I've begun noticing the similarities between the inside of my shop and the general appearance of most old car wrecking yards, old engines, engine parts, body parts and bodies shoved everywhere. I also began to see the similarities between myself and a packrat. The time had finally arrived to downsize (clean out all the junk so I can use my shop again). Ads for Chevy Station wagons and 216 motors have been run in the Tappet Clatter and Craig's List for several months with no results. The next step was the Portland Swap Meet.
This April I took a '50 Plymouth Suburban wagon I bought a couple of years ago along with pictures and small ads for the other things that needed new homes. What a great swap meet. It rained Friday through Sunday but was nice on Thursday when the Plymouth sold and was gone by noon. Most of the other parts I brought to sell were also gone by the end of the day Thursday. I was really happy! The Dodge parts car also got a tentative buyer and I had a few good bites on the Chevy wagons. As the rains came more of the parts trickled out of the booth shared with my buddy, Tom.
By Sunday Tom had sold his big dollar items and I was down to a couple of boxes of lights and a few Corvair parts. At the close of business on Sunday, Tom had sold everything; the 10X20 tents, swap meet tables, the trays of handles, boxes of pretty much worthless junk we have packed for two years and I was left with a box of lights and a few Corvair parts. In the end, Tom gave a kid everything else that he had left. We came home with an empty van, empty car trailer, empty car hauler, and a couple of boxes in my motor home. After arriving home, I got a call from a guy in Idaho who wanted to see pictures of the Chevrolet wagons.
We emailed back and forth for most of the next week. The end result was that he would buy both wagons and all the extra parts for them that have been cluttering my shop for the best part of five years. Now I have to get the left over Dodge parts gathered up and packed with the parts car for pickup Monroe Swap Meet weekend. I also have to get most of the stuff gathered up to go with the 1950 Chevy wagon and get it out of the bowels of the shop so it can be picked up the same weekend. The second wagon and all the rest of the parts will be leaving a few weeks later when the guys from Idaho return. The only issue left is to break the habit I have fostered for many years. That habit is not being able to say no to a good deal on junky old cars and parts that could someday come be useful in a future project. I swear a junkyard I will have no more and a packrat I will be no more. Sallie says, " Ya sure, until the next 'deal' comes along."