Redneck Rumble, Spring 2017

The Redneck Rumble is exactly the same as the name implies. Do not expect to see meticulously restored ’53 El Dorados or rare, numbers-matching muscle cars. I don’t even remember seeing a single Corvette. But if you like rat rods, rusty trucks, skulls, and saw blades, this is the place. This year’s spring edition of the two-day show was a little lighter on cars than normal because of rain all day Friday, and on-and-off Saturday. There was still a fair number of cars to look at, and a decent selection of swap meet vendors (I was actually one of them!). A little water never hurt this crowd, and the party was on.

The star of the show, or probably most any show it attends, was Larry Grobe’s VooDoo Sahara. This ’54 Kaiser Manhattan is a recent Kustom build that mimics George Barris’ Golden Sahara, one of the staples of the ‘50s lead sled era. The original Golden Sahara was built out of a ’53 Lincoln in the late-1950s, but the modifications are so radical that it’s tough to tell what the source material is. The VooDoo Sahara is incredibly well-made, with laser-straight bodywork and endless small details. For kitschy, futuristic, ‘50s awesomeness, this car is as good as it gets.

Here’s a ’59 Dodge Coronet two-door sedan that seemed to stand out from the crowd. You almost never see these, so it gets extra points for not being a Chevy or Ford. I don’t know what it looked like before they painted it, but it hasn’t disintegrated from rust like most of these did. The upholstery may not be exactly right, but it’s pretty close to what this came with. It has a V8 and chrome wheels and all kinds of eye appeal. It was for sale for $16,500. One thing’s for sure; if you bought it, you’d have the only one on the block.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a ’59 Chevy, especially one like this Biscayne two-door sedan. It has some of the classic custom touches: it’s lowered, it has the chrome wheels with conical centers, there’s a big stick shift coming out of the floor, and it has some nice, white Naugahyde upholstery. But beyond that, this car is a work of art. The panel paint on the roof and deck lid is elaborate and beautiful. There is also some Von Dutch-style pinstriping on the dashboard and steering wheel. It’s just a neat car, and absolutely unique.

This Light Green ’65 Chevy C-10 step side was one of the nicest vehicles on the lot. It looked like it had a pretty fresh, high-end restoration. Just think about what this truck actually represents. It was a tool, born to do light-duty work. It has no radio; no creature comforts. Here we are, more than 50-years later, and someone took this utilitarian object and made it this pristine. They even resisted the temptation to fancy it up along the way, something that I would not have been able to resist. There was always a crowd of people looking this truck over, and you can’t really blame them.

This ’55 Chevy Bel Air hardtop looks like something a high school kid would have had in 1961. It’s nosed and decked, and rides on chrome wheels with spider caps. The ’59 Chevy steering wheel and tube grille also fit the theme. The Bellflower exhaust tips were kind of a unique choice. The only thing that really sucks you out of the time period are the modern gauges. It looked like a fun car to take to an event like this. You just can’t go wrong with a ’55 Chevy!

Even though I had to man my swap meet space, my wife took over long enough for me to take more than 350 pictures. See them all by clicking this link.