Love the 56 Nomad, it is my favorite year, with the 54 Corvette Momad concept running a close second.
My roof is now painted silver flake. Planning on painting the rest of the car a similar blue maybe in a candy. Maybe some custom graphics on the roof too.
My 1957 that I bought in 1969. Just finished the third ground up. G. M. P. P ZZ383, 4L60E and 12 bolt 3.55 gears.
First that I've seen this thread. This is just our family wagon. A lot of fun for road trips with the grand kids . Sent from my SM-G920P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Hey Guys, Those Nomads are the look and style of the majority of wagons that cruised back in the early 60's in our area. The mild custom look was the most popular as money was tight and the small custom accessories were plentiful. Every time I see a 55 Nomad, the memory banks always pop up. The clean lines, the stock rear wheel openings, the roof line, and two doors...all made it look outstanding. It is too bad I did not have enough to buy one back then. Here is one that I liked 55 years ago in Long Beach. Of course, even though it is bright red, it is not the same one, just one of many beautiful Nomads that were out of reach to most normal teenagers as a daily driver and surf wagon. The Price Automobilia Museum just has enough cars of the 50's and 60's to bring back those early teenage memories. The classic 1955 Chevy Nomad stood out among all of the other station wagons of the era. It was one of the only wagons that had stock accommodations (large wheel wells) for different wheels without spoiling the look of the design. It was one of the only two door wagons that had the unique designed rear quarter panel windows for clear vision all around. Talk about unobstructed vision all around the wagon when driving…no blind spot problems here. Of course, we all wanted to have one of these as the classic beach cruiser and surf wagons. But, very few were at the beach in our neck of the woods, because of the high cost for teenagers with little to none in the income department. They looked fabulous, ran well, could be a fast cruiser/racer, but the cost just overran the dreams for all of us. Jnaki This red 55 Nomad in this excellent museum had all of the makings of the ultimate surf wagon and cruiser. Everything was in place from the dealer’s showroom floor. But, the sharp eye would identify the tri-fin surfboard instead of a 60’s era big plank board. The wooden single fin with inserted laminations and a clear bead all around would be the ones made during the late 50’s-60’s surf scene. So, this one is for the modern day surfer with money, to buy or build such a cool wagon and add in the modern tri-fin surfboard for those cool, wave riding days at the beach. A single fin long board would be used for ease of paddling and catching waves. A much shorter board with tri-fins would be for more high performance moves on the face of the wave. If the longboard in the Nomad were era specific, it may have been sticking out into the public walkway of the Price Automobilia Museum. The display called for a shorter surfboard and was inserted for the instant surf themed, “visual effect.” (It wasn't until the mid 60's that the boards started to get shorter.) This vision hit my memory banks with the instant recognition of the surf themed, 55 Nomad and those lovely , “Surfing Hollow Days…”
Never had any luck with Nomads. Had 55, 56 and a 57, only the 57 made it to the road as a driving vehicle. 55 and the 56 far to much rust to deal with at the time when my skill level was low. I now have a 57 2 door wagon which I made into a sedan delivery, soon to be chopped (2 inches) and have the "B" pillar slanted. But for Nomads I will stay away from.
This stinks! It reminds me how much I miss my 55 and 57 nomads since they are now out of my price range. Exterminator
...a guy drove this into the Elkhorn Wis. swap this year loaded with parts,...a friend's son just bought it,...327 in it.
The Jalopy Journal
