Classic wagons are always of interest to me, especially when equipped with a fun drive train, and awesome styling. Large, green, and featuring massive fins for a station wagon, this Nomad is thought to be have been originally equipped with a 348 “3 deuce” V8 and a factory 4 on the floor! Talk about a stylish and practical riot! With several days remaining in the auction this wagon is currently bid up to $2,247.00. Check out this unique ride here on eBay out of Kearney, Missouri.
Although originally equipped with a 3×2 carbed 348 V8, at some point in time this wagon received a 283 V8 heart, but is thought to have its original 4 speed manual transmission. The current engine does turn over and “fires” but apparently is not a runner at this point. Perhaps with some tuning and tweaking this old engine could be brought bake to life. I think it would be fabulous to put a slightly worked up 348 back into this wagon to keep it correct and give it a sprite jump off of the line.
The biggest concern with this massive lump of style is that there is rot to contend with. The floors are rough, but are not nearly as bad as some that I have seen. I think part of the difficulty with this car may be the fact that there is more rot to contend with other than what is seen on the floors. The interior is a bit rough, but there is still enough remaining to rebuild or replicate something new. The dash has a tremendous amount of cracks, and the driver side rear door panel and door hardware is missing. Although rough, the 4 speed shift lever and thought of your buddies jammed into this wagon sounds like a great time!
If the drive train or the color didn’t grab your attention, then certainly the styling drew you to this interesting wagon. The back end on this Chevrolet is like no other, and the fact that it is a wagon just adds to its “cool factor”. Although this is a cool ride, there is a lot of work needed to get this old hot rod family hauler rolling again. The inner and outer rockers have some concerns near the rear door jamb sections. Also the lower portion of the rear quarters need repair. A couple of the doors have some minor rot near the bottoms, and there is also some rust developing on one of the roofs rain rails. Beyond the rust, there is a dent in the driver front fender, and some of the exterior body trim is missing on the driver and passenger side. Most certainly a sweet ride to revive with an awesome drive train combination, this wagon would be a sweet and unique classic once restored. Would you revive this wildly stylish wagon?
I remember seeing those air deflectors on the back end of station wagons. Can someone explain the purpose?
To keep dust from collecting on rear window, also to keep exhaust fumes from entering.
Mine were to keep exhaust fumes out with the rear window down but they didnt work very well as it still came in on my 1966 Dodge Dart SW
When you went down dirt or gravel roads, the negative air pressure area on the back window had a tendency to collect dirt/dust and obscure visibility. Hooking air and directing it over the glass kept it clearer.
Most times I’ve seen either the 2 on the sides or the one on top. Can’t say I remember I remember seeing a wagon with so many on them. Must be a dirt magnet.
It would be neat to have either a 348 or 409 in it again (I know I know, never offered but what the heck).
I like it. Don’t have space or need for it but I still like it.
Interesting info. Would never have guessed that.
You’d likely spend some $$ restoring this one, especially if looking to go back to a 348, but it would be uncommon.
I believe they kept the rear window from collecting to much dust. Also if the rear window was down it helped to keep from sucking in exhaust.
Mostly for better aerodynamic air flow at the back. Prevention of asphyxiation of rearmost occupants was considered a plus. Although the exhaust fumes that were sucked into the back without them and the window open did tend to keep the children quiet…
Gee, I think that could explain a lot of my problems, I-I-I-I’m O-O-Ok. Spent quite some time as a rear occupant in the family wagon.
I think they were supposed to deflect the dust from driving on gravel roads away from the rear window.
Yes. These deflected air into the vacume created behind the moving vehicle. Reducing the vacume affect.
Any vacume will attract the surrounding air, whether it is filled with dust or exhaust fumes.
Sadly, locally a few years ago, the family kids passed away, while sleeping in the back canopy on a double cab pick up truck. The exhaust fumes exited a exhaust pipe under the vehicle, filled the vacume following the vehicle and entered the rear tailgate, into the compartment where the kids were sleeping.
I was under the impression they were to keep the back window clean of rain water when you were driving in a storm.
Brought fresh air in the back and kept exhaust from getting sucked back in. Very usefull before the days if ac. Had two chevy wagons in the family with those
Helps to keep back window clean. Dad had it on a festiva and it worked.
Mike,
I askrd my Dad, back in the day. He said the fin drove air down and across the back window since they had no rear wiper. ???
Being from Missouri, I understand the rust all too well. As far as cool goes, this is pretty cool.
My bet is that this was ordered by some poor fool who wanted something fun but was forced into a station wagon by his wife. This would be a hit at shows!
This boat yearns to be restomoded…and cruised to cars and coffee…after catching some early morning waves on Huntington Beach! Hope some rich surfer babe (or dude) makes it happen.
If you are going the restomod route why not wait for a better example to turn up. This cars uniqueness is due to the original drivetrain, factor that out of the equation and it’s just a rusty 1959 Chevy station wagon.
Steve R
Factoring the original drivetrain out makes it just a rusty old wagon, is like saying except for all their World Series wins the Yankees are just a baseball team??????
I like this one. Kinda odd looking but I guess that’s what I find interesting in this car.
Ugh. My least favorite year… But I would do it for the attention. It DESERVES to be saved.
Exactly!! ’59 Chevys were butt ugly–and I worked for a Chevy dealer in ’60, which wasn’t much better. There were some horribly ugly cars in the late ’50s, but they are examples of what was at the time. This car is an example of what people drove and deserves to be saved. Hope some hotrodder doesn’t ruin it.
If they ever make another live action Flintstones movie this would be the perfect rig for Fred & Wilma
Not sure this qualifies as a Nomad. Maybe I’m wrong but Nomads have always been a two door not a four door, though all were Chevys. There even was a Chevy Nomad van in the seventies. Ford had a wagon that met the criteria but was never called a Nomad, it was the early fifties Ranch Wagon.
Starting in 1958 the top line Cnevy wagons were Nomads regardless of the number of doors.
….and starting in 1968, they were bottom-of-the-line Chevelle wagons, so basic that there were no corresponding Chevelle sedans.
I believe this is technically a Brookwood.
I want to argue about 4 doors being “Nomads” but I don’t know for sure
not sure if they were top of the line, they looked pretty plain to me , and, yes, they were four doors
I wouldn’t have thought GM would have used the Nomad name on their standard cars in subsequent years, but a quick check leads me to believe that they did exactly that.
I love the look of the car, particularly in view of the fact that it is a station wagon. It is unfortunate that the 348 is gone, but it would definitely be an eye catcher at a show and shine.
I hope it gets a rebuild and a new life.
I couldn’t bring myself to finish reading the article. Of I’m not mistaking, Chevy did not make a Nomad in 1959. I was really beginning to pay attention to cars back then, and the last Nomad I recall was “58. Please check this for me.
My neighbor bought a brand new ’60 Nomad black with black interior.
I remember going places in it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Nomad
Actually, I was incorrect, Chevrolet had this 4 door station wagon and the same one from 1960 as well as a mid 70’s can also with the nomad name. Since they saw fit to dilute the name, Iam going to use it to refer to other manufacturers two door wagons nomads, like the 50’s Ford Ranch Wagon. I had a black 52 Ranch wagon with buckskin vinyl, flathead V8 and a three on the tree.
Could a full size ’59 Chevy even be ordered with a floor shifted factory 4 speed?
Yes, a 4 speed was available in 1959 on all V8 model Chevrolets with the exception of the sedan delivery. Same thing for the 348 tri-power. Unfortunately it will be tough to verify, but the hood emblem is correct for a 348 equipped car and the floor shifter hole looks very correct.
While too rusty for my taste this one is definitely worth saving.
Drop a hi po 409 in it and tell everyone that it is just a 348.
Dip sticks are on different sides between the 348 & the 409s
Thanks for the education guys, I would have sworn no nomad after 57 I always read the comments on cars on BF, I certainly don’t know it all
I wonder how many people these days can properly bore a W engine since combustion chamber in block
I agree on someone to bore a block. Not too long ago I read an article where someone wanted a 409 rebuilt and they finally found a place that still had the wedged torque plates that allowed them to bore the block. Seems most have gone missing, sold or melted down over the years. They’re like finding hens teeth, next to impossible from what the article said.
Nomad has always simply been a Chevrolet trim package. Uplevel, entry level, and even a van. It’s not synonymous with door count. It ran through 4 decades.
Featured car is great and a really cool wagon. Hope it’s saved.
I remember seeing the Nomad name on the side of these wagons so it was never a doubt for me this was named that.
If Chevrolet said this was a Nomad, then it was.
You are correct Miguel, Chevrolet did the Nomad lineup with four door station wagons from 1958 thru the 1961 model years, and they did do a four speed option starting in 1959. This would make for a rare option in an Impala model, but to find in a Nomad wagon is like finding the needle in the haystack.
The color Highland Green was a very popular color in the ’59 and ’60 model year. My ’59 El Camino I have had since ’94 was the same color originally.
I would source an original 348 (crossed flags on hood show this was a big block car) for this and bring back all stock, you won’t see another at your local cars and coffee.
Hope this wagon gets the restoration treatment it deserves!
Well, whether simply a trim package to Chevrolet and others, many generations of surfers see it as a two door fifties Chevy wagon that is an intrinsic part of their culture and lifestyle. The dilution of its meaning only further wipes away a part of our culture. Long live the California beach culture!
Factoring the original drivetrain out makes it just a rusty old wagon, is like saying except for all their World Series wins the Yankees are just a baseball team??????
Its a STATION WAGON you got to love it!!!Bruce.
Yes, ’59 4 door Impala was a Nomad. Yes, factory close-ratio 4 speed on the floor was available with a factory 348 V8 with 3-carb set up. Surprisingly, not that quick but could reach 120 mph when most American OHV V8s petered out around the century mark. http://www.automobile-catalog.com/car/1959/360620/chevrolet_nomad_station_wagon_348_v-8_special_super_turbo-thrust_4-speed_close.html
1957 was the last year for any 2 door Nomads, they were all top of the line wagons for the family and had 4 doors.
There’s no question that this deserves a restoration. I don’t think some of you realize how rare this is – a factory 4-speed with the W-motor, in a wagon, in 1959. And to top it off, in that very of-the-period green. If it wasn’t one of one when it was new, it almost certainly is now.
It wouldn’t be THAT hard to find a date-coded 348 to put back in it, and the rust, well……it’s rust. Not any better or worse than you find on a lot of neglected sixty-year-old cars. It would be the deal killer on an ordinary ’59 wagon, but not in this case. I sincerely hope that this goes to someone who will preserve its uniqueness.
The ’59 Brookwood 2dr station wagon that my dad bought new was closer to the ’55-57 Nomads than this is. It was the biggest piece of junk in the world and my dad got rid of it after 2 years and never bought another GM car or a new car(even though he could well afford to) for the rest of his life. Having spent time by the side of the road broken down in hot weather as a kid kind of jaded me in my opinion of this car. I still don’t like ’59-60 Chevrolets of any flavor.
Was gifted one in 1967 with 135,000 miles. No value. But it had a 327. That went into my 56 4 door chevron with the power glide. Meanwhile I drove my 58 Delray 4 dr 6 cylinder. Oh those were the days!
I have a 59 Brookwood that needs restoring and the floor pans can be had for 900 bucks freight included…………..I’m 73 and don’t have to use a “floor pan” yet but my restoration days are over…………………
Get a grip on something youse guys – YES – they reused the Nomad name !
Back to the car – it’s a buildable car if that’s what you are looking for – end.
My neighbor bought a new Chevelle NOMAD wagon I’m sure it was 1971 as it had single headlights – and get this – the trade in was a 1966 Nova SS….with a 6 cyl auto factory A/C car…..drove in both many a mile..
My dad was a Deputy Sheriff and had a new 59 with 3 duces and said that there weren’t many in the county with his top end.
If I remember right that is the first year of the 3 two barrels.
58 , 1st year for the W motor single 4bbl 250 hp 3×2 bbl 280 hp
My friends mom 59 Chevy all original 29000
Rt or left dipstick, wedge plates for boring cylinders now brings back a flood of memories good job guy’s i had forgotten all about that stuff and i was there had a 61 Impala 348 turboglide swapped in a T10 4sp and cloned an SS of all the cars I’ve had that’s the one i wish i had back it was the single 4bbl 250 hp motor traded it for a 63 imp 327 250 hp 4sp the 327 was the quicker of the 2 but ya gotta like the look of the scalloped valve covers i think this wagon should be brought back to stock on the out side whitewall’s dogdish caps but modernize the suspension and brakes and maybe through a few goodies at the 348 just my 2cents sorry to all the ppurists out there but i just can’t leave anything stock against my religion 😁😁
I think you need a new laptop as your current model obviously doesn’t support punctuation marks. Very difficult to understand.
Will that be on the test!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL. Your current laptop apparently doesn’t have Irony-Check, either.
What is noteworthy about the flat fins of the ’59 is that they produced a lot of lift in the rear end of the car. One of my friends that I grew up with, his dad had ’57 and ’59 Chevys. In the ’57 with the vertical fins that thing would stay planted at high speeds. The ’59 would start lifting in the rear end at high speeds making it dangerous to maneuver on the highway. So I am wondering if the wagon design covers enough of the flat fins and a heavier roof with glass instead of just a trunk lid would keep it planted on the highway better. Would be an interesting experiment to find out if the wagon’s driving dynamics were better. I still love the cat’s eye taillights. Conversely, the ’60 Ford was a gorgeous car up to the rear before the end of the fins. The turn back and the half round tail lights were an epic fail IMO. The ’61 was a vast improvement on the rear, but I wasn’t thrilled with the bulbous nose.
Hi, I am very pleased to inform you that this car now is in Sweden and is currently undergoing a total restoration. It will be fully restored to it’s original glory in ‘highland green’ and also with the 348 3-carb mounted. This Nomad will survive. All the best from Sweden. Bo Andersson – happy owner.