Wild Paint: 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

Disclosure: This site may receive compensation from some link clicks and purchases.

I have no idea who “Enosh” was, but whoever he was, they liked unusual paint jobs! This decorated Tri-5 is listed for sale here on eBay with bidding below $2,000, but reserve not yet met. I wonder what this one looked like in its heyday? There is some very unusual paintwork from front to rear that I’m sure has some stories to tell. A small-block V8 and a four-speed manual are nice additions to the package. The seller doesn’t tell us much about the car in their ad, but they do include enough pictures to give the impression that the body is pretty solid, although flaking paint means the buyer will have to either preserve it quickly, if they like the unusual decorations, or strip and repaint to avoid more rust. I’m not too sure about the passenger side front bumper mounting method either…

57 Chevy interior

The interior looks like it hasn’t been changed since the late 60’s, with someone’s high school tassel hanging from the mirror, that classic Grant-type steering wheel you saw on most hot rods of the era, and of course, the barefoot gas pedal! I’m guessing this car’s seen some time at a drag strip as well due to the fire extinguisher installation. So, would you preserve it or restore it? And if you’d restore it, would you take it back to stock? Tell us what you would do in the comments!

Comments

  1. Jamie Palmer JamieAuthor

    Bidding now over $4k and still hasn’t met reserve…wonder what it is?

    Like 0
    • Dave57210

      Love the “drive type U/K” in the ad. Unsure if it is fwd,or rwd,or 4X4 etc. Maybe caterpillar tracks? IF ( a huge ‘if” it is relatively solid, then the sky’s the limit on high it could go – in spite of the paintjob.. ’57 Bel Air Sport Coupes are not getting any less desirable.

      Like 0
      • Ed P

        There are no snow tires on the front. So it is not FWD!!!

        Like 0
  2. Don Barzini

    While I normally opt for the preservation route for period correct cars, this paint would not last for me. I would take it back to stock because it’s hard to improve on the factory look for this model year.

    Like 0
  3. mike d

    might have seen some street racing. would like to know at least a little more . it was a unique paint job back in the day would do a repaint in the same style, pretty neat!

    Like 0
  4. bob

    Noting the position of the radiator , I think this was originally a 6 cylinder car.
    Who cares ? meh…..not me…..just an observation .

    Like 0
  5. Jim

    The money it would take to bring this baby back would be more than buying a nice one already done. Even then until you get into a car in this condition you could open a real can of worms. The bidding could hit 8K and as a restorer of 5 cars over the past 30 years I’d definitely steer clear of this lump.

    Like 0
  6. John C Cargill

    Just a 57, needs a lot. to many tri 5’s at shows now.

    Like 0

Leave A Comment

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Barn Finds