First time Carlisle do's/don'ts

Going to Carlisle for the first time. I have rooms already. Other than that I am in the dark.

I suppose the largest swap meet I've been to is the Turkey Run or Autofair. I also imagine Carlisle is a different beast.

How about some dos/donts and things to remember.

Thanks

 

Rule No1, crowds dont enjoy tear gas, dont take any.

 

dont mention the word rat rod.

if you are there for the whole weekend be prepared to get sun burned.

If you plan on buying alot of parts or big parts bring a wagon or a cart to haul your stuff around in.

What days are you going to be there? I think i will be there for friday and saturday and maybe sunday.

 

If you see a part you want, don't say I 'll come back at the end of the day to buy it. 1 it'll be gone when you get back, 2 you'll be so tired you'll forget where you seen it. 3 you have run out of money by end of day.

 

Got to have a Big Smokey sausage. That way you'll remember Carlisle for a day or two afterwards.

 

....and if you don't believe him, I'll tell you the same thing. Are you familiar with the saying, "He who hesitates is lost"? Carlisle is one of the best examples of that theory. Take a wagon, buy it then and there, load it in your wagon, and move on. I love some of the excuses I hear from "buyers" that spend more effort coming up with reasons NOT to buy something than to buy it and be done with it.

"Well, I just got here". What the hell has that got to do with it....you can't buy something until you've been on the field for at least an hour?


"I don't wanna lug it around with me all day". See the part about bringing a wagon. Also, I've yet to find a vendor that won't agree to let you store the part you just bought from them at their space until you're ready to go. Hell, you paid for it....if you never come back, it's all the same to them.

"I saw one on the other side of the field for less". Well, if you were too cheap to buy that one, then you can forget about this one. Besides, I saw that one this morning too; that's why I bought it and carried it back to my spot!

 

Wear comfortable shoes.

 

Have some shoo-fly pie, wear comfortable shoes, follow Hank 37's advice.

 

+1 on the pie!

 

Heathen and Hank said it all...

 

From MANY years of experience!
As you enter, through gates, 1, 2 or 3, make a left turn, take the main road all the way to the end. go right, then left at the rest rooms/shower building.
Start your journey there, grasshopper.
Go to the end, then zig zag to your right, and when you hit the end, go up the hill and zig zag back down it.
By doing the hills first, when you have the energy, you';; be able to see more. AND in that "back area" by the Turnpike, are all the backyard guys selling stuff, not the big vendors. You'll find more good, rusty stuff back there.
After you've done the hill, then you can do the infield, and the main field.

 

You are not obligated to tip the bathroom attendants.

Don't be surprised if the exact same replacement part is with different vendors, all with different prices. I always cuss myself for buying to quickly!

 

Went to the first Carlisle event and my dad just recently stopped going because of his age. He was a vendor from the beginning. The first Carlisle meet is where I bought nearly everything I needed for my 53 Chevy in NOS parts for around 180.00. That was a whole grille, apiece at a time, tailight assemblies, emblems etc. etc. One year I found some 48 Fleetline fenderskirts for my 48. The best thing about Carlisle for me was I could find all the little magazines and early Hot Rod mags I wanted, That was a big deal before E-bay . Our booth was at the entrance and you could see all the action there. Posies would always roll up with a new car. The best thing I liked about it was the barbque chicken they cooked on the fairgrounds and the smell of the gyros being cooked up in the morning getting ready for lunch. I have a shitload of memories from that place! Of course a lot of time was spent behind the table selling parts. We always had NOS old chevy parts and in the later years my dad started rechroming bumpers and sold them up there. Ask him about the BumperBoyz! A guy on here, Felby, really use to have the old CalCustom parts, the best collection I ever saw, he steal deals in early Ford stuff.He was there from the beginning also. The stuff I wish I could have bought up there while I had a chance was the old Fabion Continental 48 Chevy or the molds to the old Franklin Model A quickchange! I never have enough money.

 

have a couple of cars to put the stuff in.....I always manage to buy the heavy/big parts in the other end of were I parked the car.....
otherwise...the hamburgers outside the...south entrance? in the garden is the best
a lot better and faster ...next..2 cheeseburgers next next...fun to see them work
and some hershey icecream to round of the day at the white building were the entrance is for the cars
regards stig sweden

 

Drink lots of beer!!!!

But remember, the porta-potties are usually at the other end of some very long aisles!
Pace yourself, once the potties are in sight again you can chug back a couple more.
Don't get caught half way in a piss panic!!!!

"Do I go back? Or make a dash for the other end!"

 

I second the bring a wagon idea and wear comfy shoes. It is a little over 13 1/2 miles to walk Carlisle aisle by aisle. It really sucks having to carry a hood on your shoulder through crowds for 4 or 5 miles.

Also, MOST IMPORTANT!!! GET THERE EARLY!!!!!! I can't stress that enough if you are going on Saturday. IF you don't plan on arriving there by 6AM or so, be prepared to sit in traffic(and a lot of it). One year, I made the mistake of getting there around 8AM. Well, I sat on the Turnpike, bumper to bumper, didn't hit the fairgrounds until almost noon! GET THERE EARLY!

Oh, and bring a camera. Always neat stuff to look at... Enjoy the hills

 

Been going for many years and find that if I want to make the best of it, I run at my own pace alone. No matter how good a buddy you might have with you, he will only slow you down. Find out what you are both looking for and have a cell phone that works back and forth so you can alert one another on finds. Set a place like the center front of the grandstand to meet at a certain time or adjust by phone if needed.

The program always has a map to mark the places you might buy something and have it held. Have a hand cart back at your ride to go in for a sweep of the parts you've bought and work from the furtherest point back to your ride.

Comfortable shoes are a must. I sweep through the entire place quickly looking for the most important things I need on the first pass. Then I slow down to cover the entire place again spotting the things I didn't know I was looking for. Two times covering the whole place takes awhile and will catch up to you, so the third time through is strictly to pick up the items with a cart that are being held for me.

Best way to get through it all is by yourself and be prepared to get frustrated by the slow moving heards of guys that haven't figured out how to save the talk for the tables at the food court. Hardcore? Maybe. Successful? Yes...........

 

Get a ham and egg and cheese for breakfast, a ham and cheese for lunch on the end of the food court! Forget Ol' Ed's smokies, they'll give you the shits.

 

I use a hand truck with a garbage can strapped to it. More maneuverable than a wagon and more secure, I see more other people doing it. Be sure to have a lid on it. If you don't people will throw their trash in it. Have a small notebook to write down the number of a booth you want to look at again - you'll never remember where they are otherwise.

You can't park on the grounds, you have to park in someone's yard around the grounds. Everyone has a favorite spot and a favorite gate, I'm not gonna list mine on a forum as widely read as this one. Ask a friend for a recommendation. Lately Carlisle has been getting junked up with cheap chinese tools and stuff like that. Don't wast time in those tents, you can get the same thing at Harbor Freight. There are still bargains and gems to be had. Take a pocket camera, there will always be something you want to show the guys back home.

 

and don't forget to stop by J 93-J 96 to say hi to CADILLAC DAVE I will have a load of very rarely sold items....they are very different than the rare items....and have FUN FUN FUN .

 

Don,t take the dog, do take extra water...A great idea is to freeze a couple of bottles and as they thaw through the day you get to sip at them. With the ice gradually melting they stay cold and last a lot longer.

 

Take a phone or walkie talkies or have a "meet up" time.It sucks to get seperated from your homeys unless you're the guy holding the keys.
Walk the hill then work your way down to the lowlands.Your feet and back will thank you at the end of the day.If you're buying a bunch of stuff,park near a gate!
Be prepared to pay 25% more for whatever-it-is you want.Fiscal-irresponsiblity does not exist at a hot-rod related show!
Wear a sign with "HAMB",you meet lotsa cool people.
Take a disposable raincoat....It always seems to rain at Spring Carlisle.

Have a good time! Hope you find some cool stuff!

 

I wear my HAMB shirt every year and nobody says boo to me, I must look like some punk ratrodder,lol. Sometimes if you think you'll find it somewhere cheaper on the grounds it never is true well 99.5% of the time at least. Wear comfy shoes, take a lunch with you and lots to drink.

 

WHAT!?!? Never take your lunch to Carlisle. Last food stand on the end, chicken corn chowder, as many bowls as you can eat. None better.

 

If I see ya,I'll say "Boo?"
I've met and spoke with numerous HAMBers at Carlisle (and elsewhere).

Have a good time nonetheless.

"Turkey Leg Joe" used to have killer drumsticks.Damn,they was good!
Haven't seen him for a while? Must've moved his legs franchise?

 

Don't wait until Saturday, or Friday for that matter---it's too crowded.
If you can swing it, get in there on Wednesday after noon, and quit Friday end of the day. Just too many people on Saturday
I did Carlisle only once, and what everybody said is true, especially "do the hill first" and "use a hand truck/garbage can" Me and another guy flew in Wednesday, filled a 24ft U-Haul truck with goodies and drove home on Saturday And keep an open mind about all the stuff you see outside the grounds---there's usually a score out there in somebody's yard to be had.

 

Yeah what they said, the hill first or you will die. The 2 dogs and a soda outside gate 1 is a good deal, the carlisle swim club sells them. Don't forget to get hand stamped before you leave gates so you can re-enter without paying again. And don't buy anything I'm looking for. Anyway good luck.

 

What day are you going? PM me if it's Thursday.
1. Take water,camera, raincoat, comfortable shoes, comfortable undies-walking those hills all day can chafe ,bring a hat and sunblock and a backpack and paper and pencil to make notes.
2. Bring quarters for the potties. There are plenty and they all have attendants.Are you really going to be so cheap as to not tip a person who earns their living cleaning the portapotty for you?
3. The hot saugage is great-plan to eat a little early or late-noon is packed and you'll waste time. Ice cream is good too. Remember where you park-I like the armory side near the top gate and the car corral so I get to end up high and have a fast getaway.
4. Carlisle is hills-make a plan. The old established guys are at the bottom, downhill of the grandstand. The big money guys are on the "Midway" which is near the grandstand. The non-established spots are at the top or over the hill. DO NOT go there at all!! That way the good stuff will be there for those of us in the know.
5.You can see it all in a day, but not in pairs or groups. We usually go as two couples-the wives like to look at the cars and are good sports at looking at rusty piles of treasures and are really good at spotting things-"isn't that a whole pile of the *** you've been looking for all day and are standing on now?" When they're tired, they sit in the grandstand,read and talk. Plus we always go the the fantastic Indian restaurant in Harrisburg. My buddy's a huge car guy-but we always split up-we're just looking for different stuff. If you're not in shape, start walking evry day now as practice.

Check out the site at www.carsatcarlisle.com-but the bathing beauties are not at this event.

Have fun. Do a search for other Carlisle posts,too.

 

Is that in the food court area? I'm a cheap bastard, I try to use what money I take for parts, it's a sickness I think.

 

Yes, far end, Stoltfutz (sp?) PA Dutch foods. Same place that has the ham and swiss sandwiches (also excellent) and the Shoo Fly pie (OK).