Leo Pharand and his dad were busy picking up collectable car parts at the swap meet. Morin Photo
GREELY – The Fifth Annual V8 Swap Meet brought more than 500 collectors of old cars together at the Greely Legion on Sun., April 30.
The event brought collectors together to get their hands on parts for their cars, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s that are no longer manufactured.
In the 1970s, the typical car was made up of 30,000 parts. The swap meet featured 50 vendors all selling most, if not all those parts.
The V8 Swap meets was founded by Cindy and Scott Johnston.
In 2017 the V8 Swap meet attracted 50 tables and 800 people came through the door. There was a variety of sellers. Finally they decided to only have car parts for sale at their event.
“Many guys have expressed the fact that they hate going to a swap meet and looking at pillows or potpourri or purses, so we listened and decided to make it car parts only.”
The decision to focus on car parts has paid off with the 2023 version of the swap meet attracting more than 500 visitors looking at items inside the Legion Hall and outside in the Legion’s parking lot.
“I wanted this to be a place where everyone could get together, and chat, renew old acquaintances, and have a look at what other collectors had for sale,” said Cindy.
“You can get anything here. It is a great location with a great parking lot.”
There are hundreds of different categories of car parts at the meet.
“As long as it is a car part it doesn’t matter,” said Cindy.
There are 1970 style steering wheels, car doorknobs, dashboards, nuts and bolts, car seats and even the small car emblems that you find attached to a car, with the car makers’ name and car model.
She said because of the wet weather, there was not as much outside the hall as there would normally be.
Some of the vendors inside the hall would normally have been outside in the parking lot.
She pointed out that many of the parts are for hot rods and 1970 era cars.
“People have the cars and parts stored away in barns, and trailers. There are some parts that are reproductions but for the most part they are original parts.”
Cindy said she does not have to search out vendors for the swap meet. The ones who have already participated in the meet return year after year.
“If people do need more information, they are able to find it at the V8 Swap Meet website.”
Cindy believes many collectors come to the swap meet because they enjoy hunting for the car parts they want for their own cars.
Scott was looking after the outside portion of the event, organizing the vendors outside in the Legion parking lot.
He said, “We have lots of new vendors. This is kind of like the first big event of the year, and we have had a good response.”
He said it was turning out to be a very good day. The rain had stayed away.
“Cars always make people happy.”
Joseph Morin is the Editor of the Eastern Ontario AgriNews, and the Record. He is, despite years of practice, determined to eventually play the guitar properly. He has served the Eastern Ontario community as a news editor, and journalist for the past 25 years with the Iroquois Chieftain, Kemptville Advance, West Carleton Review, and Ottawa Carleton Review in Manotick. He has never met a book he did not like.
