1961 Chevrolet Bel Air/150/210

Biscayne Sedan

235

Manual

111690105314

Clear

Gasoline

This 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne was purchased new at Caddle Chevrolet in Roseville, California by a single lady named Vera Williams. She took very good care of the Biscayne, keeping it garaged and driving it regularly although sparingly, until 1990. While she had quit driving at that point, she continued to register the car until 1993 (she never installed the DMV stickers after 1990 – I’ve got those in her envelope). In 1995, she gave the car to a nephew who lives not too far from me in Western Oregon, where the car sat in a carport until two years ago. At that point, the nephew realized that he was never going to do anything with the car, and it sat outside in another local town for a couple of years, until I got it. I have the original, signed off California title - you will technically be the second owner. All of that time sitting in a garage in California helped to keep everything in very good condition. The body is pretty clean and straight, the seals and gaskets are soft and effective, and the chrome and trim is in amazing condition. However, a number of years in sitting in wet Western Oregon didn’t help at all. The car got quite a bit of moisture inside, which served to corrode just about everything. All of the interior metal has surface rust on each part, and there is quite a bit of corrosion on every electric contact point. The worst issue on the car, however, is the floors. While there is not a single spot of rust through anywhere on the body, the front and rear floors on the driver’s side are rusted through, and the floors on the passenger side are not great. While this is very repairable, it will require patch panels. The car runs and drives wonderfully, just as you might expect from a 1961 Chevrolet with just over 67,000 original miles on. Keep in mind, though, that the car has been sitting for the better part of 25 years, and that the tires are about 50 years old. When I got the car, the original Rochester single barrel carburetor was not functioning – it’s in pretty bad shape, and would likely serve as parts or maybe a core – so I installed a Carter single barrel I had from a Chevrolet 235 in a truck. The Rochester has an automatic choke, the Carter has a manual choke which I’ve not hooked up. The 235 starts easily and runs great. The clutch seems good and strong, and the three speed manual (three-on-the-tree) works just as it should. Steering and brakes are just what you would expect of the car, although the parking brake will not stay set (you can step on the pedal and the brakes will grab, they just won’t stay set). There is no muffler or tailpipe, only a header pipe, so it can get a little loud. The passenger side hood hinge is broken. Please don't think you'll be driving the car home unless you live around the corner. It's been sitting a long time. It could easily be a daily driver with a very little bit of work, but it's not one now. As I said, the body is in great condition, with the exception of the floors. You’ll see in the pictures a couple of areas where the paint has gone missing – these are areas of surface rust only. The only rust-through I can find is in the floors. The door jambs are beautiful, all the doors open and close properly, the glass is near perfect, everything locks and unlocks and rolls up and down just like it should. The driver’s door appears to have been damaged at some point, shows signs of repair and still has a couple of dings on it. The paint appears mostly original, and is in condition consistent with the story of the car. The stainless and chrome throughout is truly incredible – there is a ding in the rear bumper, and one of the rocker moldings has a small ding. That’s it. The interior needs some help. There are seat covers on the seats that have been there nearly forever, and show it. The original upholstery under the covers appears better than the covers, but it will still need plenty of attention. The door panels look pretty good, but the driver’s panel is ripped. There is no headliner in the car, although the bows remain. All of the metal will need to be painted inside, including the dash. The speedometer and other gauges seems to work, but I can’t say I’ve really thoroughly tested them. The radio does not turn on. The rubber mat on the floor is ok, but not great. Count on replacing or restoring pretty much everything inside the car. There is a lot there to work with, but it’ll need work. I’ve not managed to get any lights to turn on in or on the car. I’d bet that the various switches are simply corroded, but I’ve not looked. In summary, it is a very sweet, clean and original old Chevrolet. It could easily become your restoration, hot rod, or daily driver. Please contact me with any questions you might have prior to bidding. If you are the winning bidder, I expect you to contact me within 2 hours by email. Also, I'll need a $500 deposit via PayPal within 24 hours and full payment within 7 days, unless we've made other arrangements prior to the sale. Please plan on retrieving the car within 14 days, unless we've made arrangements prior to the sale. I'll be glad to help with loading the car on your transport or trailer, but you are responsible to pick it up.