It’s Over

[Dan Hatch]

I am out of here!

Loaded up Thursday evening. Chocolate South is all but empty.
No foot traffic all week. No food vendors in our field that I found. Saw a lot of old friends and some new ones. But few buyers. After coming here since 1980 going to have to I think about it. Staying with Luray and may try the new Duncan meet.
Got to hit road for two day trip home. Stay safe anyone traveling. Dan

[Henry K. Lee]

SAD..., But Dan I said it 10 years ago about support of the hobby and producers of replacement parts as you know. All your expenses to and from, risk of an accident, wear and tear, etc makes you rethink the future. I have loaded the last of my Model T parts on a scrap trailer so on to the final chapters in my life.

[Joe Bell]

Glad to chat with you Dan, this year was better for me than the last couple, still brought plenty of things back that did not sell?

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

I had a great time and made a nice chunk of money with relatively few items. Green field was relatively busy, both with vendors and shoppers, well into late Thursday. Other fields were not so great. Red field was pretty sparse for vendors all week long.

[KWTownsend]

Hershey is on my bucket list...

[George House]

Duncan OK swap meet seemingly had good buyer with cash traffic last March. I made good money there - but mainly on small parts I could sell in USPO flat rate boxes from home. Also drove 6 hours to get there with 7 good T fenders and only sold 1. Also had restored rear taper leaf spring for $200 and no interest. Funny thing: had no interest in an excellent $450 Fat Man steering wheel there but immediately sold it to OR here on Classifieds. Man emailed me back to say it didn’t fit. Turned out he was building a hot rod using a ‘40 Ford column.

[George Mills]

Kind of goes with age and old stuff maybe? Orange Field seemed to be mostly a storage lot for the most part? I put miles on my legs and hips and went to bed early at night…lol. A bit of a real hike to do red field but that is part of the draw, eh? Came back from hotel to spaces Friday morning in OA, ghost town, by lunch Friday I could make my way back by sight from the car show! Didn’t run into as many as previous but had great catch ups with those I did. To me, the car show was a bit lame on old iron, but what did show made the trip worth the time.

[Ed Fuller]

I had another amazing week at Hershey buying, selling, visiting with old friends, and meeting some new ones.

I think I had more sales this year than any other. I made enough to pay for my expenses and for the treasures I found and I still came home with a very nice profit.

I’ve been going to Hershey for almost 20 years. There is one thing that I have learned from selling there. If you can’t sell it at Hershey, I’m sorry to inform you, but your prices are too high.

Yes, Hershey has changed. Everything in this world changes. Stop complaining, enjoy the hobby and find a solution.

-Can’t find the part you need? Keep looking.

-The part you need is to expensive? Make a reasonable offer or pay up.

-No one is buying your parts? Lower your prices.

-Don’t like walking past empty spaces? Get a vendor space and start selling.

-Too much walking for you? Find another way to get around.

-It’s raining? Bring an umbrella.

Reminds me of a Henry Ford quote:
“Don’t find fault, find a remedy. Anyone can complain.”

[Norman Kling]

Sad to say, but the car hobby has turned to muscle cars from the 50's to 60's. The Model T's and other early cars are slow and cannot be driven on the freeways. Most of the collectors don't even remember when they were seen on the streets every day . Those of us who were born during the great depression and WW 2 remember seeing them every day because either people could not afford a new car or they were not being produced during the war except for military vehicles. So we are getting older and fewer, and those people left might not be driving anymore.
Norm

[dobro1956]

ED I totally agree.

[J1MGOLDEN]

Dan, I spent four times as much as I sold, but I did buy a lot of good things!

Will see you again at Luray in seven months!

[michaelb2296]

Wednesday morning wake-up for most vendors was 10am-11am….. then they started closing at 4pm and some didnt open up at all on Wednesday due to Tuesday night storm. Some didnt bring enough product so i ordered from the usual vendors when i got home.

Perspective. It is what it is.

But i still found AWESOME deals…. Was it worth it monetarily? No. Is it worth it? Absolutely!!!! Thank you for coming!!!!!

My grandson got 13 free cars! Free candy. Pizza and soda-pop,
And, to look at all the cars and a free ride in the wagon all day!

Luray is great! See you there!

[TXGOAT2]

If I ever make it to Hershey, it won't be to make money. But I would hope to have some spending money to take with me.....

[Will]

Iv been twice in my life, Enjoyed it both times. If I do move to Pa in the future it will only be an hour away so it will be a lot closer. I'm no longer able to walk very far but I will make due.

[John kuehn]

As Norman Kling noted and I agree is that it’s the classic car era cars that are more desirable these days for most older guys that grew up driving the early Ford V8’s , 55-57 Chevs, older Dodge and Chrysler Hemi’s and Plymouths plus etc.
I had the 24 Ford Coupe my Grandfather gave me but I wanted the 56 Ford I fixed up and drove it to school. My neighbor who bought a 56 Ford found a 427 Ford Fe engine to put in it and that was one fast car. Another friend had a 56 Ford that a Cadillac transmission hooked up to a V8 Buick engine in it.
As I was told around 20 years ago at a Swap meet the generation that grew up driving and owning Model T’s and A’s are long gone and it’s the kids of those folks that are the ones that have kept the antique era cars like we have still fairly popular. And that’s if they aren’t driving the classic era cars instead.
BUT as the Bob Dylan song lyrics say “ the times they are a-changing.”

[Todd Touchberry]

Can we see a picture of the steering wheel?

Duncan OK swap meet seemingly had good buyer with cash traffic last March. I made good money there - but mainly on small parts I could sell in USPO flat rate boxes from home. Also drove 6 hours to get there with 7 good T fenders and only sold 1. Also had restored rear taper leaf spring for $200 and no interest. Funny thing: had no interest in an excellent $450 Fat Man steering wheel there but immediately sold it to OR here on Classifieds. Man emailed me back to say it didn’t fit. Turned out he was building a hot rod using a ‘40 Ford column.

[TXGOAT2]

A Burtz-type T engine might revive interest.

[ewdysar]

A Burtz-type T engine might revive interest.

Pat,

I'm not clear how a newly engineered short block that costs $8000 would make Model Ts more desirable. I believe that most of the individual improved components are already available. And it wouldn't improve the overall Model T drivability constraints that keeps many newcomers from signing up for the T experience.

Model A's are different by being closer to modern car drivability to begin with, i.e. better brakes, more familiar driver interface, etc.

Keep crankin',
Eric

[George House]

Sorry Todd….. I deleted the photos soon as his check cleared.

[TXGOAT2]

I'm thinking counterbalanced, 30 HP @ 1900 RPM, 2100 RPM capable, all new material. You can spend a lot getting an old engine in a similar condition.

[Norman Kling]

I had many Model A's over the years. Some of them were driven and others were parts cars.My favorite was a 4 door Phaeton which was my first restoration. I learned a lot on that car. I used to drive it all over the place even drove from San Diego to San Francisco one time and then on the way home to Yosemite. It was fast enough to keep up with traffic at least 60 on level ground but a bit slower on hills. I used to drive it right over the old highway 99 to Bakersfield. We used to go camping with a tent tied on the running board and pitch in various state and national parks. Now that we have the freeways with 70 mph speed limits, they have to keep in the slow lane. The earl y V8's had a problem with the transmission. It was easy to get stuck in two gears at once. Then the car would not even move. unless used a floor jack on one rear wheel. One time I got stuck going across a Railroad track. There would have been a terrible accident if a train had come right after that. A motorcycle cop came and I don't know how he did it, but he pushed me with his front wheel against my bumper and got me off the track. Only way to get it to shift again was to take off the floorboard and the shifting plate on top of the transmission and then move the gears by hand and put things back together. Another problem with the early V8 was a tendency to vapor lock. The fuel pump was at the top of the block and when you got an gas vapor bubble in the line, you didn't get any gas. Had to cool the fuel line with a wet cloth and prime with gas directly into the carburetor which was down draft. Also the mechanical brakes even though 4 wheel were not very good. Had to be careful to get them adjusted so it would not pull to one side.
Norm

[Budreau]

I've only attended Hershey a few times over the past decade. This year I attended on Wednesday and Thursday and the weather was near perfect. As was mentioned, there were plenty of attendees. Unfortunately on Wednesday some vendors didn't open because of Tuesday's rain or decided to leave. Even more vendors were gone by Thursday. That's discouraging to participants like me who drive all day to get to the show.

With that being said I enjoyed the show, bought more than I needed, and bumped into some great people - the benefits outweigh the criticisms and I will be back. I appreciate Dan and the many others for staying open for the week! Thanks to all the vendors and volunteers who make this show possible.

[Dan Hatch]

My post was misleading I think. What I was trying to say is it is over for this year and I won’t have these spaces next year. I may not have any spaces next year.
If that is the case, will be first time since late 80’s I won’t have spaces at Hershey. My first spaces were in the Blue field, that tells you something if you know anything about Hershey. In my area of the South Chocolate we had very few people walking by.
That along with the distance I have travel, rising cost of everything, I do better at the few PreWar meets.
Lowing prices of stuff. If I want to give this stuff away I can do that from home. Scrap man will pay me good and I don’t have to load it, drive for two days, buy a lot of diesel fuel, pay jacked up hotel bill,ect.
Hank Lee’s cousins are buy all the iron and copper they can get their hands on.

[Henry K. Lee]

One Hung Low says…., “Thank You Daniel-Son”!

[Adam]

“Automotive cast” is $240/Ton at the scrapyard here.

That equals around $10 for a bare T block.

[Bryant]

I guess it boils down to if you want to preserve the parts for the future.
If a scrap company will pay you basically nothing then charge scrap prices for the parts. buyer pays shipping or picks it up.
it will take time and fuel to load and haul to the scrap yard to.
This will only work if you love the hobby enough to deal with it. if not scrap it and it will be gone forever.
I get it takes a good bit of effort and heartache, so in the end do what is best for your situation
but threating scraping T parts on a Model T preservation site is depressing.


with respect
Bryant

[TXGOAT2]

Japan was aggressively buying scrap metals in the years leading up to 1941.....

[TXGOAT2]

Scrap metal is a strategic resource.

[George House]

I’m with you Bryant I probably have 8-9 frames, rear ends/driveshaft/torque tube/radius rods that I’d let go for $25-$45 each but Won’t scrap them. Wonder how many 1909 engines went into WWII scrap drives ?

[CoombsCars]

Duncan OK swap meet seemingly had good buyer with cash traffic last March. I made good money there - but mainly on small parts I could sell in USPO flat rate boxes from home. Also drove 6 hours to get there with 7 good T fenders and only sold 1. Also had restored rear taper leaf spring for $200 and no interest. Funny thing: had no interest in an excellent $450 Fat Man steering wheel there but immediately sold it to OR here on Classifieds. Man emailed me back to say it didn’t fit. Turned out he was building a hot rod using a ‘40 Ford column.

Sorry but what is a "Fat Man" steering wheel? I'm 6'3" and about 240 lbs and have trouble fitting behind the wheel of my 1920 Depot Hack Wrecker. Im VERY close to the wheel

[DanTreace]

Typical types of "Fat Man" wheels, many ones made for the T, some with key locking too.

A whole bunch collected by someone!

[tdump]

SAD..., But Dan I said it 10 years ago about support of the hobby and producers of replacement parts as you know. All your expenses to and from, risk of an accident, wear and tear, etc makes you rethink the future. I have loaded the last of my Model T parts on a scrap trailer so on to the final chapters in my life.

Wow,i wish i was closer i would be more than happy to clean up your pile, shame to loose even more parts to the scrap man.

[Henry K. Lee]

Mack,

I tried like hell to inspire others years back to include mentorship. If I restore a part it has some sort of value in my time and resources to get it and fix it. I have given more away for free than most know. If it is not worth a fair price..., then it goes for scrap as I control my destiny not others. These are principles in a valued society that I live in.

Most want for free to hoard or flip for a buck..., not cool.

[Will]

Guess I will throw in my 2 cents. I doubt very highly Dan will scrap anything. I'm certain he is just blowing off steam. This year was a rough year for the meet. I'v heard this from others that went that are not on this forum. Maybe next might be better. I know some of the guys go hoping to turn a buck but this year wasn't that year. When was the last time you sat at the poker table and cleaned house? I know for the most part most of the guys at the table walk away with my money. I go for the enjoyment and camaraderie with friends. Most of the swap meets are just that. I go to a lot of small hit and miss engine shows. Sometimes I get lucky and buy a project right off the trailer as he pulling in other times I go home with nothing.

[pkhammer]

I totally get where Dan is coming from. We were set up in the north Chocolate field and had a decent week but it seems that the meet has slowed significantly, what with lots of empty spaces and reduced foot traffic. We did ok and had fun but when we look at expenses vs. sales it is not a very pretty picture. I would love to see things return to pre-Covid crowds and numbers of vendors but what with many hobbyists aging out and what seems like reduced interest in the early stuff, I'm not sure how much longer I'm going to make the trip. I have plans for next year but after that I may just concentrate on Luray since it is only an hour from me.

[TXGOAT2]

The surest way to promote disinterest in older stuff is to destroy older stuff. I'm thankful for the generations of people who did NOT scrap old stuff.... making it possible for me to own, enjoy and share that old stuff today.