History 1957 Chevy 2 Door Wagon Government Car?

Saw this photo on another post .....

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Anyone have any idea what it is, or was?

 

Bill
Looking at the license plate on the other car I'd say it is somewhere in Australia! Just a guess.

 

Maybe this is the car above,it could be Red and tan or red and white. I wouldnt think this is in Australia as it is Left Hand Drive and up untill 10 years ago you couldnt register LHD cars except on club rego or in the Northern Territory or the Australian Capital Territory.
Is that a Zephyr in the background it is a bit hard to tell but they are everywhere in NZ and Ithink they have or had plates like that.

 

hello new here, just purchased a 57 2 door wagon, ran across this site trying to find out what info i could, the weird part about this one is the side windows they dont wrap around on the rear they stop 8 or 10 inches from the rear, one piece rear hatch lifts up wood floor with no rear seat. i cant find a pic of one no where on the web. cowl tag reads 571271 body cl4873 trim 717 paint spl acc fws any help would be appreciated.

 

i was gonna cut the car, but from what ive read here i might not want to thanks.

 

1271 stands for Sedan Delivery body stlye. Check the vin in the door jamb and it should start with a D57*********. I think they have a V as well if it was a V8 car.

Got any pictures we love em.

 

You have a windowed delivery, rare, www.chevytalk.org they may be able to give you a production figure. Well, or someone cut windows in it, have to see pictures to be sure. spl on the paint code means it was painted a "special" color, not one of the ones you could order.

 

i have owned a 2dr 58 chevy rear seat delete, with metal separator , two auxillary gastanks (three tanks total) where the rear seat/ foot well is, side gl***, one piece rear lift gate. only one i have ever found. i have been told military, coke-cola or at least or at the very least a long distance hauler. i was told that they commonly had the real roofs cut off for hauling bigger loads which led to the development of the el camino in 59. at the very least it was a conversation piece and i enjoyed it.

 

Ive owned my 1957 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery with factory installed Handyman gl*** since the mid 70s.

It has original paint... Army green but not flat....
Someone had brushed on another shade of green paint on the center of both doors..
With some slow block sanding I was finally able to read:
"US Department of Agriculture"
"State of Texas"

It is a "D" and certainly a Sedan Delivery with the one piece rear door.
No rear seat and factory installed Handyman Gl***.

6 cylinder, three speed on column, no radio or clock or lighter but does have a heater...

In the mid 80s Cl***ic Chevy of Orlando had one on the cover of their monthly magazine. It belonged to a state rep that worked for GM.

He claimed he had spent a year in the archives and found do***entation that 93 were made in 57...

They went to the US Navy, The Department of Agriculture, The TVA and some shoe company got the last 3 or 4......

SPL on Cowl tag for Paint and Trim

 

Hi everyone... very interesting information on the 'windowed' deliveries... I've recently bought a 1956 'windowed' delivery here in Paraguay... the VIN starts with VD56T..... i.e. its a factroy V8, 3 on the tree, and the only extras I can see are power steering, heater and (I think) a radio... I've attached a couple of pics for you to see. It does have a rear seat, but judging by the supports (very homemade looking), I would guess this was installed after leaving the factory... I would imagine it was a common thing to do back then... by a cheap'er' 2 door single seater and add a seat for the kids to fit!

It needs a lot of work on the bodywork (not a problem here in Paraguay), but the engine turns and I have all the accesories and interior put away.

I'm curious to know more about the number built of these special bodied Chevys... from what I've been told by a number of sources and have read up on in forums, it is rumored that only 92/96 were built for 1957... does anyone know how many were built in 55 and 56?? Is there any way we can find out? Any ideas how much one of these is worth, taking into consideration so few were built and even fewer must have survived to date with the abuse they must have got (government workers/military/postmen/fire patrols, etc.)

 

Heres a 58 delivery with side windows

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chev...8709622?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2ebbc47376

 

I have a 59 sedan delivery (windowless) and the original owner found a rear seat from a wagon and installed it ... looks like it belongs there! The trim tab on the cowl lists , a**** other things, if the vehicle has an "auxillery" seat by code, which is actually a front bench seat ... otherwise the deliveries came with a single bucket seat for the driver and that was all.

 

My 56 had a P for P***enger seat on the cowl tag but it actually had a split bench seat in it when I bought it even though it still had the brackets for the buckets.
Mine also has a wagon seat fitted which was ***** to get it to fit with the mini tubs but its in there and thats all that matters.

 

Looking for something else, I happened upon this thread. A friend of mine has one of these wagons. Here are a couple pics I took last year at my shop.

 

The story is in the vin #. Alot of 2-door wagons posing as sedan deliveries ..... dont know about yours but the rear hatch is right for a SDL.

 

Just found your old post. Hopefully Scott will give it a facelift soon. Just posted pictures of your "old car" in prior post.

 

I'm sure you're not on the board anymore, but is there any evidence that this car was ever a cream/off white color?

 

Send him a PM, he might have e-mail notification.

 

Great thread; love the pics...

 

More here at tri fives on the big screen

http://www.rottenonion.comli.com/bigscreen/

 

Here are some more shots of our 57. I replaced the window rubbers, seat has been re-done, exhaust, steering wheel, etc......

Flapper

 

A friend who happens to be a retired Fisher employee has one he calls a handyman. Says something like 240 built at end of year.

Has rear windows and one piece tail gate that hinges at the top. Has flat floor, no rear seat. Very sp**** trim.

 

On the 1957 video thread at 23 secongs in, it looks like a 56 Chevy windowed delivery ?? Not sure

 

btt

 

Mine is for sale now in the Cl***ifieds

 

Old thread but the school district that I went to school in got one from govt surplus and the audio Visual guy used it for years to haul stuff between schools. I did a couple of tune ups and a brake job on it when I was in shop cl***.

 

actually it is U.S. FOREST SERVICE not forestry, kinda pet peeve of mine since I work for the FOREST SERVICE not the forestry service

 

Mine is "masonary"

 

i own a 56 delivery with rectangular windows in the back panels it was a forestry car from az-ut they were factory/option dealer installed also the vin #starts with the letter D