1957 Chevrolet Bel Air/150/210

4 Door Sedan Sedan

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

VC57K164378

Gasoline

JUST DISCOVERED... one-family owned for the past 52 years, 1959-2011 ! 1957 Bel Air 4 door sedan, an original 283 engine Turboglide automatic transmission car, no power steering, no power brakes, factory AM pushbutton radio. The 283 engine in the car is still original, but the transmission is now believed to be a Turbo 350 automatic. Original color Sierra Gold (copper) lower and Adobe Beige upper. Some numbers from under the hood: Style 57-1019D Body K17092 Trim 667 Paint 818D Engine pad stamping: F501G Carburetor tag number: 7011131 Intake manifold casting number: 3732690 date D307 Radiator number: 3137077 BACKGROUND On a recent trip to Nebraska to visit relatives, I picked up the local newspaper and found this '57 BelAir in the classified ads. The seller, a 74 year old man, said his mother purchased the car used in 1959. Upon mom's death the car passed to the seller's sister and brother-in-law. The seller acquired the car in 2003 when his brother-in-law died. The seller had kept the car in constant indoor storage for the past 8 years and had done nothing to it during his ownership other than to buy the 4 new whitewall tires which are currently on the car. Any other upkeep/repairs/modifications to the car were done by the brother-in-law prior to 2003. Having no interest in the car other than to just hang onto it as a treasured family keepsake, the seller could not fill me in on anything that was done to the car by his deceased brother-in-law. After 3 days of haggling with the seller, I was able to purchase this '57. I drove it 20 miles to my cousin's farm. The car runs and drives excellently at 65 miles per hour, but it is loud because of a hole in the muffler. It goes straight down the road, the steering is tight with no straying to the right or left, and the 1957-era single master cylinder and drum brakes stop the car safely and in a straight line. With my visit with my Nebraska relatives at an end, I left the '57 BelAir behind, parked in a machine shed on the farm, and returned to Wisconsin. Back home to reality, I suffer the curse of many old car lovers: no space, too many projects, not enough time. I really want to bring my new toy home but practicality dictates that I put it up for sale. This is a good running, very solid little car that with a little TLC would make someone a nice driver as is. Beyond that, it's a good foundation for a restoration project. BODY Prior to being put into storage in Nebraska in 2003 by the previous owner, this 1957 BelAir lived its entire life in the Wichita, KS area. Evidently, the climate in Wichita is kind to car bodies, because the sheet metal on this car is very well preserved. Rear quarters and rocker panels are original and appear to be rust free. The bottoms of both front fenders, however, have been patched and have been painted over in red primer. The rest of the paint on this car is the factory original copper and beige and after 54 years it is weathered, dull, and worn thin in a few places. The trunk floor is original and has no rust holes or repair patches, including at the very rear of the trunk floor where it meets the rear of the body, or in the spare tire well. There is surface rust on the trunk floor, however, from water being trapped under the trunk mat. All four door edges are very good and free of crunchy rust, but the door weatherstrips are hard, cracked, broken and in need replacement. The hood will not stay fully closed because the circular spiral spring in the hood latch is broken and in need of replacement. The glass in the car is decent with no cracks evident, but a small area at the lower edge of the front windshield has begun to cloud. All exterior moldings/trim/emblems are weathered, consistent with the 54 year old weathered condition of the rest of the exterior. Headlights, taillights, and directional signal lights all work. Both the front and rear bumpers are solid, with the chrome beginning to peel off the rear bumper. The front license plate bracket is not seen on the front bumper in the photos... it was found loose inside the car and is included with the car. (Likewise, the center grill plastic emblem is not seen in the photos... it was found inside the car and is included along with a metal backing plate... it is in good condition.) Expect a few very minor dings scattered here and there on the body of this 1957 BelAir after 54 years. INTERIOR The seats and door panels on this '57 Chevy have been reupholstered in a velour fabric/vinyl combination, non-original pattern, and are clean and in good shape. Color is copper and white to match the car's exterior. The plastic arm rest bases are cracked and chipped. The headliner and carpet have been replaced, and are now both in need of replacement again. The fabric in the headliner and sun visors is deteriorating and tearing, and the carpet is stained and dirty. The painted dashboard is in very good shape with a few chips in the paint on the speedometer cluster. The speedometer, odometer, right and left directional signal lights, generator and oil warning lights, temperature and gasoline gauges all still work. Fan blower and heater work. Headlight switch works. The in-dash radio appears to be the factory original AM pushbutton and it works. Wipers work, but they are vacuum and operation is poor. Dome light works. Clock does not work. FRAME/UNDERSIDE At 54 years of age, the frame on this '57 BelAir is straight and extremely solid with minor surface rust only. The floors and floor braces look very good, along with the front and rear suspension and gasoline tank. Overall, a very good frame and chassis with no major fluid leaks of any kind observed under the car (except for some oil seepage from the engine). ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN From researching the "numbers" provided at the beginning of this ad, the 283 V8 engine in this '57 BelAir is the factory original. The engine pad stamping, intake mainfold, carburetor, and radiator are all correct 1957 numbers. The 283 starts easily and runs smoothly, with plenty of power. There is no blue smoke evident out of the exhaust. This car was represented to me as having 67,000 original miles, but I question that figure because of the previous owner's lack of knowledge of the history of this car while it was in the hands of his mother and his brother-in-law. I found a record booklet in the glove box of the car from 1959 into which the mother wrote her name, address, date of purchase as July 13, 1959, and a figure 24,750 which I assume is the beginning odometer reading. It is hard to believe that this '57 Chevy was driven only some 42,000 miles during the 52 year time span between 1959 and 2011. Beware, the odometer may be turned over and actual mileage is 167,000. And the fact that the 283 currently runs like a champ may be the result of an engine overhaul occurring sometime during the last 52 years. The 2-barrel carburetor on the engine is the original Rochester 2GC, tag number 7011131. It works fine but it drips gasoline out of a leaky gasket. It needs to be disassembled and have a new gasket/carb kit installed. Original transmission in this 1957 BelAir was a Turboglide automatic, with a "PRNDGr" shift indicator still in the dashboard. I think the Turboglide is gone and that there is now a Turbo 350 automatic in the car. I was not able to verify this before I had to leave the car behind in NE and return home to WI. The transmission shifts twice when accelerating from a dead stop, which indicates a 3-speed automatic. I don't have any experience with a Turboglide, but I would not think that you could feel 2 shifts if the car still had that transmission. The transmission in the car seems to work fine, however, sometimes as you accelerate from a low speed in "Drive" it will not upshift until you play with the shift lever. I'm guessing that this is because the Turboglide detents in the '57 column shift don't quite match with the Turbo 350. Because I am really not 100% certain of the identity of the transmission in this car it may be advisable to have it identified, serviced. and the shift linkage adjusted. As a review, here's a "In Need of a Little TLC" repair list: Carburetor gasket Muffler Headliner/Carpet Door weatherstrips Hood latch spring THE FINE PRINT This 1957 BelAir 4 door sedan is used and is sold "as is". Right now the car is located 600 miles from me. The last time I saw it and drove it was one month ago. I have tried to describe it as honestly and accurately as possible to the best of my memory, but I may have inadvertently overlooked something. If you have any questions, I will try my best to get an answer for you. Winning bidder is to pay a $300 non-refundable down payment via PayPal due within 24 hours of auction end. Remaining balance due in 7 days, payable by cashier's check or wire transfer only. This 1957 Chevrolet has a clear title in my name. Title and car will not be released until I am satisfied that the payment funds have cleared. Transport of the car is the responsibility of the winning bidder and is not included in the winning bid price. It is currently stored indoors on my cousin's farm in Monroe, NE 68647 (approximately 100 miles west of Omaha). My cousin will be happy to help the winning bidder with his/her plans for transport. I will provide his phone number to the winning bidder after the auction ends. Thanks for viewing my auction!