This past weekend was quite epic. Not only did I attend Radwood SoCal, but I also went to a humongous flea market filled with incredible automotive paraphernalia. Here, have a look.
OK, so the LA Auto Show is upon us, meaning Matt, Jason, and Thomas are out. Lewin is sick, leaving Mercedes and me fending for ourselves, so you’ll have to excuse a rather simple, sub-1000-word blog about the GOLD I found at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena. That’s this giant thing:
First, we have the toys; there we many, including a Jeep Gladiator/Wagoneer set! The Gladiator is a cement truck and the Wagoneer is a family-hauler. These things are high quality, made primarily of painted stamped steel. The seller of these two was asking $75 apiece, which is a bit rich for my blood, so I moved on:
Here’s a flatfender Jeep, along with… some kind of race cars? Can anyone identify these two?:
Oh and here are some old Mustangs, a 1960s Cadillac, an old Corvette, plus there’s a whole line of vintage pickup trucks!:
More importantly, what the hell is this?!:
It looks French; I’m not sure why I say that, but it just does.
Oh and check out this amazing Ford Thunderbird artwork:
And behold these cool old traffic signs:
And this INCREDIBLE Raymond Loewy poster. Look at that Studebaker blocking his eyes!:
I did not buy any of these items because I’m a cheap bastard. Instead, what I scored was:
Check it out!: An excellent condition Jeep Gladiator Tonka toy:
In traditional DT-fashion, it’s got a missing front axle, so I have to find one of those. Still, $25! Only five dollars more was this Mercedes mechanic’s coverall:
I know it probably seems random, as I’m not a Mercedes fan, per se. But it was $30, and more importantly: It fit me perfectly and was comfortable. Would I rather it bea Jeep coverall with an “Earl” or “Bubba” patch? Sure. But I’m never going to find one of those that fits me this well, so Mercedes it is!
So that was my day at the Flea Market, and while maybe I should end this blog here, I just have to tell someone else about what I did after the market: I went to a “Sound Bath.”
Yes, that’s what this culty looking gathering is on a hillside in Malibu:
Here’s a little clip:
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I cannot believe how quickly my life has changed from this:
Wait ’til you find out that the replacement axle and wheels will cost more than what you paid for the whole Gladiator.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/186164307639?hash=item2b5841e6b7:g:vwEAAOSw1VllUvQp&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8OSn8jvgzL9ypq%2BcySDP%2FOqK%2Bwd1We0aQo3u0vriQgalRI8okuvdWFOqyZdlfvoIAkxj8pQQ1QNvtLdpknrtToiq7QisoGr3kkUwBqbUC%2B84cY9tsW94fFPj4NT4t%2BosQ8OpkIPlEWWjO4vBKfHZGlkVeHUDq5pCFH8MqYYHyvPU1ipMRgUGDfpCqoXHhowZT%2BWKGQav%2BwjA%2BArLwSdZfMOyoXzRNvIfiunNqwWKoQg9UqapwQlA3agvZ2UFwIcXcvUVJugzTVKERPnQXgWCkLf1WpW18Pq1ZPA5jAWL4Sv5oTQUJHqv28qDdBEHjOm0AQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_KdxI76Yg
It looks like David is about to head down an ebay rabbit hole.
Isn’t this par for the DT course?
A replacement axle can be made from a metal rod. There’s a few of the old metal toy restorers on YouTube who make their own axles.
OMG – I received that same red Jeep Gladiator pickup for Xmas when I was a wee lad – probably around 4 or 5…
…and that big brown Tonka pickup w the white roof – I think I received that for my 2nd Xmas along with an absolutely enourmous Red Texaco Airport Tanker truck with a white cab that tilted to turn the front wheels. I would ride that tanker truck all over the house.
How is sound bath spaghetti?
Based on the apparel of the people at the “sound bath” you may or may not have been on the right plane of existence to really take it in.
Your interstellar mileage may vary
“I cannot believe how quickly my life has changed from this”
Oh it looks like you’re still doing that, just at 1:12th scale.
I’ve got a bunch of those Tonkas from when I was a kid… they’re in a row on top of some bookcases now. There’s a couple of those Jeep pickups, one of those other Jeeps (that seems to be a different scale), I think there’s one of those wagons, and there are I think 5 VW Beetles. I haven’t checked in years, but I think they’re not super valuable, so I just keep ’em.
David, the Rose Bowl flea market is OK, but pricey. Plus, the expensive admission (the earlier you want to get it, the more the ticket costs… but so many people know about it, that if you don’t show up early and pay more, the really good stuff will already be gone).
I STRONGLY recommend the Pasadena City College flea market instead. Admission is just $2. including parking, though the walk across campus is a bit lengthy. It’s about 10 minutes from the Rose Bowl, up (east on) Colorado Blvd. The PCC flea market is WAY better IMO: things aren’t afflicted with that Rose Bowl premium… in fact, there are even some actual bargains at PCC… which is amazing in this day and age of everyone having eBay winning bids in their pocket. I try to go to the PCC FM when I can https://pasadena.edu/community/flea-market/ and the last time I did, this was my haul: https://ibb.co/TTmMxfZ …… for a grand total I think of about $75 for everything, including the faux Tiffany dragonfly lamp (which is made of thick glass and heavy metal).
There’s a fair bit of automotive stuff at PCC, and a huge amount of vinyl records, old advertising, tools, clothes/footwear, etc… it’s really amazing. Plus, half of it is in a parking structure, so you’re out of the sun/rain as applicable.
Love that mechanic’s coverall by the way. If you want company for a PCC flea market, just email me and I’ll be happy to join you. 🙂
The Rose Bowl Flea Market is pretty legendary. My family used to go there all the time when I was a toddler in the early 1970s. And yes, there were always model cars and toys there that I coveted, and which my parents declined to purchase.
My personal favorite was a seller who had a huge selection of 1/8 scale road signs made of wood (e.g., Do Not Enter, Yield, etc.). They really called out to me, being a young tyke who was interested in both model toys and the rule of law.
Sound bath? I thought it was common knowledge showers have better acoustics.
The mystery toy looks a lot like a 60s vintage Mr. Softee Ice Cream Truck toy. I had a Corgi version (much smaller) but there was a Japanese made version that was much larger. This looks like that.
That Jeep toy is just crying out for an RC conversion.
I was bummed to miss Radwood this year, it’s the only SoCal event of theirs I haven’t attended yet.
Pretty sure the mystery tin toy is a Ford Vannette / Step Van of some sort.
https://bringatrailer.com/2013/04/07/1956-ford-vanette-project/
The giant statue of a man with a heart cut out of him and the ladies in cult robes make me rather uncomfortable.
This is how Mayan sacrifices got started.
I know there is a Mercedes Streeter joke in here somewhere, but I’m afraid to look.
In any case, you are right. Those coveralls just fit too damn well to pass up. Now get your ass in a garage, wrench on something, and get some oil stains on ’em!
I’m not in the publishing/journalism industry, so of course take what I’m about to say with a massive grain of salt.
Don’t confuse quality with quantity. I appreciate reading your articles regardless of length because you write about things that you are passionate about, and it’s fun to listen to someone discuss something that they enjoy. So please keep it up and don’t let word-counts dictate what you do.
David, I’m glad you’re having fun!
Beats rusty alone
Cool Raymond Loewy poster, but did they have to pick the Studebaker to be the highlight of his design portfolio? Yuck
I’m assuming the T-bird art was actually produced in the early ’80s, but it would be even better if it’s from now/that there’s someone who believes the 8th gen was the perfect bookend of the flock.
“Those last 2 decades were HORRIBLE!”
There’s another really great flea market in Pasadena on the first Sunday of every month, on the campus of Pasadena Community College, and admission is FREEEE !!
I scavenge it frequently for more model cars I don’t need. It’s almost as big, and I find the prices to be more reasonable. Much of it is in a parking structure too, so you don’t fry your head on a hot day. Let me know if you ever want to come by and I’ll buy a bougie coffee. I live a few blocks away.
Count me in!
Also, great article!
Thanks! BTW, going to the LA Auto Show this weekend and stopping by the Autopian booth to meet the crew again. Hope to see you there.
We have the same jeep pickup at the cottage. We think it started at a neighbouring cottage, then to my sister in law, then my wife. Now my kids play with it. Amazingly it still has all the wheels and includes a horse trailer.
I think it’s giving Citroën H and/or H-Y van vibes because of the corrugated piece on the side.
Only rarely do I visit a flea market (maybe once a year) but I tend to come home with books and tools. The last trip I found a book from the early 1900s which purported to include all the information a modern person needed to know. It has a few pages on a new-fangled thing called an X-ray. 🙂 I also picked up a couple of those old-school oil cans, the kind where you turn them upside-down and press on the base to make a koink-koink sound while oil is pushed out of the spout.
Good catch on the coveralls! Sorry, they’re Mercedes – that streamlined protective garment was a splendid purchase. 😉
Your life is indeed changing, but that’s kind of why we’re here: if we don’t keep growing, then what’s the point?
I’m shocked at the variety and weirdness of the items at this flea market (punk-rock Raymond Loewy poster FTW, although the print showing the decline of the Ford Thunderbird from 1955 to 1978 is a close second). Around here flea markets are mostly where you would go if you were interested in acquiring a 36-pack of tube socks or a camouflage MAGA hat.
Junk. It’s all worthless tat. And $75 each for an old stamped metal toy? Fuck off with that.
The question I have is: Are you a minimalist?
The only thing minimal about me is the amount of fucks I give.
I’m definitely stealing that line!
Amen: the nearest I’ve heard to that is, ‘There are so many fucks I need to know the what of!’
-Corey O’Brien over on BetterMyths
I think mine is reaching into a pocket and pulling out an empty hand, then saying, “This is how many fucks I give.”
Oh, well, so much for ever getting laid…
They OWE me fucks.
Adrian’s Non-Antiques Road Show is the show I didn’t know I needed in my life until now.
“Fuck off with that” is the perfect made-for-TV catchphrase.
Me, in a large wingbacked armchair, with a long drink and cigarette in a holder, on a stage. Proles shuffle forward one at a time, and hand me their treasure to contemplate, which I instantly dismiss as junk.
Sort of like the Gordon Ramsay for the Antiques Roadshow crowd.
I’d watch.
Maybe include three mystery doors to choose from for the junk’s demise: 1) hydraulic press 2) red hot ball 3) metal shredder
Their tears and anguish are enough. I’m not a monster.
Isn’t the saying “utter rubbish” on the other side of the pond?
Is this available in a subscription service?
I feel like a whole bunch of people seriously misinterpreted being told by someone to take a “sound bath.”
Clearly it was an attempt at sound advice that was accepted the right intentions.
South bath? DT definitely has a west LA girlfriend.
Well y’all, its time to accept we’ve officially lost DT to the CA Lifestyle(tm). Rest In Peace Sweet Rust prince, we will forever mourn your passing, but will learn to accept the new hip and crunchy regime in due time.
In all seriousness though, I think it’s safe to say we’re all happy to see you living your best life and trying new things, and even learning pop culture
He did buy a broken rusty Jeep first, but something in him has changed. David used to pay $500 for broken rusty Jeeps, and this time its only $25.00?!?!?!
Yep. I was talking to Scruffy the dog, “Remember that video of Ol’Rusty David in his new fancy BMW, and how I wasn’t gonna say it? Well, I’m sayin’ it now: he done gone full Hollywood!”