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No Nomad: 1955 Chevrolet 150 Wagon

When it comes to Chevrolet two-door station wagons, the stylish 1955 Nomad is the 800 lb. gorilla in the enthusiast’s realm. Stylish and collectible, the 68-year-old icon still grabs major attention. But the Nomad wasn’t the only two-door game in the Bowtie’s lineup as they offered the same body style, without the flair, in both the 150 and 210 trim levels. For your review today, I have a 1955 wearing 150 trim that has undergone the usual suspects of mods. It’s not Nomad cool but it’s still review-worthy. Located in Tehachapi, California, this neat old station wagon is available, here on craigslist for $19,900.

So, why two-door station wagons? After all, a wagon should be about convenience, right? Well in the case of the Nomad, it was all about adding some hipness to the dowdy wagon. Suburbs, and kids, were exploding in numbers in the ’50s and the top-level BelAir Nomad took some of the sting out of pop’s wounded pride when consigned to station wagon duty. As for the lower echelon 210 and 150 series, the 150 was known as the Handyman which means that its appeal was likely with tradespeople more so than with families – no need for unnecessary doors. Also, there is a suggestion that with only two doors, Junior couldn’t look at the door release and think, “Hmmm, what’s this do?” and launch himself out into traffic. Whatever the case, it’s a bygone design but was fairly popular back in the day. As for station wagon production stats, here’s the ’55 Chevrolet lineup:

  • 150 Two Door:  17,936
  • 210 Two Door: 29,916
  • 210 Four Door: 62,303
  • Nomad Two Door: 6,103
  • BelAir Four Door: 24,313

Appearance-wise, this wagon has a bit of a late ’60s/early ’70s vibe to it with its gray primer and star-styled wheels. The body is devoid of stainless trim which is correct for this model while some of the body panels are looking lumpy. This wagon underwent a frame separation but the seller suggests that bodywork and glass replacement is necessary. That said, it shows as being sound overall.

As for the usual suspects that I mentioned earlier, this wagon is running with a 350 CI V8 engine from 1979 – no details beyond that, and a Turbo-Hydramatic 350, three-speed automatic transmission – pretty standard hotrod stuff. But, there is more, specifically a Camaro rear axle, dropped front spindles with disc brakes, a new fuel tank, and an aluminum radiator. How does it perform? Not stated.

The interior is not well-photographed but what’s visible looks pretty good. It’s a red vinyl environment with a bench seat and a B&M-style floor shift. There is an aftermarket tiller in place and the cargo area appears to be nicely finished – it’s a shame that there are no better-detailed listing images. The seller does mention that there is new wiring in place. Oh, and that BelAir dash badge – probably just added for appearance purposes.

There’s a lot of good that has been bestowed upon this wagon and it seems that ’55 Chevies never lose popularity. And of course, this one’s not a Nomad but the seller isn’t asking a Nomad price either. That said, what do you think of the $19,900 ask, priced right or not quite?

Comments

  1. joe smith

    My first project, a 57 210 2 door. Surprising how rusted and beaten an 11 year old car was back then.
    Can’t count the number of times I had to say “it’s not a Nomad !

    Like 3
  2. Chris Cornetto

    A decent looking unit that has likely never seen the horrors of a northeast winter season.

    Like 5
  3. bobhess bobhess Member

    Don’t know about the asking price but so far this is a great start on what should be a great car when finished.

    Like 5
  4. Joe Haska

    A very desirable body style with lots of the work already done, but the most expensive work is left. Now it’s first grade math ,what’s the best deal?

    Like 1
  5. TIM HAHN

    Every panel looks wrinkled. Cost a fortune to fix this car up.

    Like 9
  6. Tyler L Sharpe

    By the way, a 2 door 150 or 210 wagon IS NOT the same body style as the Nomad. The only thing shared is the front clip and the fact that both bodies had 2 doors.
    The Nomad shared windshield glass with the hardtops & the convertible, but all of the other glass as well as the body is unique to the Nomad. The other wagons are much taller & box-shaped because they are sedan ‘post’ based. The hardtops & convertible are much lower rooflines… as is the Nomad.
    While replacement doors and quarter panels are available for every ’57 Chev… except for the Nomad where nothing interchanges because it is it’s own thing.
    Park a wagon next to a Nomad, and the differences are striking!

    Like 6
  7. Headturner

    150 would not have side trim so this is probably a 210 series. Anything is possible though when they are this old.

    Like 2
  8. geezerglide 85

    I was never a fan of the ’55 Nomads, I really think these are better looking. I
    never cared for the big rear wheel openings on ’55 Nomads (they were gone for ’56 and ’57). At the right price this could be a fun project, do some more body sculpting and a nice coat of grey or white even to go with that nice red interior. It doesn’t have to be perfect to be fun. I don’t know who decided we needed 2dr. wagons back in the fifties but I always liked them.

    Like 1
    • Rw

      Not really they have hardtop stye doors but,are the length of two door post.

      Like 0
  9. Rw

    Had one for years finally got so tires of people saying cool nomad I just gave up and said thanks .

    Like 1
  10. Thomas w Condon sr

    I have a 55 belair 4 door wagon I got in 1980 in calf I love driving in summer

    Like 0

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