Cornering the Classic Car Crowd By Traci Matt Associate Editor For decades Tom Barrett, owner of Dakota Battery & Electric in Rapid City, S.D., along with his son Casey Barrett, were avid attendees of the big car show in their area. This year they did more than just attend, and rented a $250 booth space at the March show to stoke interest in their services. “We just figured it would be a good place to advertise,’ said Tom Barrett. “We did bring in a few chrome alterna- tors and starters as well as different wiring, solenoids, cabling and other products that we have for sale. We sold a few things at the show, we’ve had a cou- ple cars come in already, we’ve sold some product and given them advice.” Casey Barrett, a classic car enthusiast in his own right, went so far as to join the local group, Counts of the Cobblestone Car Club. He already has a 1970 Firebird, 1970 Chevelle and 1959 Ford Pickup under his belt and has at least three more personal project possibilities lined up. Casey Barrett said one thing rebuilders want to watch for when targeting the clas- sic car market is those who are “dead set” on matching original numbers on alterna- tors. “Some of the guys that are doing orig- inal restorations are into original number matching. If you have the original front housings, especially on the Delco 1ODN and 10SI, the number is stamped on it. That’s what they’re looking for. Don’t ever let those go for scrap if they’re good housings,” he said. A simple Internet search of “antique car club” turns up 765,000 results; add “electrical rebuilder” to that search and it narrows results to 129,000, illustrating the plethora of marketing possibilities to be found here. Car clubs vary widely in focus and services to members. Many center on specific types, makes, models or produc- tion runs of vehicles. They provide expertise and contacts on technical and modding techniques, parts and services sources, and vehicles for sale. Most are non-profit groups run by elected commit- tees; however, some are large enough for a paid staff. Besides the typical car shows, some clubs offer racing, cruising, scenic drives, trips to car museums, picnics, community service projects, and even opportunities to use one anothers’ facilities and equipment. The Central Connecticut Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America a Ken Plourde of Guy’s Electric and the Barretts of Dakota Battery are at no loss for clever ways to bring in new business. Their membership in a classic car club has them rubbing elbows with many potential customers for their electrical components. Hosting the club’s meeting gets them in the door and tables display the wares. actually approached rebuilder Ken Plourde about hosting its May meeting. Plourde, owner of Guy’s Electric Service, Inc., in South Windsor, Conn., already counted some of the club’s members as his cus- tomers and recognized the opportunity to gain more. Approximately 5 to 8 percent of Guy’s business is classic car work. “T thought it was a pretty good way to promote our business and gain some cus- tomers. I really wasn’t sure how it would go but it was well worth it,” he said. “You just don’t go to the local mass market to pick up some of the things these guys need. We offer electrical components they can’t get anywhere else.” Plourde and his staff brought in chairs for the club meeting and set up tables with displays of their wares, including generators and starters rebuilt “from start to finish,’ custom battery cables, and units they had completed for restoration companies. He said it didn’t take much effort on his part as the club even provid- ed its own refreshments. About 35 members showed up for the meeting and Plourde gave an “off-the- cuff’ presentation about Guy’s services. “T spoke for about 30 or 40 minutes and took questions from the floor. Once things got going it went naturally and there were a lot of good questions,” he said. One common topic of discussion was the generator-to-alternator conversion kits which are causing some auto restorers “issues.” He also talked about air condi- tioning for classic cars, and ways to source ignition parts. The club now has a link to Guy’s Web site and offered to provide them with a contact roster from the meeting. “Tt was good for people to come to our facility and see our operation. Much more impressive than a Yellow Pages ad,” said Plourde. Club president Raymond Yirga said they will also advertise Guy’s services in an upcoming car show booklet, and give promotional announcements during the show. “IT believe that Guy’s service to the antique auto market is special, in that orig- inal components can be saved and rebuilt, versus buying something new, manufac- tured to questionable specs and causing problems,” said Yirga. “The antique auto hobby does a lot of promoting by word of