Hey all. Im goin to carlisle this spring to look for my first rod. im 18 and have never been, so can you guys give me a heads up on what i have to look forward to as far as HAMB worthy cars for sale and whats in the swap meet
Don't go Carlisle to look for a rod. Its mostly muscle cars and over priced junk. What are you looking for? How much do you have to spend?
i am in k row 44-45 in the spring. if you find something i will look at it with you. not saying i am an expert. but a second set of eyes some times help.
You never know what you'll find at Carlilse. You just have to go and check it out for yourself. Go to a few car events that get mentioned on the HAMB get to know what you really want. Don't buy something quick just for the sake of wantin' a car right away. Where in Maryland are you? Smokey
classifieds here are a good start to see what things are bringing. You might find something at carlisle. Hershey is a great place to find lots of good parts..I try to make it every year. Keep an eye on your local craigslist too.
Well...not really. I guess I COULD tell You what I´ve seen there before as I´ve been to the last couple fall swaps myself but how You´re gonna make out for Yourself the next time out really depends on what exactly You´re after, in what kinda shape and budget...Plus what happens to be there, LOL...I know this doesn´t tell You anything but then as far as the cars go, "hamb worthy" is putting it somewhat vaguely, too...LOL. Just in hopes of getting You on the right track, take Your time figuring out for yourself what exactly it is that You want, do Your homework on what the fair price for that particular animal is/what You can realistically pay/handle as far as rebuild work goes, and only then go out to the car corral and look for it out there. I myself saw a few seemingly decent deals out there on my time, sure, just wasn´t the type of cars I might have been after. Then I saw some where the sellers were clearly "out to lunch". I guess these days that´s common at least for people with cable TV -access, or access to friends with one, LOL. As far as the swap meet goes, I´d say get ready to walk. Take Your time. Bring a gym bag with water and snacks. I wouldn´t recommend buying car parts before buying Your car and knowing what exactly You´ll need, though. Whatever else You might like there, keep Your cool and shop around. Chances are the same thing shows up a few aisles over as a more attractive option... AND...Best of luck.
Spring carlisle is ok for parts but you have to get there early and look hard for deals. Like others have said ..it's about 70 percent muscle car, 20 percent junk tools and 10 percent hot rod stuff. With the economy the way it is, as a buyer you are in a good position. There are lots of good deals out there. Hamb classifieds, ebay and craigs list all could give you good deals. Just be careful buying over the internet. If you can, take a ride and look at the car before you buy! Also don't be cocky and think you don't need help. Take an experianced friend to help you look at the car and make the right decision. So what kind of car do you want? Clark
You never know what yuou will find at Carlisle.....last spring there was a complete 34 pontiac rumble seat coupe for sale on the back of a truck.....it sold in about 5-6 hours thursday morning after it rolled in....a lot of bodies and fenders are there from the west, but usually bring big bucks....just keep looking and have a good pair of walking shoes on.....plan on 2-3 days there....stan
I went to the fall carlisle last year it was my first swap meet experience. Not bad but not all that great. Like others have said an over abundance of muscle car/corvette stuff and junk vendors. I didn't see many whole cars or projects for sale that would be considered HAMB friendly. Go early on the first day!!! The last is a pointless waste of time.
Everyone has thier opinions of which shows are better. I personally think each show is a little different each year. Hershey is by far the biggest. Although since you have never been I would say go to each and decide for yourself. I go to all three of the big ones, as well as corvette carlisle and ford and gm carlisle. As for Ford and GM carlisle they are mostly newer stuff . That being said I can usually find some "A" stuff if I look hard enough. Nice to get ideas and to see some stuff firsthand. Seeing MD as your state its not that far away
If you go to a flea market with intentions on buying something you will probably buy something less than what you want. Finding a car that turns your crank is almost always a surprise when it happens. Don't be so intent on buying something there that you miss something more to your liking later. My current project was found on a picture board at Macungie. I wasn't actively looking for it but I had wanted one for a while. A flea market is only as good as the stuff you find. It's very possible that you will find something that you can't do without but keep an open mind and don't be too eager to take what is available at any particular show. PS. Ask people there that have similar cars. They may know of other projects that are not there. Networking is the key. 90 % of the good stuff never hits the flea markets.
Which ever on you decide ( Hershey or Carlisle ) make sure you have good walking shoes. Carlisle has that big hill and Hershey is a two day job to see everything.
From where you are in Maryland, go to all of them! I've seen plenty of finished hot rods and street rods at Carlisle in the 30 years I've been going there. Not much in the way of projects or pre-war tin any more, but if you don't go, you'll never know. If you don't find anything, as an 18 year old, it's worth the trip as a learning experience.
Get there EARLY. Gates are supposed to open at 7:00, try to get there by 6:30, and don't wait until the weekend. Go on Thursday, second choice is Friday. If you're going for two days (there's camping adjacent to the flea market) make it Wed and Thurs. If you can find the army reserve armory on a map, that's a good place to park, it's on the north side of the flea market, and away from town, they charge $5 to park. Get there EARLY, and pick up a program on the way in, free with admission, and has a good map. The center of the flea market (in front of the grandstand) is mostly new stuff, stay away from there. Work your way around the perimiter, I've always had my best luck on top of the hill, the area adjacent to the Turnpike. If you find something you like, and plan to go back to look at it later, MARK IT ON YOUR MAP, or you will never find it again, the place is huge, and everything looks the same after a while. If you're looking for a project, you're more likely to find one in the flea market than the car corral. Finally, expect to see a lot of muscle cars, and if you don't find that rod you're looking for, Hershey in October may be better.
Spring Carlisle is AWESOME!! I go for the whole week and do a lot of walking and a lot of looking. Bring money because you will find SOMETHING to bring home! Make a list of stuff you need especially TOOLS!!
Like some of the others have said, you never know what you'll find. Go early and take 3 times as much money as you think you'll need. The economy sucks right now and people are unloading projects more than ever. It's a buyers market if you're looking for a builder. Finished cars seem to be holding up better than project cars. When someone is unemployed & the wolves are at the door stuff that dosn't run is the first thing to go.
I've gone to both Spring & Fall Carlisle for many years, I echo the other opinions that it's not a good place to look for a rod. Mostly there seems to be way-overpriced muscle cars, collector cars, or junkers. I'd suggest looking at the Cowtown swap in South Jersey on March 28th or E-town in April. Also keep lookin at the HAMB classifieds. Good luck, Dave
Englishtown is awsome, or at least used to be. I haven't been in a few years. A buddy & I used to have vendor spots there and ALOT of stuff changed hands on Thursdays between vendors long before the gates ever opened to the public. We used to camp right there at our vendor spot until they paved it and the year we showed up with a tent and found it paved we bought some cheap Chinese screwdrivers & pounded them into the asphalt to stake the tent down...
Do both Hershey and Carlisle. I found my 41 at Spring Carlisle. Plan on at least two days at each, Thursday and Friday is best. I went to Hershey this past fall, hadn't been there for years. It's very large, and IMO the prices are higher than Carlisle.
you have too attend all of them. you never know what you'll find. if you don't live far from carlisle it's worth the trip. your not going to find a vendor in every space that has what you want but if your new into the hobby it's a great experience.
you have to decide what ur looking for first.. research the car u want and what u want out of the car. check out craigslist also,, thats where i found my 51 chevy
I have been setting up at Carlisle for years IMO it is going down hill. Prices are high but you can make them offers, they might bite. In the fall they don't deal well because they set up at Hershy the next week. I think Wednesday is the best day to get bargains, that is when I do the best, late Sat also. There use to be the time when the venders were set up from daylight to dark, now its 9:00 to 5:00. A bodies go high, 40s trucks aren't to bad priced, if your gonna buy a body try to get as complete of one as possible, saves you alot of hunting. The Round-up mag sometimes gets good project cars and if you can find a project that someone started and lost interest in you can find deals. Good luck and happy hunting.
Holy shit ! forgot to check this yesterday and it blew up hahah. Thanks for all the info. And yeah from what ive seen ill have a better chance lookin thru hamb classifieds and other places. swap meet seems cool tho. any other opinions ?
O and im out of riverside MD. Between aberdeen and edgewood on route 40. Ive had some serious ideas for a 53 - 55 f100 and have already worked a few ways out how id like to build it. Ive also found a few straight axle 55 chevys but there few and far between and usually wayyyy over priced. Im open to many ideas
Gotta look, gotta be there. Carlisle is fun even if you don't find what you want. And I got my '31 coupe on Sunday morning.
go to e-town, caerlise, cowtown, and hersery most guys say they have good luck at hersery but not me i find more things at all the others but that,s me good luck
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