Customs Pics of 58 Chevies

Hello,

In order to be somewhat period correct, those garish white letter Firehawk tires needed a cover up. They were not the Firestone tires we used in 1958-64. If we wanted white letters, we used school chalk to see what it was going to look like for detailing. If they looked good, then the model car Testor’s white paint came out for the final touch. But, most of the time, those mini white lettering in chalk came off instantly, while the painted versions came off with any curb rubbing, road grime or high power spray washing hoses.

So, most of the time, there was no lettering, just plain good looking blackwall tires. Firestone, Uniroyal, or Goodyear were the top selling tires. But, this version of the Firehawk is a modern version with all season speed ratings. Not HAMB traditional tires with the Firehawk letters.

Jnaki

So, much better, IMHO

This look with the American Racing 5 spoke Mag Wheels on blackwall tires was what every teenager wanted on their hot rods and cruisers. But, they were just too far out of reach of most teenage pocket books, including mine.

 

@Hnstray - with regards to the '58, something I remember reading some number of years ago, was like you said the '58 was supposed to be the '57 for the most part, but part of the equation as I understand it was four headlight cars were being sought out for '57 but the government(?) didn't approve it until the '58 model year. I'm to understand the '57 was Chevy's response to a shortened(?) styling timeline due to the 4-headlight delay, which was then based on the '55/'56 platform. I wasn't born until '63, so I wasn't 'there'. Is it possible Americans & Canadians didn't take to the new 4 headlight designs quickly in '58 having had 2 headlight designs for so many years? (in response to your not being fond of the '58 when they appeared). I think it makes a certain amount of sense since Chevy (GM?) seemed to design in two-year cycles at that time - '53/'54; '55/'56; '59/'60; '61/'62; '63/'64; '65/'66...

Gotta56forme/Scott

 

@gotta56forme .......I had forgotten about the single/dual headlight issue that confronted auto manufacturers in that period. It did affect what they produced, but in several cases....Mopar and FOMOCO, in particular, they designed front fenders that could accommodate the dual lamps but fitted them with single lamps. The ‘57 Plymouth, Dodge, Desoto and Chrysler all had a wide enough headlight brow or ‘pod’ but were equipped with single lamps.

However, I also seem to recall the single vs dual fitment had to do with trim level in some instances. For example, in Chrysler and Desoto the top line trim (New Yorker and Firedome) got dual lamps and lower line (Windsor and Fireflite ...may have the Desoto models reversed) got singles. But that still leaves jurisdictional conflicts as individual States had to approve the lamp systems for sale within their borders.

It was an interesting and fun time because of the excitement of new model introduction being so hyped.

Ray

 

for fun..
if Chevrolet had intended there to be a '55/'56 styling cycle, then a new '57/'58 styling cycle... If the '58 had debuted in '57 (and we didn't end up with the iconic '57), makes you wonder what the second year "'58" car might have looked like... assuming that it would have shared the beltline & roof designs like the styling cycles before and after did.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/index.php?threads/1217209/

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You guys are freaking me out with this talk of a world without '57 Chevys...

Here's a great, 'flaked, not faked or half baked '58

 

Yeah, and if this had been what the 57 looked like, what would the 58 have looked like?

 

Love this 58! Very unique and love the color combo too

 

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I like the looks of the 58 Bel Air better than the Impala and this is a nice one!

 

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Mox Miller

 

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