Around SoCal we take the Pomona Swap Meet pretty much for granted, even if we do have to hear that it’s “The West Coast’s Largest” in every radio spot. Thing is, it’s probably the biggest multi-event-per-year swap meet in the country. We often see guys there with plates from Arizona, Utah, and Nevada, and we always hear accents from New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. It seems the number of Japanese there has diminished drastically in the past few years.

The moral of the story is that you need to be there. It’s a great place to buy a car, but not so much a treasure-trove of parts. There are too many pro vendors selling new stuff and not enough guys with rare finds unless you need Chevy parts, in which case it’s a gold mine.

The event is held nearly bi-monthly at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds. It’s in the parking lot adjacent to the dragstrip that’s been there since 1952 and that’s still used for the NHRA Winternationals and World Finals (or whatever sponsor names are on them these days). The parking lot where the swap meet is held is historic in itself as the location of sports car racing in the ‘50s, go-kart racing in the ‘60s, and law-enforcement training for many decades.

While you’re in town, you need to visit the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, which is also on the Fairgrounds property and in one of the buildings that were formerly used for the NHRA Winternationals car shows in the early ‘60s.

See the Pomona Swap Meet web site here. The 2009 schedule follows. See you there.

January 18
March 8
April 26
June 7
August 16
October 18
December 6