Art & Inspiration First 57 Chevy, I need a theme.

Guys, don't get too hung up on the trim level, I'm not worried about it. Im finally getting a 57, that's good enough for me. The price wasn't changed because of the trim level.

 

I'm not sure the love for the Olds 330. It's an oddball engine and to me, you would be going backwards.
I would save up the money to get it media blasted after you get the dorked up parts off of it. Then make a decision on the direction you want to go.

What is you skill level?
What era do you most connect with? Narrow it down to 3-4 years (Old School means a lot of different thing to different people)
How much do you have to spend on it?
What style do you like best? Hot Rod or custom?

Get a vision of the completed car before you start down that rabbit hole. There are some good hot rod guys in Springfield. I am sure they would help give some guidance. @gonmad @bchrismer

 

210 4 door hard tops are far a few. I'd look at your trim tag.

 

It has no motor at the moment, so I figured anything is better than nothing. It is from my buddies Cutlass, so I know it is well cared for. I'm not very experienced with old cars, so this is my learning time, with a lot of old guys who can't wait to help. I am 25 and deployed at the moment, so money is not too much of a problem. I would like to at least attempt to keep things relatively cheap, and after it's running I can figure out the time period and styles. It's just nice to have a gallery to be picky between haha.

 

Lower a bit, but not too much. Choose your wheels, chrome reverse preferred. Not too wide, 7” on the back 5” front. Very stock body and paint OR very mild custom paint over stock body, if so maybe play with side trim and grill. Dual rear antennas. Pleated white vinyl interior, narrow pleats. Under dash 8 track maybe. Mild small block AOD trans.


you asked

 

I can't find the photo's. But recently a guy with a 57 in same if not worse shape just made it road worthy and drives it to shows like that.

 

OK I see now, referring to the other picture. I wonder if that is the insert on the back door, and the sun glare just makes it look like it's painted? Clearly wasn't painted on the quarter panel. Hard to say. Does appear to be a Belair in that pic.

 

Ya, photo's can be tricky.

 

Was it Pineapple? I just started reading on his a couple days ago.

 

Wouldn't that be mom's car back in the days?

 

Looking again, that one picture really does look like the door insert part is painted. Odd.

 

I didn't pay attention to the name. If what you read is off of one of several FB Tri Five pages then yes.

 

Taxi!

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/pics-of-57-chevy-60s-race-street-cars.1123888/

Some good stuff in this thread as well.

 

Haha!

 

I've seen several 4 door to 2 door conversions on post cars, but has anyone done that conversion on a 4 door hardtop? Just curious...not that I would suggest doing it...I think 4 door hardtop styling is beautiful as it is.

 

Forget about rare and the low production numbers, make a 2 door out of it and have something different. A two door hardtop with a 4 door hardtop roof.

 

Mild custom- a FEW scallops, smooth the front fenders, nose and trunk, then step up and put a 57 Buick grille in it. BOOM. 56and 57 Chevy 4dht were to me, more of a "classy" car, as opposed to a rough and tumble hot rod.

 

I've seen a photo once. Not bad looking and looks a lot like a Chrysler product when done. Ton's and ton's of work compared to post conversions that share the same roof and belt line. Not so for hard tops. Best to leave it alone.

 

My idea would be to ignore how it looks, and get the damn thing put together enough so you can drive it.

Then worry about how it looks.

 

That was my thought, I just like to have something to look forward to. Motivation is a good thing!

 

Get it on the ground, scrub it down and sit back & look. Black steelies, 15 inch from a '55 or '56. Get a bumper.

 

Go for the theme of when we lived in simpler times [and these dinosaurs roamed free]






Building your car as stock as possible will be cheaper overall.
Obviously some improvements end up cost effective. [A good running 350 and Auto would be cheaper than rebuilding a 283 and powerglide]
Modern radios, disc brakes , and wiring is a plus.

Here's mine
The car is just as acceptable on hotrod cruises and shows, but also with the vintage car fraternity

 

Well the 330 Olds will go in without any hacking (except possibly the stock Chevy setup for the bellhousing mounts) but you will have to figure out and fab the motor mounts. That means it can come back out when the time comes to put something more interesting in it. I ran a 350R in my 51 Merc for a number of years and the 330 and 350 Olds are reliable.

To me the theme would have to be mild custom. Lowered a couple of inches on each end and maybe put it in the 1963/64 time frame with narrow white walls rather than wide whites. Put a tube grill in it rather than paying the bux for a 57 grill. Slick it off and paint it a solid but not spendy color and go cruising.
I had a 55 Buick 4 door hardtop just before I got drafted in the 60's and those 4 door hardtops are great cruisers and work fantastic if you have extra people along. It's a real hardtop but everyone has their own door.

 

I have an idea for a theme...
1957 Chevrolet...do it right!
In my opinion the 330 is a mistake. I'll get in more detail in a moment.

These deals hardly ever work out. There's several layers to this...It's just not wise in my opinion.

Be honest with yourself. If you could put any engine you wanted in this car, would you really choose a 330 Oldsmobile??
Sometimes free or a "good deal" winds up costing a lot more down the road.
These days Small block Chevrolets can be found really reasonable. Marketplace seems to be consistent with 283s 327s and Early 350s.
Personally I'd put a 283 or 327 in it. I would go with either a manual or TH350.
Take your time it's going to be a long haul. If you are going to fix it, fix it with the right stuff.

 

OH NO! An Olds motor in a Chevy! Call the HAMB Police! Don't listen to these old guys (and I'm one of 'em). I had a '67 Cutlass 4 door with a 330 / 2 speed. It was fun, reliable, and faster than you would think. Also, with a single glass pack, sounded good. Put it in there. So, what did I do with the Cutlass? Spray bombed some flames on it, just like I would have (and did) in high school. Drove the crap out of it, before selling it to a teenager for his first "hot rod."

 

Here's the car in question as a 2 door, but keeping the original roof. It would involve replacing the front doors with 2 door hardtop doors, moving the center pillar back to match, then filling in the resulting gap with sections from the old rear doors (or cutting the door post and sheetmetal out of a donor car to fit into the gap). It would also require cutting down the old 4 door rear door window frames into a shorter length, and making some sort of window regulator setup for the new quarter windows.

I don't think it's bad looking at all. It would be more work than a 2 door sedan conversion on a 4 door sedan (of which I've personally done several, including the '57 posted earlier) but it's definitely do-able for someone with some good metalworking skills. The world needs more customs anyway so I say why not.