The Bel Air nameplate was a Chevrolet mainstay in the U.S. from 1950 to 1975. It began as a snappy 2-door hardtop, but the series was expanded to other body styles beginning in 1953. The ’53 Chevies were heavily restyled versions of Chevrolet’s post-war cars – in anticipation of the “Tri-Fives” that would arrive in 1955. The seller’s 1953 Bel Air 4-door is a well-used sedan that was last started nearly 20 years ago. Needing a full restoration, this Chevy can be found in a garage in Wichita, Kansas, and is available here on craigslist for $3,500.
Beginning in 1953, the pecking order for Chevrolet cars would be the 150, 210, and Bel Air. That arrangement would continue through 1957. Since a V8 was still two years away, the seller’s car should be equipped with a 235 cubic inch inline-6 that would have been rated at a whopping 108 horsepower. However, a 2-speed Powerglide automatic transmission was included as manual shifters were slowly finding new competition. In 1953, Chevy produced more than 246,000 multi-door sedans in Bel Air trim, like the seller’s car.
From what we’re told, this Bow-Tie was last started in 2007. So, it’s safe to assume it will need work now, though the 6-banger was rebuilt 10 years before that. This machine must have been a busy beaver in its first 50 years, as the odometer has turned over and still shows 84,000 miles. Somewhere along the way, the car has been converted from a 6-volt system to a 12-volt as that’s the kind of battery under the hood. Needless to say, the ole Chevy will need a new set of tires.
We’re told the body is good, though the driver’s side rocker panels seem to have caught the rust blight. Anything that’s been sitting for at least two decades is bound to have run across more corrosion. The interior is worn out from the effects of both Mother Nature and the passage of time. So, the next buyer should go into this thinking a full restoration is in order. If you can get away with less, so be it. An attaboy goes to “Zappenduster” for the tip!
I guess you’d have to wonder if it’s worth the effort on this one.
Good write-up on this. Some don’t know that the Bel Air was only available as a hardtop in 1950, 1951 (my favorite) and 1952.
And that it became the top “trim package” available in 1953 (on 2dr, 4dr, post and hardtop), bumped by the Impala in 1958. This may be a parts car.
in 1958 bel aire still top model Impala was just a trim option on a bel aire Impala did become it’s own model till 1959
Is that an 8-volt battery from a golf cart or what?
My old hippy car buddy has a 53 four door in just about the same condition as this one. Completely original with plenty of rust, miles of slack in the steering, and basically no exhaust. He shows it regularly just to get people talking. Our little band of gearheads has been all over northern Alabama/southern Tennessee in that thing. When you reach a certain age, you just chill and take the ride.
I’m pretty sure it’s an 8 volt. My uncle had a 1-1/2 ton ’50 Chevy truck that he converted to 8 volt. I seem to remember it required some big ceramic piece, maybe a resistor?
I used an 8 volt battery in my 41 Chevy sedan for many years. The only modification I made was resetting the voltage regulator to charge at 9.6 volts. The starter handles it easily
and the 6 volt bulbs had new life – for a while anyway. I ended up converting to 12 volt when the 8 volt battery died. They’re harder to find and around here cost more than 6 or 12 volt batteries.
The above listed car reminded me of one I looked at at a friend’s rural farm. He’s in his 80s and has been a 49 – 54 Chevy expert since they were new. He has a 53 that looks just like this, but the darker 2 tone is red. He said it was a demonstrator and his has first year power steering. While I was on his farm with him and his 93 year old brother, we pulled a 54 BelAir 2 door sedan out of a collapsing quanset building. That one has power windows and power seat, new options for that year.
I never knew you could get an autronic eye on a ’53 Chevrolet. That, to me, was always a luxury car item, Cadillac, Lincoln, Imperial.
I guess I’m just used to seeing most 50s cars as basic transportation.
One thing that always impressed me was even on the most basic 150, the vent windows were still crank operated. You had a big crank for the big window and a little crank for the vent window. High luxury for a Chevy.
The 1953 Chevy 4dr was my father’s first car. I was 5 yrs old at the time; it was light yellow cream with dark green roof. I still have a poster size magazine ad for that car with the same colors as his new Chevy. I was told that he bought the car from a fleet destined to be used as taxis in Chicago. Total payment was $2,400. I think he got no deal there since he could have bought a new Hudson for that much money. Decades later in 1970 I paid $2,400 total price for my first car, a 1971 Ford Pinto. Like father like son. He drove that car until he bought a new 1956 Pontiac, white and grey.
@Steven Mehl
My father bought a brand new ’53 Chevy 150 for around $1200. It was the very basic no frills model 2 door post in all black.
I was born 7 months later but I remember that car as a 4 year old
talk about prices for new cars my first brand new car after I got out of the service was a new special order because I wanted power windows was a new 1967 Corvette,$4200 out the door times have changed
Days gone by not worth restoring
I don’t know if you would want to restore this but I think you could revive it and get it back on the road for not too much money. The biggest expense may be the tires. Do some checks like compression test if the engine turns before making an offer. Maybe get lucky and have spark at the plugs. If the power bay checks out then my younger self would probably go for it. I think that this is too good to be a parts car. This would be nostalgia for me as the first car I remember my Dad driving was a 1953 two door manual transmission. I still have a picture of it with the family posing around it in 1957. GLWTS.
With all due respect Russ I don’t see a big problem with the interior. Probably needs front seat upholstery but everything else just needs to be cleaned. It even has an intact headliner (but who knows what’s in it, LOL). The seller mentions drivers side floor pan, (there goes a Saturday afternoon) but the trunk floor looks fine. It needs paint, at least that gives me something to do. But the chrome is shot. I’d probably paint the chrome. And the engine? Who cares? I love the sound of a 6 cylinder hitting the bottom of a dumpster. Plenty of cheap used engine/trans combos out there.
6 cly no buick in the 50s ever had a 6 cyl either a straight 8 or a V8 no 6
A family cousin won this same car, new, light blue with a dark blue top, on a game show, and drove it for about 21 years. She got rid of her 1934 Ford some time around the mid 1950s. But I could not see putting in the money to restore this one. I agree with those who say, get it running and mechanically reliable with new tyres, Lysol the daylights out of the seats, headliner, and trunk, throw moving-blankets over the seats, keep the weathered exterior, and then drive it as something of a rat-mobile.
Hey, you guys are too fussy! Those Chebbies (sic) were pretty bulletproof. Get it running, put on some new shoes and give it a “budget” schpritz job and you’ve got a nice, comfy, classy cruiser for what? Ten grand tops?
Can’t beat that with a stick in my book!
(‘Course the ’54s were even better looking in the grille/taillight departments.)
I agree that the front and rear 1954 “refresh” grearly improved the look of Chevrolet from its 1953 dowdiness: the sides of both years were the same.
very easy to make a 1953 look like a1954
Clean interior , Put on chrome reverse rims , Small white wall tires and “Joes fish bait and tackle ” decals on each front doors and there you go just perfect !