Vehicle Description
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad
The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad was in a class all its own. No
other station wagon has ever achieved the near-classic status
granted to Chevrolet's glorious 1955 Nomad - or come close. Even
Pontiac's similarly shaped Safari never matched a Nomad's style and
flair. Because hardtops accounted for nearly one-fifth of the
market and wagons nearly 15 percent, logic dictated a marriage of
the two. Nomad began as a popular Corvette-based dream car at the
1954 GM Motorama. Blending the posh airiness of a hardtop with a
wagon's practical virtues, the production Nomad debuted in February
1955.
For consignment, a 1955 Nomad that is in mid restoration with many
of the mechanicals buttoned up, a nicely redone interior, new
suspension and braking systems, and lots of new metal for the
undercarriage The body will need some attention, but all is there
for the taking and continuing of this 2-door wagon. Not to be left
out is the power rack and pinion steering, Rain Gear under dash
electric wiper system, 4 wheel power disc brakes, the small but
reliable 305ci V8 and low miles built to the hilt 200R4 automatic.
Let's dive in feet first and breathe in the 1st, and best, year of
the Tri-5 craze from the boys at the bowtie plant.
Exterior
Rakish is the only way to describe the Nomad, with its hardtop
door-glass framing and sloping rear quarters that parallels the
angle of the wide B-pillars. Styling touches include a fluted roof,
wraparound rear side glass, and rear-wheel cutouts. From the cowl
back, Nomads share little sheet metal with other Chevrolets, except
for the basic floor pan. The doors differ, because Nomads lack a
beltline dip and the rear quarter panels are unique due to the
wheel cutouts. We see an application of satin black covering the
lower body up to the chrome trimmed glass around the passengers
compartment with repairs that will need eventual cosmetic attention
due to some earlier rusting or denting, or misalignment. Up high is
the glossy red painted roof and within its huge expanse we note the
Nomad specific flutes and some light cranking of the finish. The
tailgate with its chrome ribs and Nomad badging folds down and the
upper liftgateopens with ease to allow you to load your cargo and
then some. With the gate open we see the lack of cable and
retractors but our consignor has rigged up some cables and lift
struts. For the chrome, the bumpers present with notable wear,
tarnishing and some surface rust. This tarnish and wear repeats
itself on the Ferrari-esque oval mouth eggcrate grille, however the
stainless surround remains looking nearly new. We also see that the
side trimmings have been removed giving the car a clean shaved
look. 15-inch deep dish Chevrolet rally wheels adorn the corners
with highly polished caps and trim rings all wrapped in like new
staggered width blackwall radials...Delicious!
Interior
A beautiful red waffle interior is seen on the door panels, and
front split bench and rear full bench courtesy of Ciadella
Upholstery. The seats and panels show very nicely and are
wonderfully retro with their chrome trimmings and smooth bolsters
surrounding the tuck and roll and waffle in red. The rear bench
retains its original waffle pattern seat as well and appears to
never have been sat in. A dual "fan style" front dash houses the
speedometer and switches on the driver's side, and a radio delete
panel in the center with a trio of black facegauges coveringit,
covered in multiple stamped bowtie patterns in an aluminum strip.
On the passenger's side is the second "fan" which has a mesh metal
to house a speaker and below a circular working clock. The Bel Air
badge in gold metal in your grandmother's handwriting is seen
attached to the black mesh. An aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette radio is
noted on the passenger side and a central black painted glovebox
adds a bit of contrast to the sea of red painted steel. A thickly
padded rally style steering wheel is seen fronting the dash, and on
the adjustable column is an aftermarket tachometer. Beautiful like
new red carpet floods the floors with a B&M Quicksilver shifter
riding the hump, and a snappy vented red vinyl headliner sports
chrome trim ribs at each seam. The back of the car also has nice
red carpet along with a wedgedshaped speaker box.
Drivetrain
Gracing a restored but slightly patined engine bay, a circa 1979
Camaro 305ci engine sporting a 4-barrel carburetor atop an aluminum
intake manifold. To add bling to this mechanical bauble are chrome
plated valve covers and a chrome air cleaner lid. On back is an
installed 400 miles ago Extreme Automatics 200R4 4-speed automatic
transmission with a 2400rpm stall converter installed. This
transmission is rated at 450hp and 400ftlb of torque should you
even want to increase the pony count under the hood. The rear is a
3.73 geared configuration in Ford 8.8" format courtesy of a Ford
Explorer.
Undercarriage
Virtually all new sheet metal with new toe boards, a 2 piece floor,
floor brackets, forward cargo area flooring, and inner and outer
rockers all being supported by the strong and solid factory frame.
To ensure proper fuel delivery a new fuel tank, tank straps, filler
neck, sending unit and stainless steel fuel lines have been
installed. The suspension is independent coil springs in the front
with 2" drop spindles and in the back are leaf springs with another
2" drop. Power 4 wheel disc brakes bring this mass of 50's metal to
a halt and headers and Pypes mufflers handle the exhale of spent
fossils.
Drive-Ability
A quick starter for the newer 305, and the test track proved no
match for this car as it exhibited straight panic stopping, smooth
acceleration and shifting, and 1955 Nomad handling. All good on
this test drive with only some wind noise to note from the door
glass and a few other mechanical frowns that reared their heads.
These amount to a horn that didn't beep, the speedometer and
odometer not tracking miles or speed, and the factory water and
fuel gauges being non functional. The steering was spot on thanks
to the power rack and pinion unit and cruising at low rpm was
easily achieved with the shifter button toggle for the converter
lockup function.
Gracing our Hallowed Halls with a ton of undercarriage work
performed, a reliablepowerplant under the hood and upgraded
overdrive transmission. Couple this with a nicely refinished
interior, and lots of nice features on this first year Nomad from
our friends at the General. Add your TLC and pick your color combo,
and you will have a first class classic.
VC55B141942
V-V8
C-2400 Series Bel Air
55-1955
B-Baltimore, MD Assy Plant
141942-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.
