After listening to the video description of this car I want to go down to Jackson, Mississippi just to meet the seller! It’s listed for sale here on eBay and while there is a buy it now price on this 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door sedan of $7,999, lower offers are invited. It’s an unwanted inheritance, so there may be some negotiation room under that figure!
While the body shell is basically solid, there’s a major spot of rust-through on the hood where a battery was placed on it and there are some other areas of small perforations. There’s also a tricky dent to repair under the left tail light as you can see in this picture.
As the seller notes, you’ll be replacing all the glass — good thing it’s available from several different suppliers. However, most of the trim apart from the Bel Air lettering seems to be in place. The seller thinks it’s a 210 sedan but I’ll explain why we know it’s a Bel Air later.
Nothing to worry about here, but that floor looks strangely clean, doesn’t it? Let’s go back up top.
It’s actually a brand new floor that appears to be properly installed and seam-sealed! That’s a lot of work already completed, as long as it truly is installed well. The seller states that the seats are included but have no covering. Unless, of course, you want to continue sitting on the bare wheel that is there functioning as a seat!
According to the seller, this is the original V8 and surprisingly it runs off a bottle. The car actually drives as well but A) won’t go into reverse and B) has no brakes. At least you can (carefully) drive it onto your trailer when you go to pick it up!
The VIN plate tells us that this is a V8 Bel Air (the second digit “C” tells us that), that it was produced in St. Louis and was the 217,389th car produced there in 1955.
We can tell from the cowl tag that it’s a two-door sedan, that it’s original interior was #509 (blue cloth and vinyl) and that the paint code was #682 (India Ivory over Cashmere Blue) which the car still wears. So what do you think? Is this Mississippi find worth saving?
Definitely worth saving, but at a lower price that 8K, I think.
I like it. My first car was a 55 two door hardtop . It was a fun Belair to drive and not as long as the 60 impala models.
Who needs reverse just park in the street and in back of parking lots. 😂
It could just be linkage or something simple but its a basic two speed and easy to rebuild or get rebuilt if kept original.
Hey i have a 57 chev 3 speed manual in the garage if the new owner resides in the Midwest the that you can have 😎. I got it with a engine as a bonus but not needed ..
It’s mainly because i have a sweet spot for tri fives…
Definitely worth you saving. I’ll pass haven’t got my tetanus booster. I’m always amazed how far people will go on a restoration before they give up.
Give up? Remember, this is an unwanted inheritance…
‘Unwanted inheritance’? Hunh. Normally that refers to a susceptibility to certain diseases.
Who else’s first car was a ’55 Chevy sedan? Mine set me back all of $175, a very, very long time ago. 265 and a three-on-the-tree, that froze and snapped off the lever on me around 3 AM in a less-than-terrific neighborhood in LA. Good times!
My brother bought this ’55 Delray in 1962. I bought it from him when I was 15, in 1971. I paid $200 for it. We had replaced the original 265 in 1968 with a 283 out of a ’65 Belair. It had a 3 spd with overdrive and 4.11 rear gears. I put Belair side trim on it and usually ran with Cragar S/S wheels. It was stolen and wrecked (rolled) in 1979, but I bought it back from the insurance company. I took everything (engine,trans rear end, springs, steering etc) and put it all in a 55 Nomad that I still have. The wreck has been in storage for 40+ years now but recently a nephew wants to resurrect it, so it’ll be going to a new home this summer.
Don’t remember the “Delray” being a model for the 55 Chevrolets……. Think that was a later designation….
Awesome story! I could listen to ones like this all day long. My best wishes to your nephew in getting it back up and running. Please encourage him not to give up,no matter what obstacle(s) he may face in the process. Thanks again for the story😁
Delray was a submodel of the 210 sedan, replaced the club coupe designation of earlier years.Was available from ’54-’57. Delrays had a little nicer interior with vinyl headliners and carpet instead of rubber floor covering. Also had a different pattern and texture in the door panels and seat upholstery. In ’55, 3 Delray interior colors were available, blue and beige, green and beige and black and ivory. When I was a kid, finding a Delray was a special deal
Getting harder and harder to find in this condition!! 8k does seem steep in consideration of the work needing to be done but worth the work in my opinion!!!
Seam sealing separates the men from the boys as far as metal patch panels go. I’ve only done one restoration of a set of four floor panels for a long-departed Corvair sedan. Never want to have to “make things look factory” under the carpet ever again! On this Chevy, if the ametuer seam sealer is the ONLY thing holding them in, get ready to weld and grind. Your gain is having them already trimmed and fitted. PS : noted the lack of trunk floor and area by the gas pedal….PASS!!!
they’re welded
Just as a point of interest, this car has had an interior fire. I can’t think of another explanation why all the plastic knobs and lenses on the dash would be melted and all the glass being de-laminated. I don’t think it makes much difference regarding it’s condition but, they should have mentioned it in the description.
I agree. Plus, if I’m not mistaken, ’55 V8 cars had a V8 emblem under the taillight. And the ’55 exhaust manifolds were “ram’s head” design, not what’s on it.
You are right, the V8 cars had the emblem under the taillight.
My less than reliable memory tells me that those are original exhaust manifolds, as you could get either the ones pictured (which I call logs) or ram’s horns. After a google search I couldn’t get a confirmation of that.
A ’55 265 had a canister oil filter mounted up on the intake somewhere, like they were an after thought. I’ve heard stories(myths perhaps) that they were afterthoughts and not all ’55s had them. Install one yourself or at the dealer, could be why I’ve seen them on the left and sometimes on the right.
it’s a factory v8 belair
Not my old 55, but close to where I sold mine in 1966. In Louisiana. Bought it in Dairy Valley, Calif with 44,000 miles in 1964.
Notice this has a dent on right rear quarter in front of tail lite. Saw mine rite after I sold it with a dent in same spot. I still have the sales contract. Should check the serial. Funny if it was mine
hey Joe, if you saw the video, he explained the car was bought new & stayed in the family. Not yours…..
Busy taking cars to Scottsdale. No time for the video. I said it was not mine. Serial let me know for sure
How about the Hudson in the picture?
the guy who owns the place where I have it parked has several early 50s Chevys. the black one next to the ’55 is not for sale but the rest are
D E smith, couldn’t see any Hudson. Saw a black fleet line Chev beside it.
This has an HEI distributor, not original
this car is way past worrying about originality
This is my car. I did a little research AFTER making the video to realize it’s a real Belair. The pans are welded in place & seam sealed. I don’t know if the interior has been in a fire or not because the wiring under the dash is still good and it starts off the key. Maybe something burned but was put out before it could do too much damage? I don’t know so I took pictures so you can decide for yourself. I wouldn’t call it an unwanted inheritance. I just have too many irons in the fire to ever fix it. Would rather see it back on the road. thanks!
I love it just wish I had the money and the room . When I was in high school (1975)had a friend who had one just like it . They had it painted black and it was so cool looking . The high school I went to also had 2 owners . One bought off a preacher and bone stock .The other than that not sure where he got that one . Always wanted one . I remember the thing they did to the tri fives was to remove the front bumpers and gravel shields and place a pipe between the front frame horns . Then jack up the rear end at least a foot and a half to get the biggest tires and wheels they could .Aw the memories .
If I had the room and the time I’d jump on it, but for a lower price and it is far away from me.
As was mentioned, it was burned inside; funny he never mentioned that in the video. BUT, if you watch the video, you can see the two holes under the right tail light where the V8 emblem was, the left side is dented in, so you can’t see it. Too much for my blood.
Is it funny I didn’t bother to mention the faded paint either? why? I’m pointing the camera RIGHT AT IT. lol
So, no offense to the seller who has piped up and is probably amused that we’re talking about his car, but I’m unfortunately old enough to remember as other do, buying these for $250.00 as I did with my ’56 4 door hardtop in 1972.
Yes I know, its 2020 (gulp) but lets compare apples to apples. (Sort of). A car ( a very nice sano 4 door ’56 Chevy hardtop in canary yellow) that costs $250.00 in 1972, would all things being equal, cost about $1540.00 today. Now of course all things aren’t equal and in the intervening decades (half century almost) certain old cars have attained a desirability they didn’t have in 1972.
Still……………
So given its obvious condition I would think it will be a hard sell at anywhere near the ask.
Now about the 49-50 Chevy Fastback………….
I have carpets, seat covers, and door panels, from an identical car in two tone blue that I salvaged from an insurance job on a flood car. In good useable shape with very minor water staining, If the next owner is looking to do a low cost restoration, just ask. located in Barnard Vermont.
That’s not an original 265 small block intake, ignition,and I suspect not 265 small block exhaust manifolds.Enough to raise red flags? Wanna gamble $8g on just pics?
I don’t