Back in the days when '55 Chevys were sold new or as the first wave of trade-in used cars, hardtops were preferred. Post cars had a stigma of "poor folks" when new or "a hand me down from Mom" sort of flavor when picked from a used car lot. There was a definite pecking order at the hamburger stand and the post cars parked in the back, in the dark. That was a long time ago. Tastes have changed. The "Golden Age of Hardtops" faded away. Very few, if any, hardtops have been made for many years. These days just pick your preference for a '55 because it doesn't matter like it did back then. I don't think it's necessary to dwell on how a half dozen cheerleaders in the back seat preferred hardtops back in the day because they weren't as claustrophobic and they could be seen better while cruising than being stuffed in post cars.
I had a red and white 55BelAir hardtop-California car, back in the early- mid seventies. Loved the looks, but, frankly, it was a rattletrap with the structural integrity of a wet noodle. I still regret selling that beauty, but, truth be told, a sedan would have been a better car. The release of Two Lane Blacktop solidified that feeling.
Restoration or resto rod style,with all the gingerbread, hardtop. For a Gasser, Drag car, street brawler type car, Post. Given the choice of only one, I'll go hardtop in blue and white with Torque Thrusts
Hardtop all the way... Love the look of a hardtop with all the windows rolled down.... View attachment 6324458
Funny... since we're back at it again. A 2 door hardtop 55 is my flavor of choice. Rather a 57 but I'll take what I can get.
Look in the background of 1950's/60's drag racing photos, more specifically the pit shots. Besides actual race cars, the 55 Chevy sedans were real popular as push/tow vehicles. The Surfers Great Surfers story Here: https://www.hotrod.com/features/3-broke-geeks-turned-drag-racing-head-part-1/
I fall in line with Mark on this one, gotta have all four windows down to look cool! Make mine a ‘57 though…
I remember those days, cruising on a warm Summer night in my 57 BelAir 2 dr ht, had all the windows open, Pioneer cassette blasting The Doors, Led Zeppelin, CSNY, Joe Cocker. Not too loud though, the sound of the headers had to be appreciated too. I really was thinking I had it going on, had the same "Grump Lump" hood scoop view and Hurst shifter as this shot from TLB. My high school pal and neighbor had a 57 two-ten wagon with a real 270 hp 283 and same four speed as mine, a T-10, I was smart enough to know not to square off with him with my lowly 220 hp 283, then he bought a 68 Z/28, it was a scary thing. Good times!
Hardtop- Windows down, cruisin' cool! Post- Sans front bumper, radius-ed rear wheel wells, snotty cam, not to be F'ed with!
Having assembled several of both. I vote sedan. 150 are 210. Whole lots of less rattles. Door glass twice as easy as hardtops. On the hard top the flippers will drive you to drinking. Original flippers are hard to rebuild and the repop ones are terrible. That’s my opinion!
Thanks to @themoose and @firemangordy Hello, We grew up in an era of 50s-60s as teenagers. It was a great time to be a teenager. Cruise all over So Cal from our own area of Bixby Knolls down through Laguna Beach to San Diego and beyond. The Los Angeles-Santa Barbara area north was also a calling card destination for us. But, the central area was our own Long Beach area around Bixby Knolls. With Lion's Dragstrip just a few miles from the area, near our own house and one street marked for full acceleration runs, nearly hidden in plain sight in Bixby Knolls, who could ask for a better place to grow up? The beach, a bicycle ride down the paved pathway following the Los Angeles River to the ocean was just behind our last Long Beach house. But, the time in high school as teens was the most memorable times. Sedans were the kings of teenage cruisers and the Chevy sedans ruled the roost, as the old saying goes. From the early days of the 50s to the post graduation, there were more Chevy sedans than others. Despite the numerous Ford coupes and sedans shown in the magazines. Our high school had old Ford coupes/sedans in the early 50s, but by the time we arrived, they were all gone and what remained headed for the drags or sold as those teens moved on in lifetime pursuits. Now, our days as high school terror,s included a line up of Chevy sedans from 53 to one last 1961 409 to end our days… As for the cars, the 55 Chevy post was the most popular. The Bel Air Hardtops from 55 were not seen, although a dad of one of our friends had one. But, it was a stock version and no one, including his daughter drove it around our teenage hangouts. Jnaki The top 55 Chevy in our high school time line from 59-62 was the green post model in the above photo. It was the top custom car in the whole Long Beach area for a teenager and into the 20s. A shiny green paint, white tuck and roll and chrome reversed rims added to the look of class and a sought after style. It was the coolest car in the whole area. Later on, he even put in a 4 speed to be the only 55 Chevy with a 4 speed. What about his motor? It had a mild cam and shiny valve covers as the finned ones were not around as yet. Everything else in the motor was stock. It was a show car, teenage cruiser and not a drag racing hot rod sedan. I rode around in the green Chevy sedan and it was cool just to be inside. But, my other friend had a 55 Chevy post that was going to be a fast sedan. So, his color scheme remained stock black and white. He also had chrome rims and we added Traction Master bars for the upcoming motor modifications. But, just as we started, he got a job that took up his afternoon and weekends. It was a steady money making job and he had no time to have his car up on blocks or spending days doing motor modifications. So, it remained almost like the Black/White photo posted. The daily driver 55 Chevy that we also cruised in, had the custom touches that were different, but evident. During the cruising times, it went everywhere as it was a daily driver and from the beach to the mountains, it saw plenty of action. But, it was not a fast hot rod sedan, but one that was a reliable daily driver. He was one of the first to get a job that paid money and could not have his car out of driving mode for any amount of time. One week, he had car repair problems and we could not take care of it, so he had a dealer work on it. But, we drove my 58 Impala for his job and that saved his income producing job after school every day. Note: Then years after high school, I found a permanent companion in one of my college classes. She was a keeper and to this day 59 years later, we are still together. But, in her family archives, we discovered her family car was a 55 Chevy post model when they lived in Manhattan Beach in So Cal. They were originally from OKC, but had moved West for a job her dad found. The 55 Chevy was a post and saw daily drives in So Cal, but after these photos were taken, the 55 Chevy was packed with the 5 person family and stuff, to head back to OKC. Manhattan Beach 1955 Within a year of living in OKC, a better job was found in So Cal, so the 55 Chevy was packed again and the whole family, headed West. Finally they arrived in Buena Park, near Knotts Berry Farm and the dad's new permanent job. Now, from 1956, they were So Cal residents… and still are. The 55 chevy sedan lasted a couple of years, then they owned a 59 chevy 4 door station wagon for several more years. YRMV Note 2: Don’t count out the 55 Chevy Hardtop sedans. One of our first hot rod sedans that we saw at the drags was a red/white 55 chevy sedan hardtop. It was one of the fastest sedans running in any class. The car was from the Midwest and it did hold the national record. By the time we saw it, it set the stage for a supercharged style, as a way to go in a sedan or coupe for the Gas Coupe/Sedan Classes. Turn up the "sound" as it has some original supercharged Chevy motor racing. YRMV
I remember seeing a local guys white 57 Chevy hardtop drive by when I was a kid and thought it was "BEAUTIFUL"........and I still think they are. To me they look best when kept basically stock on the outside. Nothing looks any finer, but a 55 hardtop is close and the close to stock look also bodes well for them, maybe even a resto-mod. IF, someone wants to modify a 55-57 so its exterior is (as Travis Tritt might say) "a little on the trashy side" with a hot rod theme......I think a 2 door post looks the best. They just look more credible......kinda like the idea of how often do you see a beautiful girl thats a champion weight lifter.......nope its usually the ones that aren't very pretty that have all the muscles.
The hardtops are a lot nicer in my opinion. The post cars use the same top as the 4 door sedans and the hardtops look a little sleeker. That's if you could call a tri five Chevy sleek.
The Jalopy Journal
