In today’s fast paced world, where millions of vehicles are made each year, you might think that old, used parts and components no longer have a place. But when the average age of a scrappage vehicle is now 10-15 years, this is quite an impactful model.
So, as we wandered around the 2024 NSRA Southern Swap Meet, we hail classic car enthusiasts who are keeping older cars on the road. By reusing parts that are already made, and recycling components for use beyond the vehicle that they were manufactured for – isn’t this how hot rodding started? The annual NSRA Southern Swap Meet is the place to salvage, swap, and breathe life back into old parts that would otherwise be sitting rusting in a garage, or worse, sent to landfill. And for those who attend, it’s an Aladdin’s cave of treasurers to bring your automotive project alive.
Hosted at North Weald Airfield, well known for its service as a frontline airfield in the Battle of Britain, the Southern Swap Meet is by far the biggest hotrodding and nostalgia car parts autojumble on the calendar. Shoppers can pick up engines, components and drive trains, body panels, mechanical parts, and a vast selection of wheels, tyres, and trim panels for their rodding project. And if it’s a body or rolling project that you are after, there was plenty of choice too, from an unusual Willys Overland custom to a 440 Mopar-powered 1937 Lanchester project, laid untouched for 44 years.
But this is so much more than just an autojumble. This is where the hotrodding year begins. This is the event that brings the community back together after the long winter. This is where friends catch up over a warming coffee and breakfast rolls shares plans for the exciting year ahead.
We’ll see the NSRA team next at the Surrey Street Rodders’ ‘Wheels Day’ on the 29th March 2024. The season is just getting started, so if you are heading along, do drop by and see us.
The National Street Rod Association (NSRA) will be also hosting a series of Big Bunches this Easter and their popular Spring Rumble drive-outs in April and May. See you out and about soon!
