Department of Corrections –

Oops … should have been Santa Maria not Paso Robles … I mentioned in my column last month the May 2018 Cruisin’ Nationals was in Paso Robles, CA. My bad … it’s in Santa Maria and it is the one show that everyone should attend.


Mail Bag & Voice Mail Stuff

I’m overwhelmed with “phone calls,” “U.S.P. mail,” “emails,” and “text messages,” these days … I’m getting far behind in answering them. Here are a few questions that I’ve received and I figure that if one person asks, there must be 24 other people with the same question.

Hi there.
Just wondering if a date has been organized as yet for your swap meet in Sacramento in April 2018.
Cheers.
Will Spithas – Melbourne Australia.

Will – Good to hear from the down under guys … I know that you guys have to pre book your “car and part buying vacations” to the U.S.A. way in advance. It will most likely be one of these Saturdays ,as best as I can guess, in April 2018. The 7th – 14th – 21st – or 28th. We have to wait until the Sacramento Soccer team sets their game schedule and that won’t be until late January 2018. The Sacramento Republic soccer team gets first rights to all Saturdays at the Cal Expo Soccer Field. We will post it just as soon as we get the 2018 rental agreement cleared from Cal Expo.

 

Why did my photo ad not make it into the Cruisin’ News Aug issue?
I mailed it on the 9th well before the 10th deadline.
Bill – Ukiah, CA

Bill –
The 10th means the 10th into our P.O. Box in Folsom. Miss that deadline and you miss the next month’s issue. For example – Sept.10th, 2017 for the Oct. 2017 issue. The U.S. mail has been giving us great service since we started in 1993, but it has seen many challenges as the mail volume dropped and they reduced their staffing levels. So, in many cases it is taking more than 2–3 days to get to us, once you drop it in your mailbox.
As they say every Christmas MAIL EARLY!!!

 

This was a phone call.
Hi John, do you know anyone that has1958 Plymouth Parts?
Joe, Golden, Colorado

Good Morning Joe … I think I have about 14,000+ eyeballs reading the “Wanted to Buy” section each month. It might just be the most read section in the Cruisin’ News, right behind the “Free” section. The wanted to buy ads are free for subscribers and 10 dollars for non-subscribers. Each month the guys and gals comb that section to see if they might have the “stuff” that the guys are looking for. They assume that if a guy is willing to run an ad asking for parts, cars, whatever, that they are a serious buyer. Case in point, I needed a stock seat for my 1959 Ranchero. I ran a “regular” wanted to buy ad, under my cell phone number, (not identifying myself as the Cruisin’ News Publisher) a few months ago and I received 5 responses. Five guys had complete front seats … prices ranged from $500 down to $100. I picked this one up from a great guy in Pleasant Hill for a hundred dollars. A steal in my mind. All I had to do was bolt it in.

The wanted to buy ads also work for Help Wanted – Info on how to do stuff etc. Try ‘em, you’ll love the responses that you get and the friendships that develop from using these simple wanted ads. If you are looking for big stuff like cars, etc., it’s also best to include your budget, so that the sellers know what price range you are in i.e., 1932 Ford steel cars under $10,000. Laugh, as you may never know until you go fishing and subscribers get to go fishing for free in the Cruisin’ News. See page 25 for the Wanted to buy ad form.


Sept. 9th, Sacramento Swap Meet

Looks like its going to be a fun one as we go to press! Our second Swap Meet held at Cal Expo. We have made many improvements. If you see me scooting around the swap meet taking pictures flash me the “hang loose” sign, if you like the changes that we have made and if you have any suggestions write them up and drop them off to Evonne, Stevi or Tara inside the mobile TPD Swap Meet Office, (air conditioning supplied by Duke’s Mobile Trailer Repair).


Here’s a cool idea for an October Car Club Cruise.

Preston Castle Spirits, check out the event listing in this month’s calendar on page 36.


Cruisin’ with the Classic CHP Patrol Cars …

Cops and Rodders, Saturday, Sept. 30th at Cameron Airpark Taxiways … Please plan on coming out and supporting this show … you will get to see many unique airplanes and cars and you can show your support for the CHP Museum. My favorite part last year was the sound of an approaching siren. I kept looking for a CHP vehicle coming and didn’t see it until it was on top of me. Yes, it was a CHP plane flying low over the Cameron Park airstrip with red lights and a siren blaring. Pretty damn cool. Gave me something to think about on my trips to Mickey Land on I-5 at 90mph … shhh. (See Cops and Rodders ad on page 12).

NOTE – I was part of a group on July18th, that was invited to the CHP Academy to visit the little known CHP Museum and to watch an EVOC exhibition. The instructors were NASCAR race ready. They put the Dodge Chargers through some wild maneuvers! Blew my mind when they did a high speed 360 degree turn around.

 


Outta “Gas” (aka Energy) – Gotta go – See ya at the Swap Meet on Sept. 9th.

JS

Dings & Dents – September 2017