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The $1,600 mistake I made at the Pomona swap meet taught me to bring a magnet
Two years back I bought what looked like a clean set of small block heads at the Pomona swap meet, paid $400 cash, and felt pretty good about it. Got them home and a guy I know pointed out the casting numbers didn't match what the seller told me, plus one of them had a hairline crack near a bolt hole. I ate the $400 but that whole deal made me start carrying a magnet and a flashlight in my truck to every swap meet now. Last month I passed on a "fresh rebuilt" alternator at a yard sale in Riverside because the magnet stuck to the housing where it shouldn't. Curious what checks you all do before handing over cash at a swap meet.
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phoenix_grant341d ago
Did you ever hear about that trick where you tap the parts together and listen for a dull thud instead of a ring? A old timer at a garage sale told me that one. Saved me from a cracked manifold last summer. Cracked metal sounds dead, good metal rings out. I do that plus the magnet and a small light now. Takes ten seconds and it has paid for itself already.
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the_faith1d ago
Man, the tap test is solid but have you ever asked the seller to let you clean the part first? A dishonest seller will get weird about it fast, and that alone tells you plenty.
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