The Biscayne was released by Chevrolet as the least expensive of the manufacturer’s full-sized vehicle range, and many of them saw service as fleet vehicles. During the majority of the Biscayne’s life, it was seen as an entry-level vehicle, and while it was possible to specify a Biscayne with a V8 engine, the vast majority of early examples were fitted with a 6-cylinder engine. This ’58 Biscayne, from the first year of production, looks to be a relatively solid car and appears to be a good base for a project vehicle. Located in Marietta, Georgia, it is listed for sale here on eBay.
The general condition of the Biscayne looks pretty reasonable. There is some surface corrosion visible in a number of places, and there is also some rust visible on the leading edge of the hood, just above the chrome trim. The rest of the body looks straight and even zooming in on the photos, it is hard to identify any other issues. The owner says that there are some patches in the floor, but that it is solid.
Mechanically, the Biscayne is fairly original, except for the engine. This is the “Blue Flame” 235ci 6-cylinder engine, and it is backed by a 3-speed manual transmission. The owner has done some considerable work on the car, and this has included a new exhaust, new aluminum radiator, a new gas tank and fuel pump, new clutch, new brakes ( including the master cylinder and wheel cylinders), and new tires.
While the interior is fairly tidy, and could definitely be used as it is, there would be some work to do if you were undertaking a restoration. The seats look like they need new covers, and the carpet looks like it could do with replacing. Some of the trim around the edges of the door frames look to be quite frayed, but that isn’t unusual in a car of this age. The dash looks good and complete, and while there is some wear on the wheel, it doesn’t appear to have any cracks.
This Biscayne really does look like a solid candidate for a restoration project, and it does have one major positive aspect in its favor. As a 2-door car, its overall value is going to be significantly higher than if it were a 4-door. The 2-doors tend to sell for up to twice the price of a similarly equipped 4-door example. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $7,600, but the reserve hasn’t been met. There is also a BIN option of $9,000, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if someone doesn’t “pull the trigger” and exercise that option.
My ’58 Biscayne 283 V-8 had a 2 speed auto. I think that was the only option for auto unless the car had a 348 cu in.
Chevy really missed the mark with this year
I guess I’m in the minority but I really like the styling of the ‘58 Chev’s.
It’s over the top, but not much wasn’t in the late 50’s.
I’m with you Andre ,I’ve never understood what people find wrong about the 58 Chevy.
Of the 58 models I’d rate1:Pontiac, 2:Chevy, 3:Cadillac , in that sequence, all being somehow similar designs. There are definately lesser models for 58 than the Chevy.
The Biscayne in question actually seems to be a very good deal, not even the BIN price is prohibitive!
I think because of the perfect size and width of the 55-56 and 57 models, Local_sheriff.
The bloat, the garishness, the ‘over the top’ styling compared to what came before it. Too much. Of everything.
And that’s an opinion I’ve held for over 5o years. They have not gotten better looking to me in that time.
I do find this base Biscayne very attractive, though. It has just enough trim to be appealing.
how so? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
Nice plain jane 58!!! Nice original driver, don’t see ’em like that anymore. patches in the floor that are solid? LOL. Hate to pick it apart but couldn’t resist. I can hear that six and 3 speed now with the unmistakable whine. Good luck to the new owner.
Cheers
GPC
Needs some batteries…
Great candidate for an Electro-resto-mod.
Haters gonna hate and dinosaur juice drinkers gonna be extinct one day.
Watch ’em hate.
@daCabbie. Nope, not gonna happen. Not in our, or our kids lifetimes. Not enough support, even with Tesla, and other manufacturers trying to push it forward. There are still too many of us who enjoy the thrill of driving, just for its own sake. Besides, when gasoline becomes unobtainable, we’ll just convert to ethanol, LPG, hydrogen, or methane to run our ‘dinosaurs’. I, for one (and I know MANY who feel the same), will NEVER own or drive an electric, and will absolutely, NEVER step one foot into a self driving car. I own five cars, a truck and three motorcycles, all are over 40 years old, none would be affected by an EMP blast, as none have computers on them, and all of them run and drive great, and are very cheap and easy to maintain and repair. One of my cars, a ’66 Corvair, has been an ongoing experiment for the past 15 years, and runs reliably on hydrogen produced by an onboard hydrogen generator, using distilled water and sodium as fuel. It is ZERO emissions, as the only byproduct of burning hydrogen is pure water.
@ Andrew Eldrich-
Can you provide links to the onboard hydrogen generator….maybe a manufacturer or articles on it . I’m sure we’d all like to learn about it. Thanks.
how so? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
Andrew,
Just so you understand. There are more folks turning to Electric Vehicles than you think. Plus with all the European Vehicle Company moving to the EV Mode. It will come true. As you & I own ” The Dinosaurs” as you call them (1970 Corvette 454 & 1970 Nova SS w/ 454) stop & think about the Real Dinosaurs there all gone now.
O yes I do also own 2 Chevrolet Volts (2013 & 2016) that we drive 950 miles each a month with both EVs & they cost us $20.00 each to charge them.
Yes that is $40.00 a monthly. The 2013 has paid for it self in the “Fuel We Have Not Bought”. So the next time you go running off at the Mouth you need to engage your Brain First. The World Is Passing You By My Friend… In EVs.
What the hell does that mean?
You sound like fun at a party
@dacabbie. You are on the wrong website and you will be extinct long before the juice drinkers..
I’d rather have a hover conversion…
I don’t think daCabbie understands how big & heavy & aerodynamic this beast is. Probably not the best car for conversion.
Ugliest design Chevy ever dreamed up before 1970. The front could stand on its own, if you did not know what the previous and following years looked like, but that back end is beyond revolting. What were they thinking ? An exercize in ugly, to warm up the American public for the 90’s Taurus design to come ? Looks like they bred a 57 Chev with a bloated whale beach carcass.
In spite of my dislike of the design, they are cool to see and an unusual example makes it even better. Just a sad effort from a time when most cars were designed with George Jetson in mind.
The 58 Impala’s both the convertible and the 2dr. HT’s which were the only models offered for the Impala’s were a far cry in styling than the Biscayne and Delray’s.
@Tort. I totally agree with you. Check my convertible.
Well,lets see what you call “artistic”
Delray was the bottom of the line for 1958….less chrome.
That is correct. Had a next door neighbor in Chicago who had one. I don’t think it had the stainless sedan window trim either.
Good candidate for a big block LS 427 with a 400 transmission, 355 posi. and don’t do anything to the body. as you leave the light you can watch the jaws drop on some of these so called speed demons of today.
Had one back in the sixty’s, replaced the 348 with a worked 409 and the rest is history.
My Mom got a 58 Del Rey which I believe was the bottom of the list. The options were a heater and an AM radio. I inherited it when I turned 16 in 1967. Then she got a dodge polara 383/4, I put in a floor shift, deleted the muffler with a ‘test pipe’, and painted if a very bright blue. I added tape stripes down the middle. I pulled the hubcaps and painted the wheels silver. I also repaired the rust above the headlights before painting. In 68 I traded it for an am radio in my new VW. $75. VW was $1800.
Not the prettiest year but this year has been getting more popular.
You see the four doors and the fancier coupes but a post two door is fairly rare
To bad about the six.
The six is an asset.
Can you believe that the Biscayne wasn’t the lowest model offered? The Delray would fill that slot. My Yeoman is the bottom of the line wagon, which would be the same as a Delray in sedan form.
PhillipB, I love that wagon! For some reason I dont remember seeing a lot of ‘58 wagons. Contrary to many of the statements so far, I’ve always loved the 58.
I would keep this black 2 door as is, design wise, except a nice repaint, reconditioning of the chrome/SS, and a much bigger engine to give it some go power. In fact, I might just steal your rims and tires!
I love that Yoeman! It’s my favorite Chevy and yours looks just right!
daCabbie- you clicked on the wrong website again. You should try Lead Acid Finds or Bring a Battery. Nobody here is interested in your opinions.
Get em Tony, unplug his electric ass. He obviously missed the point of automotive. To me it includes many sources of power. And always will.
daCabbie must not know the difference between the terms engine and motor.
A motor powers my electric mixer. A engine powers my 1968 Chrysler 300. Keep the motors in the mixers.
u r not a country boy..
A lil harsh fellas…..give him a break. It’s the internet….and maybe it’s David Johansen from the movie Scrooged!.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0zvX6AGd7Q
Dad bought a new bel air in fall 57 kept it to 61 bought a Impala both had 283 ps Pb and am then went to a 66 caprice with power everything I loved that one took my test on that but still the 58 was cool
Bought a 57 Biscayne and put it in the ditch….
My first and worst car was a ‘58 Biscayne. One night driving on the Expressway in heavy rain the wipers stopped working. Another time while parallel parking the steering wheel just kept going round and around. Had to push the car into the spot. Problem was a broken U-joint. I sold the car to a friend just before I got drafted in ‘66. A week later as his mother was getting into the car her foot went through the floor. A real POS.
My first road car was also a ’58 Biscayne. It was far from the worst. Paid my first (and last) traffic fine, for “squealing tires”. My Dad observed that was quite an achievement with a Chevy six.
Andrew, is that the HHO system I’ve heard
so much about since 2011? Seen a lot of
them on YouTube and thwy claim that their system is the only one that works.
Tell me about your system please, and if
it works, I’ll build one for Mom’s Buick.
Only trouble is that it’s too crowded under
the hood to mount it there. Would like to
have this Chwvy as there is more than
enough room under the hood to mount an
HHO system with ease. The only thing I’d
change would be the tranny so that Mom
could drive it more easily. You can reach
me at: captaingizmo54@gmail.com.
Thanks!
While the ’58 was bigger and bulgier than the previous years, how can anyone slam this kind of styling?
GM missed the mark on all of its 1958 offerings. They’re all homely, the Buick most of all.
Another automotive site that I visit everyday has a resident troll that spews vile anytime that he sees a Chevrolet posted. Looks like Barn Finds has their own troll that hates fossil fuel burning vehicles. Best advice is to ignore them and hope that they go away.
As others have noted, the Delray was the cheapest one. My grandpa’s 2 door ’58 235 3 spd. was my first car after I rebuilt the motor. A single chrome strip down the side, no trim around the windows, no arm rests, one sun visor, but it did have a radio and heater!
I, too, like the styling of ’58 Chevs. This one needs a cammed, dual four 348/409 and a 5 speed.
No. It needs to be left alone with perhaps an MMO period vaporizer
added.http://www.ampcolubes.com/products/
I prefer ’58 models of every brand over the earlier and later because it represents a one year unique design for most. Amid the fin wars without overstating them, This one is just perfect for a driver for me but with hubcaps. I love the low spec. and color. How many have survived in this spec?
Sorry about my comment re my 58.Impala convertible as I was unable to download the pic.
Found the pic of a ’58 Impala Convert identical to mine. As for ADL’s comments about running his 2 EV’s on only a 20$ charge per month. Where do you suppose the government is going to procure it’s revenue from the motorist when fossil fuels are no longer used? That’s right, the EV user. One way or another they are going to get you.
Ken Tilly,
I don’t disagree with you. Yes they will have to get the revenue from somewhere. We’ll just have to see how much & where it will come from.
That’s not a “Blue Flame ” 235 six, look’s like a later 250. Nothing wrong with that ,much better power plant imho, just saying.
When I was in college, a friend had a 1958 Delray four door that was an ex-police car. It still had the holes in the rear quarter for the whip antenna, taped over holes in the roof and poorly painted front doors. It was a 348 and he added dual four barrels. Talk about a sleeper, all black, ratty paint and a 3 on the tree.
It surprised many new Mustangs and Camaros! Great fun for several years.
In addition to my Mom’s Delray previously mentioned, my first purchased car was a ‘58. Chev accordion I bought for $50. Accordion, because it had been hit from behind and crumpled. 283/2V with power glide. I was only 15, my parents didn’t know it ran. Many stories with that car.
My buddies Delray 1958 we put a 350 and 4 speed with a power disk brake swap….was a fun car ! It went to Florida the last we heard….
come on DuhCabbie. you can do a better job of trolling than that.
I too, appreciate the low-line spec of this car, combined with the mono-black paint. I hunted 30+ years for a low-line 58 Plymouth Plaza 4s in monotone Buzzard Puke Green to have that ultra-bare-bones look of a near identical car that escaped me all those years before. Blackwalls, dog dishies, body-colored wheels, and that lovely “Forest Service”/mellow mint green paint. It is the anti-Christine in every way. I would not change a thing. Celebrate it for its non-sexy character. I often hear observers saying “Too bad …. it’s a 4 door, ….such an ugly color, …. etc., etc. I worked really hard to own such a “Too bad … ” kind of car. Lots of guys fighting to find/restore all the sexy upmodel 2-doors. I’ll take my never-seen stripper over those any day. 👍
Stillrunners: I think I saw your friend’s car
here in Winter Haven at one of our monthly car shows downtown. The Delray I saw here is a match for the one
that you just posted in your photo. If I
get the chance next month, I’ll go down-
town and see if it’s there at the show.
I always wondered who built that car. If
you didn’t know better, you’d swear it was
stock! Still looks nice and I think the new owner gave it a new paint job and maybe
different rims too. Nice job guys!
Wish I had a close-up of that Air Force Base sticker on the front bumper. Super cool car – keep it stock! Chuck in NE Kansas
egads,
That is a 235 ci 6 cyl inline. The “Blue Flame” was only installed in the Corvette “53, 54 & 55”. People use the term “Blue Flame” very loosely not knowing that it was only used in the Corvette.
@LDL Sr.
According to Wikipedia the Blue Flame engine was produced from 1937 until 1954. It was also used in trucks with a different camshaft profile giving higher lift.
Ken Tilly
You are correct. But Chevrolet reverted to using the name “Blue Flame” during the years 53 & 54 fir the Corvette only.
Nebraska had a real “Gearhead” in the state procuring department back then. The highway patrol had a bunch of these same cars but they came with 348 tri-powers. He keep his “good pencil going” as 59 was a repeat year with same drivetrain. But wait! There’s more! In 60 and 61 he switched to Mopars some with short ram duel 4s and some with the long ram duel4s. Our covered wagons that came out here had smaller wheels on the front then the back, thus the dropped look. Trend setting Nebraska. Also another gentle reminder when passing thru, visit Speedway Motors museum in Lincoln right off I-80. 155,000 packed square feet of the best. Plan all day………….
I do not oppose the 1958 Chev, I oppose turning it into an electric fork lift.
I am a engine person, small or big block, I have built several.
This is a automobile. The gut vibrations of the glass pack duel pipes and stick transmission with the new up dates.Don’t kill the past wih a joke of a new electric future.
We do not have much of the past left, save what we do. Not much to ask.