With over 15 miles of parts, accessories, automobilia, and classic cars, the Pomona Swap Meet and Classic Car Show can be a little overwhelming, even…{"id":8503,"date":"2016-04-05T11:55:39","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T18:55:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=8503"},"modified":"2016-04-06T09:47:54","modified_gmt":"2016-04-06T16:47:54","slug":"need-parts-for-your-tri-five-chevy-mikes-your-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/05\/need-parts-for-your-tri-five-chevy-mikes-your-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Mainly Chevrolet: Specializing in Tri-Five Parts & Accessories"},"content":{"rendered":"

With over 15 miles of parts, accessories, automobilia, and classic cars, the<\/span> Pomona Swap Meet and Classic Car Show<\/a><\/strong> can be a little overwhelming, even if you know what you’re looking for. On the one hand, there’s a ton of selection, but on the other hand, where do you start looking?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, if you’re looking for ’55, ’56, or ’57 Chevy parts, we highly suggest your first stop be<\/span> Mike Bishop and Mainly Chevrolet on Road 29, Spaces 37, 39, and 41<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a01955-1957 Chevys, or Tri-Five Chevys, were highly sought after vehicles when they first came out, and they still are today. Mike specializes in these Chevys,\u00a0and is a wealth of knowledge. He and his father parted out cars for 20+ years, and he knows every part on these cars like the back of his hand. Whether you’ve got a trailer queen, a fixer upper, or a daily driver, Mike’s probably got what you need.\u00a0<\/span>We recently caught up with Mike to ask him a few questions:<\/span><\/p>\n

Pomona Swap Meet:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0When and how did you get started in this business?<\/span>
\n Mike Bishop:<\/strong>\u00a0 From working on and building cars, mostly Chevys, with my father.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 What exactly do you sell?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 98% of what I sell is 1955-1957 Chevy parts. I do occasionally have some 1955-1959 Chevy truck parts also.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 Did you always know you wanted to specialize in ’55, ’56, and ’57 Chevys? Why did you choose those years?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 This is a very popular segment of the hot rod community and is liked by many. We love these years, and we’ll continue to sell parts for them as long as there is demand!<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 What are your most popular items at the swap meet? What sells fast?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 Our specialty is restoring original items, so things like speedometers, heater controls, gauges, and tail lights are some of the first items to sell. But really, pretty much any part for any of these cars is popular.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 You mentioned that people will call you and ask you to bring specific items to the swap meet for them. What is the most interesting\/rare\/unique item that anyone has asked for? What’s the farthest that anyone has traveled to come see you?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 I get to ship parts all around the world every week. I once had to ship a quarter panel to Australia. The shipping price was sky high so the customer asked me to cut it in half, and ship both halves together to reduce the shipping cost by over half.\u00a0I remember my father getting calls from Australians and they would be here for a month, filling up 2 containers of Tri-Five parts and cars to ship back. Now I have a few customers who fly in from Georgia, Texas, and even one from Japan. They call me with what they need about a month before the swap meet and I try to fill their order as best as I can for them to pick up in Pomona when they arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you offer any swap meet deals or discounts?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 Sometimes I do. I usually have a few sale items at each meet, but it just depends on what I’ve found between the meets. My father always said, “it’s not just the selling at the swap meets, it’s the buying too.”<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 How long have you been coming to Pomona?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 We started coming to Pomona around 1989, and we’ve only missed about 5 meets in the past 26 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 Have you always been interested in classic cars?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 Yes. My father and I grew into this field together… and have been here ever since. I’ve also shared this passion with my 5 children.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 You mentioned that you and your father parted out cars together and that’s how you came into most of the parts that you sell. Can you tell us a little bit about that?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 My father went around the nation to swap meets, selling parts at about 42 meets per year. He located and brought home cars to part out on each trip, \u00a0sometimes having multiple cars sent home. We parted out over 80 cars in a 20 year period, most of which were local San Diego cars.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you still part out cars? How do you get all of the parts that you sell now?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 We’re not parting out cars any longer since the selling public has raised the prices of these model cars to a very high level. It’s not worth it any longer. Reproduction manufacturers are reproducing double and triple the parts they used to make so now I have an inventory of new and used parts to sell at each meet.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you have any NOS parts for sale?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 The NOS parts usually sell right away through internet sales on my website, or on my ebay. They hardly ever make it to the swap meet anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n

PSM:<\/strong>\u00a0 Do you currently own a classic car?<\/span>
\n MB:<\/strong>\u00a0 My father and I worked to restore two 1956 Chevys. One is a convertible and one is a Nomad. We drive them as often as possible. The convertible is a high optioned car that is all original, and the Nomad is a heavily modified street drag car.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t