Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

Sharing a few of my recent flea market finds. This is not a late April's Fool post!

I know what kitsch means.

First of all, is this velvet painting of rather questionable taste. I remember seeing these things for sale at the San Jose flea market back in the early 1970's. Besides Devils, there were sad eyed children, voluptuous nudes, Matadors, ferocious tigers, equally sad clowns, African American couples sporting huge Afros, dolphins jumping out of the water and various portraits of Jesus, Elvis Presley and President Kennedy.

These velvet paintings were so common at this time, but try looking for one now. They have been replaced by these equally awful plastic 3 D pictures. The velvet paintings are not often found in thrift stores like Goodwill or the Salvation Army, especially ones with "questionable " subject matter like the cautionary tale related in my recent find. I actually remember this exact image, which was available in different sizes. I recall that there was a version that included a Harley Chopper. Just another vehicle to take you down the "Road to Ruin!"

I could imagine that some young biker had this thing hanging in his room or apartment. When he moved in with his girl friend or got married, his new Woman probably tossed that thing into the rubbish heap! Or after he was gone, his long suffering Mother tossed this questionable work of art into the trash! That's probably why so few have survived.

Now that I've found this one, my quest is to find the one with the Chopper!

The early Z car was an influential design.

A lot less questionable was my find of two, (count them, two!) Datsun 240Z Tonka toys. I didn't even know that these things existed. Genuine steel Tonka toys. Even at the peak of my Z involvement I never saw one, or heard of these things being mentioned. They would have been a great find for a Z lover. I did an internet search and found that they aren't as valuable as I hoped that they would be. But I bet that any Z fan would find them as irresistible as I do.

Pure patina and simple mechanical beauty

Bold gears and screw drive.

My last find was an antique automotive jack. It has an exposed gear drive with just the right amount of patina. Manufactured by the Elite manufacturing Co. of Ashland Ohio it carries a patent date from 1908. This jack just has such a beautiful mechanical appearance, with the exposed gear and screw drive. This jack dates from the era of the Model T Ford and it still works. I don't know for certain, but I wonder if it is constructed from cast iron as opposed to steel, so I don't know what load capacity it can handle. I'm sure that Model Ts and the like were much lighter than the average ton and a half car of Today, not to mention the two ton plus,  SUVs and trucks that are now so commonplace.


I still enjoy looking for treasures at local swap meets though I've mostly been restricting myself to actual "antique faires."  I attend these with my Wife. I've found some great stuff at those faires, and swap meets, though not always auto related.

I had a previous couple of posts a few years ago, where I shared pictures of my Den, and some of the treasures that I had on display there.  I've added a few things to my collection since then.

XK 120 Fixed head coupe.

I've got a great aluminium model of a Jaguar XK120 fixed head coupe. I saw this at the Clovis antique fair that was held in conjunction with the British car show a couple of years ago. I initially passed on it. Upon my return I was disappointed to see that it had been sold. When my Wife and I were leaving, she unwrapped a paper bundle and presented me with the model. I lucked out that time!

I had wanted an aluminum airliner model, as these were very popular in the 1940s. I had previously passed on a couple that I had found. At the time, I didn't realize how much these things were selling for.  They are quite expensive. I settled for a cruder reproduction from Hobby Lobby. I would bide my time until the right example came along.

It sports the period vibe.

While touring a shabby little thrift store in Oildale, my Wife spied an interesting find. A very appealing aluminum model of what could be the famous flying boat, "The China Clipper." I don't know the vintage of this model, but it does seem to be more in spirit with what I was hoping for. At 25.00 it was quite the bargain.


A trip to a small swap meet and car show in the town of Gustine resulted in a pleasant find. A very common, but very attractive model of an early S Type Jaguar sedan.

There's just something about a white Jag.

At a swap meet in Capitola I found a pressed "tin" model of an early Mercedes SLR. It is made in Japan which leads me to believe that it is from the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Everyone needs a Mercedes.

Probably the only Aston Martin that I''ll ever be able to afford!

I even found a replacement for the little James Bond Aston Martin DB5 model that I once had, but disappeared.


I'm very excited about attending the British car swap meet at Dixon Ca. on May 19th.  Dixon is a small town just south of Sacramento, just a few hours drive away. I am curious about what treasures are waiting for me there. Unfortunately, the timing of this swap meet is in direct conflict with one of my favorite automotive events.

I will be sorry to miss Friendship Day, sponsored by the Mid Peninsula Antique car club. This event has been postponed for the last two years. I've gotten to see some very impressive cars close up and speak with their owners. Everyone there has always been very welcoming and friendly, just like the name would imply!