The 1957 Chevrolet is one of the most iconic classic cars in American history. Amazingly, these cars are still popping up for sale and ready to be put back on the road again, including this Bel Air. The car is located in McGrady, North Carolina and can be found here on eBay with a current bid of $3,050. At first glance, the car looks like a pretty big project, however, it appears there is a lot of trim and some small parts included with the sale.
The interior will certainly need a lot of attention. It appears the dash is original and complete, which is a good sign. Obviously, 60 years has taken its toll on the upholstery and door panels. The good part about restoring a project as popular as a ’57 Chevy is there are plenty of aftermarket and new-old-stock (NOS) parts available.
As mentioned above, there are trim pieces included in the sale. You can see the Bel Air trim as well as some mechanical components. The engine is said to be a 283 cubic inch V8 that appears to be original. The ad states something about a head being removed for a gasket replacement, but it’s a little hard to tell what the complete story is.
The seller is honest about quite a bit of rust repair that needs to be done. The floor pans, trunk floor, and various body panels will need to be addressed if the new owner is doing a full restoration. For where the current bidding is, this car seems like a bargain. What do you think?
Sadly I see this one as sucker bait. If you choose to ignore the severity of the rust there’s a lot of things that could be attractive. Original seats, most parts intact, v8 car, BelAir, etc. etc.. But go back to that pic where the stainless quarter panel inlay was removed and see how deep those pits are. This thing has been “stored” in a very wet environment. The naïve might rationalize how easy it is to get and replace floor pans and patch panels. But if you’ve had experience, that much noticeable rust means there’s going to be tons more in the more difficult to see (in pics) places. By the time you worked your way through all that has to really be addressed this will be a money/labor pit of immense proportions. The title and ID plates are the best value here, but not at the current bid.
Nailed it Bob when you start dealing with floors it won’t be long and your dealing with body mounts. And then your dealing with removing the front clip, and then, and then, and then, and then. Been there done that got the tee shirt. Ones enough for me.
4050 with 23 hrs left—might be worth it but inspection is everything!! Good luck Hunting
Cheers
GPC
It’s been 40 years since I tracked down any 1957 Chevy parts. As popular as they are, and old as they are, I can’t imagine that there are plenty of new-old-stock (NOS) parts left around. I am sure what is around is very costly.
Why go for NOS when everything is reproduced and cheaper? Nobody is going to restore this to 100% concours quality to begin with. I never realized how good a 57 could look with just a single piece of trim down the side. The stainless sides were always a distraction to me, along with the jets and bullets in the hood and grille. Well bought at $4050.
Danchuk specializes in reproduction parts and has a catalog as thick as a phone book. Many other sources as well. It’s extremely easy to get most anything for a 57 Chev.
I understand there is a ton of repop stuff. I own a 72 Stingray and am sure you could build a compleat car from the catalogs. Just curios about the NOS stuff.
Now that this one has nearly dried out, you can see the patina extends completely through all steel panels. Put another way, if you remove the patina, there’s nothing left.
They built a million ’57 Chevys and there is still no shortage of cars in every condition. Decent restored ’57 Bel Air 2 door hardtops can be had all day long starting around $30K, paying to have one restored is probably close to twice that, so if you have the scratch, that’s the way to go (and you can be cruising to the local drive-in tonight). But if you don’t have a big pile of cash, and you want one badly enough, a builder (like this one) is the only way you’ll get there. And the only way this one makes sense is if you are a pay-as-you-go do-it-your-selfer, and use your sweat equity and maybe you’ll be driving a nice restored car several years from now (depending on your ambition level). But hope you know how to weld!
I must commend this person for making the to show what is really there. Not just a photo of a car in a field full of dreams.
Seems like most people that want a 57 are ending g their car collecting years. The prices have come way down. If you need one, there are tons already restored for a fraction of the cost to restore this one. The owner should have sold it 15 years ago.
I think the ’68? Nova next to it is more interesting, at least to me.
I would be interested if only it was a hardtop. Lots of luck to the new owner!
The 2 door sedan is a very desirable car, not just because I own one! They are more rigid, quieter, and more sought after for drag racing! I looked for 3 years before I found mine! But, everyone is entitled to their opinion
I have a hardtop dodge and I can tell you they are a pain in the a$$ to seal up. Both wind and water. A post car is actually a better car in the long run and Cheeper to buy too.
All you have to do with these so called “carports” is close off the sides and this car would be in much better condition. When you order a carport today, for just a few hundred dollars more, you can close the entire thing off to the elements. Never could understand this when I see a carport with complete open sides….
Did just that, in November 2016. Make sure you order everything at once though. Mine went up in 90 minutes, but the sides came by way of a different contractor and it was Spring 2017 before my carport became fully enclosed. The nesting birds thanked me for that!
This doesn’t look like a carport find.
The “patina” looks like it has sat out in the sun for decades.
I bought a 57 about 8 years ago in NC where I live. In 2 months I had it driveable. I still have a lot of left over trim pieces, even the interior rear window surrounds. Original parts are out there. They just need some work to make them serviceable. Most people do buy the repo stuff because it is quicker to the desired solution.
W O W….I guess there will always be a ’57 Chevy “parked” under a carport, sitting in a field, or hidden in some obscure place, just waiting to be “rescued” by an unsuspecting someone with “super-restoration” skills (cut/fit-up/trim/sheet-metal/weld/paint/glass/upholstery, drive-train & suspension rebuild,etc.) OR a SUPER-BIG BA$KET-FULL of money. Even with all that this classic needs to merit a spot at the local Saturday night gathering place where it’s brothers & sisters and so many other classics and spectators gather to relax, share experiences, etc., this car IS “do-able”, although NOT A GOOD CHOICE, even at the winning bid on eBay. As others have said above, there are “very nice” to “reasonably restored” Fifty-Sevens available everyday for anywhere from $18,000 – $30,000. Given the recent price that the winning bidder paid, and the $30K+ in labor & parts that the car will need to bring it up to “Saturday night standards”, this car is better suited to be parted-out to the extent possible…the best ‘outlet’ being the professional restorers that demand “original parts”, for ‘restoration’, ‘refinishing’, ‘re-chroming’, ‘re-upholstering’, etc. Not at all a project for the inexperienced. GOOD LUCK to the new owner!
I heard you could take a the cowl tag off a Tri-5 and build a carbon copy of the one you took it from.