Art & Inspiration What's a Better Motivator: Shows or Swaps?

Good answer. the question wasn't what we like better, it was what motivates us. Just me, but swap meets aren't where I go the GET motivated, they are where I go to get the parts I need ONCE I AM MOTIVATED.
But saying you even GO to car shows on here can damage your "cred", which is a big concern. Cause, you know, car shows aren't "traditional".

 

Instead of rapping off about how much we hate car shows, how about we post pics of our parts hauls from the last few swap meets we went to? Let's see how "serious" we are, let's see what we actually brought home.

 

I always head straight to the swap meet. The cars will be there all day and I have probably seen most of them many times before anyway. If there is no swap meet and only a show then I have started to just pass on it. You can only take so much of staring at cars. But the swap is stimulating in that you might find a treasure or some do-dad that you didn't know you needed.

 

I can't post pics on my daughters ipad (too computer stupid) but you can see my haul from the second to last swap I attended at post 63 of the "ocean park 2016" thread.

 

To answer this question -"Which one is a better motivator to get your stale car projects moving along:"- shows, hands down.
I dig swap meets, but they make me want to start another project, not work on the current ones.
I like hows, big shows, that allow me to see many cars like the one I am working on, to see how others did something, or get new ideas.

 

Car shows are kind of like strip clubs, you can look but touching is frowned upon. Swap meets are more like meat markets, maybe a bit more TLC required but you can take what you fancy home with you.

I really shouldn't be on line when I'm taking cold meds.

 

I have been doing that continuously since Oct. 9th. Don, one thing I do agree with, if I was at an event that had both, I would DEFINATELY go to the swap first, the cars will be there later, the deals won't. But the only inspiration I get from swaps is the wrong kind, it's like "wow, hey, look at this '50 olds coupe....hmmm, how can I explain to my wife if I drag another car home...."

 

I see all my buddys at swap meets. I seldom know anybody who actually shows their cars these days. But what really motivates me to get my ass back in gear is going over to friend's houses and seeing them making progress on their cars. Monday I stopped by my buddy Gary's house and in his 3 car garage he was working on some guy's 46 chevy pickup...doing a chassis Engineering parallel leaf rear and independent front suspensions...while I was there he was setting up motor mounts for a SBC in the boxed frame rails .....DAMN! I should be home working on my car. I went home and raked leaves...

 

Swap meets, for me. I've been going to the Fall Hershey meet since 1980 and I've only wandered through the car show twice in all that time. Ho-hum, another million dollar over restoration.......yawn. I'd rather be back in my shop with my new found treasures !

 

It's swap meets for me, they are pretty scarce around central NC but it makes my imagination go nuts and the ole lady always finds her next project before I find mine


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Ok, so I'm the only one with a pic of stuff he actually BOUGHT at a swap meet this year?? ME??!! The " car show" guy??!! geez, with a hard-core group like this, I figured by now we would be swamped with pics of Columbia rears and Ardun heads!!
Guys, I gotta tell ya, going to a swap meet to hang out with your buddies in the beer garden and bitch about how "there's nothin' here, swaps just aren't what they were back in the day" doesn't really seem all that "hard-core" to me. Just sayin....

 

Swaps every time! The excitement of finding some new trinket or that rare part that nobody recognizes is far more interesting and makes ya wanna go work on your car than the dream of sitting in a lawn chair listening to du wop crap and trying to keep people from leaning on your fenders.

 

still no takers. Too bad I am stuck with my daughters I pad, if I was on my computer, I could show pics from the other swaps. Like Monroe, where I came home with a pair of king bees, '53/'54 swing pedals and 15x6 Chevy rims for the back of my t-Tudor, a early sixties vintage SW electric fuel pump for my '39, and a '23 T roadster PU body. But then I guess, I don't have to spend time to looking for "motivation", I bring that with me. Besides, I probably wouldn't have time, I'm too busy buying parts...
Yea, these swap meet guys are just too hard-core for me...

 

SWAP MEETS! Finding stuff I need for a project is always a lot of fun. Somehow I always have enough to cover what I find, but hope to build a war chest for the 2017 season, I like to go to some of the big swaps out West again. Shows are a lot of fun too, finally got to Pebble Beach this year, a Bucket List item I'd like to do again.

falcongeorger, you asked for photos, here is a shot of one cart load from the last car swap meet of 2016. Need that firewall part of the '29 tank. Bob

 

Swaps because i get inspiration, and can buy parts as soon as i think of ideas


What'cha got in there, kid?

 

Oh, what the hell.
I found this Holley at the Corvallis Oregon swap meet in the late 80's.
Besides me and ol George; I'd bet not many HAMB'rs would recognize this carburator by the number but it's considered one of the most sought after (and expensive) Holleys from the 60's.
Just for fun, who knows the number on this carb, it's an original GM issue for the 327/350 h.p. engine option for 1966 Novas. OK, go ahead and Google it.
Obviously the swap meet seller was one of those guys that figured by saying it was for a Corvette that would surely help sell it but he could not have been more wrong.
It had been rebuilt (kinda sorta) and was in a big bucket full of Holleys, it was missing a couple little pieces but what was not missing was the factory GM list number stamped on the choke air horn.
I've stumbled onto many desirable parts this way but being able to visually I.D. stuff is only half the battle when it comes to swap meets, I've carried a little book full of numbers for years that I compiled and it has really paid off.
BTW, I paid the guy his asking price; $85.
Due diligence followed by success was always my "motivator".
Anyone care to guess what crazy money these things are commanding.

 

Finding the right part for the project keeps me motivated and events seeing cars being used also a motivating factor to get something done.

 

Indoor shows hold no interest at all for me. I'd rather see one hot rod going down the road than a hundred sitting parked indoors. Outdoor shows sometimes, but usually just an excuse to drive somewhere - a destination. More fun getting there and back than the show itself. Ditto swap meets, unless I am looking for something specific. My lifestyle does not accommodate more than one hot rod at a time, so unless I am in design/construction phase, swap meets don't really do much for me.
I first got into hotrodding some 45 years ago - all it took was one ride in a T-bucket. It's been about the drive ever since.
All that said, part of what I love about this hobby is the variety of choices and creativity we all have. And the freedom to pursue our own tastes.

 

While shows are nice ya can't beat a swap meet.

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy swaps and seeing my friends at them for sure. But I kinda burned out on vending at them, and my day or whole weekend ends up revolving around getting to them early (which I usually fail at).

Club shows tend to be in the afternoon, which works out a little better for me as far as getting things done in the shop or around the house before heading out to see all the fun I'm missing out on by not having my car in a driveable state, which is the key to my point. It's the cars that are out being driven, in a roadworthy state that really kick me into gear. They remind me that I don't have to have EVERYTHING perfect before my build gets out on the road to be enjoyed; that the polish, finish, and refinement can come after that point. That is what fires me up.

 

Shows are where it's at for me. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like going to a real good show like the Detroit Autorama, seeing all the amazing cars and craftsmanship. The whole ride home I'm just in a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas going through my head about what to build and how to do it. It's always inspiring to see beautiful cars and meet talented builders, and then try to build something to compete on their level of quality. Swap meets are fun, and it's exciting to find parts for a project, or tools, etc., ultimately the motivation comes from the finished product for me.

 

I agree......

 

Well, and the thing is, the question was "where do you get inspiration" not "are you sufficiently cool and jaded that car shows are beneath you?" I LOVE swaps, although it appears that I am in the minority in that I actually buy stuff at them, apparently most guys aren't looking for parts, they go there looking for "motivation" it seems that actually buying parts at a swap is "uncool", which probably explains all the clusters of guys standing around bullshitting that I have to wend my way around as I am hunting for parts...
I guess I've been doing it wrong since 1975, man I wonder if I will EVER get this "traditional hot rod" thing right?
Lemme see what I've learned so far
Going to car shows is "uncool" and NOT traditional
Cars need to be chopped until they are ugly
Hot rods are supposed to be slow
Splash and clatter Chevy sixes are better than small blocks
Hot rods aren't painted, or if they are, they can only be black or baby shit brown
Man, I guess I gotta just gotta forget EVERYTHING I have learned about cars since the mid-sixties, and start all over again! I am SO uncool...

 

...need I say more?

 

Wow my heads spinning, you all must have better swap meets and shows than here in east tenn. I know about Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg ( what's left of it after the fire).
I prefer shows to get ideas for my Merc. Do I want roll and tuck or diamonds, candy apple red or purple. My last names Hayes so everybody wants me to have a "Purple Haze" mercury.
I like looking at "stuff" at swap meets but 98% of it I can't or won't use.I mostly like getting amonst the car crazies.

 

Since Jive Bomber actually mentioned Turlock vs GNRS, I've always picked GNRS.
But this year, I'm gonna try Turlock. Just getting "dulled" looking at new builds. I.E.; miles deep mirror perfect paint, Ardun flathead polished to the 9's, etc, etc......
Now before you beat me up regarding all this perfection, I appreciate the time and effort, it's just not "real life" for me.
If I can go to a swap and score some part I've been hunting or stumble upon a cool item, it makes it all worthwhile. I enjoy creating vehicles as they were, and those parts will be at a swap.

 

I'm partial to swap meets....searching out and finding those little, needed treasures, are fun to me!....just never know what I will come across, hiding in a bucket or still waiting to come out from under a tarp. I like to talk to people if they have the time, and if they don't have a particular 'something' I'm thinking I'm needing, ...they can usually point me in the right direction. I'm okay with car shows, and will take a gander around at the talent and skills of others in appreciation of their cars.

----but....I'm more a 'hands on' fella, and like to dig around and spend time frolicking over every item at a swap meets...trying to justify that I ''really need that''.....I usually have a small, limited budget to buy parts with, so I'm always looking for a ''pretty good deal'' and ''the search'' has become fun for me ...and I've found a few...it's worth the time for me to spend more energy around swap meets.

 

I'm sure the "I'm a hard-core hot Rodders, I don't go to car shows, I'm too cool for that poser shit" posts will continue ad nauseam, as they do on EVERY thread that mentions car shows, but back to the subject...
Motivation and ideas are so close I can't separate the two so here's my sources, in order of importance.
1) old magazines, by a large margin
2) The Rodders Journal
3) old speed equipment catalogs
4) kustomrama, which really, is the same stuff as number 1, it's just online
5) Some stuff I see on the HAMB
6) talking to guys I know, and seeing what they are building.
I really don't get any ideas at swap meets, I go there with a parts list, on paper, hunt for and buy parts. Motivation is what GETS ME OUT TO THE SWAP MEETS, I guess if I went there looking for motivation, I would probably be one of those multitudes of guys hanging around saying "gee, I couldn't find anything, there's nothing here". Maybe it's because they are looking for motivation, when they should be looking for parts.

 

For motivation, I need a driving thing to get the car ready for. Then I'll get it done. Shows and swaps don't do it.

Examples, a trip to Bonneville, a fresh Drag Week car, a rally to drive some old heap in, a tour, or maybe a national event that is a long ways away from home.