The term “iconic” is too readily used within the classic world, but there are some cars that have rightfully earned that tag. The car sitting on this lift is one of them. It is, of course, a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe. It isn’t perfect, but it is a solid vehicle that is an older custom build. It presents well as a driver-quality proposition, but lifting its presentation to a higher level would be a straightforward task for a new owner to tackle. The Bel Air is listed here on eBay in Penrose, Colorado. Bidding currently sits below the reserve at $20,300.
If an owner is considering tackling a restoration or custom build, locating a rust-free candidate from a dry climate is a pretty sound starting point. That was the case with this Bel Air because it originally hails from sunny California. The seller indicates it was the recipient of a refurbishment in 1996. At that point, it underwent a color change from its original combination of Imperial Ivory and Dusk Pearl to its current Dark Green Metallic. The new shade won’t appeal to everyone, but the darker color certainly accentuates the sparkling trim and chrome perfectly. The seller describes the car as being nice enough to show but should be considered a great driver. The paint holds a deep shine, with the seller admitting a close inspection will reveal a few minor chips and marks. The panels are as straight as an arrow, and the only rust worth noting are tiny spots in both lower front door corners. Neither is bad, and repairs won’t involve wholesale steel replacement. A wide selection of underside shots confirms this classic has a rock-solid frame and floors, with prone areas like the rockers, trunk pan, and inner fender wells looking excellent. There are no glass issues, and the American Racing Torq Thrust II wheels suit the car’s character perfectly.
The custom touches continue inside this Bel Air. The Dark Green Metallic paint that graces the exterior is carried over onto the interior painted surfaces. That is also where the only significant flaw can be found inside this classic. The dash top has suffered severe paint shrinkage and cracking, which seems odd considering the rest of the car’s condition. A cover would be a viable short-term solution, although a vehicle of this caliber deserves better. The winning bidder will undoubtedly strip that area to bare metal and perform a repaint, which would make a significant difference to its presentation. The remaining dash components and bright trim pieces look excellent, as does the carpet. The interior received a retrim during the 1996 build, with the original Code 670 combination of Black and Silver making way for Dark Green cloth and vinyl. The photo quality makes it hard to make a definitive call on its condition because this shot seems to show wear and discoloring on the driver’s seat. However, the only fault mentioned is some piping wear on the same side, so this could be a trick of the light. There are no signs of physical damage or abuse, while aftermarket additions are limited to an under-dash gauge set and an AM/FM radio/cassette player.
Lifting this Bel Air’s hood reveals a 283ci V8. The seller believes the powerplant might be original, although the builder widely discarded the two-speed Powerglide in favor of a three-speed TH-350. The first owner ordered the Chevy with power steering, while the 1996 build saw the brakes wisely upgraded to power front discs. The only other change mentioned by the seller is a distributor swap from the factory unit to one from HEI. This classic might be sixty-six years old, but its engine is a mere youth. It has clocked under 12,000 miles since receiving a complete rebuild, and the bulletproof nature of these motors means it could still be purring in another sixty-six years. The seller uses the term “reliable” in their description, which is reassuring. It runs and drives nicely, and the owner includes the paperwork documenting almost every aspect of the 1996 build and the engine refresh.
Aspiring to own a perfect classic is admirable, and some enthusiasts achieve that goal. However, there is no shame in parking a high-end driver in your garage. They offer a potentially more relaxed ownership experience because the occasional errant stone is unlikely to mar perfection. This 1957 Bel Air should provide that experience, and its inherent desirability helps explain the twenty bids submitted so far. There is time for interested parties to make a play for this gem, but could you be one of those people? I wish you luck if you do.
It’s a beautiful sunny day outside, so let’s take the pictures indoors. That makes sense. Shame it’s not wearing it’s gorgeous Dusk Pearl and Ivory OG paint. A great starting point for a full refresh.
Too bad there are no outside pics. Bet it looks great in the sun.
Regardless, keep the color!
Even with the minor flaws looks to be an honest car based on the pics. Not sure what the reserve is but the current price is a steal imo.
GLWTS.
There are outside pictures in the EBay ad if you cared to look.
Nice write up, Adam.
I’m with VonBlade about the color (and I usually like green). Rather uninspiring, with whatever ails the dashboard, those tacky chrome exhausts, etc. Looks like what a high schooler would have done about 50 years ago.
Nice car but one of many. There’s an abundance of 57 Chevy’s.
In the summer of 1967 I was newly released from 3 years service with the U.S. Army, recently married and working at a plant that made wood panels. A fellow worker lived near me and we shared rides to and from work. He had a dark green 57 Chevy Bel Aire 2 door hardtop with a 283 bored .060″ over to 301 cubic inches and a 4 speed manual transmission. The engine had 2 4 bbl carbs on top an aluminum high rise manifold. He drove it like the little old lady from stories of used car dealers. I always wanted him to punch it up but he never would saying it wastes gas. He was young buck but very conservative who lived with his parents. I left that job at the end of the summer and don’t know the rest of story concerning that beautiful car.
God Bless America
Had a 4dr hard top in high school, black with black interior. Had a 301ci with 300hp.
My big bro left me a 57 chev drag car when I was about 13 y.o.Had a 427 moved back into the cockpit.No license,so I beat it to death in our apple orchard.
Looks nice! Price is up to 35K with 2 days to go!
The original owner also ordered BACK UP LIGHTS on this copy, yes, they were an option!. The exhaust stemming THROUGH the two fake black bumper ends this copy is lacking was optional as well. MOST of them do today have the blackouts. The exhaust rusted the bumper quickly from new!
Appears to be the original engine, 283 2bl, one problem with putting a later model trans with a cross member is it’s a long way between the front mounts, at the very front of the engine on 55-57 Chevys, and tail shaft mount. Often under hard acceleration the motor tends to rock too far to the right causing the throttle linkage to bind up and stick wide open. Putting side mounts on an original 55-57 block is not an option. You can however buy mounts that bolt to the back of the block and uses the stock frame mounting locations.
57 283 had side motor mounts
The only “side mounts” were located at the bell housing/powerglide motor-trans split. Front motor mounts were still up in the front of the block on rubber donuts. The 8 cyl blocks (55-57) had no side block cast/threads until 58 for the new side mounts. I’ve changed several 5-7 to the later-side of block mounts with an added rear crossmember. Was a much better setup under torque than the front of block donuts on 5/16 dia stilts