The GEAR JAM Vintage Drags (Spring rescheduled rain date) and Eckler’s NE GA Swap Meet is this Saturday, July 20th-21st at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA!

This newsletter is a bit later than I wanted (my truck and car trailer got a lot of work the last week, and it ate into more important things, like this!), but with the holiday and tomorrow, you’ve still got a day and a half to load up your trailer.

Weather.com is calling for 40-percent chance of rain, which historically means we’re not going to see any during the show: I don’t want to say “40-percent is always dry”… so I’ll say “40-percent is almost always dry.” Just two days ago, their 3-day forecast for this weekend was 60-percent Friday, 50-percent Saturday, 60-percent Sunday. Now it’s 40/40/20. So we’re gonna be fine.

Priority gate opens from 6-7am and is $30 for all the space you want; Vendor General Admission is from 7am and is $20 for all the space you want, spectator admission is just $6.

Vendors get one helper in for free (because lifting engine blocks and transmissions alone sucks). Extra helpers are $6.
There’s no addition charge to park your vintage or enthusiast vehicle in the cruise-in area behind the grandstands, but we ask that you don’t put For Sale signs in the windows—everything for sale is on the aisles and is $30 or $20 to sell. Driving in as a spectator and selling your car isn’t fair to the rest of the vendors.

Drive a vintage or enthusiast Ford/Mercury into the Cruise-In this month, and receive a $10 Eckler’s gift certificate!

Stone Stock To Full-Race At Lamar Walden Automotive
This month, the guys at Lamar Walden Automotive covered the full spectrum of Chevy performance.
They started with a stone-stock restoration build on a 348 W-motor, and followed it with a 409 street engine stroked to 482 cubic inches.

After that, they worked on a small block Gasser engine for one of the cars on the SE Gasser Association circuit, and then a 383 Chevy to be installed with a 5-speed and A/C in a ’55 Chevy.

Rounding it out was an LS7 427 build.

They also did several intake manifold restorations, including a vintage Edelbrock big block Cross Ram. I’ve mentioned their intake restoration here a lot, and it’s still one of the best processes I’ve seen for any kind of restoration. I’ve had them repair and restore several intakes for me over the years, as well as an rare Edmunds finned aluminum head for a Plymouth Flat 6, all coming out concours-quality. I’ve got a pair of Weiand 322 Nailhead intakes I need to have restored, and one of the Corvette finned valve covers I picked up at the swap meet last month needs a little repair done to it as well, so I’ll be making a trip up there one of these days.
It’s 50^th year in business, Lamar Walden Automotive is in Doraville, Georgia; (770) 449-0315, lwarob@gmail.com, lamarwaldenautomotive.com

STOP LEAVING TIRES!
We’ve been over this countless times, and I still have to deal with it a few times a year—most recently last month. So I’m instituting a new policy: If I catch you leaving tires, I’m going to follow you home with them, stack them up in your driveway, and set them on fire.
At 3am.
On a Wednesday.
OR, you can save me, you and the fire department a whole bunch of hassle and just take your tires back home with you and stick them out behind your shop to start a mosquito farm like the rest of us.

If you happen to notice any fellow vendors looking like they might have “forgotten” to load all their tires before trying to slide out at the end of the day, I’d appreciate it if you’d point out the error of their ways.
Or throw a cylinder head through their windshield for me. Either/Or, I’m flexible.

Blast Capital USA
NuTech blasted a couple Corvettes this month, and at the other end of the spectrum soda-blasted some vintage Ford Bronco bodies, and media-blasted the frames and suspensions. One of the bodies had a steel hood with a fiberglass scoop bonded to it: these are the square-body Broncos from the ‘60s and ‘70s, with that common era-correct Bronco scoop. Blasting with soda meant the scoop didn’t have to be separated from the hood.
I found a vintage bolt-in roll bar for the ’76 Power Wagon project, along with a good hood and dropped them off, along with a correct rear step bumper. I’d found another hood, but blasting revealed a couple rust holes in it: I found a third hood and did the “Repair versus Solid Original Metal” cost/benefit, and opted for solid original. The cost of stripping the original paint and surface rust off the roll bar versus doing it by hand with sand paper landed the bar at NuTech as well. After hunting for over a year for a good rear step bumper, we found one, had them blast it and prime it, then we did a couple repairs and decided to have them knock the gray primer back off and are having it shot with self-etching black primer, which will hold up better under the black top-coat.
Besides in-shop stuff, they’ve done several remote blasting jobs, including finishing the vintage caboose on display by the town of Auburn.
But the big news is NuTech is now a manufacturer and international dealer for soda blasting machines and equipment! “I liked it so much I bought the company!” the old commercials said. That’s pretty much the deal down at NuTech now. So if you’re a restoration shop and would like to cut out the middle-man on blasting—as well as expand your business—or are a building restoration company or want to get into building restoration, fire damage restoration, mold remediation, etc., NuTech is your source for equipment and blasting soda.
With the growth of their company, NuTech is looking for some employees too. They’re looking for soda blasters for in-house and remote-site, as well as someone to help manufacture and assemble the blasting equipment. If you’re looking for a job (and are the kind of employee YOU’D hire if you owned a business and needed someone!), give them a call.

NuTech Soda Blasting, Jefferson, Georgia; (706) 367-8107, or check out their website at www.nutechsodablasting.com

Dress For Success
In this case, it means wear shorts, sandals, a hat, a light-colored T-shirt, and drink lots and lots of water on Saturday I’ve had guys get into trouble with the heat at my show, and I regularly get sick from the heat by the end of my summer shows, too. It’s miserable, and I’d like to spare everyone the suffering.

Speaking of sparing suffering, the NE GA Swap Meet is a dog-friendly show for friendly dogs, but please, when it’s this hot, leave Fido at home—that blacktop gets scorching hot, and unless you’ve got booties on their paws, they’re gonna go home with burned feet. Would YOU want to walk around on that parking lot with bare feet at 11am? Then don’t make your pooch do it. As much as I love having Remi The Airedale at my shows, I’m leaving her home Saturday.

JP’s Muscle Cars Parts and Restorations
Soooo glad I’m out of room for projects, because Johnny just got a suede-black ’67 Impala station wagon in… big block, overdrive, air, bucket seats and factory console. That’d make such a cool tow rig for the Altered! But, I’m out of space, so one of you needs to buy it.

He also just got an original-paint ’71 Camaro in too: “It was an old street racer from the ‘70s… I’ve never had one this close to how it left the showroom.”
Customer builds this month include a ’71 Blazer with LS3 swap and all the goodies, a ’70 C10 with big block, air, Dakota Digital RDX cluster, retro-sound radio, Concept One pully system, and dropped suspension, and a ’68 Camaro convertible with small block, overdrive, air, Dakota Digital dash, Nu-Relics power windows, and houndstooth Deluxe interior.
If you’re in the market for a new ride, or need to have your current vehicle upgraded, give Johnny a call and book an appointment.

JP’s Muscle Cars is at 113 Hammond Drive in Monroe, GA: Call (770) 207-9570 or visit their website at www.jpmusclecars.com.

Gear Jam Rain Date July 20-21
Outlaw and Heads-up 4-speed gassers—including The Night Stalker ’55 Chevy, Southern Slingshots, Altereds, Muscle Cars and Nostalgia Super Stocks.
Swap Meet, and an all-makes/All Models car show.
For more info, go to www.gearjamvintagedrags.com

Truck Month and Georgia C-10 Club in August
For August, we’re giving away Eckler’s gift certificates to everyone who drives a vintage or enthusiast truck into the Cruise-in.
We’re also hosting the Georgia C-10 club, so if you’ve got truck parts, plan on being there.
We’re also going to put the word out on Facebook for any other truck clubs. If you’re a member of a truck club, give me a call and we’ll work it out so your club gets in free as vendors and spectators.

2019 Dates
July 6^th
July 20-21 Gear Jam Vintage Drags, Car Show and Swap Meet
Aug 3rd
Aug 31-Sept 2 Swap/ Gear Jam
Oct 5^th Featuring Pedal To The Metal vintage bicycle swap
Nov 2^nd
Dec 7^th

Truer Words Were Never Spoken
The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers – Dave Barry

Shop and House for Sale in Jefferson.
I’m selling my place in Jefferson: 32×40 shop with 12-foot ceilings, multiple 220v outlets on three walls, 10×10 office and two storage lofts.

Oh, it comes with a nice 3-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom house with office, on a full basement that’s stubbed for a full bathroom. New energy-efficient roof on house and shop.

Nice neighborhood within the Jefferson City Schools district; NO Home Owners’ Association to get all up in your business, and I’ve broken the neighbors in for you. (They’re used to cars, parts and engines firing at 11pm).
On a 1 acre lot with hardwood trees, it also comes with an extra 1 acre wooded lot next to it.
Also comes with a free vendor spot for life at the NE GA Swap Meet!
Give me a call if you’re interested.

Due to weather forecasts, we are postponing this weekend’s Gear Jam Vintage Drags.
The rain-date will be July 20-21, at the Atlanta Dragway.

All pre-registered entries will be honored at the July event, and we have re-opened pre-registration until July 1.

We MAY do the NE GA Swap Meet this coming weekend, though: I will watch the hourly forecast on weather.com over the next 24 hours, and if they’re calling for decent weather in the morning, with the predicted thunderstorms rolling in during the afternoon, we will run the swap meet at the regular swap meet entry and vendor fees in the morning (since it’s always over by noon anyway).

I hate to fill up your email box, but I’ll send a follow-up email tomorrow afternoon letting everyone know if we’re going to do the swap meet on Saturday morning, or just scrap the month.

Weather.com has been far and away the most accurate forecast I’ve found, and that’s who I’ll use to make my final decision tomorrow.

Thanks,
Brad Ocock
NE GA Swap Meet
Gear Jam Vintage Drags
(706) 424-5035

The Eckler’s NE GA Swap Meet is this Saturday, March 30, this is the April Show, Due to Event Scheduling at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA.

Priority Vendor Gate: 6-7am, $30 for all the space you want.

Vendor General Admission: 7am, $20 for all the space you want.

Spectator Entry: 7am, $6

Everybody driving a Ford or Mercury product into the Cruise-In this month, receives a $10 Eckler’s Gift Certificate!

The weather is supposed to be great!! In 15 years of relying on weather reports, I’ve found weather.com to be the most accurate. They’re calling for only a 20-percent chance both Friday and Saturday (so there shouldn’t be a weather pattern coming that speeds up or slows down to land on Saturday), and a high of nearly 70 degrees. Keep tabs on it yourself: Commerce, GA 30529.

I’m Expecting a GREAT Turn-Out!
Our March swap meet is typically one of the bigger ones of the year, and going into a swap meet I’m always able to gauge the turnout by how much my phone rings the week before the show.
This whole month, I’ve taken calls nearly every day. I don’t remember that EVER happening. And it wasn’t just from people who know about the show and were looking for information—most of them were first-time callers who’d never been to the show. People told me they’d heard about it from friends and family and had never come, they heard about it at other shows (including a vintage tractor show), they’ve heard about it for years and haven’t been and are going to this weekend, or they found my website or saw it on Facebook.
I will not be surprised to see 300 vendors set up this weekend—especially with such good weather predicted!

This is the year we become Giant Killers.
I said a couple months ago I think this year is the one that’ll break us out. And I believe that more than ever after fielding calls all month.

So please, do your part, and make it a priority to get to the Eckler’s NE GA Swap Meet every single month this year—If you do, we’ll start knocking down 400+ vendors per month (and we CAN, easily, if everybody just makes an effort to show up EVERY month!), then it’s going to be a runaway diesel—there’ll be no stopping it. Just imagine: a monthly swap meet in the SE that has 400 vendors every month. When that happens, it won’t be any time until vendors and spectators are coming from Nashville and Birmingham and Orlando every single month, because THEY’LL HAVE TO! And then we’ll hit the 500 vendor mark shortly after. And so it’ll go. But it won’t happen if YOU don’t come every month.

Does it sound optimistic? Of course. But does it sound POSSIBLE?
Absolutely: We’ve got just shy of 8,000 people getting this newsletter. If all of you make a point of coming to the swap meet every month, well… you know. It can’t help but happen. The last two shows were light due to weather, but just a couple years ago we didn’t even have shows in December, January and February because they lost too much money. Now even those shows have more vendors than our best shows 5 years ago.

And as for the hours? With that many vendors on the show field, the hours will go longer. As it is now, the vendors go home when the spectators go home. Pump 10,000 spectators into the facility to look at 400 or more vendors, and it’s simple timing: it’ll take everyone longer to go through it, so the spectators will stay, which means the vendors will stay, and then there you are—that, too, is a self-feeding machine.

So please make the effort to come to EVERY swap meet this year. Bring your friends, bring your kids, bring your dog. Just come! Don’t do it for me, and don’t even do it for you: Do it for the strength of our hobby. Do it for the Car Guy Economy. The bigger this show is, the stronger our hobby is in the South East, and that’s good for all of us.

Pedal To The Metal!
March and October we feature the Pedal to the Metal vintage bike area at the swap meet, and it’s always a big hit. I’m always surprised at how far away bike vendors come from: I’ve heard from vendors in the Carolinas, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama, many of them staying in local hotels on Friday night for the show on Saturday. If you’ve got some vintage bike stuff kicking around your shop and want to get rid of it, or you’ve been looking for one (like I did a couple years ago), make sure to hit this swap meet!

Blasted ‘Glass
Talked to Lanny Porter at New Tech the other day… and as I type this, I realize that I probably spell his name every way possible in these news letters… Lanny, Lannie, Lanney… I think the only way I haven’t typed it is Laknee. Anyway, his health is on the mend, and there’s a chance he’ll be at the swap meet this Saturday talking blasting. Apparently a bunch of bypass surgery takes the wind out of your sails.
BUT, if not, you can certainly give him a call, because he said the last few weeks he’s been chained to his desk doing paperwork and answering calls. Bring your parts up to him, and the guys will unload and strip them for you.

This month they stripped a Studebaker Avanti body, which I did not know was fiberglass! They also stripped a truck frame, another customer brought in a ’54 Chevy truck cab, while the one that I found most interesting was a 30,000-mile LeMans body that’s undergoing a full resto.

They also did some huge Estate Gates for the front of someone’s driveway, and “More lawn furniture! We do a lot of lawn furniture these days…” I have to be careful, or I’m gonna be on the lookout for grandma’s glider!

Give them a call to see about dropping parts off with them at the show, and if they’re not going to be there but you don’t want to make the trip back to Jefferson, leave them with me and I’ll drop them off. I’ve done it a few times, and don’t mind.

NuTech Soda Blasting is in Jefferson, Georgia; (706) 367-8107, or check out their website at www.nutechsodablasting.com

Girl Scout Cookies
My buddy’s daughter will be selling Girl Scout cookies this month next to the Eckler’s Tent. Keep it in mind if you need your annual fix.
Mmmmmmmmmm…. Thin Mints….. grglgrglgrglgrglgrglgrgl…..

April’s Swap Meet is MARCH 30!
Conflict with the track for the April show… same thing happened last year, worked out fine, not a big deal.
But be sure to mark your calendar, because I hate getting calls from guys at 7am on the wrong day asking why I’m not at the track!

JP’s Muscle Cars and Hot Rod Emporium
Well, Johnny busted out of town before I could find out what he’s been working on at this place, but was told by his fill-in crew that they’ve been non-stop busy installing AC systems, doing chassis and suspension upgrades, wiring installations, and even full restorations on customers cars for the last month.

They’ve also got a list of take-out motors and transmisisons from different GMs, from LS to 283 Chevy.
The Cruising Season is nearly upon us, so if you’ve been putting off anything, give them a call to get yourself a schedule time to do that upgrade before the sunny weather gets here.

Oh yeah, he’s also selling reproduction parts, and is delivering some sheet metal to customers at the swap meet this Saturday, saving them a bundle in shipping.

JP’s Muscle Cars is at 113 Hammond Drive in Monroe, GA: Call (770) 207-9570 or visit their website at www.jpmusclecars.com.

The Fastest Shop In Town—Lamar Walden Automotive
This month, the guys at Lamar Walden Automotive built a few 409s, a couple big block Chevy engines, refreshed a Duramax pull-truck engine, heads-and-cam on a new Corvette, built an aluminum 509-cubic inch 409, and got some unique work in, in the form of a power steering conversion on a ’61 Ford Skyliner, while besides the usual intake manifolds and such for their aluminum restoration process, they got a valve cover for a ’71 Datsun 240 Z to restore!

Besides all that, Rob is working on his 4-speed/409-powered ’33 Willys gasser, planning to have it done by the SEGA season-opener and then ready to display next to my Altered at the Atlanta Autorama, a couple weeks before the Gear Jam Vintage Drags.

If you’ve got engines that need building, transmissions that need swapping, suspensions that need upgrading, or aluminum parts that need concours restoring, you need to call Rob at Lamar Walden Automotive.

It’s 50th year in business, Lamar Walden Automotive is in Doraville, Georgia;
(770) 449-0315, lwarob@gmail.com, lamarwaldenautomotive.com

MINT Condition ’71-‘72 Cutlass hood for sale
I’ve got the nicest ’71-’72 Cutlass hood you’ve ever seen, in my trailer. It’s the plain hood, not the one with the grills or the scoop. If you’re looking for one, or have a friend who needs one, be sure to come to my trailer next to the Eckler’s tent, or call me at (706) 424-5035.

Bud’s Garage—The Best Radio On The Radio
My ONLY complaint about Bud’s Garage is that it just doesn’t last long enough. If you agree with me, shoot The Powers That Be an email and let them know they should make Bud’s Garage 2-3 hours, instead of just the one. We need more good car talk in the shop on Saturdays! info@jacobsmedia.net

Items of interest in upcoming shows include Motor Trend’s Randy Pobst talking about the best cars, vest SUVs coming down the road from the manufacturers, External Air Bags on cars.

Guest talk with a crew member from Dayton 500 winner Danny Hamlin—who is an alum of Lanier Tech! Not only is Lanier Tech a fantastic program for MotorSports Development that has placed many, many students with professional race teams, but Bud Hughs was instrumental in getting the program off the ground. His former student will be visiting and talking about it and his career with the Daytona 500 winner.

The old Miami Vise TV series boat is up for auction… and it comes with a $1 dollar Ferrari! They were C3 Corvettes with fiberglass Ferrari bodies, obviously not the real thing… but it’d be kinda cool to have one of them, wouldn’t it? Keep the boat, though… I have enough money pits.

New Rolls Royce SUV… only $330 Grand. A bargain at twice the price!
The Fastest Car-Guy Talk on the Radio! Saturdays, noon-1pm, AM 550/FM 102.9

Georgia Hot Rods Closing Shop Auction Saturday April 13
My friend Chuck Keene has closed his Georgia Hot Rods shop, and will be having an auction Saturday, April 13 at the shop, and everything goes! He’s got a ton of parts (including Superformance Cobra parts), tools, shop equipment (including a 4-foot sheer, welders, air compressors, etc. etc.), signs, books and literature, an LS-powered ’32 roadster, and more.

The auction starts at 10am, and is located in Jefferson, GA.
For more information, contact Blake Haley Auctions, (706) 658-7755, blakehaleyauctions@gmail.com

Club Days—Free Entry, and a Eckler’s Gift Certificate for every member!
If you’re a member of a car club, and would like to use the NE GA Swap Meet as a club event, call me up and we’ll schedule a day to let your club in free as vendors and spectators.

Tip o’ the day
Tired of hearing someone else in the car tell you how to drive? Here’s what I do:
After they’re done giving their expert advice and opinion, just nonchalantly ask them “What’s that on the dash there, in front of you?”

They’ll study the dash for a second, then will look at you like you’re crazy and say “Nothing.”
Then tell them “Yeah, I know—that’s because all the stuff to drive the car is over here, in front of me.”
Not only will that stop the side-seat driving, but it usually ensures no interruptions of the ball game on the radio for the next several miles!

2019 Dates
MARCH 30 (This is the April show): All Trucks get a gift certificate
May 11-12 Gear Jam Vintage Drags: All cars registered in the car show get a $10 Gift Certificate
June 1: All Chevys get a gift certificate
July 8: All Fords get a gift certificate
August 3: Trucks and Truck Club Day
August 31-Sept. 1 Gear Jam Vintage Drags: All cars registered in the car show get a $10 Gift Certificate
October 12: Chevy
November 2: Ford
December 7: Truck
Copyright © 2019, Driven Events, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
brad56@windstream.net

Hot Dog the weather looks like it’s gonna cooperate this Saturday, January 5 for the NE GA Swap Meet!

Eckler’s presents the Northeast Georgia Swap Meet Saturday, January 5th at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA.