Sun, Oct 21, .....always the weekend after Hershey. It is a one day swap, but a lot sells on Sat., during setup.
I use to love making the trip up, even got hit with snow 1 year just got to the point it just wasn't worth it.One year I actually found a Honda motor for my son there go figure.That was before I got him off imports,and that was probably 9 yrs ago so it's been going downhill for a while. Just not a lot of good stuff left out there, and to many places to bring it.
I go every year with my son, have so since '77. While I agree that there's a lot of crap there, you can still find nice gems if you look. This past spring it was a 78 case truck top shift transmission for $100.00, last fall is was a '32 heavy axle complete with split bones, '40 brakes and mint drums, $175.00 and a top shift transmission, 78 case, double detent cover, 32 clutch arm and rear mount assembly. opened it and it had a ZF gear set. $150.00 and in the cart it went. Keep going and keep looking, I do. Cliff Ramsdell
Haha I think staying over is the best part! Nothing like buying stuff before it is even off the guys truck. I will be there, I look forward to it each and every year.
Lot of swap meets all bunched together in the Spring. I like Fitchburg (Early V8) on the 21st of April, lots of cars all lined up on runway alongside swap meet to look at, kind of my spring opener. Don't forget the first annual Kustom Kings swapmeet/show May 4 at North Hampton, NH airport. Then Mansfield (Great Woods) on May 11 and 12 always has good stuff. If you don't have it, bookmark the Maynard Auto Club 2013 event schedule at: http://clubs.hemmings.com/maynardaac/events.html
Ol' Curmudgeon, you mentioned a "runway" at the Fitchburg swap meet ... Safe to assume that's at the small airport in town, correct?
yes, small light plane municipal airport, great location. Better venue for looking at cars than Stafford in mho.
I went to Stafford every year, spring and fall since 1978, back then it was worth it, but no longer. JUNK JUNK JUNK !!!! Snowmobiles, lawnmowers, motorcycles, household garbage. Ty rods have lost sight of what a swap is all about. IMO its all about the ever-lovin dollar. Now on the other hand, the CSRA swap at Lake Compounce is worth the ride. Class act all the way. The one at Mansfield Ma. is worth the trip too. Now don't get me wrong, These others have their share of junk, but not to the extreme as Stafford.
My son and I will be there too. Yes, it's a ton of junk, ATV's, lawn mowers, even a truck load of chain saws one year but I always fine a few gems in the shit that make it worth my while (Like the '32 axle with '40 brakes two years ago for $150.00) it's always worth the trip. Cliff Ramsdell
Been going for the past 25 years and will be there tomorrow. After a long New England winter good to get out see some old friends and check out what's for sale. Granted not like it used to be but always seem to pick up something I need.
will be there, as much a get together with friends as it is for looking for that next thing I dont need but buy anyway.
I was there all day today, waiting for the early vendors to unload. I left there at 5:30, and the infield was 2/3 filled already.
Last time I went I saw some idiot carrying out a toilet, thats when figured out maybe it would be my last time. The deal really got sealed when I left and was headed back to 84 going up that long hill going out of town and I got behind some old farmer hauling some god awful shit on a flatbed truck. He left a 3 mile shitskid half that ended up on my truck. I still got a dozen car fresheners hanging on my undercarriage !
My buddy just called on his cell phone, he just scored a vintage case of toilet paper in the pits, Ya know the kind, you can also use it as 2000 grit wet sand paper.
Just a recap on the Stafford swap... never seen it so bad in terms of lack of vendors! I'm not sure why but in recent years the vendor turnout has been getting less and less. There were tons of people paying to get in just nothing for sale when you got in. Car corral was spotty at best. It is really a shame because once these swap meets go away they won't be replaced.
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