1957 CHEVROLET 210 SPORT SEDAN
1-of-10 FUEL INJECTION FACTORY SURVIVOR
The present owner has owned this frame-on restored, factory-original survivor fuel injected 210 sport sedan (four-door hardtop) since July 2006. Of the 1530 Chevrolet passenger fuel-injected built by the factory in 1957 only 10 were 210 four-door hardtop
models. It is in excellent driver condition – a frame-on restoration was recently completed. This is a 283 c.i., 250 H.P. car with a powerglide. It was assembled in Janesville, Wisconsin on April 1957. The car was ordered new at the Chevrolet dealership in Cold Spring, MN. The present owner has spoken by phone several times with the original owner and was told that the car was special-ordered at his family’s dealership. He indicated that he eventually got rid of the “troublesome” fuel injection system and replaced it with a 2-barrel carburetor. He also said that the car originally came with a turboglide transmission and that also proved to be unreliable so he replaced it with the powerglide (bought from the dealership) that it presently has. The present owner was going to replace the powerglide with a turboglide but most of these turboglides (1957-61) have been scrapped and are hard to find. The few that were found were mostly incomplete or junk so the exchange was never made. There have been 5 owners of this car. The present owner has communicated with all of the previous owners up to the present time. All of the previous owners have been residents of Cold Spring, MN and have known each other practically their whole lives. The titled owners were/are the first, fourth and fifth (present owner). The second and third owners never registered the car in their names. The odometer shows slightly over 100,000 miles on it. The original engine was apparently long gone before the present owner got the car (the replacement 283 block was a 1958). Because of the passage of time trying to find out as to what happened to the original engine proved to be a mystery so that’s where it stands. The present owner installed a 1957 Chev. 283 block with the correct “997” heads (these are extremely hard to find and very expensive) and the correct deep groove pulleys. It has a new repaint (single-stage) black exterior with a correct new C.A.R.S. reproduction beige/gray interior. During the resto there was some minor rocker rust repair but otherwise the car is basically rust free (unusual for a Minnesota car of that vintage). It is a very straight car and as we all know a black exterior is not very forgiving as it will highlight flaws such as imperfect body work, waves, wrinkles, etc. The engine suffix pad has the stamping F317FJ and this translates to Flint, March 17, powerglide fuel injection.
The original owner (who by the way is almost 90 years old and still very lucid) was asked by the present owner, right after getting the car, if he had the original dealer
paperwork for the car but it ended up getting lost or misplaced. However, he did send
8 registration slips and an “American Family Insurance” premium notice for 1970-71.
He did a notarized “Verification of Authenticity” for the present owner regarding his
history with the car. In this document he also lists the names of the 2 unregistered
owners. These documents go with the car. This car has the complete peripheral FI components:
– Rebuilt vacuum wiper motor with the Electro-vac switch (repro).
– Repro metal clip (on the firewall) to hold the electric choke “pig tail” fuel injection only wiring harness/connector for the air meter (NOTE: this is a repro wiring
harness/connector – the original was taken out [frayed wires] and is included with
the purchase of the car).
– Air intake hose bracket (repro) that is attached to the driver-side radiator support
– Rebuilt Electro-vac (with Trico string tag) affixed by correct clutch head screws to
the radiator support.
– Original w/car passenger-side exhaust manifold with no choke tube hole drilled –
fuelies only.
– Repro metal band to attach the air intake hose to the air cleaner.
– 3/8-inch fuel line (original to the car).
– Original air cleaner with repro 4-inch flex air hose.
– Original rebuilt fuel filter.
– Original rebuilt 906 distributor.
– Rebuilt long-screw fuel pump.
– Repro (Trim Parts) fender FI flag emblems with correct diameter (1/8”) mounting
studs just like the originals. The FI scripts that are mounted right below the flags
are NOS. NOTE: factory fuelie flag & script fender mounting hole diameters are
slightly larger than 1/8” (the factory did not drill but rather punched these holes).
The car’s original flag emblem colors are all faded or rubbed off – these and the
original scripts have been saved and go with the car.
A fellow that lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada and who owns a restored factory-built ’57
BA sport coupe fuelie is doing a ’57 Chevy fuel injection factory-built survivor
passenger cars directory. He has spent a few years trying to locate the real factory built ones and needless to say he has come across many phony replicas. He said that
he’s come up with approx. 35 factory survivor fuelies (out of 1530 built) in various
conditions. He is aware of this car. He has told the present owner that this is the only
210 4D HT fuelie extant that he’s aware of.
It should be stressed that this car is a factory-built fuel injected survivor, NOT one of
the many phony replicas that are prevalent in various car auctions, car shows and/or
for sale at various venues from time to time. Therefore the odds of finding a 1-of-10
factory survivor 1957 Chevrolet 210 4D HT such as this one are pretty much zero. So
it is obviously an extremely rare car. All pertinent paperwork and names of all previous
owners of the car go with the sale.
