Vehicle Description
If you want a cruiser that looks like a show-winning magazine cover
car that's totally sorted and ready to cruise, this 1960 Chevrolet
Bel Air 2-door is ready to rock. Comprehensively upgraded from a
bare-bones commuter car, it's now a fantastic resto-mod packing a
thundering 427 that's ready to take some names.
Finished earlier in 2017, the build only has 7 (yes, seven) miles
on it, so it's extremely fresh. Starting with a clean, original car
was the key to getting such spectacular results and it really
shows. Hailing from someplace friendly to vintage sheetmetal, it
needed no major surgery to get back into shape. It was stripped
bare, a few bumps and bruises were repaired, then it was covered in
a few coats of brilliant Viper Red, which is bright enough to cause
eyeball damage. It got a frame-on restoration (you can see just how
clean it really is in the chassis photos, so it didn't need to come
apart), and they did go the extra mile to get those long quarter
panels straight and smooth and to ensure that all the wonderful
details of the 1960 Chevrolet design were crisp and sharp. The
wrap-around windshield is in excellent condition, and the sleek
roof line makes it look fast just standing still. The Bel Air
didn't have as much brightwork as the Impala, but don't worry,
there's still plenty of bright trim, including delicate stainless
outlining the tailfins and handsome chrome bumpers that tuck in
tight to the bodywork. The crossed-flag emblems are a reminder that
this car is packing some horsepower and those flattened "gullwing"
style fins out back are definitely jet-age cool. There aren't many
cars that can compete with this one on sheer eyeball appeal.
The interior is as well-finished as the bodywork, and just as
extroverted. The original seats were reupholstered in bright red
ultraleather, and the entire point of the build was to keep an OEM
flavor while stepping it up a notch. Everything looks fairly stock
at a glance, but when you look closely, there are a lot of features
that make this an awesome road trip machine. The gauges in the dash
are modern Auto Meter units that look like they were born there,
there's a tilt steering column with a billet wheel, and the design
certainly looks like it belongs in a vintage Chevy. Vintage Air
heat and A/C was added using small vents under the dash that don't
distract from the design. Speaking of the dash, it was nicely
restored to stock specs, there are new carpets on the floor, and
the original AM radio is still in the dash once you hear this
sucker run, you won't wonder why. Open the massive trunk and you'll
find more custom work that is just beautifully done to OEM
levels.
The original six-cylinder engine was dumped in favor of a rebuilt
427 cubic inch V8 with a whole bunch of upgrades. Lots of billet
aluminum and chrome gives it a high-tech look, with Chevrolet valve
covers and a matching open-element air cleaner. With a mild cam, it
makes enough horsepower to be entertaining but at the same time, it
was designed to be a superior long-distance cruiser, so it's still
pretty tame. A 4-barrel carburetor on a polished intake makes
plenty of power and is easy to tune, and the new accessory drive
system uses a serpentine belt for reliability. Power steering,
Wilwood front disc brakes, a sturdy TH350 3-speed automatic
transmission, and that lowered suspension all help make this Chevy
feel decades younger. 20-inch chrome wheels give it a slick, modern
vibe and are fitted with 255/40/20 front and giant 315/35/20 rear
performance radials that fill those big wheel wells.
Nicely finished and totally sorted, this very slick Bel Air more
than delivers on the promises made by its outrageous look. Call
today!