It all began with the annual Chuck and Bob pilgrimage to a car-lover’s Heaven – the swap meet and car corral at Jefferson, Wisconsin.  Every year, Chuck and his buddy, Bob would take a trip to walk around and try to find those unique things that help bodymen do their jobs. In the late fall of 1997, Chuck found something special.

When they arrived at the fairgrounds, Chuck told Bob that instead of walking around the swap meet, he would take a stroll through the car corral first. While walking around, something caught his eye and he had to check it out. It was a blue, 1955 Chevy Bel-Air, but it was different – it had a visor above the windshield and 4 doors. Chuck talked to the owner, found out the car was from Sturgeon Bay, WI, decided it was junk and walked away. But his creative instincts took over and by the end of the day, he walked back to look at the car one more time. The owner had removed the “For Sale” sign and replaced it with a sign that said, “Must Sell!”.

The next morning, Chuck, Bob and their families were on their way to Jefferson, WI  to bring the car home.  Driving it back was a little scary, to say the least.  The trunk floor was rotted; the shocks stuck up through the floor; the driver’s side window was broken; the gas tank clung to the car by one strap; and Chuck held it in gear the entire way back to Illinois; but at least the radio worked.

Then the work began.  Like every project, Chuck put his heart into making this sad, almost forgotten ’55 a thing of beauty.  The car was completely restored and looks better than when it rolled out of a showroom all those years ago.  During the summers, you may even see it cruise by and say to yourself,