If you're a true HAMBer, you've done your share of swap meets. I love swap meets. In my book, they're only one rung below driving my old metal and hanging with car buds in a shop. And...if you've done your share of swap meets, I'm sure you've seen some crazy stuff. So...hear's a thread to compile those stories. (and yes....I searched for an existing thread and couldn't find one)
My hands-down favorite story is something I witnessed at the Conroe (TX) swap meet about ten or so years back. There was this old dude who always had a ton of Model T stuff at the the Conroe meet. I haven't seen him or his stuff there for years, I figure he's gone on to the Flivver meet in the sky by now. I'm standing there, admiring his stuff, when this yuppy-looking dude picks up a tail-light housing and asks him "how much?". Old codger says, "I'll take 2 dollars for it". It was a great swap-meet bargain price for a good original part. Dumbass yuppy, instead of taking the bargain says, "I'll give you 50 cents for it". Old codger takes the part, throws it on the ground and stomps the crap out of it.....just mutilates it and turns it into junk and says, "There....now I'll take 50 cents for it...now get the hell out of my space" Dumbass yuppy is standing there in disbelief and walks away. I'm grinning from ear to ear and approach the old guy and tell him how cool that was. He told me that he was sick of people trying to offer stupid-low prices on stuff. He said he felt bad for stomping a piece of old metal like that, but it was something he'd been wanting to do for years and he said it felt great to finally do it.
LOVE IT !! I probably would have given the old guy the two bucks to boot !!! Thanks for the smile... Cheers.....
At one of the early Super Chevy Shows in Houston, I bought a 454 block from some farm boy. I sat in my sister's Cavalier while he hoisted it into the trunk and the suspension sank about a foot. I didn't barter on the price.
ok wasnt swap meet but wrecking yard.guy needs 57 ford fender,owner has one .brown and tan,just what is needed,guy pulls it ,tells him 20.,buyer complains,yard owner strikes torch,cuts it .says if it ain't worth that he'llscrap it
I once sold a kid a chainsaw for a buck. As he walked away he was trying to start it. I thought to myself "hell if the kids parents didn't want him to own a chainsaw they wouldn't have set him loose in a swap meet" The kid was like 9
I also noticed alot of people wearing signs Wanted Buick parts or what ever. So I made one that saiD WANTED TWO CHICKS AT THE SAME TIME
Ya know....that's a good point. I should've bought the thing from the old guy for 2 bucks and put in on display in my shop.
How about at the Porter County, IN swap meet.......... a sbc edelbrock 6x2 complete with holley 94's, linkage and fuel log for $200 and I only had like $25 left to my name. I was sick for days after.......
I once bought a model train at a swap meet for $25... that I turned for $525 a couple weeks later on eBay... one of those you had to know just what you were looking at things. I've done stuff like walk around early and buy things from other guys, put it out at my spot and sell it for a bunch more, too.
i grew up in a small logging community we were stacking wood, using a double bladed axe and chainsaws ( and no its not like i was using a hot rodded sthill 066 with a 36" bar or something. laughs..just little saws for us kids but none the less they were sharp and we had to keep them sharp our self.. do kid even know how to sharpen a knife these days? i know my grade school teacher tought me how to sharpen a knife back in the day ) by the time i was 10.. good times.. i doubt kids would even be allowed to touch a double bladed axe these days. hah chris.
Conroe November 2009 I wish I had taken a pic....I made made a deal to buy a rolling 1932 Ford ( $2,000) frame Friday...I gave a check and he agreed to hold the frame untill check cleared....we signed a contract...Saturday morning he came to my space and said he was going to back out of the deal as he was offered $3,500 for the frame...I said we had a contract..he said it didnt mattter....he said who ever has the cash in 15 minutes has the car...I raised 2 grand and handed him the 2 grand...2 minutes later another buyer came up and offerd me 4 grand...I sold it ...the original guy was pissed..i didnt touch the frame....so I guess I did good....I would have liked to keep it, as it was so nice...but I learned that money talks.....it was fun....Bill <!-- / message -->
Bought a Ford 9 inch center section sight unseen for $65.00 that supposedly had a spool in it. Picked it up,took it apart.....and found a Detroit Locker!
I saw a bare set of T1 race Brodix heads for a sbc for $40. I waked away from them, got all the way back to my spot and thought about it for a few minutes. I thought the price was wrong or it was $400, something like that. The more I thought about it the more I thought I was stupid for even walking away from a deal like that. Hec, even if they needed some work, they would be worth $400. Afterall, they are $1000 new, bare. I walked all the way back to the guy's space thinking they would be gone by the time I got back there, His space a quite a ways from mine. When I got there, they were still there, believe it or not. I didn't waste any time handing him all $40 for them. Now that's what's going on my 331 for my altered. r
Had my son selling at my spot while I walked around looking for deals.Spotted a set of Cragar mags with descent looking tires rear 15x10 and 15 x 6 fronts. Dude was talking to the owner with a lowball stupid ass offer,well I ain't bashfull. Asked the dude how much ,he said $200. Handed him 2 $100 bills and the lowball idiot says I was buying those. I told him to come on down to my spot and we could talk. I borrowed the guys handtruck took them to my spot just put them on the trailer. Took them home cleaned them up,listed them on local Craigslist for $400 and guess who was the 1st to show up.Yeah the lowball idiot from the swapmeet,and he bought them. Got to feel sorry for some idiots,but you just can't fix stupid.
Too many experiences to count that reinforce the rule that the surest way to find a good deal on something you need is to not have enough cash on you to take advantage of it.
I was at the Lawrence swap meet years ago with $500 in my pocket and determined not to spend it all on one item. First thing I came across was a pair of '26-27 T doors, original paint, original glass, one broken, but in great shape with no rust. I'd just had my '29 AA doors patched on the bottoms, but really wanted those two good doors. However, I also was looking for some other stuff, and for $400 figured the doors were pricey enough that I could come back later and still get them if I hadn't already spent on something else. You know how that went. Decided the doors were the best deal I could find, came back in 10 minutes and they were gone. Left the swap meet with the $500 still in my billfold, and learned a lesson that wiser HAMBers learn early. See it; buy it.
I purposely switch stuff around week to week so that even if I don't sell it I might not bring it to the next swap, to encourage that very line of thinking.
I was there! I remember that "cluster-fuck" like it was yesterday. Really nice chassis, too. YOU ended-up doin' GOOD! DD
Not HAMB friendly but I saw this canvas in a box and asked what it was for. The owner told me if was a tent for a old VW bus. You know the kind that attaches to the side double swing out doors. It was complete except missing the poles. $5 later it was mine. 20 minutes later sold it for $200.
Buying a set of hi po 289 Heads at the reno swap meet for 50 bucks and flipping them 7 days later on ebay for 1250.00!
Not at a swap, but at a giant subdivision sale, I bought a 50's schwinn cruiser style bike from this old couple for $25.00. Rode it around the sale for 20 minutes and sold it for $400.00!!!! I promptly walked my happy ass back to the house with a fatter wallet.....
I have a simular story. Guy I know buys a ratty 70 Cuda rolling shell for $1500 from a so called E-body expert a few hundred miles away. He removes one of the front fenders that had surface rust but was really straight and finds the backside in perfect shape with primer and a factory part number. Turns out it was an NOS 71 Cuda fender. He scotchbrited the surface rust on the outside and rattle canned it in primer to match the inside and threw it on Ebay. It sold for $2500 to the guy he bought the car from in the first place
Here's a couple..My brother and I were at car show/swap meet poking around and we spot a sizzler model kit for $10. Not being into models much we passed on it but told a guy we know at a both near by about it. He hustles over there, buys it and tell us it's worth $200. Then says I really owe you guys, so we ask him how much for the posters he selling. "Oh I get $30 for those but you can have one for $25"...Gee thanks a lot sport!!! Haven't spoken to him since. Another time I bought a N.H. police licence plate (1966) for $5.00. Showed to a plate guy 10 min. later and he gave me $100 for it...not bad
what about crazies at swap meet stories?? everyone has one.. like the guy who you ask one question to like "how much for the fender", which was marked the wrong year and he tells you his life story how the ex took his soul in the divorce and now he scraps for a living...