Gary Niemie

Gary Niemie's 1956 Buick Century

Gary handcrafted the dash knobs for Cristina Dudley's 1955 Chevrolet. Photo courtesy of Gordon Dudley.

Gary Niemie of Long Beach, California was a member of the Renegades car club. He was known for making custom knobs and gearshift knobs by hand.

The Knob Trade with Larry Watson

Niemie owned a brand new white 1956 Buick Century. He went over to Keith Christensen's shop in Paramount and said he wanted scallops on his car. Larry Watson, whose paint shop was across the driveway, saw the custom knobs on Niemie's car and asked where he got them. "He goes, man, where'd you get those? He goes, I make those," Dave Ellis recalled. "He ended up trading Larry a set of knobs for the scallop job." According to Dave, this took place at what he called Watson's first paint shop in North Long Beach, though other sources place Watson's early shops in Bellflower and Paramount.

Friendship with Larry Watson

Niemie and Larry Watson remained friends over the decades. According to Dave Ellis, the two were close again for the last ten years before Watson's death in 2010.

Private Museum

After Larry Watson's death, Niemie had a museum in the Victorville area. According to Dave Ellis, Niemie had photos of everything Watson had painted.

Gary Niemie's Cars

Gary Niemie's 1956 Buick Century