With I-40 still closed from hurricane Helene I had to go through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to get to a petroliana show in TN yesterday. My T/A kept asking me why I didn't take a different car instead of him?? Only 18 degrees when I left the house. Even the turkeys in the park seemed 'puffed' up with extra feathers.

 

That wheel combo matches that red vert so well.

 

You are a braver man than I driving after snow falls. Not sure about NC, but up here, they lay down salt on the roads / parking lots BEFORE there is any significant snowfall.

Still, interesting that car shows happen in December there.

 

Thanks! I have to always thank RPM WS6 for that. I kept my originals for far too long. I really like these.

 

The Challenger is too big to detail afterwards and the Mustang too light for ice, so that left 'old reliable', I did treat the T/A to a local undercarriage car wash afterwards. Just $6 and saved me serious cleaning. Looks good underneath and I'll detail today or tomorrow.

 

Oh, no, snow, your car just lost thousands in value.

 

On a keeper car, resale value is unimportant, but maintaining structural / cosmetic integrity by avoiding rust is.

 

Agreed. Salt causes rust, and that will destroy a vehicle. I don't drive my nice cars in the winter.

 

I live in the TN and we rarely get salt on the road, I certainly dont drive my car when it is likely to happen, but I dont think 1 trip will kill the vehicle guys lol

 

Yeah, I'm way past that stage with 85,000 miles on the car. I do my best to keep it in #2 condition, although my fender bender earlier this year (hit my driveway wall) and painting the front bumper is rapidly heading my car to #3 territory. I sure put the hours into it though and I'm happy with the way it looks still. Everything works as it should. I really like taking road trips in it although that big Rte 66 trip in 2021 is probably the last major one outside of the Florida trips we take.

 

That's how I feel too. It's back to 'normal' in the garage again. My Trans Am bear can take a sigh of relief.

 

So glad you've been happy with the wheels, they really do look great on there.

And thanks for posting those great pics!

Exactly what JohnnyB said.

I don't even take mine out in the rain, much less snow, but I couldn't care less about resale value - especially considering that DECADES have now passed since I bought it. If you want a show car, or even just to keep the undercarriage and engine bay looking nice for decades (without a bunch of nuts and bolts becoming rusted nubs), regular exposure to snow/salt are an absolute no-no.

Having said that, NC01TA has taken exceptional care of his car over the years and his exhaustive efforts to thwart usage-related deterioration are second to none. That car only looks the way it does because it's owner is meticulous about cleaning it up after something like this. 99% of other ~25 year old, 85,000 mile cars that have seen any kind of snow usage wouldn't look half this nice!

 

Beautiful car and great photos. We moved from Toronto to SW Tennessee about 18 months ago, don't miss the snow and salt one bit! Looking forward to getting to the East side of the state to see the smokies sometime soon.

 

Thanks!
Great choice for a state to live with no income tax. Yeah, east TN is a blast to visit. Chattanooga is worth a weekend trip and of course the Smokies towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are a full week of fun vacation time. My wife and I always think of Pigeon Forge as TN's version of Orlando with endless things to do. Of course the national park is even better now since the elk were re-introduced. Once in awhile you might see a bear too.

 

@NC01TA Great pictures! Where did you find that Trans Am bear my late in life son would love that. I am glad you still drive it in bad weather as well. I had to drive mine not to long ago.

 

Thanks! That Trans Am bear is actually a Gund BMW bear. My wife removes the BMW patch and sews on the patch of your choice as long as it's not too big. She has been doing this for years and years making our own unique car bears. Do a simple search on ebay under GUND BMW BEAR and you will get many results. Colors of the bears are white or brown. Prices for new ones are usually $25+. Of course you can get your car patches on ebay too (stay around 2", perhaps 3").
Some of our many car bears below:


2001 Trans Am


2020 Challenger


2007 Mustang GT/CS


1974 AMC Matador X


1996 Corvette


2014 Mustang GT (version 2)

 

That’s really cool! Reminds me of when I was a kid. My grandparents had them in their car show vehicles.

 

I've seen these in several of your pictures before, and tonight I showed the whole group to Mrs. RPM. Make sure to tell Mrs. NC01TA that these are fantastic and we both loved them! Mrs. RPM loves to do needlepoint, crewel, and other types of sewing projects too, we have her stuff framed and hanging all over our house. In the automotive category, here's a custom kleenex box holder that she made for the garage last year:

 

^^^ VERY COOL!!! Car wives are the BEST!!!

 

Yup that’s awesome 😎 Your wife does good work RPMWS6


Another sweet trip and super jealous NC01TA. Good photos, thanks for sharingz