Bush Find Project? 1956 Chevrolet Bel Apache

The “Tri-Five” Chevies of 1955 to 1957 were some of the best-selling new cars of their day and remain in demand today. The Bel Air was the top series, and the seller has a 1956 Sport Sedan (aka 4-door hardtop) that’s been living in the brush for 15 or 20 years. But it’s not a typical Bel Air – it has a truck chassis and a Pontiac engine and transmission. It ran when parked, then Mother Nature took charge. Located in the wild in Gainesville, Florida, this Bel Air Buggy project (?) is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $1,000. Thanks for the odd tip, “PairsNPaint”!

At some point many moons ago, the seller or someone else replaced the standard frame of this 1956 Chevy Bel Air with one from a 1958 Chevy Apache pickup. Which may also have 4-wheel drive. Big tires are in the back (front, too?), and a straight axle sits out front. Once you get past the “why,” you won’t find any Chevy hardware under the hood. A Pontiac 400 cubic inch V8 from 1967 or later is there along with what we guess is a TH-400 automatic transmission. But the seller admits the tranny is bad on an overall vehicle that might have 125,000 miles.

Added to the mix is that this is supposedly a one-owner vehicle – but is that for the Bel Air or the Apache? This Chevy Bel Apache may have once had blue paint and a white interior, but we assume not much of it is still good after being in the bushes for up to two decades. Assuming it won’t fall apart when you load it on a trailer, maybe the plan would be to get it going and use it as a mud car/truck. What are your thoughts?