Flushing, MI -- One might look at Todd Collins’ 1968 Chevy C10 and not think much of it.
The original patina paint of the truck is worn and unchanged by Todd despite him and his wife Michelle Collins owning Collins Auto Body and Restoration LLC, a business that does painting and rust repairs among other services.
But for the Collins, this car is special. Todd had been hunting for this specific make and model for years before finally finding one.
“I think we were just going out to lunch one day, and we saw it.” Michelle said. “It had a for sale sign in the window. We tried to chase it down and then we lost them.”
“We kept going down the road and passing it,” Todd said. “Three days of chasing the guy down and we finally got it.”
The car is one of several classic vehicles the family owns, stored in a shop amongst their collection.
Todd said he got into classic cars as a teenager after watching the movie “American Graffiti.” His first car was a 1968 Camaro, and he began painting cars in high school.
The family has been attending Back To The Bricks since its beginning and their business has been a sponsor for years.
This year, their car, their business and their presence in the classic car community was recognized by Tony Bauer, Chairperson for the Tune-Up Parties in Genesee County, who used their car on the artwork for the official Flushing Tune-Up Party shirt.
“I chose the Collins’ vehicle because Todd would give the shirt off his back to help somebody else in the car community or in any community,” Bauer said. “His wife does a lot of good things around too. If somebody is doing something good, I like to give them something in return.”
In previous years, the official shirts for the Tune-Up Parties have used landmarks from the communities the parties take place in for their artwork. This year, every shirt will feature a car from someone in the community.
“The theme for the rest of the shirts this week are pretty much that same thing: guys I know that work on cars and help other people work on cars,” Bauer said. “It’s not the guy that went out and spent the most money on their car, it’s the guy who gives the most back to the community.”
Bauer is keeping the cars chosen for each Tune-Up Party a secret until they are revealed at the scene.
Davison’s Tune-Up Party shirt featured a car owned by Al Rogers, active member of car clubs and the classic car community who has been working on cars for over 60 years.
At each party, the shirts are given away for free to 250 random people.
Back To The Bricks has a station at each party where attendees can sign up to a list where the recipients of the shirts are chosen from. Shirts are distributed by ELGA Credit Union, a sponsor of Back To The Bricks, at their booth.
For more information on Back To The Bricks’ Tune-Up Parties, visit their website.
Read more at The Flint Journal:
Back to the Bricks 2022 kicks off with tune-up party in Davison
Hip-hop legend Nelly to perform at Genesee County Fair
Meet Lucine Jarrah: First-year leader at the Arab American Heritage Council planning big things
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