The Bel Air was a staple of the Chevrolet lineup for more than 30 years (1950 to 1981). It was replaced as the top full-size Chevy car by the Impala in 1959, repositioned as the mid-level offering above the Biscayne. This Bel Air is a station wagon from 1967 that runs and drives but needs an extreme cosmetic makeover. It begs the question of whether a restoration can be justified at $7,500 here on craigslist from its current perch in Lynden, Washington. Kudos to Mitchell G. for more of his sleuthing for tips like this!

For a time, Chevy wagons had an identity crisis with the Bel Air equivalents called Brookwoods in 1958-61 and again from 1969 to 1972. But in 1967 when the seller’s wagon was assembled, Bel Air script was used. This was the mid-way point for the successful generation of full-size Chevrolet vehicles built from 1965 to 1970 (with sales alone in 1965 exceeding one million units for one and only time).

This wagon was short on options when new, with a 283 cubic inch V8 being the primary extra. It was a step up from the basic inline-6, but far from a barn burner like the 396 “Turbo-Jet”. No automatic transmission is here as a “3-on-the-tree” manual was all the original owner would spring for. The odometer reads 20,000 miles but the seller says that 120,000 is more like it.

We’re told this is a running people mover with the only noted shortcoming being a broken aftermarket air conditioner. Most of the problems are cosmetic, beginning with the passenger compartment and the upholstery. Once you get done there, you can move outward to the sheet metal. Both fenders and quarter panels have been chewed on by the rust bug. Also, the floors may have similar issues.

It’s unclear as to how many Bel Air wagons were produced in 1967. Chevy assembled 179,700 Bel Airs, but the breakdown by body style and nameplate wasn’t documented. On the other hand, Chevrolet did identify 155,100 full-size wagons made in total. Suffice it to say these wagons were seen everywhere in the 1960s and 1970s. However, when was the last time you saw one on the road?