Real Barn Find: 1957 Chevrolet 210
Chevrolet’s mid-level 210 is still a popular choice among tri-five enthusiasts, and we’d like to thank reader Dr. Ron not only for his great tip on this one but also for throwing out the idea that the car is ripe for an engine swap, with his suggestion being a Ford 5.0L Coyote V8. Sounds like a great plan should the next owner choose to make a drivetrain modification, yet another option is to just keep driving the Chevy just like it is, at least for the short term, as it’s running just fine with the original 6-cylinder still in place. So there are plenty of choices here, none bad, and if you’ve always wanted a ’57 this may be a decent one to consider. The car is located in Waukon, Iowa, and can be viewed here on eBay with the seller hoping for $24,000, but he’s also considering offers if that’s a bit more than you’re willing to pay.
This one’s got a great history, as the seller spotted the Chevy in a barn while he was in the process of making a deal with the car’s prior owner on some other vehicles. The story goes that this gentleman had owned the car almost since it was new, and after some time passed negotiations began, and in 2019 the seller was able to finally purchase the 210. The above photo is presumably how it looked upon his acquisition, a whole lot better than many tri-fives that have been parked for a long period of time, with the only exterior change made by the seller being the addition of a set of Keystone wheels with white letter tires. A few rust areas are present in the body. but they seem to be mostly in the lower extremities and somewhat minor in comparison to many of these unrestored cars coming up for sale nowadays.
You could get a V8 back in 1957, but this one’s equipped with an inline 6, which is stated to be the original powerplant. The seller mentions that in 2019 his mechanics gave the car a thorough going-through, and the motor is claimed to be a strong runner that starts right up every time. The Chevy is also driven regularly in warm months and capable of handling long trips with ease, plus he even thinks it’s reliable enough right now for the buyer to drive it home anywhere in the country.
While not perfect, things inside are looking pretty good overall for their age, with a new headliner and carpeting being the two things specifically mentioned that have recently been replaced. Some more really good news is this one seems pretty solid down below, an area where many of these cars often have plenty of rust hiding. We also get an 8-minute YouTube video, which is nice as some of the photos in the listing are of lower resolution. I’m really liking this ’57 Chevy and feeling the seller’s asking price may be in the ballpark, but since he’s also accepting offers, how much could you see paying for this one?
Comments
Years ago, many of us here would’ve come across this old girl and said “Oh YEAH! Make her BIONIC!” And dropped in a well built crate motor with appropriate underpinnings (although good taste would’ve dictated using the same manufacture of engine as the car 🧐😉).
But for whatever reason more than a few are now realizing it’s only original once, and maybe showing it that way is a better presentation of the unique character that is the machine.
Just my own humble opinion..
I’d go back to steel wheels and hubcaps, for sure. Why mess around with “improvements”? Chances are good that you will spend a lot of money making a car that suits you, but doesn’t sufficiently fire up a subsequent buyer to recover your costs.
Old School here….”It’s only origional ONCE!!!!”
I vote original here. Wheels are mox nix but I’d put split headers on it as the sound of a dual exhaust on the six is as good as it gets.
and it’s a 3-speed so you can get those dual pipes to burble! Offenhauser makes the split manifold kit.
Nothing says inline 6 cyl. like a modified exhaust system. Don’t waist your money.
Please please please, whoever buys this, leave the drive train alone. There’s too many tri-fives with later SBCs in them.
I could never see putting a Ford motor in a classic Chevy. They have straight six Mustangs for that purpose.
First off thanks to Mike for not calling it a Bel-Air, vintage 283/327 no cutting welding , keep the 6 if you get tired of the fun…
Who would put a Ford engine in it when you can get any amount of LS engines these days
I am somewhat of a purist but I see so many put LS in Fords all the time, kinda got a giggle at the suggestion of a Ford powered Chevy. I agree with you though plenty of Chevy small blocks out there.
Clay, your response was my intention… The funniest thing I’ve ever seen was a nearly new Chevrolet SS454 Silverado with a crowd surrounding it at an all Ford meet/show back in the mid 1990’s.
After finally wiggling my way up to the truck I realized why it drew a crowd.
There was a factory like installation of a Ford F150 Lightning 5.4 engine in it.
I’ve seen far too many Fords with a SBC engine in them.
At 68 years old I get the reasoning behind sticking SBC’s into everything because they’re cheap and plentiful…
But no better than a Ford or MOPAR engine.
And….. Even though my first engine swap was pulling a six cylinder out of a ‘57 210 and replacing it with a 283 when I was 14, these days I’m somewhat of a purist and these old six cylinder Chevy’s are great with dual side draft carbs and split dual exhaust…
My sister still has her ‘51 Chevy six set up like that and hits the James Dean festival every year.
Anyone remember this…….2,500.00…I don’t know old man, I’ve got your number. This car wants me to get out an old VHS tape and have a good laugh. My how times have changed.
I don’t remember that…
Used cars, the ultimate next to the original gone in 60 seconds.
I don’t care how many 1957 Chevs I see, I always enjoy seeing another one. Fix it close to what it was originally, and let it live a decent life.
A Coyote 5.0 liter motor in this ’57. You need to quit drinking.
Read my reply to Clay…
Some folks apparently just don’t get humor.
Re-Run
Suzanne Sommers would look good driving this! Baby blue!
I got a nice little 350 in my 23 ford t-bucket, it was like that when I bought it 20 years ago.
A couple of odd things I noticed about this add 1st off obviously not original upholstery but the 2 elephants in the room is that in a couple of the pictures you can see the hood V and script, but one picture clearly shows no V or script and I can see no holes where they should be. Next did anyone else notice the loose rear bumper bracket and patch on the bottom of the frame?
Sooo I need to know the story behind the hood and the dif pictures. One with the v. one without it
V script means a V-8 was origional engine………..car sold…
Yes the “V” stands for v8 engine, but the script was on the six cylinder without the v. This car has the v and script in one picture and not in another and car is a six bangor so something fishy about it
Does the owner have two hoods Change them out for laughs? Something fishy