Here is a truly wonderful 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Two Door Sedan Resto Rod in just gorgeous original Sierra Gold color coupled with the Adobe Beige, with the optional 'Gold' trim package, the presentation and luster are just a terrific paint and body work, the full custom interior is Havana Rust contrasted with Cream in a faux leather, the color scheme runs to the special back seating area hand installed through the rear package shelf, fresh show 400cid engine with 2x4s, full chrome has the master cylinder and power brake booster and other parts completed, all of this magnificent 1957 Bel Air looks just outstanding with the rear top fender moldings and side Bel Air chrome and insert that have been finished to perfection to couple the Bronze color, the fantastic chrome bumpers have guards, this whole car has been built to the highest standards both cosmetically and mechanically with a 50 mile build! the work is just completed in Atlanta Summer 2011, here is the ‘new’ 1934 Ford as this design appeals to many generations with the ‘50s design along with modern running gear along with ‘605’ power steering, terrific 4-wheel disc brakes, a fully built 400cid small block with complete pistons, crank and head work is built for street performance, extensive steel lines,
engine bay is highly chromed and set off with beautiful 2x4s, fresh 700R4 automatic transmission, modern air conditioning, full stock body appearance with original sheet metal, amazing chrome and stainless with all the ’57 trim, all new stock dash redone with Dakota Digital Dash and mechanical gauge system, tilt steering wheel, note that the current photos of the computer presentation do not show how beautiful the paint is ‘in person’, the luster and shine are hard to capture in pictures, the flow of this fabulous paint is wonderful, this contrasts to the extensive work with the outstanding chrome and large stainless with rear quarter dressing are areas that are unique to a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, the expensive Foose wheels fitted with Nitto rubber, full new uprated suspension and the 4-wheel disc brakes really set this 1957 Resto Rod apart from the crowd,
BODY/PAINT/EXTERIOR:
This 1957 body is all stock with very, very straight original sheet metal in outstanding condition, only the hood and deck lid are replaced with USA made exact reproductions that are as factory new and this explanation is the only way one would know the work is so factory correct today, the original Sierra Gold and Adobe Beige colors were retained and presented better than original due to high quality, the luster is really amazing and the color especially wonderful in the sun with the deep light metallic to produce a true ‘50s color, this features straightened & polished stainless and chrome around the car, the ‘57 fin top inserts and chrome appointments are either new or reconditioned to the highest degree noting that these rear window stainless pieces are very hard to find, refinishing the originals gives the best fit to couple to the new glass and rubber used, simply hard to find like this as the reproduction pieces are simply not as good as this is finished, and beautiful re-chromed believed original bumpers with rare bumper guards, all of the glass is new lightly smoked colored tempered safety glass,
The front 3 piece ‘original’ bumper with Chevrolet logo, guards and vertical bumpers along with the rubber stops are the high end optional pieces and these are done to perfection as is the rear bumper, these also match the ‘Gold’ trim, the vertical rear stainless pieces on the rear quarters are terrific, the same type work follows the whole car,
The underchassis is fully restored with the entire floor being replaced from the toe boards to the tail pan, these areas are reproduced ‘as factory’ today and said underchassis looks completely factory, (SEE LINK) the body was fitted, smoothed, blocked and smothered by a top body and paint shop to the highest standards for a wonderful finish, the paint is completed in basecoat/clear coat Sierra Gold & Adobe Beige. The Chassis features the desirable one piece frame style California frame that is 60 lbs lighter than norm and has been detailed in chassis black with contrasting gloss and argent silver details, said light weight frame is a factory design that yields a better handling car, the chassis work was completed while the body was on the rotisserie and finished with sealer and paint to protect, even the underside of the hood, the trunk interior and the bottom of the floor boards were also coated in Sierra Gold base/clear and polished, lastly, the car was fully color sanded and buffed to a mirror finish surface with wonderful luster,
INTERIOR:
The custom interior has been beautifully French stitched in Havana Rust and Cream faux leather fully matching, the custom door panels retain the original trim and 57 Chevy styling while the seats were refoamed before being covered. The headliner is new and the carpet was replaced with Daytona Square weave pattern at the same time and even the trunk was detailed with custom stitched Daytona carpeting to match, has a polished billet battery box. The gauges are the brand new Dakota Digital VHX line - their backlighting is awesome! The dash has been smothered in the same Sierra Gold paint and shines like it did when new, this area has taken lots of expertise, the Vintage Air GEN IV "Sure Fit" kit really keeps the 57 cool on the hot summer days and retains the stock style controls. The steering column is a full tilt ‘Ididit’ unit topped by a polished aluminum leather wrapped proper steering wheel and body color column, the pedals are top-of-the line Billet Specialty items, of course all the interior and exterior door handles are redone or repro as needed with optional door guards, This custom interior matches the style and quality of the ‘57 perfectly!
MECHANICAL:
Engine: The ‘57 is powered by a very desirable 400cid small block Chevy that is the best for street use, the engine was strong truck block specially chosen for reliability, it was completely rebuilt with pistons, bearings, camshaft and other full build work that included the fresh hydraulic lifter heads, this V8 is topped with a chrome dual-quad intake with the twin Edelbrock 500cfm carburetors with a K&N air filter in the Edelbrock cover, the streetable horsepower is about 300, finned valve covers that have a builder cost of $385, the carburetors are chromed the under hood presentation is fantastic, the ‘605’ power steering and the dual line master cylinder are chromed, if you like bright work, then hang on because every piece under the hood of this 57 is either chrome or polished aluminum. Check out the polished core support, hood brace, the large aluminum radiator and A/C condenser are installed, there are dual electric fans mounted, they're the state of the art for cooling and presentation, the engine accessories with pulleys are ‘Concept One Victory Series’, the factory correct ‘ram’s horn’ exhaust manifolds lead to the dual aluminized exhaust with all new hangers, this is a true dual system for that unmistakable Hot Rod music note with mellow sound to the mufflers, the transmission is a freshly built 700-R4 automatic overdrive. The ‘57 features amenities like a ‘605’ power steering box, polished braided stainless plumbing in the engine bay has over $700 in steel lines costing plus the build and fitting, custom aluminum radiator with the dryer and condenser, has the data plate on the fire wall (SEE LINK),
The 700R4 automatic overdrive transmission was custom built by Bulldog Transmissions, factory styled column shift lever, this has been road tested, the digital dash is all in the stock location with gauges and the shift pattern, the carburetors are set for cruising and tuned to this transmission in the limited ‘run in’ to date,
Electrical: completing the full build, the entire car has been rewired using the a ‘Painless Wiring Harness’ system to insure performance and safety, the headlights and taillights work properly, front headlights are halogens, the rear taillights have red lenses, the backup lights work, has a power rear antenna, the headlights have the front lense and chrome valence as original, to make the Dakota Digital Dash work correctly, there are 2 computers located under the front seat,
Suspension: when the final work was completed in August 2011 in Atlanta, the original bushings, ball joints and tie rod ends were found when the front end was replaced, the LINK shows these pieces, here is a solid notation how original this wonderful 1957 Bel Air is, the center link/drag link arm is rebuilt with seals, plugs and springs, the inner and outer tie rod ends with boots are new, the center link still had the original factory riveting when this work was started and is just replaced with the new ‘pressed on’ bushings, this has a front sway bar with polyurethane bushings, a special NASCAR design rear Panhard bar built by Port City Racing, the ‘attitude’ of the car looks great with the front springs having one coil out and a 2” block on the rear springs, all new shocks, the car sits great, all of this work has been finished by a Senior GM tech, full alignment to insure great driving,
The braking system has been upgraded to 4-wheel disc that stop the machine on a dime, these rear brakes have steel lines, the front hoses are new, the rear end features posi-traction in a 10 bolt housing and a very streetable 3.23 gear. The polished, expensive aluminum wheels shining like new chrome are 18" Foose special make that have special centers and lug nuts, they are wrapped in brand new Nitto radial low profile rubber (Rears: 255/40/18 - Fronts: 225/45/18) that give a great look ‘modern’ look and make handle well,
SUMMARY: One of the finest ‘50s resto rods available with complete build in Georgia , the Two Door ’55 and ’57 Bel Air sedans are the best of the collector ‘Hot Rod’ vehicles for a ‘modern’ cruiser with style, this setup appeals to all age groups in this 2011 period, this car was extremely expensive build as a project of love and creation from real ‘car guys’ who love the process of building automotive art, this write up is done to the best description with noting that more work was even put into this project just completed in Atlanta in for Fall 2011, $72,950