Drove 1.5hrs To A Swap Meet

by "Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
Published 09/23/2017 at 21:56

Tags: trans amess ; trans am ; partslopnik ; pontiac ; firebird ; formula
STARS: 7

Drove another 1.5 hours to get the part I went to swap meet for.

Backstory: I found a couple Firebird Formula hoods on Craigslist this week, after not seeing ANY all summer that had sellers that actually replied to me, or didn’t want many hundreds of dollars.

Both were in IL, but one seller said he’d be at ‘a car show in WI’ Saturday. Car show in WI.... it HAD to be the Jefferson Swap Meet!

It was. So we agreed to meet up, he only said “I’ll bring it up in my van” and gave him his number to call when I got there. I figured we’d meet at the parking lot, or at a stall in the swap meet... but he never answered my call. Or my subsequent e-mail.

We had been walking around for three hours and were about to leave, because I couldn’t find ANYTHING for my car. Well, besides parts I already have.

Suddenly I get an e-mail.

“Sorry I never got your call, I’m back in IL”

So my wife, whom I asked to come with me and she said yes, even though she just had her gall bladder removed last week and walked most of the meet with me says out of the blue “....if you want to drive down there, let’s go”.

So I call the guy and he agrees to meet, another hour and a half drive south from Jefferson.

Because, dammit, I brought a wagon for transporting, ratchet straps, and a blanket to coddle the hood in the bed of my truck. IT. WILL. BE. MINE.

So after getting lost in the field that was the parking lot, but finding this awesome Dodge motorhome, we headed south-er across the border.

So long story short I got the hood I went to Jefferson for, but had to drive to Crystal Lake IL to get it. But I got it.

And its in really good shape. The top’s been primered and it’s starting to rust through from sitting, the hood was ABOUT to have a hole cut in it for a shaker scoop, hence the ‘graffiti’.

Thankfully I saved it before it could be so horribly maimed.

The underside is VERY clean

Except for some very minor surface rust and small hole near the front edge

And now I have three hoods for my car :/

The Formula hood that I will be using, because I like the look of it best,

the cowl hood the car came with that I HATE, and a T/A shaker hood that is not original to the car, has massive paint damage and surface rust, and hood pin holes.

Replies (5)

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
09/23/2017 at 22:08, STARS: 0

Nice score!

"Birddog" (maintmgt)
09/23/2017 at 22:19, STARS: 2

Awesome wife! Crossing the border to Illinois? She knew it had to be done. You’re a lucky man!

"Nothing" (nothingatalluseful)
09/25/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 0

Score! That’s awesome your wife was so supportive, too!

"Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now)" (bman76-4)
09/25/2017 at 13:01, STARS: 2

Formula hood is always best hood.

"So Shiney. So Chrome! So Frunky" (badams109)
09/25/2017 at 15:40, STARS: 1

Man that area is where i grew up. Sold a lotta parts at Jefferson, mostly Mopar stuff though