By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio
FORT WORTH – North Texas’ annual rite of spring for serious “Car Guys” – the Pate Swap Meet – unpacked its 54th edition of SWAG at Texas Motor Speedway over three days in late April.
For the uninitiated, SWAG is an acronym for “Stuff We Ain’t Got” – a term coined by veteran motorsports TV personality Dave Despain. It’s a perfect fit for the rows upon rows of items spread out in the main fan parking lot of “The Great American Speedway.”
Pate President Robert Wheeless noted this spring’s event added to a legacy launched in 1972 by Dr. Aggie Pate, founder of the Pate Museum of Transportation in Cresson. The inaugural South Central Swap Meet attracted a few hundred vendors but operates today as one of the largest gatherings of its kind in the country.
“The world has changed since 1972 but the spirit that brought us together then is the same one that brings us back now,” Wheeless said in a cover letter greeting patrons inside Pate Times magazine. “Our progress over the decades has been extraordinary, yet the values that shaped that first gathering remain unchanged: camaraderie, curiosity and a shared love of the automotive industry.”
Indeed, a random stroll down any aisle typically placed a patron face-to-face with an assortment of NOS car parts alongside slightly used (and perhaps abused?) engines and/or their components including carburetors, heads, manifolds, headers, valve covers, hubcaps and wheel covers, chrome mirrors, bumpers, radiators, speedometers, deck lids, mufflers, random interior seats and trim pieces, steering wheels, emblems from any manufacturer current or defunct, antique signs, gas pumps, lanterns, military paraphernalia and tools.
Pate Swap Meet 2026 Photo Gallery: All photos are provided courtesy of Martha Fairris. Click on the photo below and then click the arrows to see all of the pictures.
The meet’s list of hard-core, Texas-based supporters included Southwest Classics of Arlington; Hot Rod Wires of Garland; Central Texas Region Antique Automobile Club of America (aka Road Relics) of Austin; Greater Houston Model A Restorers Club of Pearland; Dallas Area Pontiac Association; Heart of Texas Old Car Club in Waco; North Texas Region Cadillac & LaSalle Club; The Early Ford V8 Club of Houston; Austin Area Car Club; West Texas Region Antique Automobile Club of America in Midland and Classic Auto Parts of Oklahoma City, Okla.
Similarly, motorcycle enthusiasts waded through a variety of street and dirt bikes of all makes and sizes, as well as parts and helmets and clothing from the major manufacturers.
For those playing with a smaller budget, diecast cars in all scales (from 1/64th Hot Wheels to 1/24th mostly NASCAR editions) seemed to be in every display…some still in their original packaging, some mixed in with assorted items in need of a wash. Serious collectors know to always check that all diecast windshields/windows aren’t cracked or that chrome pieces, like fragile plastic bumpers and mirrors, are intact. Then again, therein lies a likely bargain.
Texas-themed yard art also was plentiful, including pickup truck parts crafted into bench seats and the rather odd green dinosaur or monkey figurine (with raised middle finger!) eager to grace your front lawn and either greet-or-discourage visitors.
It was all out there beckoning this reporter, partner/photog Martha Fairris of Fort Worth and all-in Pate patrons Chris, Lydia and Harry Sharp of Duncanville on a sunny, mid-80-degree Saturday afternoon, either scattered on the pavement or on well-worn tables and in many cases on display under a tent.
The latter is where Wayne “Woody” Woodward, wife Jenny and son Zachary conducted the business of Woody’s Auto Literature. Think of it as a crated “Library of Congress” for gearheads. Woody’s specializes in books for vehicles 1900 to present, including shop/service manuals, owner’s manuals, assembly manuals, sales brochures, spec cards, wiring diagrams and rare paint sample cards.
“This (past) summer I had a sales brochure for a Stanley Steamer. I think we sold that,” said Woody, 62, who is based out of Faribault, Minn. “This is my fulltime job.”
A four-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and an experienced mechanic, Woody launched this book business venture in 1988. “Ebay had just come out and I went to an auction that winter in Faribault,” said Woodward, recalling an event during which he successfully secured six boxes of Ford car and truck shop manuals for the bargain basement bid of $5 a box.
“I got home and looked at all this stuff and started putting it on ebay right away,” Woodward said. “The first book that sold was for a 1991 Mercury Capri, and it sold for $135; I only had $30 invested in all of those books. The rest of the books all sold and we started to look for more books. We ended up picking up a huge lot that was donated to Mankato State University by Chilton and OTC (Tools). I had to go through a three-bid process deal but we ended up with probably 4,000 to 5,000 books. My wife and I sat out in our garage with the computer and entered it onto an inventory.
“As we got more books from different dealerships or whatever, we changed from selling parts at swap meets to selling auto literature.”
The Woodwards travel in a 2024 GMC one-ton long box pickup with a trailer hauling roughly 8,000 pounds of printed material. Despite competition from the internet and marketplace sites, Woodward said a pent-up demand remains for the printed word/diagram.
“Yeah, our sales have stayed pretty steady from year-to-year,” Woodward said. “What I’ve noticed from several dealerships over the last 10 years, the ones that close I usually get all their stuff. But the ones that are still going (and specifically their mechanics), told me I couldn’t take the wiring diagrams. Some of them just plain refuse, because it’s too hard to follow the wiring diagrams on the internet.”
The Woodwards marked their 10th visit to Pate last month. “I enjoy Pate,” Woody said. “Yeah, the weather is challenging but we love doing shows in Texas. The customers there are a little bit different than everywhere else. They’re more friendly…I mean, not every person asks for a discount. Or, you’ll get some (browsers) that will say, ‘Well, I can get it cheaper on ebay.’ The problem is you don’t always get what it looks like in the picture.
“You know, we pay $65.50 per square foot ($650) for the spot to sell on, $1,600 for our (20×50) tent, about $800 in hotel rooms and I had to drive down and back (amid ever-increasing gas prices). The trip to Fort Worth is around 12 hours. Most people understand.”
Married for 31 years, Woody and Jenny’s nomadic schedule currently lists approximately 23 shows a year, most spread over two-to-four days. “We did 36 shows two or three years in a row…it was pretty tough on (the family) so we started cutting all that stuff out,” Woody said. “And we don’t necessarily advertise. Mainly it’s word of mouth and handing out my business cards.”
That card lists the mailing address for Woody’s Auto Literature at 3075 Millersburg Blvd., Faribault, Minn. 55021. Woody also can be reached via cell phone at 507-271-0993. “If you don’t get me right away,” Woody said, “it’s probably because I’m on a call with another customer.”
