
I also have a nice detailing kit that I take with me to shows. It is a nice stand up type tool box made by Black and Decker that comes apart. I have all my supplies in once place (QD, towels, Qtips, dressings etc).

I've seen those tool boxes....really nice!

Pat...try some medical swabs! I know I harp on these things all the time but they are soooo cool. They are like Q-Tips on steroids. Much fatter and on a 6" stick. You'll love them! You'll save you're knuckles and get to many more tight spots. Get them at most pharmacies or any medical supply store. A box of a hundred cost a couple bucks.

[Richt]

Meguairs also sell swabs i believe???

Removal of wheels for cleaning purposes was my main idea yes.

A few of the guys in the concours class have mirrors, the judges always crawl down and look under anyway, so like you say mirrors are for the spectators.

I always leave my trophies where they belong...at home in the cabinet!

[Brad B.]

Originally posted by RichPug306xsi
with reagrds to waxing i can wax with P21s in the same time as i could spend using qd? Although i have just brought some EFCP so i will maybe just qd on sat at the show im going to.

That's what I do...and I LOVE EFCP!

[Pats300zx]

Brad..I am way ahead of ya

My sisters are nurses and they raid the supplies at the hospitals for me. They bring me home great supplies of the medical swabs. I use them for everything (engine detailing etc).