Hot Rods Tri five Chevy values

I agree, but I got the impression he thought the 4 door would take up too much room in a small garage, hence my reply.

Edit: just read his reply, he was speaking of the doors, not the OAL.

 

The Nomad is a standout local car, with a drag car history, in temperature controlled storage every winter. I have admired it, owned by a guy in the automotive trade, don’t know all the particulars. He was gracious enough to come to a little gathering I had a few years ago.

 

Tri fives have always been in demand, I mean, who wouldn't want one? Such a stunning design when new that has stood the test of time. They only made so many of them, and there's only so many left, so yeah, I can see why they are so expensive, demand is higher than the supply. That's why the fiberglass 32 Ford is such a success, no longer do you have to settle for a rusted out beat up original when you can get a smooth 'glass unit for the same money or less. There was a company, in Canada I think, that was making STEEL reproduction 55 convertibles, you used a firewall off a rusty car and you could register it with title as a rebodied 55. I don't know if they're still around or not, that was a few years ago, and were expensive back then. But at least it was an effort to get more in the marketplace. Think about if Dynacorn made a replacement body for 55-57's [maybe they do, haven't looked in a while], it would be expensive, but there would be even more out there in the supply chain.

My preference is the 56. Just a good blend of the 55 and 57. Don't know why they aren't as popular as the 55 or 57. 55 looks racy, 57 looks more cruiser, 56 can look both at the same time. Just My thoughts, yours may vary....

 

Looks nice with a few tweaks. My favourite tri-five year too. I'm guessing his ask is in upper 5 digits?

 

A lot of those high priced cars aren't selling.
My friend Gil has this '55 that runs and drives for 26K... and it isn't selling.

 

^^^^^ Maybe by putting all the lug nuts on it.

 

@daylatedollarshort that nomad is sweet !!!

Im sure he’s asking a fair bit for it and not really what I’m looking for .

@BamaMav I agree the 55 just looks mean and race ready

56 is like a mild custom / fancier version of the 55

57 is both .can be a rod or a custom

 

Don’t know this guy but…

 

First and foremost, these cars are American icons. Nothing else comparable from the era brings the same money, nor have they ever. The Fords and Dodges, and even the other GM cars were never held in the same regard, you can argue that all you want. Nothing against them, but facts are facts.
You can't build these cars cheap anymore either, partially because you don't find them in junkyards like you used to. You can argue that is the same for most old cars these days, but again, the Chevies are more popular and people will pay more for them and their parts. They've always been extremely popular and that's reflected in the pricing, supply and demand mean nothing here. Pricing is what the market will bear, or as they say: it's worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
You can build a brand new, complete tri-five from catalogs, but that's going to cost you $30k to start and that's with you doing all the work. Even trying to cobble one together from used parts is going to cost you.

 

^^^^^ Better add more cash to that estimate.

 

I still remember going to see a '55 2dr post that was advertised in Auto Trader in San Antonio back in 1995. My buddy and I made our weekly 120-mile trip to the dragstrip and planned a detour to go see this '55 that was listed for $2600. It was a time capsule that had been parked in the late 70's, but still running, it had a SBC/Glide/9", and had an old flaking and faded, but wild panel paint job from the 70's, but the body was mint and the interior was all there with black diamond tuck and swiveling buckets, a chrome roll bar, and it sat on big & little Keystone Mags.

Neither of us had any money, we were broke high school kids, but I kept trying to talk my dad into buying it, but he wanted an original '55. I always wonder what happened to that car, and I'm sure it'd bring $25k+ today, as it sat then.

 

Glass is a good bit cheaper, if you're willing to go that route.
http://fastglass55.com/products.html

 

Mock upped for the pic... but it's a runner now, and can be bought with or without the wheels...

 

I was being sarcastic.

 

So , been scouring the internet like a dishwasher with a frying pan !

I’ve found a few clean 2 door 56’s and 56’s ( in blue , why blue? I don’t really like blue cars ) but anyways

in and around the 25-35 range .

a buddy of mine has a carb’d 383 with a T5 in a Iroc that he’s parting out ( fantastic car but parked it at his parents driveway for a couple years went away for work t-tops leaks screwed the interior and rotted the floors . Anyways he want next to nothing for the motor and trans good running , but no real info other then it has a cam , pulls hard and no leaks

the T-5 won’t work with a bench seat , but a th350 or 700r4 would fit

what’s all involved in doing a v8 swap on a 55 ?
I know I would then need to upgrade brakes , drive shaft made up , would the diff need to be swapped ?

And if I bought a 6 banger 2 door for around 20-25 ( of course I’m gonna haggle ) would the value stay the same or go up with a v8 swap ?
I don’t think there’s to many tri-five six banger number matching purists out there .

 

Who would have thought the 55 two-ten two door sedan would achieve the status it has in the tri-five scheme of things!

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-55-chevy-210-two-door-sedan.1218091/

 

Girlfriends swap I did. I even reworked the core support to be a V8 correct.

 

No one is going to give a shit about being numbers-matching in a 6 cylinder car. At the moment, people seem to be paying a premium for cars that have been modified to enhance the driving experience, and I doubt that'll change in the future.

I run a V8 in a 6 cylinder car and it's pretty easy, I even use the 6 cylinder radiator in the original position, but with a fan spacer to get the depth right. It really cools well. The issue is not the engine but the trans mount, since the original trans kinda hung off into space. There are bolt-on bellhousing mounts that can be used so you can use the front mounts on a small block, but a lot of people buy mounts to use the side mounts on the engine and then add a bolt-in style trans crossmember in the rear.

Tri-5 rearends hold up well with mild V8 power, but if you really plan to pound on it, a same-era Pontiac or Oldsmobile rearend was the hot swap back in the day. That's what my dad's '57 210 2 door hardtop had in it. You have to run a 5 on 5 bolt pattern rear wheel, but it fits nice and the ring gear is massive, like bigger than a Ford 9". '64 Olds wheels fit the early Olds rear and accepted the factory '57 dog dish caps, matched the stock fronts perfectly. We did put the front bumper back on, I just had to take a pic of it when it was off.

 

I’ve always wanted to do a ‘55 in a “ COPO” style

all black wide steel wheels , a Big block and a 4 speed , but all in a stock period-ish correct look .

so it would seem like it was ordered that way from the factory .

anyways yeah , that’s what I would like

 

This one always puts my blood pressure to good use.

 

Yuppers, 4 doors were viewed as donor cars not worth building in the 70's when you could buy a six cylinder stick 55 4 door for 150 bucks and a BelAir would cost between 350 and 1000 if it was stock and driver quality .

 

cheese and crackers !!!! That thing is almost perfect !!!! Dang sooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn . Mmmm mmmm mmmm that’s a nice one !!!!!

 

I don’t know if the number he gave me for the nomad was a friend/family price, but it has me thinking. If you are paying these kind of prices, you should end up with what you want. The copo concept sounds great. Remember hot rods are like boats, easier to buy than they are to sell. The guy with the 55 project would likely take your 40 in trade- so many options.

 

The mere parts availability for tri fives vs. BOP, Ford, and mopar is just about worth the price of entry as well. A 55 Oldsmobile has me scrounging for parts like a hobo behind the grocery store on trash day…

 

@oldsmobum this is why I like my 40 , yes some parts are 40 merc only , but the majority are the same as a 40 ford and with the SBF and AOD parts are cheap and available, tons of power and it’s fun .


Another reason I like the tri-fives is everything is available in the aftermarket , lots of used parts floating around , and prices are not crazy on parts .

the cars ………. Found a 56 4 door yesterday that’s “ reasonable “

 

Hello,

If one looks at the various hot rod, custom car websites for a new hot rod toy, then it is what is given as sale items for the buyer. The seller can price them from low to high, depends on what the market can take. Folks see auction prices that are very high and those are usually out of the question. But, big pockets and no work purchases abound by the dozens. It gives others a place to list higher for their own creation, which drives up the overall cost.

The norm back when we were teenagers was to buy a rolling old car, take the motor out, install a V8 SBC motor and be done with most of the work in progress. Just to get something on the road for a daily driver and weekend cruiser. If the sedan was in fairly good shape to start with, then the original cost is relative to what is needed in the line of modifications or altering the purchase to fit your own needs.
Similar to the high school 55 Chevy Sedan
This old 55 is what most used cars ended up, after saving for some chrome wheels and possible Traction Master Bars. Stock motor, 3 speed and reliability for teenage afterschool jobs. Most teens started with something they could drive and when the time and money was available, did some modifications.
At the other end of the spectrum, thanks to @firemangordy for allowing me to do some color changing (from his current 55 Chevy sedan) to this green creation that one of our friends from high school was able to have created. The cost was no object type of build for the teenager and his cool green 55 Chevy hot rod, custom sedan, back then…

(Also, a big thanks to @themoose for his expertise... bravo...)

Jnaki

Those styles are popular, but most snazzy 55 Chevy cars we see today are in the large wheel group, but the essential engine mod is the same idea, only 60 years later.

Note: When my wife and I were in the market for an old hot rod like the early 20s days, we looked all over. It was nothing to hop on plane and find the car, as our plan was to drive it back to So Cal, as part of the adventure. With little time to find an old car, strip it down as much as necessary and then rebuild it was not in our nature at the time. Speaking of time, family commitments, college for our son and other indications were in the forefront.

So, our choices led us down to purchase one that we could see and drive, hopefully becoming a reliable form of transportation. A 40 Ford sedan with an SBC motor, A/C and good looking black tuck and roll made the buy list. Only the cost was so good, that it sold within a week of advertising, locally in So Cal.

Then another one with a similar $30-40k price was available across the country, but “do-able” if we flew and drove it back as part of a vacation and purchase.

Now, as we see older hot rods cruising around, yes, we still get the urge of a rumbling motor, a cool driving style, comfort from A/C and the pure essence of a nice hot rod for our “errand” days. Do we still want to spend 30-50k for a well built choice, well for some it may be too high… “I could do it for less… mode.”

But, the remaining choices for modern used cars in the same 30-50k market is an old, Ford Bronco, a new version Bronco, Audi station wagon, a Subaru WRX sedan and several other street cars. So, the choice is always there and it leads all of us to have a “turn the key” for everyday reliability, with the minimal problems of upkeep, these days… YRMV

 

You're not kidding. I've got 2 buddies with tri-five Buicks. Parts cars are out there, but finding individual parts seems to be pretty difficult.

 

I’ll never figure out why the best looking version, 56, is cheaper.
But a friend picked up a one owner 57 2 door post. Straight 6 3spd.
Cleanest rust free car I’ve seen in a while.
I thought he stole it at 12k

 

To be clear, this one is not for sale, but owned by a really nice local guy. I think it is a great expression of the tri five style.

 

I don't know about other's opinions, but the 56 is the least appealing to me. Honestly, I think the 56 grille design was a huge step back from the 55.