1955 Chevrolet Bel Air

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!!