Portland Swap Meet April 5-7

[Colin Rush]

It is that time of year again for one of the annual rites of spring, the Portland Swap Meet. For those who do not know, the Portland Swap Meet is the largest in North America; and since cars are a peculiar American obsession, perhaps the largest in the world. We in the Northwest are fortunate to have this available to us as a place to buy or sell old and new parts to upgrade or restore our vehicles, and we have been for almost 40 years. Most old car rags trumpet the swap meets in Carlisle and Hershey, Pennsylvania as the old car Mecca; but from a pure car/truck parts standpoint, this has them all beat. If you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere.
The Swap Meet is held (almost) always the first week of April. This year it runs from Friday the 5th to Sunday the 7th. It is held at the Portland Exposition Center. I have been going to this for over 20 years, and there has never been a strong IHC presence. However, for the person who makes the trip and has a discerning eye, what you will find are: a Dana-18 twin-stick transfer case for that conversion you wanted to do, a pair of front fenders that came out of some farmer's yard that just happen to fit that 1936 IH truck you are restoring (even though the guy selling them does not know what they fit), a Dana-20 T-case with the lower gears you have been needing, a pair of Chevy steering knuckles for that SOA conversion you wanted to do, a vendor with upholstery kits for your IH pickup, an IH emblem for your tractor, a tail light lens for your 1951 truck, an owner's manual for the TravelAll at home, a door for your Travelette, some tools to complete the toolkit for your 1920's tractor, a guy with an IH refrigerator, a company that sells the used Powr-Lok carrier you needed, and a whole lot more. But you will never get these parts if you don't go!
I happen to have three spaces inside the new barn that I will be at. I will put out some club info (what I have), and some Portland Engine Rebuilders info as well. The booths will be listed under Portland Engine Rebuilders in the swap meet directory. You are invited to come by and visit, but what I really would like is if some folks would come by and stand behind the table and tell passersby about our club. This will give us more visibility than we could get anywhere else in three days. I have missed out on too many good deals in the last couple of years because I was at the booth, so I do not plan on staying there the entire time. If anyone would like to lend a hand, please let me know.
For directions on how to get there, visit: <http://www.expocenter.org/pages/direction.html>. For more event info, visit: <http://www.expocenter.org/pages/calendar.html#d0204005>, and <http://www.geocities.com/PORTLANDSWAPMEET/>. I hope to see you there. E-mail me if you have any questions.

[phils]

I just got back from the Portland swap meet, and I don't have much good to say about it. First, there was absolutely no parking. I got gouged to the tune of $10 to park a mile away and catch a shuttle into the Expo, then paid another $5 to get in the gate. Once I was there, it was just a huge disorganized mess - No attempt at all is made to organize the booths according to make, era, interest, or any other discernable pattern. The only effective method to find anything is to just wander the thousands of booths and hope you come across what you're looking for. International Harvester had practically no representation at all. I saw one crappy Scout 80, a nice 66 Pickup that wasn't for sale, and a ratted-out 60's TravelAll. One more fellow had a big 2-ton IH flatbed and in the parking lot, I saw another nice 60's Traveler that was pulling a T-bird on a trailer. Amongst the booths, I saw nothing at all IH-related except an old 40's-era triple-diamond grill, a couple of old hubcaps, and some original print ad's. I didn't see any of the items that were listed in the prior message in this thread, and in general, I saw precious little that had to do with 4x4's of any make/model. This definitely was a Ford & Chevy car swap meet, which I guess is OK, but that's not my thang.

Just registering my general disapproval of this entire event. Oh well, at least it wasn't raining!

Philip Stallbaumer

[John Donnelly]

Phil,

I can understand your disdain. The Portland swap meet has never been a venue that has been helpful to the IHC community.

That, and the general lack of organization has kept me away from it for many years. Not to mention the exhorbitant prices for things. I have found that shopping the web site, and just driving around has netted me more stuff that I needed than any swap meet with the exception of the swaps at the Antique Powerland in Brooks.

I am sorry that you didn't find anything you needed.

Keep on Binderin',

John Donnelly

[Colin Rush]

By mentioning those items, those were supposed to be examples of what are to be found, as I have in the past. Anyone that regularly attends these events knows that there is no guarantee that you will find what you want at a swap meet. It is a crapshoot. You may go a good while before you find something. The part you need will not fall and hit you on the head and say “Here I am!”. Some parts are there for the discerning eye to see. However, by using the excuse that because you did not find anything this one time you will not go again makes that a self-fulfilling prophecy. Personally, while I was not looking for anything specific, I found: a guy in Woodburn who will sell me a Scout II for $150, a genuine Disston saw vise to hold my crosscut saws while I sharpen them, a Tilton bellhousing and throwout bearing support for $75 that I will sell on eBay for what I estimate will be a 3x return on my investment, 3 stainless trim rings from Chevy slotted mags that fit the chrome slotted Rallye wheels on a Scout II perfectly, a guy who has a pair of GM D-44 knuckles for $40 so I can do my SOA conversion, some new push scooters for $10 that I will give my nephews on their birthday, a D-44 3.73 ring & pinion for $1 (he did not even know what they fit, but I did), a man that has more posi units for IH vehicles than anyone I have ever met, several folks who have the driveline and axle yokes that I need for my Scout II, and the list is still growing. I met a man who only does his business at these shows, who has a lot of NOS parts for IHC trucks, Scouts, and tractors, who himself owns several IHC vehicles and who I hope to tell others about in the newsletter. I found a company that makes engine kits for IHC 6-cylinder engines, which are not easy to find in a hurry if you need one. I ran into a guy I used to know who owns a Scout II, a 1957 IHC pickup, and an IH refrigerator; and he wants to join the club. And I have given out over 200 flyers and questionnaires to people interested in the Oregon IH club and in IHC product of all kinds. You should have seen their eyes brighten when they saw the booth with the Oregon club info. But best of all were the trucks. There is a 1955 or 56 flatbed that has been fixed up and is used as a driver and a display truck for the owner’s flathead Ford engine. It is also for sale. There is a 1936 starter kit truck or parts truck that was sold for $800. There is a 1937 IHC ½-ton pickup that is perhaps the best unrestored original truck I have ever seen. It looks like it has been in storage for the last 50 years. If a person wanted to, they could drive it today with no problem. It is for sale for $5000, and the owner needs to sell it by the end of this weekend, so unless an IHC nut gets it, it will be sold to someone who does not appreciate for being an IHC. This is really a beautiful truck. There is a 1969 TravelAll from Federal Way, WA that has a very nice rust-free and dent-free body for sale, with a pretty good interior as well. If anyone wants to see these trucks or buy them, go check them out on Sunday, or let me know, as I got some phone numbers and names.

[John Donnelly]

Colin,

Thanks a lot for your "networking" at the swap meet. I guess that it is true that sometimes there is "more than meets the eye" at these events.

Thanks again for all you do for us,

John Donnelly

President
International Scouts and Trucks of Oregon

[Lyle Wiese]

Like Colin alluded to, it is all in what you are looking for when you go to any swap meet. I understand the frustrations with the parking and cost of admission, but, when you find that one part, it all becomes worth it. I was going to go out on Sunday, but time didn't allow with a 1:00 closing time. But there are plenty of other smaller ( and sometimes better) meets all around the area. Like I said before, when you find that one elusive part, well......

Colin, Thanks for all the contacts you made for our club. I know everyone in the club appreciates your efforts.

Lyle Wiese

[Carl Wiese]

I got the big grey IH bible from Crestline (International Trucks by: Fredrick W. Crismon). I think I came away pretty well for a short 2 hour trip and had a good time.

Carl