My favorite car since I was 2 years old has always been a 57 Chevy. A couple years ago I sold a couple projects and was able to buy my dream car. It's a 4 door 150 but it's a genuine US Army staff car that has never been hacked up. The story I got was that it was likely used at the nuclear lab (I'm just down the road from it in Idaho) and then it was donated to a high school for shop cl*** use. The engine and interior were removed and then it has just sat in 3 other people's fields since then. The windows were knocked out of it so there's some rust in the floors from water sitting in it, but other than that the sheet metal is in excellent shape. I bought a 56 Olds for the front seat then traded the rest of the car for a small journal 327. A couple other little parts and I had the car running and driving. I painted the top of the dash then installed all new gl***. Went through the brakes and installed new hoses and wheel cylinders, but will be keeping and rebuilding the original cylinders. I replaced most of the wiring with new correct harnesses from American Autowire. Now that it runs and drives I'm starting to go back through and really get everything finished on it. The idea is a sleeper hot rod. I have a set of 041 heads (late hump heads) for the 327 and an Edelbrock C-26 dual quad intake. I have some ****** long tube headers on it already. I got an old Lakewood ****tershield that will allow me to eventually swap in a Ford 3spd toploader so I'll have a strong synchronized trans. I always wanted to keep the column shift but I do have a pile of Hurst dual pattern shifters if I get sick of it. I have a couple early Ford 9" housings that are the correct width so I will eventually build one for it. Other than the drivetrain I'm not modifying anything else. I want it to look and drive like an old 57 but have a strong period correct drivetrain that I won't have to worry about breaking. Right now I'm in the middle of replacing all the suspension bushings with new polyurethane ones. I've got 2" lowering blocks for the rear and some new coils to cut down for the front, I just want it a touch lower than stock while I've got everything apart. Here's some pics, I'm bad about updating project posts but if anyone wants to see another 57 build I'll try and post my progress.
Pics aren't working, but I would like to see this. If you decide you want to make it into a 2 door sedan, I can walk you through it. Same wheelbase, same roof skin (not talking about one of those "shorty" clown cars).
looks pretty straight from this angle... Is this it's 'good side' or more of the same all the way 'round?
Looks like a very clean starting point. Looks like the olive green paint is still on there underneath the silver, too. I really should start with clean stuff like this instead of the usual rusty garbage I bring home.
First pic with the silver wheels is current. Trying to find some more older progress pics. Of course I'd prefer a 2 door but this body is too clean to cut up. I can get a 2 door body cheap but this one has history and I already own it so this is going to be my car. I have enough mental problems as it is so I don't need to go complicating my attatchment to it LOL. The original olive drab is present in the jambs and trunk. The green under the silver seems to be different paint. I think the high school was using it to teach bodywork. The original paint on the body panel bolts is untouched so the doors fenders and trunk have never been removed. I was going to do silver but I think the 4 doors look best in black. So the plan is to fog some cheap semi-gloss black on it and the wheels, and if I like it then I will do the bodywork and better paint at a later date. I have another engine to put in it for now while I build the 327, will be ***embling it this winter. It's a 350 with a mid-range Howards roller cam and forged flat top pistons, arp rod bolts, another set of 041 heads. Should sound wicked and be a good durable highway-ripper.
That ‘57 looks really solid, one of the best more door styles ever built. If I had it, I’d probably paint it “olive drab”… (thinking about doing that with my ‘40 Olds)
Cool 57. There's nothing wrong with a four door... Especially if it's a 57 Chevy. Personally, I'd skip the Ford 3 speed and install a Muncie 4 speed. Since yours is already a stick shift, this is basically a bolt in swap. Use a Hurst Compe***ion Plus shifter for a 55 - 57 Chevy and change your driveshaft yoke to a fine splined yoke. The stock Chevy 3 speed and a Muncie 4 speed are the same length and have the same bolt pattern on the bellhousing. As long as the Muncie has a co**** input shaft, it'll bolt right up to the stock Chevy bellhousing and clutch. This is a very easy swap.
Wow. A for-real olive-drab four-door '57 Chevy military car. Please don't paint it black. I wanna see you restore that thing inside and out. Olive drab green. Just like it was. White star on the door, too. But as a deadly sleeper with a killer drivetrain. The four-speed shifter being the only visual indication that it's to be taken very seriously. Take it to a show and the guy walks up thinking, "How cute." Then he sees the shifter. LOL
I personally wouldn't paint it at all, unless I was going to go all the way with bodywork and real paint. I wouldn't put semi-gloss paint on that car. Not my decision to make of course, but just sayin'.
I like the way it looks now but would go back olive drab if I was to paint it, you said you like it because it's got history, keep it's history. Just my 0.02 cents
'Course, I'm just talkin'. I really want you to do your car however you like. And share it with us. Good luck.
If I could find a 4 speed I'd do it. Probably keep the column shift too just to be sneaky, reverse lever under the dash. Only issue is that people are sure proud of their 4 speeds and I need to spend the money on other things at the moment.
I can't get into the olive drab thing. If I paint it I just want a low gloss "slightly aged original lacquer" look to it, nothing too glossy. Still have plenty to do before it's at that point anyways though.
That looks so straight, can you make out what was signwritten on the doors? Really like the ‘57 as a four door it balances the size of the fins nicely.
The lettering was sanded off down to metal, unfortunately. You can make out 'US' on the trunk lid but that's it. The original military data plate is still screwed to the dash but I haven't been able to decode the contract number. I prefer the longer looking fins on the hardtops but with the 150 trim on this sedan it really doesn't look bad as a 4 door.
ThankYou superKONR Ni i ice. Dig those tailights ( wish mine were that way ) So a 4 door should Make things easier with extra people and extra parcels. Time will have you on board. Sure you'll always see a 2dr as cuter, But Yours is N i i i ce Good scheme for a 4 ( if the right deal shows up ) Once, I installed an M2?--whatever, close ratio under an off topic van and used a discarded Vette shift handle under the seat, to reverse: Easy
Thanks! First thing I bought for it were those new tail light lenses. I drive the hell out of my stuff and haul parts around in them so the extra doors aren't a huge deal to me. It's a 57 that hasn't been previously hacked up and that's all I wanted.
The Jalopy Journal
