Knuckle Busters ready to take Kellogg Car Show for a spin

Bob Sell never backs down from a challenge, even if that challenge takes him nine years to complete. Give the guy a break though. Restoring a ‘72 Chevelle takes some work after all. But it was well worth it to see the busted up, gulf green automobile transform into the garnet red pearl beast it is now.

At car shows, Sell brings along a book of photographs chronicling the Chevelle’s dramatic transformation. While he flips through the pages he tells passersby about how the car sat in a yard for decades. Sell tried to buy it who knows how many times. Eventually, he got it for $600 cash and a traded lawn mower.

Admittedly, the car, after years of neglect, was in grave disrepair. This model of Chevelle was one of the cheapest made by Chevrolet, Sell said. And it showed, too. When Sell hauled the car to his house, his neighbor and fellow car enthusiast, Shawn Wade, wasn’t shy about telling him the state it was in.

“There wasn’t one straight piece of metal on this thing,” Wade said, shaking his head. “This thing was a big piece of junk. He kind of got mad at me at that point.”

Sell said, “I told you it was going to be beautiful one day!”

Wade relented. “Yeah, it did. It turned out beautiful.”

It’s those kinds of stories that will be prevalent during the Kellogg Car Show on Sunday, Sept. 12, organized this year by the newly formed Knuckle Busters Car Club.

Sell and Wade are members of the Knuckle Busters Car Club, which was established in spring 2020. Gary Skaggs, the club president, said the Knuckle Busters took over the car show which was facilitated by other organizers two years ago. Now, it’s been passed down to the group.

“It’s been a little hectic,” Skaggs said. “Never done anything like this. I try not to feel the pressure, but there is a little bit. Of course, I pass it on. It’s been a fun experience though! I’ve been to a lot of car shows and I have members who have been to a lot more than I have. We’re plenty of experienced at it.”

At the Kellogg Car Show, Skaggs said awards will be given to the top 30 cars voted on by registered participants. There are also six judged awards for Best of Show, Best Interior, Best Paint, Best Truck, Best Convertible and 99 & Newer. Dashboard plaques will be given to the first 100 entries, too.

All years of cars and trucks are eligible. The entry fee is $15.

Registration is 8-11 a.m. Voting will be held 11 a.m.-1 p.m. with an awards presentation at 3 p.m. Breakfast will be available 7:30-10:30 a.m. with lunch at 11 a.m. Door prizes are up for grabs as well. Organizers also planned a 50/50 raffle. If participants want to park together, they should ride together.

Skaggs said car shows are great for club members, but spectators can enjoy them just as much.

“There’s really cool lookin’ cars and then cars from their past — they’ll say, ‘Oh, gee, I used to have one of them!’” Skaggs said. “You get to talk to a lot of people that way.”

Wade said the camaraderie of car clubs is what is most enjoyable for him. Being surrounded by other people who have the same interests in classic cars and car shows is exciting. Meeting up with fellow members in the early mornings to drive out to a car show is a great feeling. For Sell, the drive is about as much fun.

“You get seven, eight cars rolling down the highway together, it gets a lot of attention,” Sell said. “But having other people come up to you and talk to you about your car, to me that’s all of it. To me, that’s a lot.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com