Jefferson County Spring Car and Swap Meet

[dab67]

My wife and I just returned from the Jefferson County car and swap meet held in Jefferson, Wisconsin. It was a beautiful day. A lot of cars for sale of all types. Only saw 3-4 First Gen Camaros that were listed as original that appeared to be such. The biggest disappointment was the swap meet, as some stated at shows they have gone to, it is harder and harder to find parts for these cars. We did not find anything in regards to transmissions, or rear ends for any first gen cars! And parts that were available were really priced high. I hope it gets better during the course of the year.

dab67

[lakeholme]

I don't know, Dave... I'm afraid we have come to a crossroads on the 50s and 60s cars and the issue of original parts is going to get worse.  Guess the moral of the story is don't throw anything away from an original car!

Haven't heard anything out of your restoration lately.  How's it going?

[william]

Our business vended there and at many other swaps over the years. If you are a pro vendor you're there early to set up. More importantly you're free to roam around the cheap seats before they let the retail crowd in. The first thing virtually all pro vendors do is go looking for bargains. So if someone had a $500 12 posi axle out there in the North field I can virtually guarantee you it was sold early to a pro who dragged it back to their space and changed the sign to read "$1500". And probably sold it. Did it myself [SC-Indy was a virtual gold mine] and saw it done many, many times. Some of these guys don't even wait until set up and can be found in line, picking through parts yet to be unloaded. It's a jungle out there.

Buy an ice cream, enjoy the show. Lower your expectations of swap meets, these days about 50% non-auto related anyway.


 

[dab67]

William:
I guess us Peon's really don't have a chance at finding parts then if this is how it works. Supply and Demand always sets the price. And we are our own worse enemies by attempting to perserve something we may be the cause of its' own demise!!!!!!!
Funny how that works ain't it?

[1968RSZ28]

Dave -

I have better luck and lots more fun at good, old-fashioned wrecking yards!  Especially the ones where you can pull your own parts.  There's a lot less competition at wrecking yards too, but the main attraction for me is fun, fun, fun!  

Paul

[dab67]

Paul:

I never thought about that approach!!! I'll have to try and find a couple yards in Southern Illinois and Northern Wisconson and give it a shot. I know the yards in the Milwaukee and Chicago area are like swap meets!!!!! Price is high in the major cities.
Thanks for the lead

Dave

[william]

Junk yards? You must be joking. More picked over than most swaps. Of all the remaining yards in the metro Milwaukee area only Al's gets vintage iron. And it doesn't last-on one visit a few years back they had a just received a complete, intact '70 Camaro. Days later there was absolutely nothing left of it. They also acquired a clean '68 Bisc 2-door but sold it complete.

My fav junkyard story involves Schmidts in Waunakee. In March '81 they received a beat-up '69 that the city had towed. N579434, one of the 10 Olympic gold Yenkos. Not worth fixing back then. I got the BE and dash, rest was ironed. The '67 Z/28-RS I found in a PA yard was already stripped but the brakes were still there, the reason it caught my eye. We also shopped the Pick-A-Parts in So Cal on our Pomona trips; 1st gen Camaros were almost non-existant in those yards. There may still be a trove near Las Vegas but enough people know about it and the owners are near-impossible to deal with.

Those were the days.

[1968RSZ28]

Junk yards? You must be joking. More picked over than most swaps.

"Optimism is essential to achievement and it is also the foundation of courage and true progress."  

[dab67]

Willaim: 
I made a couple phone calls last night to the yards in Kenosha, unless you know somebody, they don't let you "walk" the yards here, for insurance reasons. One yard did give me a lead on a place near Morris, Illinois that if still in buisness dealt with nothing but cars of the 60's, 70's and 80's. He was going to look to see if he still had the number and name. He thought it was something like Bucholz or Burkolz Classic Yard. But was not sure. If there are parts available here in the midwest, I am thinking they will be in some small out of the way yard.What the heck, can't dance!!!!!!!! it's worth a try!!!!!!!

Dave

[lakeholme]

Well, the ultimate solution might be a parts car.  But unless you have a place to put it, "hell hath no fury like a wife with a 68 Camaro up on blocks in her yard!"  You might be a first generation Camaro owner, if...

Some of the junk yards around here are starting to charge an admission fee!  They claim its for insurance fees, but I hear its become a game place for teenagers.