Chuck Key is a purveyor of parts, a master of machinery, a duke of deals. As owner of Southern Performance Choppers in Bentonville, Arkansas, he and employee Jeremy White travel to swap meets throughout Texas, Arkansas, Illinois and Oklahoma, scouting for parts and ideas for their upcoming Harley projects.

Armed with as much loot as he can muster, Chuck rolls into town with a truck, a trailer and a yard wagon, searching for inspiration and inventory. “I walk all over those meets with my yard wagon,” Chuck said. “It’s like a wheelbarrow. Sometimes I fill it up two or three times at the meets. I’ll take the parts I buy back to the truck, unload and go back in for more.”

He’s a little obsessed with customizing Harleys. “My ex-wife used to say, ‘You love those bikes more than you love our kids,’ and I had to think about it for a while before I disagreed,” Chuck laughed.

His current girlfriend, Shelli, is more understanding. She bought a house with a shop out back, and often attends swap meets with Chuck and Jeremy. “She gets a little burned out on all of it, but she’s great,” Chuck said, noting that a Harley habit can be hard on a relationship. Still, Shelli seems to accept Chuck’s passion for parts, and his “thing” for swap meets.

It was at one of these meets that the inspiration for The Red One was born. “We were just at a swap meet in Oklahoma City and saw the rolling chassis and really liked it,” Chuck said. From there, he and Jeremy proceeded to build a simple, beautiful bike on a budget. The candy apple red 2010 Softail is built almost entirely of swap meet parts.

“It has great lines and it runs great,” Chuck said.

If Chuck is the Sultan of Swap, mechanic Jeremy White is surely the Earl of Assembly. “He put the whole thing together himself,” said Chuck, referring to The Red One.

“I look for ideas and inventory at the swap meets, and I’ll buy anything that seems like a good deal. Sometimes, I’ll walk away with a bunch of parts that I don’t necessarily need, but I know I’ll eventually use them for upcoming projects.” Chuck then goes back to the shop, implements a design, and passes it on to Jeremy, who does most of the assembly. “He’s an amazing guy,” Chuck said. At only 20-years-old, Jeremy, the grandson of a die-hard Harley owner/ builder, is something of an H-D prodigy, having already completed five builds.

As for The Red One, Chuck couldn’t be more pleased. It took about three months to build and cost under $9000, including that sweet, metal flake paintjob. He knows the bike is worth much more. He’s hoping to sell it and reap some profits from his swap meet travels, Shelli’s patience, and Jeremy‘s labor. “I’m just really happy about the whole bike,” Chuck said. To contact Chuck or Southern Performance Choppers, email him at machinehands5@aol.com.