Sedate silver and white with a raunchy red interior, this 1957 Chevrolet Nomad in Olympia, Washington comes to market in a nicely prepared listing with plenty of pictures and a decent description. Any seller including close-up shots of the car’s weaknesses gets bonus points in my book. Show the bad along with the good so the buyer doesn’t have to report to their significant other, “I bought the car, but the seller was a real jerk.” Check out the listing here on eBay where seven bidders have this two-door wagon’s market value over $25,000 without meeting the seller’s Reserve. Weak spots include some rust on the right headlight eyebrow and recently discovered leaking coolant and transmission fluid. When I tended bar in the ’80s, one of the older patrons told me you could cure a leaky Powerglide (or maybe it was a slipping Powerglide) with a metered dose of rolled oats. Don’t try this at home, sports fans!
The bright red dashboard and tri-color interior really pops against that subdued silver paint for a sort-of Naughty Librarian vibe. Anything non-original certainly looks appropriate in this iconic ’50s Nomad. In addition to the crazy delicious fins, the 1957 Chevy also gained this new space-aged instrument cluster, distinctly futuristic compared to the ’55 and ’56.
Anyone without giant fins in ’57 was yesterday’s news, and the Nomad with Bel Air trim and nautical bars on the tailgate makes the rear of these cars a feast for the eyes. That panel in the fin cap just above the left turn signal houses a clever hidden fuel filler. No fuel door visually interrupts the fantastic fins!
The 283 cid (4.6L) small block V8 hit the streets in 1955, and went on to power millions of vehicles until its retirement after model year 2002. Thanks to Wikipedia for some details. Just as Chevy’s LS motors have become the go-to powerplant family for hot-rodding today, the small block powered everything from Fords to motorcycles for decades, offering reliable cheap power. A two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission sends power rearward.
A more stylish tailgate opening may not exist. Dangle your legs from the carpeted tailgate with a beverage in one hand and a hot dog “all the way” in the other and you’ll never fail to attract conversations and praise from your event’s foot traffic. Hopefully a new owner will take charge of this Chevy’s few shortcomings and get this beauty into the wind on a regular basis. Where does the 1957 Nomad rank on your list of iconic American cars?
Rumor has it that less-than-honest blokes also packed a “measured amount” of sawdust in them…
The sawdust for a manual transmission
283 didn’t come out until 57
265 ci was still the standard for 57 if the car came with a 2 barrel carb and a standard transmission.
I’ll have to disagree with you on this one. I’ve owned and restored these cars for over 50 years and have had many original ’57s with 283 two and four barrel carbs with auto and manual trans. I’ve heard rumors that some early ’57’s came with 265’s but have never personally seen one.
Didn’t Chevrolet have a 265 cu. in V-8 before the 283 arrived ?
There is a band adjustment stud on a slip and slide going into the trans case drivers side that requires if I remember a 3/16 Allen wrench or socket and a 1/2″ wrench to loosen the jam nut.Loosen the nut and tighten the drum band and then back it off 1/2 turn.Did it on a few old b bodies when I was a teen and it would help.My buddy changed his trans fluid in his beater 70 bel air with a pg and had no trans left after about 5 miles.Fluid was like mud before he changed it.We didn’t know any better at 16 should have left it alone.Nice car always liked nomads.Glwts.
“Naughty librarian vibe” lol
Hidden fuel filer! I replaced several tail light lenses, because of fuel leaking onto the lense, when not careful!
The “small block Chevy” (265/283/327/302, and more modern variants) is the stuff of legend, for sure–far outpacing the “legendary” Ford flathead V8 from an earlier era. My dad and I built a fiberglass-bodied Model A roadster with a 265 bored out to 283, with a big 3-barrel Holley on top. I’m fairly sure that ’55 and ’56 were 265 only, with the 283 (including the fuelie variant) coming along in ’57. This ’57 Nomad is a bona fide icon, but the ’57 was never my real favorite–although I very much appreciate it. I have a worm spot for the odd-duck ’58–especially the first Impalas!
I had several small blocks in my 1955-63 Chevys. The latest 265 was in my 1979 Malibu Classic which lasted 165,000 miles until the frame rusted through from the Michigan winters but the engine still ran fine.
Just an FYI that has nothing to do with this, BUT, the 265 inch mouse showed up in 1955 MINUS an oil filter. Easy to ID a real block. Dealers installed a remote on top.
Nice looking car, and this was a neat “camping out” car with a sleeping bag (kept me off the ground).
He was just referring to the small block in general, not specifically the 283. Nice color combo.
LUV IT my neighr has one as a show car, just think in 1957 I was 25 years old.
That naughty interior is 100% bog stock,
“cloud” black cloth inserts and all, and it looks great!