Endless work behind the scenes at the Carbon and Chrome car show

Car shows illustrate the immaculate attention to detail that owners use to showcase their vehicles.

But car shows do not demonstrate the hard work that goes into making the cars look the way they do. People often put significant amounts of funding, hours and dedication into their projects.

At the University of Idaho’s Carbon and Chrome Show & Shine annual car show, attendees have the chance to view projects from all ranges of completion. Some projects have just begun, while others are close to being finished.

Most of the showcased projects are student owned. I am one of those students, and I am proud to face the trials and tribulations in order to present my unique piece of machinery.

My 1979 Ford Bronco has been with my family for over 20 years. It has developed into a show car because of the time, money and effort I have organized. In its early years, it ran its rounds as a trash truck but developed into a car worthy to be displayed. My grandfather and I wanted to display it as an original factory production vehicle.

This goal came with great sacrifice, not only in the form of physical parts and money, but in personal hardship.

CarsDirect, said classic car restorations can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 depending on the level of restoration an individual wants to achieve. This is derived by adding up the acquisition of a car, the parts, labor, painting and preparation.

Rarity and availability of parts often play a large role in determining the spending required to take your project to the next milestone. The Bronco is a sought-after production model, and many parts are remanufactured, but others are not as lucky.

For example, the BMW 1 series M Coupe was a low volume production car produced only in 2011. Due to the highly limited number of these vehicles in circulation, parts are painfully expensive.

After you have purchased a car and its associated parts, it can take time to fit all these pieces together. In my experience a minor oil change can take a couple of hours to do by myself. In some work, like refurbishing an engine, this can take weeks depending on the tools and knowledge you have regarding the job.

To put it all together takes dedication in a community where car owners hate on each other’s rides and fight for the best car. Owners build a connection to their car that others might not see, and it takes patience to find people that appreciate your car and what you have done with it.

I am one individual out of a small group of car enthusiasts. There are owners that have put far more time and funding into their own vehicles than I have.

So next time you go to a car show ask the owners about their stories and what it took to get to that point. Their vehicles usually mean something far greater than just another pretty piece of metal rolling down the street.  

Brandon Roberts can be reached at [email protected].