Though restorers hold otherwise, immortality lies beyond the reach of ordinary automobiles. Of course, for every hard and fast rule there is an exception. Tip your hat to the recreation/revival/return of the 50-millionth car built by General Motors—this “Golden” 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air sport coupe.

Seventy years ago, GM was the world’s largest industrial enterprise. On November 23, 1954, the city of Flint, Michigan, where GM was founded, closed schools and halted traffic to host a mile-long parade called the Golden CARnival, boasting nine brass bands, 18 floats, and 72 noteworthy GM vehicles. An estimated 200,000 spectators cheered GM’s success and their own good fortune.

• First GM production car—1908 Cadillac
• 1-millionth GM car—1919 Oldsmobile
• 5-millionth GM car—1926 Pontiac
• 10-millionth GM car—1929 Buick
• 25-millionth GM car—1940 Chevrolet

The star of the CARnival was GM’s 50-millionth production car—a gold-painted 1955 Chevy Bel Air two-door hardtop. Barely an hour before the start of the parade, employees at Chevrolet Flint Assembly lowered this car’s body onto a gold-painted chassis while company president Harlow Curtice blessed the marriage. All the interior and exterior trim parts, including front and rear bumpers, were gold-plated!

Turns out that the Golden ’55 was in fact three distinct automobiles. Car number one, assembled a month in advance of the parade, was used in period publicity photos. It also starred at the five Motorama shows GM hosted in 1955 before being sold to some lucky customer.

Thirty-some years ago, that car was tracked down to a North Carolina owner who had no interest in selling, or even talking, about it. Unfortunately, this Bel Air was destroyed in a garage fire in 1996. The owner chopped the burned body into several pieces, scattering them about his property. Last summer, the charred remains, some of which were gold-plated, were purchased by Joe Whitaker of Real Deal Steel (RDS), an enterprise in Sanford, Florida that, last April, began creating the tribute vehicle shown here.

The second Golden ’55 Chevy, also built in October 1954, starred in a GM film entitled Achievement U.S.A. It hasn’t been seen since, and its whereabouts are unknown.

Car three was the ’55 Chevy assembled in November 1954 which rode atop a float in the Golden CARnival parade. Regrettably, this actual 50-millionth car has also been lost to the ages.

Immortality is not beyond the reach of the truly resourceful car enthusiast, however. Proof comes from the RDS enterprise founded in 2011 by Joe Whitaker and Randy Irwin, two of the most dedicated revivalists in collector car history. Over the past decade, they’ve sold hundreds of their products—1955–57 Chevrolets, 1967–69 and 1970–81 Camaros and Firebirds, plus various Chevy IIs and Novas—in the form of brand-new steel bodies to restorers who won’t be stopped in their pursuits.

Rather than starting with a donor Chevy built by GM, the gents at RDS began this project with spanking new electrophoretic-painted steel panels provided by their primary sponsor Golden Star Classic Auto Parts of Lewisville, Texas. Golden Star is the uncontested leader in the manufacture of fresh, top-quality sheetmetal replicating American and VW classics. Headquartered in Texas, they’re backed by a Taiwanese arsenal of CAD/CAM technology, stamping dies, and metal presses. This firm also supplied the new steel frame underlying the Golden 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air.

Paul Hsieh, who founded Golden Star and is now 58 years old, began working in a Taiwanese stamping plant as a young man before immigrating to Georgia where he spent eight years at Goodmark Industries, a leading restoration parts house. He began Golden Star in 2003. He explains how a fresh car body is manufactured from flat sheet steel:

“We start by shipping a complete vehicle to Taiwan. A plaster mold is made for each part before the original donor body is cut apart. A second mold is created after that piece is removed from the donor vehicle. Both plaster castings are digitally scanned and the two images are compared in software. Subtle human interpolations yield one final smooth, symmetrical design.

“That scan data is used to create a full-size foam model of each part. Next, we convert the foam model to a sand casting. Molten steel poured into the casting becomes a stamping die after all its surfaces are milled (using scan data) and hand-polished.

“The typical die set consisting of a male component, a female piece, and a top hat to hold the steel sheet in place for forming weighs 7000 to 8000 pounds. To achieve the desired final shape, multiple press strokes are required. The typical fender takes three to four hits requiring nine to 12 separate dies. Some of our larger presses are two to three stories tall. Excess metal is trimmed after stamping by means of a laser [that is] guided by the digital data file.

“Stretching a flat sheet into a curved, final car panel increases both strength and rigidity. Before we commence volume production, we ship prototype parts to end users to confirm perfect fits. If necessary, die adjustments are made to achieve perfection before we begin manufacturing parts for sale.

“We also supply restorers with steel frames, chrome-plated bumpers, complete glass kits, fuel tanks, door handles and latches, and heater boxes.’

Given this painstaking process and the effort required to assemble panels into a complete body, it’s easy to see how RDS charges $21,150 for a 1955 Chevy body shell fitted with doors, decklid, and dash.

The cadre of other contributors to the cause of the Golden ’55 Chevy include Shafer’s Classic Reproductions, American Autowire, Gene Smith Parts, Auto City Classic, and Ciadella Interiors.

All told, more than 4000 hours of effort and several hundred thousand dollars were invested into the project.

Snodgrass Chevy Restorations of Melbourne, Florida, handled assembly, fitting, and painting of the new body. Steve Blades of Falmouth, Kentucky, served as the project’s historian and researcher, gathering 300 period photos from GM’s Heritage Center, the Sloan Museum of Discovery in Flint, Michigan, and several private sources. He plans on documenting this 10-month restopalooza in a coffee table book.

Snodgrass personnel constructed a new chassis carrying a 265-cubic-inch (4.3 liter) V-8 engine rated at 162 (gross) horsepower, a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, and a 3.55:1 rear axle. Tires are 6.70×15 US Royal bias plies from Coker Tire. Instrument panel, steering column, and steering wheel parts are original GM. Interior trim is new old stock (NOS). Nearly a thousand enthusiasts followed the recreation project on Facebook.

The paint used here is a custom Axalta mix logically dubbed Tribute Gold. The finish consumed 5.5 gallons of paint costing $1200 per gallon. The list of 24-karat gold-plated parts includes interior and exterior trim, ID badges, both bumpers, the grille, wheel covers, and over 100 nuts, bolts, and screws. The plating tab alone topped $100,000!

Last December, a few weeks before the Golden body was finished, its chassis was unveiled at the Sloan Museum along with notable memorabilia and salvaged debris from the original Motorama ’55 Chevy. A grander reveal will occur at the 71st Detroit Autorama scheduled for March 1–3 this year at the Motor City’s Huntington Place convention center.

Steve Blades notes, “We believe that our Golden ’55 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe needs to be seen and enjoyed by the public at large on a daily basis. The ultimate goal is for it to be housed at either the GM Heritage Center in Grand Blanc, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, or the Sloan Museum of Discovery in Flint.”

Yes, indeed: Homing in on this immortal ’55 Chevy would be well worth your time.

***

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The post Epic Revival: GM’s 50 Millionth Car Rides Again appeared first on Hagerty Media.

My adventure with the 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air began when I was a boy growing up in the period of the “great race to the moon.” I always admired the “Slimline Design” Bel Air of that year because it somehow reminded me of the pursuit of space.

I purchased my four-door Bel Air on eBay in January 2015 from a vintage dealer in Dothan, Alabama. Sedans often don’t get as much love as coupes and convertibles, but mine was in great shape and was a terrific example of the “everyman’s car.” After I did some research, I discovered my Bel Air was built at the General Motors Janesville Assembly Plant in Wisconsin. I have no information on what happened to the car for the next 49 years. (I am hoping to fill in the details of that time period someday.) By 2008, the car was in Phoenix, and in 2014, it sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Jacksonville, Florida, to the dealership.

It took over two months to get the car home, but I was so happy to finally see it sitting in my driveway. I immersed myself fully into the vintage car culture here in Windsor, and I’ve listened to many memorable stories from people who stop on the street to admire the Bel Air when I’m out and about.

I had the car lightly restored, and I’ve since had to repair a few things that were wrong with it, but I kept it as authentic as I could during the process. One of these days, I’ll get to a full restoration to truly make my Bel Air a show car. In the meantime, you can see it in the upcoming movie Vampire Zombies … From Space!

It took a lot of saving and a long 56 years to acquire the car that my younger self desired, and I wouldn’t trade the joy it brings me.

***

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The post My ’59 Bel Air reminds me of the space race appeared first on Hagerty Media.

If there’s ever been a blue-chip collector car almost right out of the box, it’s the 1955 to 1957, or Tri-Five, Chevrolet. From the second these cars arrived—even before—they ignited a passion that hasn’t been extinguished in 65 years.

The story of the 1955 Chevrolet is nearly impossible to tell without recalling the exuberance of immediate post-war America. There were few, if any, new vehicles in the years between 1941 and 1948, and 1949 cars were a rehash of what came before. In 1949, Ford came out of the gate with a revolutionary design, redesigned from the ground up with a new chassis, coil-sprung front suspension, longitudinal leaf springs, and a futuristic, Jet Age design.

Ford set the pace, selling 1,118,740 cars in 1949. Chevrolet still had a banner year, but it was falling behind Ford with 1,109,958 cars, and Ford was already tweaking its new design year by year, from 1950 to 1952. Meanwhile, Chevrolet was selling a car that had its roots in 1941. The bowtie cars were redesigned, for sure, but they shared all their mechanicals with cars from before the war. 1950 marked the introduction of the Bel Air trim level, with plenty of upscale features and, for the first time, a Powerglide automatic transmission, exclusive to the Deluxe and Bel Air.

At this point, in 1952, Chevrolet boss Harlow “Red” Curtice realized that his company’s next bread-and-butter car needed to set the world afire. It was a mythic battle.

“For the entire auto industry, 1955 will also be a year of decision. The fight to sell cars will be the roughest in history,” ran a story in the November 1, 1954 issue of Time magazine. “To get ready for it, the automen have spent $1.3 billion on the greatest number of model changes ever. Not only are Ford and Chevy at each other’s throats, but Chrysler is out to get back the big share of the market that it lost to both of them this year.”

The 1955 Chevrolet went from a clay model to a full-blown marketing plan in about 18 months. The clay-model reveal—held under unimaginable security—was described in that Time magazine story.

“Only a handful of people were allowed in the room; few even knew its location,” the story read. “There for inspection by Harlow H. (“Red”) Curtice, president of General Motors Corp., was the topmost secret of the greatest manufacturing corporation in the world—a full-sized, blue-and-ivory clay model of the Chevrolet for 1955.”

Some of the most notable people in Chevrolet’s history had a hand in the car’s development. Ed Cole drove the idea from its inception and made the Chevrolet division a worldwide engineering powerhouse, taking the engineering staff from 850 people to over 3000 in a matter of months. Assistant chief engineer Harry Barr was selected for both the small-block V-8 engine and the chassis. Assistant chief engineer Ellis Premo led the charge in body development and was the liaison between Cole’s Chevrolet Engineering Division, GM Styling, and Fisher Body. Chevrolet director of R&D Morris Olley—the man who developed GM’s A-arm setup in 1930–worked on suspension design.

That perfectly proportioned body? Harley Earl got the credit, like he did for every design that left the gates at GM at the time, but it was Clare MacKichan who took over the Chevrolet Styling Studio in April 1951 and shepherded the car through all of its design approvals. Carl Renner came along with MacKichan in 1951 and focused his attention on the Nomad wagon, the hood bird, the beltline, and most of the car’s space-age instrument panel.

With the clay model approved, the marketing push began in earnest in 1954, along with that cover of Time. Through a 2022 filter, when most manufacturers can barely muster interest in an introduction at an auto show, the marketing for the 1955 Chevrolet was insane.

At the time, Chevrolet had a staggering 7500 stores across the country. (Today there aren’t even 3000.)

“Outside the Chevrolet agencies, hundreds of machines spewed forth varicolored bubbles by day,” read a contemporary account of the weeks leading up to the launch. “By night huge spotlights swiveled their beams across the sky. Dealers hung up miles of flags, banners, and placards, hired clowns and calliopes, rented dinner jackets for their salesmen, splashed teaser ads through the press.”

The advance promotional bill for this car reportedly cost $3,500,000—nearly $40 million in 2022 dollars. Chevrolet reportedly gave away 2,131,000 balloons and 1,016,920 bottles of Prince Matchabelli perfume, plus hundreds of thousands of pencils, yardsticks, potholders, key cases, and beanies, all in service of alerting the car-buying public that this new vehicle had arrived.

It was reported that 20 million people entered Chevrolet’s 7500 stores over a matter of weeks in 1954. That’s twelve percent of the country’s entire population. The attention appeared to work. In 1955, between the 150, 210, and Bel Air trims, Chevrolet sold 1.8 million models, a staggering 64 percent increase in sales from that year of pent-up demand in 1949.

The 1955 car was an unqualified success not only on the sales floor but on the track. Compact and lightweight, with a base horsepower rating of 162 hp, or 180 hp with the dual exhaust and four-barrel carb, the small-block V-8 was a smash hit among racers. It would slowly begin to amass more and more victories over the next three years.

It’s interesting to examine the 1955 season. Fonty Flock piloted a ’55 Chevrolet to victory at Columbia Speedway in March that year, but the next win wouldn’t come until Herb Thomas crossed the line in Darlington in September.

Contrast those two wins with what occurred in 1957: Chevrolet dominated 21 races that year, only bested by Ford, who had 28. The only other competitive cars that year came from Oldsmobile (four wins) and Pontiac (two). Out of 53 races that year, Buck Baker won ten and Jack Smith won four in Chevrolets. If you’re looking for the genesis of the “Ford versus Chevy” rivalry, here it is, on the NASCAR circuit in 1957.

All of this taken in total—the outstanding design, the flexing of engineering muscle, the racing victories, the million bottles of Prince Matchabelli—combined to make the 1955 to 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air a bona fide icon within the three years it was available.

They were an indelible part of American culture from the get-go. In 1962, a trilby-wearing James Bond takes out his captor in a 1957 Bel Air convertible in Dr. No. In 1971, Monte Hellman’s film Two Lane Blacktop used a pair of ’55s, and two years later in 1973 when the same cars wound up in American Graffiti. Those cars were just 18 years old at the time, which is kind of like learning the Beatles went from the Star Club to complete dissolution in just eight years.

These cars are still—and always will be—the epitome of the classic American car.

Charting the changes

The changes year-to year are easy to track, since we’re only talking about three years of production. However, the year-to-year changes are voluminous, even if you leave out the tweaks to trim and appearance.

“They’re all one-year-only cars,” says Matt Powell, shop manager at MetalWorks in Eugene, Oregon. The shop specializes in the restoration and restomodification of 1955 through 1957 Chevrolets and has a long list of clients that have either brought cars back to original appearance or gone the hot-rod route.

1955

The Hot One, as the Bel Air would be marketed, had all the features of the two lower trims (150 and 210) but had a massive list of additional, standard equipment. All Bel Air variants came with carpet, chrome headliner bands, chrome fender spears, stainless-steel window moldings, full wheel covers, and that distinctive, Ferrari-inspired egg-crate grille. Models late in the year wore a gold Bel Air script.

The top-shelf Bel Air was available in two-door Sedan, four-door Sedan, two-door Nomad wagon, or two-door Sport Coupe (pronounced “coo-pay” in Chevrolet’s 1955 Motorama film):

The Bel Air Nomad was interesting in its significant differences from the other cars. It only shared front fender and door trim with the rest of the Bel Air family. For 1955 only, it had fully radiused rear wheel openings, versus the skirted fenders of the rest of the cars. The Bel Air Nomad shared its frameless door glass with the two-door coupe and four-door hardtop.

Engines included the 123-hp, 216-cubic-inch inline-six; the 136-hp, 235-cubic-inch Blue Flame inline-six; and the 265-cubic-inch small-block V-8. While Chevrolet did offer a V-8 in its D-series in 1917, this was really the first Chevrolet V-8 produced in significant numbers. The engine was a modern design with overhead valves, a high compression ratio, and a short stroke. The base V-8 had a two-barrel carb and a single exhaust, but the Power Pack option provided a four-barrel and dual exhaust for 180 hp. A Super Power Pack offered later in 1955 dialed up the compression even higher, yielding another 15 hp.

The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air was packed with innovation, from swing-type pedals that eliminated holes in the floor and offered more space for feet to the new “Sweep Sight” windshield that not only looked good but provided a wide view of the road ahead. Additional high-tech features included tubeless tires, “extra large” brakes, and a Hotchkiss driveshaft in place of the old torque tube from the previous generation of Chevrolet cars.

Nearly everything could be ordered with power-assist, from brakes to steering to seats to windows. Bel Airs with V-8s could be equipped with air conditioning, a new option for Chevrolet at the time. These configurations also got a heavy-duty alternator and could be ordered with either transmission.

The transmission offerings at the time were a three-speed manual at the base level and a two-speed Powerglide as an option.

1956

Out of the three years of production, the 1956 is something of an outlier. The 1955 is recognized for its relative cleanliness and that Maranello-inspired grille, while the 1957 is outlandishly bedecked in every chrome accessory imaginable. The 1956 sits somewhere in the middle, but its extensive improvements go well beyond aesthetics.

Design-wise, the car wore a wider grille opening, turn signals moved up to the grille, and fatter chrome spears on the flanks. Taillights had a more jet-exhaust appearance, and the left-side fuel filler/taillight dropped down, rather than swinging to the left as before.

The Bel Air Nomad wore the same fascia updates as the rest of the cars and received standard two-tone paint. The one-year-only, radiused rear-wheel openings were eliminated, in favor of the same style used on the sedans and coupes.

The Bel Air trim level extended to seven body styles in 1956, with the new four-door hardtop Sport Sedan, four-door Bel Air Beauville station wagon, and the two-door Convertible. New equipment for 1956 included a lot of safety technology, such as optional seat belts, shoulder harnesses, and dash pads.

Engines were revised to eliminate the base six-cylinder. Instead, the range started with the Blue Flame 140, which superseded the two sixes offered in 1955 with 8:1 compression and a high-lift cam.

The next step up the ladder was the Turbo-Fire V-8, which for 1956 received significant changes. Regardless of horsepower ratings, the V-8 received hydraulic lifters, which were only available on cars equipped with the Powerglide automatic in 1955. A full-flow oil filter in its own housing was mounted under the engine to the left of the oil pan. The filter was a factory option, replacing the dealer-optional oil filter that stood on top of the engine block.

The base V-8 with a manual transmission was unchanged, but when a buyer purchased the Powerglide automatic, the V-8 had a higher-lift camshaft, which raised engine output to 170 hp. The Power Pack came with a four-barrel carb and dual exhaust, along with 9.25:1 compression. The Bel Air wagons got the Power Pack as standard equipment, including the dual exhaust that wasn’t available in 1955 thanks to the shape of the fuel tank. The engine also got a heat riser on the intake to prevent icing.

Spring rates were reduced for all Bel Air models with the exception of the convertible and the wagons, due to their increased weight. Caster angle increased by one degree, and the tie-rod ends were raised a bit to accommodate the change. Rear spring hangers were widened by an inch in order to fit thicker rubber bushings, and the nine-passenger wagon got a six-leaf spring pack.

Even the wiring harness got an update. In place of one continuous web, the main harness terminated at a plug in the firewall, where an extension harness plugged in to power the lights, horns, and voltage regulator. Self-canceling turn signals were standard across the board in 1956.

1957

“Exciting new looks,” “zippy new power,” “luxurious new interiors,” and a “revolutionary new Turboglide” automatic transmission were all called out on the opening spread of the brochure in 1957. Gold anodized trim is the first thing that jumps off the sheetmetal as a differentiator between 1957 and the other two years, along with full-disc wheel covers and a “rakish sweep of chrome.” In the four-door Sedan, the car boasted 75 square inches more glass area than the previous years did.

Up front, the grille changed for a third time, into a combination grille/bumper highlighted by its “note of massiveness and width.” The grille bar terminated in parking lights. The fenders were redesigned to push the headlamps further out, and the hood has twin wind splits for the first time, in place of the original hood bird. At the rear, the tail lamps transformed into the classic, chrome-surrounded, fin-with-afterburner design.

The fuel-filler door remained in the fin, but, for the third consecutive year, sported a changed design—this time, to incorporate the vertical chrome alone the fin.

Inside, the ’57 Bel Air models featured new contemporary styling with redesigned “slenderly crafted seats” upholstered in Jacquard-loomed cloth and vinyl. The seat tracks were redesigned to yield a greater range of motion and front seat headroom. The ’57 Bel Air also had larger door armrests than the prior year.

Mechanically, the Blue Flame six was still the base engine, and the optional 265-cubic-inch V-8 still provided 165 hp. Sporty drivers stepped up to the new 283-cubic-inch motor, which was available in four different levels of performance: The two barrel–equipped 283 delivered 185 hp. The Super Turbo Fire had a four-barrel and dual exhaust, with a bump to 9.5:1 compression for 220 hp. The “Corvette” V-8 was rated at 245 hp, and a competition version of the engine went up to 270 hp with a bespoke camshaft and a high-speed valvetrain.

Aside from the availability of the new Turboglide transmission, the biggest news for 1957 was the Rochester Ramjet mechanical fuel injection system. That system was originally intended to completely replace the four-barrel carburetors, according to the info in the engineering booklet supplied to Chevrolet dealers. It raised horsepower on the Corvette V-8 to 283, which fit neatly into Chevrolet’s “one horsepower per cubic inch” marketing plan.

According to a contemporary story in Popular Mechanics, 34.4 percent of 1957 Chevrolet owners wanted fuel injection. But the reality told another story. The primary beef with the early system on the ’57 was that the cold-start fuel enrichment was either on or off; since it did not gradually step down, it produced running issues when the engine was cold. Vacuum-operated crank signal valves often failed, causing rich running conditions that led a lot of fuel-injection systems to be abandoned in favor of a traditional four-barrel carburetor.

Who to know before inspection

If you’re bound to purchase a 1955 to 1957 Bel Air, there are nearly limitless resources at your disposal. Tri-Five Chevys has a forum with over 3450 members active in the restoration and use of these cars. The American Tri-Five Association is a more traditional club that offers a number of benefits including a color print magazine, discounts to club-sponsored shows and parts suppliers, and free shipping on items from some vendors. Depending on where you live, there’s a community of like-minded enthusiasts in your area, either as a chapter of one of these organizations or an independent club.

VIN decoding is relatively simple because these Chevy’s VINs are short. On the unfortunate side, the codes don’t tell you much about the car other than trim level and body style, production year, and build location. You can find a version of the VIN decoder at the San Jose Classic Chevys website or at parts supplier Classic Industries.

We asked Matt Powell at MetalWorks regarding which specific years, body styles and options are most desirable. He says that this decision largely swings on what you’re looking for out of the car.

Most of his customers at this point are looking for cars to modify, swapping the body onto a more modern chassis and driveline. In that case he’s clear in his advice: “We’ll have $60,000 to $70,000 in paint and bodywork alone,” he says. “Find a car that you like the appearance of and use that as a starting point.”

If you’re looking to restore one of these cars, Powell’s advice is to find one that’s as untouched as possible, so that you know what you’re getting into before you even start. The earliest of these cars are now 65 years old, so finding one with original paint and interior is tough; but you don’t want a car with layers of paint hiding lousy bodywork.

Factory build, or “Regular Order Passenger,” sheets are much less common to find in 1955 to 1957 cars, having been lost to time or never stuck under a seat in the first place. When they are found, they’re an invaluable resource for finding out what options were on the car, and they’re much simpler to read than some of the later order sheets.

Cowl tags are important for learning paint and trim information. Classic Industries provides a Trim Tag Decoder at its website. Major options like air conditioning, power windows, and seats will appear here, but minor options won’t.

At the moment, the GM Heritage Center’s Historical Information Packets that were available free of charge seem to be gone from the internet. Our sources at GM tell us that this is a temporary situation, so check back with the site frequently to learn more. These packets provide a wealth of information, including original brochures, technical specifications, order guides, and more. This resource was up and running for years up until about a month before this writing, and the information within hasn’t been made available again.

Before you buy

These cars are as susceptible to rust as any mid-century vehicle. All of the usual cautions apply: Look for rust in the frame, body mounts, door bottoms, fender bottoms, rocker panels, and both passenger-side and trunk floors. The good news is that just about everything for these cars, from trim pieces to entire body shells, is available on the aftermarket.

Matt Powell gives a few words of caution: “Nomads and [9-passenger Beauville] wagons are hard to come by, and some of the individual parts for those cars are expensive.” He points out that the paint divider on the wagon can be $900 per pair, and are only available from recyclers. “You can buy those for $50 to $80 a set for most of the other bodystyles,” he says.

Exterior trim, when it’s present, can be overtightened and misapplied, leaving the trim dented and distorted. The trim can be restored, but it can be a labor sinkhole.

Mechanically, these cars are pretty straightforward with a few exceptions. The early cars, or those without an oil filter at all, can be the subject of multiple engine rebuilds. Larger pistons will be usually be marked on the top, visible with a borescope that will at least tell you where you’re starting.

Loads of these cars have been updated with Rochester fuel injection, even ones didn’t have it from the factory. Conversely, loads of these cars have had their Rochester systems removed and left on the scrap-metal pile circa 1958. Anything that provides information as to whether or not the car should’ve had fuel injection is key in assessing the car’s value.

As far as which car to buy? Matt Powell says that it’s all up to the buyer’s interest, but that the two-door Sedan offers great curb appeal with fewer issues than the two-door Sport Coupe. “The window flippers on the Coupe are often a problem,” he says, “and the body on the coupe tends to sag more than the Sedan would.”

What to pay

“The range of values of these cars is huge depending on engine and body style, but on the whole their values have been incredibly steady relative to the rest of the market,” says Andrew Newton, senior auction editor at Hagerty.

“Many 1950s American cars have been flat or gone down, but Tri-Five Chevys, being as recognizable as they are, have at least kept their value in the broad sense, but have dropped approximately 4.5 percent over the last five years at the median, condition #2 [Excellent] level.”

It’s also hard to put a value on a “Bel Air,” since there were so many body-style variations after the first year. Naturally, Sport Coupes and Convertibles are going to sell for significantly more money than a four-door Sedan. In the same condition, a two-door Nomad is going to sell for orders of magnitude more than the 9-passenger Beauville.

Record auction prices for a modified 1955 Bel Air Convertible hit $363,000 at the 2019 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. An unmodified, restored 1957 Bel Air Convertible sold for $198,000 at the same auction a year later.

Of all of the cars Hagerty insures, the 1955 to 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air is the sixth most popular. Quoted values for these cars have increased 17 percent over the last three years, according to the Hagerty valuation team. As you’d expect, the typical owner skews toward the older end of the range but not as dramatically as they would for other American cars from the 1950s.

Gen-X surprisingly quotes 29 percent of Bel Airs, though they make up 32 percent of the overall collector car market. Millennials, who make up 21 percent, drop right off to 13 percent of quotes. Gen Z barely owns these cars, representing just 1 percent of the quotes in Hagerty’s database, despite comprising 7 percent of the overall market.

As you’d expect, Boomers are the core audience, quoting 47 percent of all ’55 to ’57 Bel Airs in Hagerty’s database, while making up nearly the same percentage of the market (32) as Gen-X. Pre-boomers quote 10 percent of these cars, while owning just a five percent share of the market as a whole.

In general, all of the typical information holds true for these cars: Buy the best one you can afford, and let the previous owner take the hit for restoration cost, provided you can have the car looked over by a qualified professional.

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The post Your handy 1955–57 (Tri-Five) Chevrolet buyer’s guide appeared first on Hagerty Media.

As companions to Tuesday’s lovely historical feature on the history and legacy of the Tri-Five Chevy, written by the illustrious Aaron Robinson, we are publishing three Hagerty member stories about their own Tri-Fives. Enjoy! -EW

When people ask Teresa Andrews why she would ever move from luminous California to frigid Maine, she says she just needed a change. Thirteen years ago, she arrived in the tiny town of Alfred, Maine, population 3073, where she has since established herself as a professional tattoo artist in the land of moose and maritime. With her rockabilly vibe, ornamented skin, and sassy attitude, it’s no wonder that this West Coast transplant’s first vintage car would be a 1956 Chevy Bel Air Sport Sedan.

Andrews was in the process of saving up for her first classic car five years ago when a colleague came into her shop and said that her dream car was for sale right down the road. With a “Shut the front door!” and 20 minutes to spare before her next client, she headed out to investigate.

Parked out in front of a seasonal campground, the Bel Air possessed all the tell-tale signs of a ’56 that Andrews had always revered: the teardrop wheel arches, the sexy headlamp brows, the gleaming jet eagle hood ornament, and the restyled two-tone body-side treatments that marked its production year.

“I wanted a turquoise-and-white Bel Air, because this style and color had always called out to me. I just didn’t think I’d find it right away. And I couldn’t believe she was right down the street!” She scheduled a test drive.

Although a V-8–powered Bel Air set new endurance and speed records at Pikes Peak in 1956, by today’s performance standards, these beauties are for pageantry only—the straight-six models even more so. On the advice of a friend, during the test drive, Andrews put her foot down hard on the gas to feel the power of its 235.5-cubic-inch Blue Flame inline-six. “It felt like a boat on the high seas,” she says, as all 3280 pounds lurched forward. Nevertheless, she was elated. “There are no bells and whistles under the hood, but so much character throughout that it feels like driving in a Hollywood movie.”

After the drive, Andrews made an offer on the Bel Air, complete with promises of a lifetime of adoration, and scored her dream car.

So far, the eccentricities of an old car haven’t disappointed. From learning to handle the floating jellyfish feel of the steering to pumping the gas a bit before turning the ignition, it has been a hands-on education in vintage car ownership. “Every time I drive her,” Andrews says, “I learn something new. I drive, and I ask those who know about certain issues, so I’m learning as I go.”

The best experiences come from behind the wheel on sunny summer days. Andrews says the bounce of the big bench seats, the way the shallow windows and low roofline feel like a cozy hug, and even the smell from the engine coming through the dash vents like a noxious warm breeze simply feel like a quintessential Bel Air experience.

With the tattoo shop only 15 minutes from her home, Andrews drives her two-toned baby—which she’s named Betsy—to work on clear days, because, she says, “the wipers are pretty much a joke.” She leaves Betsy parked out front like an advertising marquee. “People stop by all summer long. Some take photos, others share a memory,” she explains. Betsy’s fan base is a diverse one—young, old, and everything in between. For Andrews, her Bel Air is far more than a car. It’s a conversation starter, a photo-booth opportunity for passersby, and the only way to go out for ice cream.

This article first appeared in Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Click here to subscribe and join the club.

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The post Tri-Five Tales: Tattoo artist’s ’56 Bel Air Sport Sedan is a rolling marquee appeared first on Hagerty Media.

As companions to Tuesday’s lovely historical feature on the history and legacy of the Tri-Five Chevy, written by the illustrious Aaron Robinson, we are publishing three Hagerty member stories about their own Tri-Fives. Enjoy! —EW

Raphael Gonzalez has been chasing his first love since he was a small boy. His obsession began one day in 1960, when he first caught sight of her cruising topless down a main thoroughfare of his native Puerto Rico. Her sharp lines, spellbinding chrome, and sexy fins caught his heart. From then on, he knew he’d own a 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible someday.

But first, the 11-year-old Gonzalez, impatient to discover the inner workings of automobiles, walked into a local Volkswagen shop and asked for a job. Told he was far too young, the determined youth persisted and was rewarded with the assignment of sweeping loose nuts and bolts from the shop floor. From there, his innate curiosity and work ethic eventually won over the owner and shop staff, and they began to instruct him on basic automotive repair.

At 17, Gonzalez arrived in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston and immediately sought employment in automotive repair. During positions at various garages around the city, he began to fine-tune his automotive education. His under-the-hood edification began an automotive journey of repair, renovation, and flipping that ultimately led him to Lucy.

He found her in 2002 through the pages of a well-read Bargain Hunter magazine, way out in Rochester, Minnesota. A simple black-and-white photo, one tiny block of text, and a price within his budget were all it took for him to pick up his phone and buy this 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible sight unseen.

Named after his beloved mother, “Lucy” is the pride of his 10-car collection, which includes a 1955 Bel Air two-door hardtop, 1967 and ’68 Camaros, a 1970 Rolls-Royce, and an ’87 Buick Regal Grand National GNX.

Gonzalez’s first project for Lucy was to paint her his favorite color, red. A white rag top completed the exterior restoration. The original 265 V-8 was in rough shape and was swapped for a later 350 small-block mated to a new transmission. Other than the engine, Gonzalez has kept Lucy as close to her original state as possible. The factory hood rockets, bowtie grille emblem, red seats with silver accents, and small circular signal lights still adorn her body.

One big concession to contemporary times is a six-speaker Pioneer stereo system with two sets in the trunk, two for the interior doors, and two pumped through the air intakes above the front headlights, creating a stadium sound that could power your local drive-in movie theater. Oh, and a horn that blasts “La Cucaracha” to garner attention on a hot summer evening.

Most of Lucy’s 186,000-plus miles have been racked up as a parade ambassador, wedding chauffeur, and celebrity-toting limo. “I am asked all the time to drive a bride to her wedding or a mayor through a parade. Sometimes I have to say no because I just can’t do them all,” Gonzalez admits. Now that he is retired, Lucy will have more time to shine in the spotlight down at nearby Revere Beach next summer.

Above all, his love for the Bel Air connects Gonzalez to his community with every drive. “Everyone knows this car, and everywhere I go, they yell, ‘I love your car!’ Young or old, everyone stops to say they love my car or they ask to sit in her or go for a ride. It brings me much joy.”

This article first appeared in Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Click here to subscribe and join the club.

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.

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As companions to yesterday’s lovely historical feature on the history and legacy of the Tri-Five Chevy, written by the illustrious Aaron Robinson, we are publishing three Hagerty member stories about their own Tri-Fives. Enjoy! -EW

Dave Armstrong got the Nomad itch as a kid in Saratoga Springs, New York. His uncle owned a local garage where Armstrong’s dad and his buddies all used to hang out. Two of those guys had ’55 Chevy Nomads. His daily school bus rides took him past the shop, and Armstrong never failed to take good long looks at the wagons parked out front.

“I just liked how different they were from other Tri-Fives,” says the 62-year-old retired firefighter. Chevy sedans and station wagons of the period had upright pillars, a higher windshield, and more curve on the roof’s edge. Nomads, however, have B- and C-pillars with pronounced forward angles. “The Nomad’s tailgate and liftgate are laid way forward to match those angles, and they’ve got a nice low roof, so the side windows are lower as well,” he says. The projection of forward motion even at a standstill is clear.

Years ago, Armstrong’s grandmother was living in a nursing home in Vermont, and he and his uncle alternated driving duties for the hourlong trip to see her every weekend. His uncle was driving one weekend, so Armstrong grabbed a Money Saver paper to read on the way back. That’s when he found the ad for a ’55 Nomad for sale nearby for $1800.

After a call to the seller, Armstrong learned it had been used as a drag car at some point, but then had been sitting outside under a tarp for years. The whole car was in gray primer, and the previous owner had cut the front of the frame horns off and put a fiberglass flip nose on it for racing. “They even beat the firewall in with a sledge-hammer to fit a big-block,” he says.

The Nomad had no interior and no glass, and when Armstrong got it home and stripped it down, he discovered the entire body was covered in surface rust. In addition to a new firewall, it needed new floorpans, rocker panels, door skins, lower quarter panels, and a cargo floor. When he started the project, Armstrong had no idea how to weld, so he taught himself. “I used junkyard hoods and doors to learn on.” Then, with the help of friends, he started on the rehab.

Armstrong reckons he spent about 20 years on the restoration, finishing up just last year. “I learned that a Nomad is a hard car to do,” he says. “Expensive and hard.”

Nomads have a lot of trim pieces, many parts are rare, and many haven’t been reproduced. A good parts car is almost a necessity, and Armstrong was fortunate to have two. Still, one of his biggest challenges was the interior. “The headliner has seven chrome bows and chrome garnish moldings. And the cargo area is all linoleum and stainless steel.”

Armstrong’s Chevy buddies Rick Rudolph and Ernie Wilder helped to keep the project moving forward. “I learned so much from those guys,” he says, “and they made sure I got it done correctly.”

With the original engine nonexistent, Armstrong went with a 350, paired with a 700R4 transmission and a Camaro rear end. The car also sports power steering and power brakes. Finished in Shoreline Beige over Neptune Green, with a matching interior, Armstrong’s Nomad is a stunner—and a runner. “Oh, it drives down the road beautiful. You don’t even think you’re driving an old car.”

Reactions have been mixed. “A lot of people don’t like green.” But the workmanship can’t be faulted. “People see me out with it, and they’re like, ‘You drive this?’”

“Yep,” Armstrong says. “I drive it.”

This article first appeared in Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Click here to subscribe and join the club.

Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.

The post Tri-Five Tales: Restoring this 1955 Chevrolet Nomad was worth the effort appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Chevrolet Bel Air is a storied nameplate. It first appeared in 1950 as the top of the line “hardtop convertible” in the Chevrolet lineup, with genuine leather upholstery. Of course, most folks immediately think of the 1955–57 models, particularly the 1957. The model lasted all the way to 1975 in the United States. But it was consistently demoted along the way. New flagship models bumped it down the ladder, first with the 1958 Impala, then later with the Caprice, which first appeared as a super deluxe Impala in 1965 and became its own model in ’66.

By 1975, it was available only as a pillared four-door sedan and six- and nine-seat station wagon models. In 1976, it disappeared … except in Canada. In fact, the Bel Air had remained available as a hardtop coupe since 1970, an animal that simply didn’t exist in the U.S.

This car’s owner, Dean Edwards, actually emailed me about it about three years ago. I really liked it and had always meant to write it up in some venue, because not a lot of folks (well, south of Canada, anyway) knew about these base full-size Chevrolets.

As he related: “I ended up getting the car in 1999 from a family friend that had given it to his daughter as a second car. They had a crazy commute of about 130 miles a day from North of Toronto, and the gas mileage was getting to them.”

“The phone call came, and it was along the lines of ‘The car is free if you go and fetch it.’  The images of it with black-walls were when I first got it, the whitewalls came later.  The car is basically sound, with 240K km (approximately 149,000 miles), but really needs new paint to be respectable. That is in the cards for later in the summer, and I can send updated shots when completed.”

That was in June 2018. Around December of 2019, I finally remembered Dean and the car and the refurbishment, and emailed him to see what was new. Yes, I’m ever-vigilant in quickly contacting people, aren’t I? Ha ha.

So, was the car done? Yes! Dean happily sent me new pictures of the car. I’ll let him give the details: “The gent in the picture is the original owner (88 yr old), who had it for about 20 years, the daughter a couple, and me almost 20.”

The Bel Air emblems are going back on once I paint them and stick them on, and I still might try to paint the faded interior trim (especially the back seat area) next year.”

“It is the battle between originality and looking good if touched up. The car has the 305 with 350THM, P/S, P/B, AM radio, and rear defogger. I think that the hub caps were probably optional as they might have just had the caps originally. I don’t show any of my stuff, instead just prefer driving them in nice weather.”

As for the Canadian Bel Air itself, it was finally dropped for good after 1981. Full-size car sales were dropping, so GM Canada apparently decided to keep the higher-margin models and eliminate the price leader. But it was a good run, and the model at least got a temporary six-year extension, thanks to our friends to the north.

The post 1978 Chevrolet Bel Air: Full-size thrift from Up North appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Jack writes:

Where can I source electrical parts for the overdrive on my 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air? My car is bone-stock with a three-on-three standard transmission, and the likely culprit is the wiring from the relay to the transmission and/or the solenoid. Likely, but I’m not sure.

Thanks!

Sajeev answers:

If, like me, you embarrassingly had no idea an overdrive transmission existed for Chevys of this era, here’s a screen-grab from the 1955 Chevy brochure explaining the “Touch-Down” overdrive system and its rudimentary wiring diagram.

Now that we’re on the same page, detective work is necessary to acquire parts for the Touch-Down Overdrive system. Since you mentioned the wiring, any signs of decay/wear/rodent infestation suggest a prompt installation of a new harness. From there, if the relay tests bad, getting a new one is either expensive for a correct part or very cheap with a quick rewire of the harness (it’s only three wires, looks easy) to accept the far-more-common General Motors horn relay.

Now let’s discuss eBay Motors, the go-to place for owners in need of obscure, hard-to-find classic car bits. And let’s do it from the perspective of a Touch-Down Overdrive component hunter:

1. Make this eBay query into a saved search, as it might be your only hope for acquiring parts at a good price, or at any price at all.
   1. For example, take this used kick-down switch from a Tri-Five vendor for $250, versus this brand-new one (auction live at the time of writing) for $50 less.
2. Since the Touch-Down system was used by other manufacturers, save an eBay search for terms like Packard overdrive parts, too.
3. Sometimes you get lucky, and you’ll find an NOS relay for a reasonable premium over the GM horn relay. Wow!

The search for difficult-to-find parts like the Touch-Down system should be treated like a treasure hunt. Keeping a vigilant eye on eBay is one of the best ways to get the part you need quickly and cost-effectively. So good luck, and happy hunting in your quest for overdrive in your Tri-Five.

Have a question you’d like answered on Piston Slap? Send your queries to pistonslap@hagerty.com, and give us as much detail as possible so we can help! If you need an expedited resolution, make a post on the Hagerty Community!

The post Piston Slap: A Touch-Down for the Tri-Five’s overdrive? appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Two stunning 1957 Chevrolet Bel Airs at this week’s upcoming 2021 Barrett-Jackson’s auction in Arizona didn’t have far to go to access the auction block at WestWorld in Scottsdale, but the man who painstakingly restored them did. Literally and figuratively.

Patrick Pogrant, owner of Patrick’s Classy Cars in nearby Phoenix, is originally from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and he says that he and his bride, Jill, drove “straight from the altar” to Arizona in 1987—towing all of their belongings behind the 1969 Pontiac GTO convertible that he still owns. It was a leap of faith, one that is still paying dividends.

Patrick grew up helping out in his dad’s automotive shop, and it didn’t take long for him to realize what he wanted to do with his life: work on classic cars. Since Arizona is a hot spot for classic car restoration, Patrick and Jill wasted little time getting there after tying the knot. Patrick worked in a Phoenix shop for a year, and then decided to go out in his own; Patrick’s Classy Cars opened for business in November 1988. Carrying on his dad’s love for Chevrolet automobiles, Patrick specializes in 1955-to-mid-1960s Chevy convertibles. However, his “calling card” at Barrett-Jackson has always been Tri-Fives.

“Working on these cars—buying and selling them and keeping them on Planet Earth—is important,” Pogrant told Barrett-Jackson. “We crushed enough of these darn cars back in the ’70s and ’80s, so to me, it’s great to get them back on the road. My job is to make them the best they can possibly be for the next person.”

Patrick’s Classy Cars restores and builds both original and restomod Chevrolets, and one of each will cross the Barrett block this weekend.

Pogrant’s restomod, gloss-black 1957 custom convertible—packing a 430-horsepower LS3 engine with power reverse-opening hood—will be auctioned on Saturday, postponed from the event’s original January dates. “It has all of today’s technology,” Pogrant says. “An LS3, tilt and bucket seats, cupholders, and all that nice stuff. You can’t go wrong with that kind of car.”

In addition to the droptop’s powerplant, among its many upgrades are power steering, power windows, air conditioning, Dakota Digital VHX gauges, keyless entry, automatic trunk release, and a 7-inch touchscreen with built-in Bluetooth, CD/DVD, and USB. It rides on an Art Morrison GT sport chassis and has chrome front and rear suspension, four-wheel disc brakes, and coilover shocks. The LS3 is connected to a four-speed automatic transmission with a polished-aluminum driveshaft and Jet Hot-coated dual exhaust. The interior features black Italian leather, black suede appointments, a leather-covered remote-controlled center console, and a polished tilt column with a customized Billet Specialty steering wheel.

First up on Friday, however, is Pogrant’s beautifully restored, Sierra Gold-painted ’57 Bel Air hardtop, which carries its original 283-cubic-inch V-8 Power Pack engine and automatic transmission. It also has front bumper guards, spinner hubcaps, and a tissue dispenser.

This car means more to Patrick than most, he says, because it was the last one that he and Jill purchased together, back in 2016. Originally intended to be used as a parts car, Patrick decided to restore the hardtop instead, promising Jill that he could have it painted and put back together in eight weeks. “It’s a simple car to do,” he remembers telling her. “Then we both got sick.”

Jill found out she had breast cancer; Patrick learned he had leukemia. “Everything fell apart,” he says. “The week of my bone marrow transplant, in November 2018, I lost her. I never got to say goodbye or anything. It was terrible. Because I never got to say goodbye, I decided that this year, once I was healthy enough to get back to work, I would bring that car to Barrett-Jackson in honor of her.”

Patrick says working on the Bel Air helped him heal. “The only thing I’ve ever had in my life besides my wife and children is my shop,” he says. “My shop means everything to me. This has been my baby—I fed it, nurtured it, raised it from infancy. I believe if I had stayed home and stayed on the couch and felt sorry for myself, I would have passed a long time ago.”

Something tells us that he had a lot of help from Jill.

The post These ’57 Chevy passion projects are anything but ordinary auction lots appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email, tips@hagerty.com. We’re showcasing some of our favorite stories among these submissions. To have your car featured, send complete photography and your story of ownership to the above email address.

Today’s featured ride is a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air four-door sedan. These cars were stunners both in their day and in the modern era, thanks to a ground-up redesign for the fourth generation (which included only the 1959 and ’60 model years). The 1959 Bel Air ditched the previous generation’s hooded quad headlights for neat chrome bezels, concentrating the visual drama on its wide-finned rear haunches and cat’s-eye taillights—the latter of which only appears on 1959 models. The fourth-gen Bel Air also marked the graduation of the Impala nameplate from a top-tier Bel Air trim to an independent model line slotting above the Bel Air.

This particular Bel Air belongs to Martin Beneteau of Windsor, Ontario. For Beneteau, the ’59 Bel Air isn’t special simply because of its snazzy taillights; it reminds him of the beginning of the Space Age, when the Soviet Union and the United States embarked on a battle of brains and technology to put a man into space and, then, onto the moon. “I’ve immersed myself fully into the vintage car culture here in Windsor, Ontario,” Beneteau writes. Since he bought the Bel Air in 2015, Beneteau has had countless interactions with passersby, who stop and share their memories of the ’50s.

“It took a long 56 years to finally acquire the car that my younger self desired,” Beneteau writes, “and I would never trade the joy she brings to me.”

The post Rides from the Readers: 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Hagerty readers and Hagerty Drivers Club members share their cherished collector and enthusiast vehicles with us via our contact email, tips@hagerty.com. So we’re showcasing some of our favorite stories among these submissions. To have your car featured, send complete photography and your story of ownership to us at the above email.

Today’s featured car is a 1960 Chevrolet Bel Air. Chevrolet’s fourth-generation Bel Air hailed the shift between two decades, from the era of Buddy Holly and saddle shoes to Bob Dylan and miniskirts. This generation of Bel Air first hit the roads in 1959, proudly sporting broad tail fins, cat-eye taillights, and a 119-inch wheelbase. (For comparison, a Honda Odyssey measures 118.1 inches axle-to-axle.)

The 1960 model year carried on much the same, but the Bel Air swapped the oblong taillights for double cones. A wide array of body styles was offered, from Sport Coupes to sedans, with a variety of V-8s available.

This particular four-door Bel Air, which belongs to Don West, is equipped with a 283-cubic-inch V-8 and a three-on-the-tree manual ’box. After restoring the car, West decided to take it a touch further while resurrecting ’60s nostalgia. Prompted by friends who joked about the car’s generously-sized trunk—specifically, how many friends you could sneak into a drive-in theater with it—he recreated a mini drive-in scene in it. A surrounding highway with a mountainous backdrop, mini trees, and people, a nearby Dairy Queen, and an iPad for a working movie screen … the model has it all.

Have you ever gotten this creative with a restoration? Let us know!

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