In the era of the “Tri-Five” Chevrolets of 1955-57, the 150 was the entry-level model. Which would have likely been the choice for fleet purchases such as taxi cabs. But apparently, they appealed to the U.S. Army as well to shuttle officers and other staff from Point A to Point B. That’s the case with this edition, which was acquired for military service. Though it runs, the Chevy will need a complete restoration, hopefully back to its original roots. Located in Rockmart, Georgia, this veteran automobile is available here on eBay where the bidding has reached $2,569.57. But there’s a reserve to tackle as well. Kudos to Barn Finder T.J. for this unusual tip!
There were a lot of 1957 150 4-door sedans on the road back in the day. 56,418 of them to be precise. They were very austere automobiles, so if you wanted any kind of amenity or creature comfort, you had to spring for the 210 or Bel Air instead. The only options this car had were a heater and a cigarette lighter. The standard fare was a 235 cubic inch inline-6 with a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission. That is what the private or corporal who may have driven this vehicle had to manhandle.
According to the seller, only about 3,000 of these 150s went into military service and perhaps only a handful are around today. The Bel Air would be a more desirable restoration candidate, especially with a V8 engine. These cars lived very utilitarian lives and may have ended up in high school auto shop classes for dissection before eventually landing in the crusher. And that excludes the ones that were shipped overseas and never returned.
This Chevy needs a restoration from head to toe. Most of the glass is cracked. Rust is present and there are indications of earlier repair work that will need to be done again. The drab Army green paint has been reworked as a Jeep color and the U.S. Army markings reapplied with car #1957. But some things have been done recently to jumpstart the restoration. For example, the dashboard was repainted, and a new set of tires were installed. But it will still require a new gas tank, brakes, and exhaust. The odometer reads under 50,000 miles, which the seller believes could be legit.
If you’re interested in the veteran auto, the seller hopes you’ll bring it back to its original form rather than undertake a restomod. The car doesn’t have a title as the State of Georgia didn’t use them before 1985. But it will come with a bill of sale that can be notarized and a recent Georgia registration that you can take to your local DMV. This was intended to be the seller’s daughter’s car, but she needs an automatic transmission instead.
I always thought the 57 150 series was neat. We had a family friend who had one when I was a kid. At that young point in my life I thought ALL 57s had the V on the quarter panel. I like these brcause its a 57, yet has, at least to me anyway 55 style side trim which really made them unique. I hope this gets faithfully restored or at least preserved.
No 57s had V on quarter,hood and trunk on V8s only,55s with V8 little Vs on back under tail lights,56 same as 57 hood and trunk.
I apologize, I wasnt clear when I said V. I didnt mean the V for V8 models I meant the big stainless steel V trim on Belairs, it was usually white on 210s I think.
You could upgrade your 210 to Bel Air status, at least enough to fool the masses, cheaply with a trip to the boneyard. The Bel Air dash trim is easily removable & reinstalled. Have them remove the aluminum panels on the side of the car. You could have a body shop reinstall them or simply cut the tabs off and slide them in under the chrome strips from the rear. Voila. Instant Bel Air!
If this was originally spec’d for the military, then it may be geared lower than the “civilian” cars. This is because they were made for on-base transportation mainly, so higher freeway gearing wasn’t needed, and military regs didn’t allow cruising higher than 55 anyway. This car’s going to need a lot of work. So much so, if I needed to buy it, it would be as a parts donor.
That is true. I had a ’76 Army-spec D100, 225ci Slant-six w/a three-on-the-tree shifter, until it broke & I had to install an aftermarket Sparkomatic floor shifter. It was definitely geared low. Tha fastest I ever got it up to was 75mph & that rear end was screaming. Got there in time to win the concert tickets they were giving away, though! Oh, the memories…
Unfortunately that’s what happened to the only other one I ever saw. It was quite nice and complete and was fairly well, but not totally, hidden in the weeds just outside of town. A friend bought it and used the front clip on his 427/425 h.p. 1957 Bel Air H.T. and scrapped the remainder. A sadly common occurrence.
This takes me back to 1965!! Our high school had one only it served in the USAF. It was used for many things, one of which was as a driver training car for kids who wanted to learn to drive a manual shift! Thanks for taking me back to my teen years!
This would make a cool resto-rod. Keep the awesome patina and hubcaps. Drop in a 327 or 350 and 4 on the floor. It would be something different from all the other tri-fives you see.
Pretty neat. Needs 57 hubcaps. Those are 55 or 56 ones. It needs a new turn signal bar for the grill since that one is broken. I already have a new insert from my 57 when I was 16. I kept that and the rear one when I sold it. I should have kept all the trim and parts since the guy who bought it trashed all the oringinal stuff I had. It also needs the rigjt air cleaner which is the hardest kind to find now.
Love the only 2 options was a cigarette lighter and a heater, really all you need. I don’t even smoke cigarettes but I would be forced to fire up a Lucky Strike unfiltered with that “optional” lighter. .
Though a monster job to restore, I think it worthy to put it into tip-top olive drab and pay honor to those troops who worked that standard shift. I know I would instantly wander over to it at a show. Bel Airs seem plentiful. This AIN’T.
I wouldn’t restore it, just get it drivable weld in some old licence plates in the floors and other areas refresh the seats and just enjoy it for what it is. Bidding is at $5k and still hasn’t cracked the reserve so its beyond what I think it’s worth in this condition. Good luck to the seller
Body is rough , bidding is what it is because of that, I think. Lots of filler covered by spray paint. I believe that the transmission isn’t the only reason to off-load this one.
Maybe not a great piece of American history but it’s a good conversation starter. What would have been cool is actual procurement and maintenance documentation from the Government; the photos I saw weren’t necessarily of this exact car. Even though body and interior parts are abundant, the investment needed will exceed what the finished product will be worth.
Popular thing to do to jazz up any regular old 4 door car as a army staff car, police or taxi car. Seems as this one could be genuine but, a closer inspection needed.
Yes, an Authentic Army Staff car, according to the seller. Repainted, relettered. Where’s the documentation? Without it, I’ll guess it’s somebody’s bright idea, or scam attempt.
I wish I had some disposal income, my 7 year old son loves wwII history and all the Sherman tanks, hell cats, Higgins boats, etc etc . He would go crazy 🤪 if dad pulled in with this. I would certainly keep as much Patina on as possible 😇
I’d recommend Nicholas Moran’s “Inside the Chieftan’s Hatch” on Youtube.
He’s an armour Colonel who presents short videos on tanks and other military vehicles.
The fun ones are “Oh my god the tank is on fire” And “Will the Chieftan fit into XYX”
At 6’5″ it can be a challenge. He’d also done one on this very subject.
Buy it and make a two door out of it make a hot rod and not feel bad about it.
150 came standard with the lighter and heater as well as the radio and clock. You could delete them to save money. My 57 150 has radio and clock delete plates. Hood and front fenders have emblems removed so probably lots of filler there. At this price you would already be underwater and you would be throwing money away trying to fix all it needs.
According to Chevrolet’s 1957 Factory Shop Manual the cigarette lighter was available only on 210s & Bel Airs & clocks were only available on Bel Airs. No radios are shown in the shop manual, probably making them a rarer option. There were at least 3 choices. No push buttons, push-button & Wonderbar, all of them being optional.
I’d recommend Nicholas Moran’s “Inside the Chieftan’s Hatch” on Youtube.
He’s an armour Colonel who presents short videos on tanks and other military vehicles.
The fun ones are “Oh my god the tank is on fire” And “Will the Chieftan fit into XYX”
At 6’5″ it can be a challenge. He’d also done one on this very subject.
Hello all. I saw this car on eBay also a little while back. According to the National museum of military vehicles in Wyoming they have only verified 4 that still exist. I’m sure there are some in a field somewhere or someone made the mistake of using it for parts. The only thing on this sellers car that looks original is a data plate screwed to the dash near the glovebox. Nothing else appears correct. The stencils on the door are incorrect also. From all the pictures I’ve seen all of them have different numbers on the doors. The 1957 on this one was copied from a picture of the one that’s been restored that the museum I mentioned earlier has. I don’t think where these cars came from make them more valuable in terms of price. But for me it’s the coolness factor of it.