Hudson's Blog

Nov 8, 2007 - Swap Meet Do's and Don'ts

Working in the automotive industry as I do, and being a car nut as I am, I am fortunate to get to read many different magazines. My current office receives no fewer than 20 automotive magazine titles a month. I've mentioned my dislike for mainstream magazines before, but this doesn't extend to niche magazines, which can be really good (and sometimes REALLY bad, but that's for another blog).

Today I am reading Street Thunder, which is a bi-monthly magazine published by the National Street Machine Club. If you like modified cars, you should look into this club and magazine.

Another thing you may have gathered from reading earlier posts, I like lists. Perhaps it comes from a background where making bullet-pointed PowerPoint presentations is the norm. I don't know, but whenever an editor decides to make a list of things (best of, worst of, what to do, what to avoid, etc), I will give it a once over.

The list in the current Street Thunder (page 54, November/December 2007 issue) talks about the "Do's & Don'ts" of swap meets. I love swap meets, automotive and otherwise, even if I rarely buy anything. I've got a house full of stuff (read into this the George Carlin bit where your sh** is stuff and to everyone else, your stuff is sh**) that I've acquired over the years of attending swap meets, flea markets, yard sales, garage sales, tag sales, estate sales, and auctions. So this article definitely caught my eye.

Scott Parkhurst, the author of this article, goes into some excellent points directed toward automotive swap meets. If you're buying used things (parts or whole cars), be ready to spend more money on them. Buyer beware at these events because its up to you to know that this item is worth the money to you; the laws of supply and demand are critical at a swap meet, any item is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it no matter what the seller thinks it may be worth.

But the part about this list I liked the most pertained to preparedness. As a veteran of some of the world's largest automotive swap meets, primarily Carlisle and Hershey, I agree with these points.

"4. Do make a list of specific things you're looking for prior to entering the gate." Because I usually buy literature, I have what is known to my friends as the "anti-shopping" list, which contains all of the books and magazines that I already own and don't want to duplicate. If I need something for the MG, I will have a list of the specifics which will include sizes and colors, when appropriate.

"5. Do bring a cellular phone or two-way radio." Assuming you're not alone, this is very important. You will, at some point, get separated from your partner. And if you're not attending the show with someone, you may need to contact someone back home (a friend or spouse) about something they may need or something expensive you want (this one pertains to the spouse more than the friend, unless you're trying to get them to talk you out of buying a 1978 Cadillac Hearse or a "very nice" Yugo).

"6. Do walk the entire swap meet before buying anything." Years ago, my buddies and I were walking around the swap meet at Lime Rock. My collection of Automobile Quarterly magazine was missing one key issue: Volume 4, Number 4. This highly-desired issue typically sells for around $100 when most other issues can be purchased for $10 or $20. But we found a copy of it for $75 and my friends decided to buy it for me for my birthday. My new book in hand, we continued to stroll around when we found another copy of the same book being offered for $10 only 20 minutes later. It pays to shop around BEFORE making the purchase.

And one more that may be too obvious for the writers to include: "Do dress appropriately." When going to Hershey or Carlisle, prepare for rain because these car shows and precipitation usually go hand-in-hand. Because of the timing of these two shows, you can catch an 80-degree day or you could catch a 30-degree day...know which one it is before leaving the house and pack accordingly. Wear good walking shoes because you're going to put more than a few miles on your sneakers or boots that day, no matter what swap meet you attend. And know what you're planning to buy so that you know how to get it home: if you're buying literature or small parts, a large book bag might work, but if you're buying larger parts, make sure you bring a wagon (and a vehicle large enough to carry that set of fenders home).

I was never a Boy Scout. But I learned from friends who were to "be prepared." This is one of those cases when that knowledge comes in handy.

7:43 am | Categories: swap meets, flea markets, carlisle, hershey, automobile quarterly, scott parkhurst, street thunder, national street machine club, magazines, lists Comments (2) | Permalink | Alert Administrator

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Oct 22, 2007 - Going to a Car Show...

I'm not a fan of commercial car magazines. Any magazine that covers new vehicles and has advertising has a conflict of interest, and it's not getting any better. Some of my favorite magazines have become average at best and lame in worst case scenarios.

One of the few magazines for which I still have a subscription in AutoWeek. In the October 15 issue, Steve Thompson wrote an editorial called "10 Ways to Enjoy a Car Show." For the most part, the list is very good collection of basic rules. But I'd like to elaborate on a few.

Number 3 on the list, Mr Thompson says that a spectator should "never be afraid to ask questions." I do not claim to know everything about cars and I will be the first to admit that I learn something new at every car show I attend. But I also run into a few people at nearly every car show for who I feel I need to become tour guide.

Years back, I was at a show where the man in front of me turned to his buddy and asked "why does that car have a BMW logo on it?" The car in question was a BMW Isetta, not a car that he was thinking BMW would have ever produced. I had to bite my tongue not to narrate for him.

At last week's Hershey meet, I found a representative of the media telling his cohort that a particular car was a "1934 Cadillac V16," when the grille CLEARLY read "V8." The same gentleman spotted a car that he thought had an "18-cylinder engine" but he misread the label that claimed the car had a "17-liter" engine.

Number 6 on the list, Mr Thompson encouraged parents help kids to understand what's going on. While he used as an example "letting a kid sit behind the wheel of your '57 Chevy" to give him an experience he'll "never forget." I'm all for that and have been a big proponent of it since I was six and sitting behind the wheel of a Ford Model T.

I would take this a step further and combine it with number 3. As I was admiring a row of cars at a recent show, a father was ogling a Cord. His teenage kid thought the car was "ugly," and my heart nearly stopped! How could you call a Cord sedan anything but beautiful? To his credit, the father did try to explain how cutting-edge this car was in 1937, but the kid wasn't really buying it. Again, I bit my tongue.

Number 10 on the list hits quite close to home. Mr Thompson said "wear comfortable shoes."

Three days after Fall Hershey, I could still feel the day in my legs. Walking across the show field for over seven hours, without one chair, your legs tend to get tired...good shoes or not. Better shoes, however, would minimize the pain and shorten the recovery time.

I'm sure that all real car lovers can add to Mr Thompson's list. It is, however, a good start. And everyone reading this should go out and create your own list...and improve it...and continue to improve it....just go to a car show. Be a teacher when you can, be a student when you should. Take your spouse or buddy....and by all means pass on your love of cars and trucks and motorcycles to the next generation!

7:05 am | Categories: car shows, auto shows, carlisle, hershey, aaca, flea markets, cruise nights, autoweek, steve thompson Comments (0) | Permalink | Alert Administrator

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Oct 14, 2007 - A Tale of Two Car Shows

Every October, there are two major car shows in south central Pennsylvania. Fall Carlisle arrives during the first weekend in October while the AACA Fall Meet, otherwise known as Fall Hershey, arrives the next weekend. If you haven't been to either of these events and you call yourself an automotive enthusiast, you should really look into putting them on your calendar.

Carlisle Productions hosts eleven events every year on the 82-acre Carlisle Fairgrounds property. The Fall show covers almost all of that area with vendors selling their wares and cars for purchase in the car corral. It's like Heaven for car enthusiasts, especially those with a preference toward American vehicles since World War II.

The Antique Automobile Club of America puts on their fall event in front of Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Many of the vendors who were at Carlisle appear at this show just a few days later, but you probably didn't have enough time to get through all of Carlisle anyway. And don't think you'll get though Hershey either since there are 15 acres of show cars alone and another 134 acres of flea market area.

But you need to try.

During Fall Carlisle (one of three Carlisle events each year that I try to attend) last week, I had to work. For the first time in more than 15 years, my employer had a stand at the show. I volunteered to work the show. It put a damper on the amount of time I could walk around the show, but I got to see another side of Carlisle. I met dozens of people that I would have otherwise just passed by. People from all over the place stopping by to get things that would be nearly impossible to find in their home town but things that are necessary to get their project to the next level.

Carlisle and Hershey are great places to shop for all things automotive. I usually buy books or parts for my car, but the main reason to attend these shows is to see what cars have shown up. Walking the car corral at Carlisle is my personal highlight of the trip. Most of the vehicles are common post-War cars and trucks with a guarantee of a number of Mustangs and Camaros and Corvettes. But all of that walking pays off for me when I find the pink 1927 Auburn hot rod or the ex-military 6wd Land Rover or rare 1981 Ford (yes, blue oval Ford) Durango. It's like finding the Maltese Falcon or a new species of insect...something you've never seen before and few of your automotive buddies have either.

A few days go by and Hershey rolls around. While it looks the same on paper, the two shows are very different. They both have flea market vendors and many Carlisle vendors do pack up on Sunday just to unpack a few miles away on Tuesday at Hershey. The both have car corrals with acres of cars and trucks. But Carlisle is a catch-all event and Hershey is tied to the fall meet of the AACA. Because of this affiliation, there are acres of the most beautiful cars you've ever seen.

Rows of cars and trucks from every era from the horseless carriages to cars of the early 1980s. Go to a typical car show and you'll be lucky to see a Studebaker Avanti...I spotted no fewer than four yesterday. Like '57 Chevrolets? There was an entire row of them...every body style...many colors...all in great condition...it was like going to a Chevrolet dealership in the fall of 1956. There were even rows of commercial vehicles like milk trucks and fire engines. We even spotted a Delorean made into a half-hearted tribute to "Back to the Future."

And the people you meet? They love to talk about cars. One gentleman showed us his Mercedes-Benz sedan delivery (the only one I've ever seen) which was parked two rows from his 1955 Porsche Continental (can't tell the last time I saw one). We found a manual-transmissioned Bricklin (only built in 1974) and TWO pre-WWI Renaults in as good of condition as you could expect from 100 year old cars. There was surely something for everyone from muscle cars and sports cars to luxury cars and plain-Jane sedans.

When (I'm assuming you're serious about you car fanaticism) you go to these shows, bring your walking shoes. Carlisle can be done in a (long) day, but it's best to take two. Hershey could possibly be done in two days and that's the minimum since flea market vendors start packing up on Saturday and the actual car show is ONLY on Saturday. If you're social and like to meet other car people, add another day or so.

The biggest problem for me about these shows is what they represent. Carlisle and Hershey mark the end of my annual car show season. Cruise nights are typically over and flea markets are basically closed until spring. Each year, however, the snow melts and car shows open once again. And if you live your life well, you'll need the rest after Hershey. I know I do because my legs have STILL not recovered. But it's a good kind of pain and worth the sacrifice to visit two of the best shows on the planet.

If I didn't meet you there this year, let's plan on it for next year...shall we? 

4:36 pm | Categories: car shows, auto shows, carlisle, hershey, aaca, flea markets, cruise nights Comments (1) | Permalink | Alert Administrator

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