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The photo below shows the
car where it lives in my garage.
Such lovely curves! Such gorgeous chrome and stainless steel!
Cars today simply do not display such style:
Front driver-side. Note a couple of deep scratches in front of wheel that need
smoothing:
Front passenger side:
Top of the car showing the nice sun-visor and hood.
You can't see that the paint has chips and crazes, which I think is cool:
Full passenger-side shot:
Passenger-side front door:
Passenger-side back door:
Passenger-side back floor:
I was asked how the floors under the carpet look; here's the back floor.
Note the minor rust and repair sort of where I'm pointing:
Back seat:
Front floor with the rubber mat and insulation under it lifted.
Note the repair panel on the left side:
Front seat. Cigarette burn is beneath the driver:
Passenger-side rear wheelwell with skirt in place:
Back view:
Trunk open with everything removed. Note red repair panel in center:
Spare wheel:
Inside trunk with spare and jack in place:
Driver-side rear wheel with skirt in place:
Driver-side rear wheelwell and fender with no skirt:
Another view showing condition of fender inside where skirt meets the body:
And again, this time showing that there's no rust in the wheelwell's front
(or "dogleg" where it rusts on most cars):
Front wheelwell:
VIN in driver's doorframe:
Body numbers under hood:
I bought this car a couple of years ago because it was basically the same as
my first car, and I had missed it. It's in nice shape but no trailer-queen,
basically a "20-footer" - that is, from 20 feet away it looks nearly perfect,
but when you get close you notice little things like scratches, crazes in the
paint, little spots of surface rust (treated with rust-stopper), and so on.
It runs and drives gloriously, and is a complete joy when cruising around
town or on pretty country roads. The driver feels transported into a simpler past when
car design meant something. Every time I step into my garage and see this
beautiful face it makes me smile. The new owner will, too.
Here is my lovely car along the shoulder in Minnesota,
displaying its mechanical bits:
Engine was overhauled just 2000 miles ago, including a complete valve job with
hardened seats
so you can run regular unleaded gas without additives. Battery is new and
maintained on a trickle-charger.
Notice that this car was equipped with an oil filter - very nice for durability!
Rear shot. What gorgeous curves!
Some views inside. Front driver's side. Note the small
surface-rust spot at the top:
Here's a shot of the beautiful dash and steering wheel. This interior is what
sold me:
Another shot from inside. Look at that lovely upholstery and paint!
I absolutely love the details
car-makers used to lavish on their products!
Here's a shot of the Chevy emblem on the front of the hood:
Here's a shot of the sun-visors and front headliner.
There are actually a few stains you can't see very well in the photo, but it's in nice
shape otherwise:
Headliner in the rear of the car. You can see a couple of the stains (upper
left):
Back seat and rear window. Getting a ride in back is like taking your living
room for a drive!
Rear driver's side. The seats are as comfy as new, though the front is soft as
in all old cars.
What a lovely curve to the roofline! Note some crazing in the paint:
Here's a spot that normally rusts on these cars, but this one has no rust here!
The original carpet in the back is missing, with just a rug back there.
Close-up of one of the rear doors. All door controls work as they should:
In its current condition, the authoritative
Old Cars Price Guide
puts this car's value at between $3800 (#4 condition) and $8500 (#3), as I would
rate it between those two (I judge car conditions lower than most). I considered
putting in a little work to sell it for $thousands in profit, or painting it really nice
so it would be worth $13,200
(#2), but instead kept it in its current patina
condition and just enjoyed driving a remarkable automobile that is
quickly going up in value!
Here are some online price guides:
Manheim Gold Book
NADA Classic Car Price Guide
Oh, and just because it's handy, some neat and handy links:
Chevrolet manual online
National Chevy
Association
Tech Tips Forum at
Stovebolt.com
Patrick's Antique Cars and Parts
Okay, back to photos:
Jet-plane hood ornament! I love the details on this car:
Mechanically, this car is reliable and starts and drives as it should. Minor
things that need attention include replacing the cracked muffler (a new one is
included), purging the heater core (it has a slow leak), replacing three cracked
windows (simple and cheap to do), replacing a worn spring in the shifter
(occasionally pops out of 3rd gear at highway speed), refresh the brakes, and
that's about it!
To help, also included for the new buyer is a complete brake overhaul kit worth over $500. Everything you need for a brand-spanking-new brake system is included!
Car stops fine now but has a slow brake-fluid leak.
Spend an afternoon replacing these parts and you'll stop like in a new car! Here are manufacturer photos of most of the parts
(not shown are the brake shoes and some other parts):
Oh, and a new carburetor-rebuild kit:
To help install these parts, you also get these books with your winning bid:
Left to right: The first one has the most charming 1950s art and has many useful
repair tips.
The second one is the official Chevrolet repair manual (priceless).
And the third one is for if you decide to hop up the engine a bit:
And a bonus! In case the new buyer wants to soup up the 216 Stovebolt Six engine, I included
this
vintage finned-aluminum Offenhauser dual-carburetor intake; it just needs one
more carb.
It's a $200 value!
Summary
- Runs and drives great! Two years ago, I took it on a
400-mile trip with no problems. I drive it occasionally when the weather
is nice, and it starts right up.
- About 68,000 actual miles.
- Lots of work done in 1982, less than 2,000 miles
ago:
- Head rebuilt with new valves, guides, seals,
and hardened seats (so you can run regular gas).
- Engine overhauled.
- New water pump.
- New fuel pump.
- New points, plugs, and wires.
- New Bel-Air replica interior.
- New tires in 2004, less than 1,000 miles ago.
- From 2005 through now, I have replaced the following:
- battery
- cap and rotor
- spark plugs
- radiator fluid
and cap
- valve cover cap
- headlights
- coil
- voltage regulator
- oil changed regularly with new filter (it uses readily available
cartridge filters)
- miscellaneous other items
- Last owner stored it for 20 years and only drove a few hundred
miles a year, as have I. He had to sell due to medical reasons; I have
to sell because I have too many projects that need space in my garage.
- All original, except for paint and interior
updates.
- Rare, cool options:
- Exterior spotlight.
- Blinkers.
- All four hubcaps.
- Fender skirts (not showing in photos, but in great condition -
they were removed to replace the tires and I recently removed them
to polish the hubcaps).
- Front windshield sun visor.
- Everything works, including AM radio, speedometer, gas gauge, wipers,
window regulators,
heater, locks, signals… even the wind-up clock works!
- If you don't enjoy vintage "patina" like I do, you might want to repaint the
car. In the 1970s, the owner had it painted in Bel-Air replica red; it was originally green.
- Interior was also done up in lovely Bel-Air replica red-and-white
with original gray wool upholstery. Back seat and doors are nearly
perfect, front seat has one small cigarette burn, headliner has some
stains but is otherwise in good shape.
- Three side windows have cracks, as
these are the original glass. The cost to replace all the windows in
original green tint is only $200 -
$300 from sellers on eBay or at your local glass shop: It's just flat
glass! They roll up and down - and the vent windows open - as they
should.
- Windshield has no cracks, though it does have a couple of minor pits
like any older car.
- Comes with more than $500 in brake parts to do a
complete brake overhaul: master cylinder rebuild kit, all four new wheel
cylinders, all flexible brake hoses, all hard lines, all brake hardware,
shoes for all four brake drums, and more. Brakes currently have slow leak
but work fine otherwise; it's just time to overhaul them!
- Horns need new switch. Heater works but core has
slow leak when in use; currently disconnected.
- No rust in the body, but has typical floor
repairs.
- Nice extras:
- Full-size, functional spare in trunk.
- Original jack equipment in trunk.
- Two original manuals: Chevy service and garage
manuals.
- One aftermarket "Power Manual" with great information on
improving the inline-six engine.
- Carburetor rebuild kit (carb works well, but I planned to
overhaul it due to the car's age).
- New muffler (original popped its seam).
- Kansas Antique plate (yearly tax less than
$20).
- Cheap to insure (I use
Hagerty Collector Car Insurance)
at less than $100/year for full coverage with no deductible!
Now for some fun vintage ads!
This lovely automobile now has a happy, new home!
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