The Bel Air was born in 1950 as a 2-door hardtop with an exclusive roofline. That would continue until 1953 when the name attorned all of Chevrolet’s top-end automobiles. The cars received new sheet metal in 1953, so the 1954 models were little changed. This ’54 Bel Air 4-door sedan has been squirreled away in a dark garage for many years and looks to need everything. But fans of these Chevies might find the price right at $1,500 OBO. Located in Seattle, Washington, this old Bow-Tie is available here on craigslist. Thanks for uncovering this tip for us, T.J.!
Through 1958, Chevy would use the Bel Air nameplate on all its premium cars (including the Bel Air Impala). From 1959 until 1975, the Bel Air call sign would apply to the middle trim level of full-size cars offered by the GM division. Production continued in Canada, for its home market only, through the 1981 model year. The Bel Air was a hot ticket in 1953 and 1954, with sales of 4-door sedans being almost identical both years at about one-quarter million units each.
This long-forgotten automobile is being sold from the estate of its owners. It has the looks of a true “barn find” given all the dust and dirt it wears, flat tires, and shredded interior. The odometer reading is 70,000 but we don’t know when the last mile clicked over. We’re told the Chevy wears Marine Green paint, but we can’t find that specific color with it being some variation of turquoise. The car sports Chevy’s biggest engine available before 1955, a 235 cubic inch inline-6 with a Powerglide 2-speed automatic.
Unless you decided to use this as a parts car, it’s going to need a lot of expensive work. But, for many, this auto has too many doors to make the project financially viable. Maybe your parents owned a Chevrolet just like this and a trip down memory lane would be your motivation to restore it. And you’re going to have to sort out ownership with your DMV as the car’s title cannot be found. But the asking price may be attractive enough to make it all worthwhile.
The OBO option sweetens the deal a bit.
Lots of work to do here….but doable…..1800 miles away….I’m out…..
This has SoCal lo-rider written all over it.
A ‘54 Bel Air is the earliest car I can remember my parents owning, making it probably at least an eighteen year old vehicle by then. It was a two door, three-speed car, and its name was “Speedy”. I clearly remember my mother telling me how to get into the passenger seat, and where I could place my little feet, so I would not go through any of the holes in the floor. Fun Times. How did any of us make it?
Title is missing, its Washington State so owner can give you a notarized release of interest or take the vin or plate to a title office and for about $100 bucks they can print you a new title, at $1,500 obo there is still a lot of room for profit, just get it running off a auxiliary tank
I’m actually thinking about pulling the trigger on this one I can rent a Uhaul auto transport for $65 bucks a little over 300 miles one way couple hundred bucks in fuel. Clean it up get it running and sell it for $4,000 as a running project, I have old licence plates and some old road signs to weld into the rusty spot on the floor board
Price seems reasonable, although the lousy assortment of photos don’t reveal much. Haven’t seen one of those J.C. Whitney headrests in 50 years or more.
The headrest is a nice touch. Might’ve saved you for a millisecond before the seat snapped. Could’ve been more thoughtful and installed one for the passenger though.
I owned two of these in high school , both three on the tree with 235 six banger. You couldn’t keep the valves quite nor kill the suckers. A friendly correction on the description of the Impala began in 1959. The 1958 was the first year GM introduced the Impala so noted with three taillights each side. I helped a friend rebuild the 348 and my brother had a friend who had a black convertible with red interior and a 409, 4 speed. Fast ride, beautiful car. A class ride compared to the 57 I shared with my brother. This year or body style was never repeated. What a shame. In my eyes, true classic. Those were the years. I feel sorry for the generations that followed with their four banger, four door Hondas. I suppose our generation brought it on ourselves. The three taillight Impala was picked up again in 1961. None of us can know everything.
My father owned a new 1958 Chevy when I was 10 yrs old. Had problems with the heater, and that year was noted for improperly balanced driveshaft. He only kept that care one year. But they now look great at car shows. Very unique styling.
The 1960 Impalas had three taillights per side. The Impala was a subseries to the Bel Air in 1958 and became its own model in 1959.
Hey John, if you will pull up some pics on the rear end of the 58, 59 and 60 Chevy Impala, you will see that the 58 has three tail light per side, one set for b/u, the 59 and 60 will( what we used to call ” bat wings) will be sort of eye brow looking. They, also, contained three lights, however they were a continuous. The 58 had three separate round lights. I looked to refresh my recollection, would you?
Click on this link to see the 1960 Impala as I remember it.
https://blackhawkcollection.com/project/1960-chevrolet-impala-348-convertible/
Three taillights (one each for b/u) per side.
The ’59 models had the “Cat eye” tail lights while the ’60 models regain the triple lights on each side.
You are dead on about the 60 Impala, however the models went from Biscayne -low end, Bel Air- mid range and Impala top range.I could not recall the term “cat eye”,but I think that was the most common reference for them. As I recall, they got a little squirrely on the top end.
Thudpucker, whatever that is, doesn’t know his, or hers, chevrolet taillights very well. Beginning in 58, Impalas all had 3 taillights on each side, with the exception of the 59s. Although actually 2 taillights, as the middle one’s were backup lights. This 2nd grader stuff.
The three light Impala was reclaimed in 1960 wasn’t it?
Bob, you are correct and if Yblocker, whatever that is, would re-read my post, he would discover that he duplicated what I said in simpler terms. There is, really, no need to get snotty to fellow enthusiasts. Car talk should be fun and informative, not as an attempt to belittle their contemporaries. Best regards, Thudpucker.
The DMV is no issue in Connecticut, but shipping $ I assume would be expensive to New England, maybe a lower offer would help offset shipping. I don’t have a problem with a quad-cab Bel-Air, just makes some things easier. It’s not crashed, the bumpers look straight though the chrome is shot, the rust you can see on the floor is the biggest concern. I don’t care about the entire drivetrain, but I would need to see the frame. I would also have to learn interior work, but that’s what the hobby is all about for me.
Total money pit. Only excuse for restoring a car in this bad shape would be if it is extremely rare, which it is not. Anyone could find an already restored version and save tons of money. A fool and his money is soon parted.
That’s true, but sometimes half the enjoyment of having a classic car, is restoring it. To me, it’s more fulfilling to accomplish it myself, than to have someone else do it for me.
When I was a younger man these were fun to buy out of an old couples driveway, fix the usual brake/fuel/ignition/tire issues’, screw down some old license plates to cover the rust holes in the floor and then have fun driving around until some one else wanted it more than I did. Good memories.
Ah me, I was 12 when this was new, and I thought it was a nice car, not a whole lot different from the 1953. the 50s were a good time for Chevy, as well as the 60s.
I can smell the “Musty/Mould” all the way down here in Fla. !
Fun memories. I had a 2 door version in 1972 that I paid $20 for. It burned 2 qts of oil a day, horrible smoke. Mine also was a powerglide, and it had the tube radio. When I went over a big enough bump in the road, the radio would start up about 20 seconds later.
I gave it to a friend of mine for free, and it was stolen from him a couple months later. Fun days.
I think this 4 door is a bargain. Restore it? Noooo!!! Put tires on it and make it functional and safe? Heck yeah, have a blast with it. Can’t see it costing too much… if the transmission is ok. Fun driver/project
Turn it into a 2 door Bel Air… They are the same bodies… BUT REMEMBER a 2 door Bel Air doesn’t have door posts! SMJ 23
I like the 1953-1954 Chevys because a 1953 green and cream new Chevwas my father’s first car which he needed for a new job. He was 27 yrs old when he bought it and I can remember seeing it for the first time parked in front of our house. I was 5 yrs old then. He bought it from a fleet that was earmarked to be taxi cabs in Chicago where we lived. He once told me that it cost $2,400, tax and license included. That seems to be way too much to pay for a Chevy in 1953. Maybe his memory was off on that story?
I would guess his memory was somewhere around $500 off. Just a guess.
MSRP for a 1953 4 door Bel Air was $1874, the 150 was $1650 and the 210 was $1761. Options extra. A Powerglide was $178. Model year sales were 1,356,413. That’s a lot of bowties.
Guess my guess was a pretty good guess lol
My father had manual transmission. Not sure what model he had. His job resulted in eventually putting on 30-40,000 miles a year. So we usually had a new car every 2 years with a few exceptions. Traded in the ’53 Chevy for a 1956 gray and white Pontiac. Then a ’58 Chevy followed by a 1959 Belvedere Plymouth, then early 1960’s Plymouth Furys. I think a Chrysler Newport after that, but not sure about that. Then a Chevy station wagon in the 1970’s and then on to Oldsmobiles. During retirement, Ford Taurus. Unfortunately, he never owned any 2 door cars.