Vehicle Description
This 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air sedan is one of the most interesting
classics you'll ever come across. It's a labor of love where a
grandson took his grandfather's Chevy and completely restored the
interior to A/C comfort, and even put a powerful crate V8 under the
hood w/overdrive transmission. All of that is hard to tell, because
he left the paint and bodywork just how his grandfather left it.
It's hard not to fall in love with a sleeper, and a story like
that.
The exterior tells this car's history. It was purchased only a
couple of hours from our showroom, and the sedan has been a North
Carolina resident all its life. It was taken off the road and
stored in 1981. For the next 32 years, it sat in lying in wait for
a new generation to enjoy this now-classic Chevy. Since it spent
over half its life in enclosed storage, the mileage was
exceptionally low, and the paint and chrome was protected enough to
still be complete when the car was resurrected in 2013. In fact, it
had aged to that perfect patina that people often pay big money
these days to replicate. That became the base for something
interesting. We'll get to all the improvements and restorations
that happened within and under the car in a moment. But for now,
just know that the grandson kept many of the key original
components as he turned his grandfather's Bel Air into a one of the
most comfortable patina powerhouses on the road today.
If all you knew about this sedan was its weathered exterior, then
you'd be in for a shock when you opened the door. A huge investment
inside means it feels like a time capsule from '55. With only about
1,200 miles on the Chevy's interior since restoration, it shows
virtually zero wear on the intricate vinyl bench seats. In fact,
nearly every inch of the original two-tone blue interior was
replaced with the factory correct pieces. You really do see
evidence of the labor of love in how everything is present, right
down to the intricate dipping trim on the doors that's polished to
a mirror-like shine. The bright blue steering wheel is complete,
and the repainted dash has a smooth shine as it replicates the
Corvette's dual cowl design. All of this is worth the price all on
its own, and that's before you experience some of the upgrades. For
example, we bet you spotted the vents under the dash by now that
are supplying modern R134a air conditioning.
Under the hood is another one of this car's hidden gems. The '55
Chevy was known for introducing the small block V8 era, but it
never received anything this powerful. It's a 350 cubic-inch crate
motor that has been treated to upgrades such as an Edelbrock
intake, Edelbrock 600 CFM four-barrel carburetor w/electric choke,
March serpentine pulley system, MSD ignition, and shorty headers.
If this sounds like the recipe for a rumbling power machine, you'd
be quite right. But there's much more to this custom build. It also
has thoughtful components like a 700R4 transmission with a
highway-friendly overdrive, and an aluminum radiator with an
electric fan so this classic can run cool even when you're in
traffic with the A/C pumping. Starting to get the full picture?
Grandpa's ride might have more power, but it's still the perfect
all-day cruiser. In fact, the suspension was also restored to
include front sway bars, power steering, front disc brakes (which
required new Rally wheels), and a ton of new components to keep
this classic motoring at its best.
Complete with title docs, build receipts, maintenance records, and
a ton of restoration photos, you get a full file on this Bel Air's
interesting journey. There has been so much invested in this car
that we just don't have to room for it all, so call for all the
details...then again, with all these desirable upgrades at a
gone-tomorrow price, you might want to also ask if it's still here.
Call now!!