1955 Chevrolet Bel Air/150/210

NOMAD WAGON Wagon

8 - Cyl.

Manual

VC55S210559

Gasoline

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 A CHEVY NOMAD WITH A SOUTHERN HISTORY This 1955 Chevrolet Nomad (body# 7356) built in St. Louis has an interesting history behind it. It was purchased from an Insurance impound lot to be restored in 1975. Many years before it had been side swiped on the left side and placed in the yard. The owner who purchased it stripped down everything and the body was fitted with a new sheet metal & frame and then the car was named “The Southern Gentleman”. It was painted 1975 Cadillac silver and burgundy along with a new engine and interior. Soon after the restoration, it was featured on the front cover of ‘Nomad News’ (volume 7, issue 9, 1977). I have included a copy of the front page of that edition (At the tail end of the photo) To this present day, the years have taken their toll on her, She is not in the prime glory as in 1977 following her restoration. She is still in good shape for a car 53 years old and would make quite a story being restored a second time. The Rise of "The Southern Bell) Engine and Drivetrain: Originally, the Nomad had a 265 V8 with a Powerglide transmission. Upon the restoration in the ‘70’s, the owner fitted the car with a high performance 1969 350. It’s bored .30 over with 12 ½ TRW pistons, 194 heads with pinned rocker studs, Z-28 cam powering the solid lifters with a 12+ compression ratio. The 4 BBL 650 double pumper Holley carb. and Torker manifold as described in the article, are NO longer with car and is now equipped with a 2BBl carburetor (rebuilt Feb.2010). I still run 91 Octane+ with that 12 compression ratio) I also had the existing distributor upgraded to an electronic one. The exhaust system is in good shape and has double ‘Camel back” headers along with a set of Twin Magna Flow mufflers (Installed in Feb, 2010). It has a Muncie close ratio four speed with a Hurst shifter along with a 1957 Corvette posi rear end. It shifts well, although I find the linkage to be a bit tight at times which I believe is due to not being used regularly. With a few pumps, the engine starts right up and sounds great with the Magna Flows. The gas tank was flushed in 2001 by previous owner. Odometer reads 108316 but actual mileage in UNKNOWN. Exterior: The exterior of the car is in fair shape for being 55 yrs old, however it does have a lot of rust on the exterior areas. The original paint code for this car is 615 Shorline Biege/Gypsy Red with 544 Trim of beige vinyl/red waffle. The roof and bottom have cracked paint and most of the silver and red paint is gone with primer showing through in some areas. The hood has rust (nothing that has gone through), but will need metal prep. The tailgate operates and opens and closes (two NOS cables have been installed) as it should and fits well along with the drivers and passenger side doors. The panel under the tailgate has some filler (meaning Bondo) and will need to be repaired. There is some filler on the bottom of the tailgate along with some dents between the ribs that have filler, but is solid. The front sheet metal fits OK and are rot free along with the driver’s side and passenger side door. The left quarter panel has filler in it. There is filler around the front side of the wheel well opening and some under the gas door. I would recommend for a quality restoration that a new left quarter panel be installed. The rain gutters are in fair shape and there is rust in the usual rust areas on Nomads. The right door has been re-skinned. The glass is all original. There is some slight fogging on the windshield and a very small crack in the passenger glass below eye level and some slight bubbles in the wind wings, but overall the glass is in good shape. Most of the chrome on the car will need to be re-plated, but is complete. Interior: The interior of the car is in fair shape. The headliner bows are complete with a little surface rust, garnish molding is complete but with a little surface rust also. Some will shine up, but others will need to be re-plated for restoration. The seats are correct ’55 and have good end shells, springs, tracks and hinges. The door panels are showing their age and the stainless trim is from a ’57 The carpets will need to be replaced. I pulled up the front carpet to show the floorboards. The steering wheel, window latches, stainless kick panel and other Nomad specific interior parts are in good shape for their age. There are also some aftermarket gauges for the temperature and oil pressure mounted at bottom of dash. The windows work well with regulators while the sliders work with help. I recently just made a brand new cover for the back spare tire area, and layed it over in black carpet. Electrical: Electrically wise, everything seems to be working. Under the dash, the wire loom seams good and is believed to have been replaced during its restoration in ’75. The wiring to the back has splicing. The headlights, taillights, horn, turn signals, brake lights and dash switches are working. Original pushbutton radio is there but does not work. Perhaps a replacement tube or two, may bring it back to life. Wouldn't that be Nice. Brakes: It sports 4 Monte Carlo Wheels. The brakes are not “power assisted” type but were gone through in Feb 2010 and new brake shoes along with front wheel cylinders were installed. The tires came with the car when I purchased it and have about 60 to 70 of tread remaining. SUMMARY Overall, this ’55 Nomad (The Southern Gentleman) is in fair shape for its age and would be a great car to restore and make a Nomad enthusiast proud to own. This Nomad will take a lot of paint preparation to get it back to it prior beautiful shape The car is drivable for my occasional 10-15 mile trips to and from Moorpark, CA & back, but I would not recommend it for any long trip until it’s fully restored. I recommend you (OR have a professional mechanic) has this car inspected). My 55 Nomad is sold “AS IS’. Anybody with a score of 10 or less please call me before bidding. PLEASE call me with any questions PRIOR to bidding. Remember by bidding on this car you are entering into a legal contract. My name is Don and I can be reached at (805) 231-8181 from 10am to 6pm all days. Please check my feedback. I take it very seriously and I treat people as I would wish to be treated. Payment: $ 500 due via paypal within first 48 Hours and balance within 7 days. I will help with loading of vehicle IF picked up at my address. I have had good luck with Uship.com for transporting of vehicles and such.