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Dixie Classic Chevy Club's Newsletter

IMPORTANT CLUB DATES:

March 6: Supper/Meeting at Ryan’s

The Moultrie Swap Meet - By Bill Brown

With temperatures in the 70’s and no rain, I could hardly believe it was February, even though we were deep in South Georgia at the winter Swap Meet in Moultrie. I met Sonny Mordt and his son, Derek, at Sonny’s Bar-B-Que at 6:10 Friday morning. Some of our old-timers (long-time club members) will remember Sonny. Of course, he’s Harold and Sally Mordt’s son. He was a member years ago, and went to the Swap Meet with us when it was held in a tobacco warehouse in Nashville, Georgia. He’s missed a decade or so, but had such great memories of the fun we had on the trips back then, that he wanted to go with us again. Then we swung by the Chick-fil-A on South Cobb Drive at Church Street to pick up Wayne Foshee. Wayne almost never misses a trip to the Moultrie Swap Meet. It just does a body good to check out all those car parts, find all those bargains, and see all the cars in the car corral.

After a wonderful breakfast at the Jonesboro Cracker Barrel, we drove on down to Moultrie, arriving a little after 11:00. This was the first year I can remember when I had extra rooms and had to cancel them. It seems that concerns about the winter weather kept some folks away. Others had plans to go to the Charlotte show a little later in the year, and were saving their time and money for that event. Glen and Wally and their group were staying in Norman Park, a few miles up Highway 319 toward Tifton. As I understand it, the main attraction there is the hot breakfast that’s included in the price of the room.

I’ve watched the Moultrie Swap Meet grow over the years. It’s surprising to me that it continues to grow, even in these hard economic times. The car corral used to cover a few acres on the south side of the hanger at the communications center. Now it includes an equal area on the north side. It’s doubled in the last few years. Similarly, the vendor spaces have expanded into new territory. You can find reproduction and NOS parts for classic cars, muscle cars, Model T’s and A’s, street rods and others, as well as tools, fasteners, literature and manuals, air conditioning systems, buffers and supplies, wheels and tires, electrical connectors, gauges, T-shirts, and NASCAR paraphernalia. Other vendors offer tapes and CD’s with music from the 50’s or other eras, wooden furniture, leather belts, luggage, fake Sundaes and banana splits for your window tray, and a variety of antiques and nostalgic items. By the way, you can also find a lot of junk. You can’t see everything in the day and a half we typically spend. But you can get plenty of exercise walking down the aisles. At the end of the day, Mr. Foshee said his dogs were barking. I didn’t go see what he was talking about because my feet were too tired.

After seeing Wally’s ’56 a couple of weeks ago, I was inspired to get a street rod style gas pedal assembly that uses a throttle cable instead of the linkage rods that are original equipment on our Classics. It should operate more smoothly, and it’s safer. Lokar produces one that’s made specifically for the ’55 – ’57 Chevys. The complete package of parts I wanted included the gas pedal assembly, the throttle cable, the kick down cable and the carburetor bracket. I checked with four vendors before finding one who had the parts in stock. I found them at Danny’s Rod Shop. That’s the beauty of going to the Moultrie Swap Meet. If you try, you can find almost anything you need for your Classic.

It was a good trip. We enjoyed great weather, a vast array of cars and parts, and the chance to visit with good friends. If you’ve never been to the Moultrie Swap Meet, you ought to join us for the next trip. It will be the weekend before Thanksgiving. I hope to see you then.