Event Coverage 2023 TURLOCK SWAP MEET

need to be making plans for 2023 events -- in California = ** the Historic Annual Turlock Swap Meet (turlockswapmeet.com) should be high on your list : January 28-29, Stanislaus County Fairgrounds . ** usually the Grand National Roadster Show, L.A. County Fairgrounds, was the same weekend as Turlock -- now February 3-5. ///** Stockton Auto Swap January 22 - San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, Stockton///

 

Good reminder.

 

Went to Turlock in 2016 with Nick the Bandit and another gentleman. Visited a few other places as well including the GNRS.

Great shows, good times and hope to get back out there….someday.

 

That one is going to have to stay on my bucket list a while longer. It isn't in the cards this year.
I see that Sid and crew are going to be there with a load of freshly dropped axles if someone down in that area is wanting one.

 

Plan on going, but..... people selling ammo off the table, nothing except .02% hot rod related, and just a bunch of miss organized junk....... 2 months ago... Maybe the Model A Club will govern things a lil better. Used to be the go to. Still up in the air to go or not,,,,,,,

 

- this is the oldest and biggest ANNUAL Swap in Nor-Cal. there are other people that run swap meets at Turlock, not run by car clubs -- pic from years past but, gives you an idea of size of fairgrounds

 

There may be non car related things at Turlock just like at any swapmeet nowadays...but the January Turlock has never disappointed me. Last year a buddy and I rented a tall sprinter van and filled that sucker to the roof in spots we bought so much stuff. Once a year swaps tend to bring out rare stuff. Hands down my favorite swap meet of the year and I'm near Pomona and the Long Beach swaps.

 

Lots of swaps at Turlock during the year and claim to be the Official Turlock Swap or somthing like that.

Late January put on by the Modesto Area As is the Big One!

 

The only thing that Swapmeet has in common with the big January Swapmeet is the name “Turlock”.

 

Turlock has evaded me (and I’m fairly close) for 8/9 years. Up until 4/5 years ago, I didn’t have extra $$ to think of going. Last 4/5 years I have, but been called in on the Friday night before it starts, and regular shift has either been Sunday day or 4pm start.
I wonder if I missed good deals, or saved money
It used to be you could get through the whole swap scrounging around in one full day, as long as you stayed away from the company venders, car corral and looking at cars in spaces you knew you weren’t going to buy anyways! Yes, I was a Saturday/Sunday attendee when I used to go.

 

Yes, I went to Turlock with AVater and another friend. I had been trying to get them to go to Turlock with me for several years. We flew out to L.A., got the rental car, drove to Rosemead to Gene Scott's old place and spent about 2 1/2 hours with Jim Gordon, Gene's old shop foreman, saw some good stuff and bought some good stuff. I should have bought more. We drove up to Bakersfield for the night. went to Famosa Drag Strip in the morning just to take pictures, then on to Fresno to Turner's Auto Parts, we saw a lot, and bought a lot there. Drove up to Turlock. I had made arrangements to get passes so we could get in on set-up day, (Friday). We got in, looked around, On Saturday we bought a lot, and went to Fedex to ship 2 huge boxes home with my Fedex account. We drove back down to Bakersfield to spend the night, and the next morning we went to "The Roadster Show. after the show we went to Bob' Big Boy for burgers. On the way back to the L.A. airport we took a ride up Mulholland Drive. We flew home exhausted, but happy. We all had a great time, but my traveling companions wished that they had gone to Turlock with me several years earlier. I can't go to Turlock now, because of health problems, but if I could, my buddies would go again with me. As you can surmise by reading this, we did not lolly gag around. We were on the go from the time we landed in L.A. until we boarded the plane to fly back to Connecticut. IMO if I could only go to one swap meet a year, it would be Turlock at the end of January. It was worth the time and money, and good companionship.

 

That sounds like one hell of a trip...you got to go to alot of places!

 

Hats off to Nickthebandit for all the planning to makes all these connections successfully. We didn’t miss a thing. Great memories we made!

On a funny note, I packed a pair or y block ram horn exhaust manifolds in my luggage and many of my clothes went into the fedex box to protect our purchases. When I got home I noticed my suitcase was inspected by TSA. Had to wonder what they thought.

 

Great swap meet, been making the trip down from Washington State for several years now. Lots of friends from North and Central California that I'm looking forward to seeing. We're bringing '32 Ford stuff, vintage speed equipment, and traditional hot rod parts to sell or trade.

 

His name is actually Jim Gordon. Glad to hear that you got the opportunity to see that time capsule. Jim is a wealth of knowledge and o genuinely nice guy

 

I think I'm going to try a Saturday run. 6 hours up, 8-5 there and 6+ hours back. .

 

Going to be attending for the first time, looking forward to it! If anyone spots a Weiand 2 pot for 235 leave it for me ok?

 

Thought about making the drive from SoCal even with the high cost of diesel. But the little woman decided we're going to visit our son that day. Probably a good thing as I don't need anymore projects.

 

Plan on rain…..it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop until summer.

 

at this time no rain predicted for the Stockton Swap Meet this Sunday - 22nd,, or for Turlock Swap

 

@Jalopy Joker please post some pics of Turlock. So we can feel like we went. If I ever go back I willl just get a vendor spot to camp out there. Cheaper than booking a room. And you don't have to wait in that 1/2 Mile long line to get in.

 

I always go in the back way, by the cemetery, park in the neighborhood and walk in. No lines.

 

I received an email from Turlock swap staff about the new setup that starts this year. They say that "check in" to get your vendor packet is like 9 to 5 on Friday...my question is, in the past everyone would stage in the polo fields then they let everyone in about 1 or 2 pm. Is that still the same? It makes sense to me that they would have club members there to give out packets 9 to 5, and that the staging would remain the same..as well as the move in to the actual fairgrounds to setup at 1 or 2 like always? Does anyone know?

 

Search turlockswapmeet.com

 

Have fun, post photos, hope to get there some year. Bob

 

That's good to know. I was going to drive the panel but I chickened out, I don't want to leave it on the street in a random area....I know, I'm paranoid. I'm renting a small p/u and charging up there around 2 am Sat morning unless it dumps rain or the freeway closes.

Any other need to know tips from anyone who's been before.

 

Stockton Tomorrow

 

ooh! Stockton tomorrow! totally forgot.
is there such a thing as a swap meet being too big? yes, once you hit 60 . January Turlock is just nuts.
the worst part is the parking.

 

going to Stockton this morning

 

Stockton was a good meet this AM!! Found a bunch of things I wanted & the prices were reasonable!!