Rod Or Restore: 1957 Chevrolet 210 Project
One of the few cars that everyone thinks of when they think 50’s, almost every car guy and girl has a soft spot for the ‘57 Chevy. Clean versions are getting harder and harder to find and there are few cars more iconic. Taking a stroll down the boardwalk the other day, they were everywhere, on signs, a replica on roof, even as a roller coaster cart. This one needs work, but it’s time that it hits the road once again. It is currently here on eBay where bidding is at $4k with no reserve. Be quick about it though as the auction ends soon!
The owner specifies that the transmission is gone, but the engine is there. The seller doesn’t know anything about the engine, so without running the numbers there is no full way to tell if it’s correct. It did feature a 3 on-the-tree manual. Beside the missing gearbox, the car will most likely need brake work and an engine rebuild after sitting.
Most of the interior appears to be missing, however most of the trim is there. The floors look rusty, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed. You can order just about anything you may need to restore this thing. Just make sure you know a good welder or be prepared to bust out your own torch. Let’s just hope the frame is solid.
There are many different things that you could do with a car like this. The options are almost limitless. So to the preservationist, to the restorationist, and to the hot rodder, here she is waiting for you. So what would you do to her?
Comments
210, not a Bel Air.
I think you make it into a hot rod again. A hole in the transmission tunnel for a floor shifter, headers and a Mallory coil suggest that’s what it was in a previous life.
It would have been nice if the seller included pictures of the rockers, lower quarters and undercarriage. That amount of rust in the floors would make me worry about any lower portion of the car. The current high bid of $4,400 might not be bad, it will be interesting to see where it ends.
Steve R
“Oh yuuuuuck. A post. Can’t you afford a hardtop?” I told her, “some of us left high school years ago.” She didn’t get it. That was the last time that I took our ’56 Belvedere to a car show. The one with the 315 D-500, Torqueflite, and all. The drive train came out of a ’56 Dodge D-500 patrol car, just for clarification. Only go to cruises now.
I would love to have this one for it’s simplicity and clean lines. A Rochester fuel unit would be most excellent. The appearance of this type of car on our strip meant only one thing; you’re gonna’ get beat. That particular 210 with the ‘tree speed’ would pull 70mph in second gear easily. Two-door posts were stronger and lighter than the early hardtops before unibody construction.
Hardtops are cool, but posts are lethal!
Dick, your car show story reminds me of the time I put my ’41 Ford street rod in a show at the tender age of 20 (photo from Street Rodder magazine, June 1977). I wandered down to look at more cars, then back near mine. Overheard two scowling old codgers looking over the freshly painted car, and heard one word: “Bondo…” It did have a few spots, of course, but the car represented countless hours of labor to retrofit the entire drivetrain of a ’69 Torino including AC and PS- a frame off job courtesy of “Dad”. Funny what you remember after 40 years.
My guess is the ol’ buzzards inhaled too much lead, and didn’t appreciate your hard work. You ought to see a young enthusiast’s face when we notice an improvement they have made on their unfinished pride and joy. By the same token, I always appreciate it when somebody points out a mistake I made that I didn’t know about.
I caught that too, definitely not a Belair. A 210 or perhaps a 150? The post models are definitely more affordable.
What a perfect find for someone to make a driver. Fix what’s needed do a drive way paint job small block and four speed. Wish I was young again.
It is in fact a 210 2 door sedan, The motor appears to have been changed also or maybe just the heads, as in the early maybe ’61 back have staggered valve cover bolts and no pcv valve/grommet in them and no holes drilled in the ends as these do, Probably a later model 307/327/350 or something. Intake manifold maybe the original. There are other telltale signs unseen here. I owned 5 of these 2 door sedans at the same time lol, 3 150’s, 1 210 and 1 Bel Air.
I don’t know about you but I’m getting kinda tired of tri-fives cluttering up every car show I’ve been to lately, no matter about engines, interiors, paint, etc, I’ve seen them all and they’re boring. I just walk right past them now looking for the less common stuff.
My suggestion….don’t go to the car shows…….just go to a Ford or Mopar dealership!
News flash: There are actually plenty of interesting old Chevys that aren’t tri-fives.
The days of Tri-5’s cluttering up car shows are coming to an end. Not soon, but still coming. For guys in my age group (early 40’s) they’ve been popular for so long, but are so out of reach financially, that the interest level maxed out a long time ago. For guys younger than me (like many of my co-workers) there’s little to no interest in anything pre-80’s (there are some exceptions to that of course).
I am curious to find out what will happen to “stock classics” like the Tri-5’s when the current owners die off. Will they be left to kids who have little to no interest in them, sell them off, and thus tank the market? It will be interesting to see.
Just for the record I have nothing against Tri-5 Chevys, but agree it gets redundant seeing them over and over and over and over again.
You hold a minority yet salient view of the market realities, though many others are in denial. The progression mostly follows according to which decade the enthusiasts were born. In general we gravitate to the cars that were common (thus cheap/accessible) when we learned to drive/got our first driver license. For me that’s pre-WWII through muscle cars, and I’ve played with those in that range. Pre WWII hot rods and stockers are the ones that are beginning to go backward in demand/price right now though many choose to not see that because it wouldn’t be in their self interest. Next, and as you surmise not too far off, will be the ’50s, then the ’60s, and so on as enthusiasts pass at a greater rate than the replacements.
As for the “boring” statements, I’ve heard those over and over regarding a variety of car vintages. There’s the every popular rant against “all” ’32 roadsters look alike, but any number of other years have been “trashed” likewise. My experience has been the trash talkers are usually folks who’ve never built such a car, if any car at all, so have no clue of the nuance difference in choice of materials, detail modifications and so on. If I wanted to lean toward a harsh comment about their boring negativity I’d invoke the old adage; “Pearls before swine”. While they’re entitled to their opinion that doesn’t make them correct.
Well said Uncle Bob. As an example, I have seen the market for Model A’s drop considerably in the last 5-10 years. I assume this is due to numerous factors, but mainly the aging out of people who have interest in these vehicles, and the feasibility of driving them in modern traffic. I once attempted to drive my 46 Hudson Commodore 8 in traffic….I never tried to do that again.
I think there are some vehicles that do buck this “aging” trend though. A 1963-1965 Riviera comes to mind. The Tri-5’s have a strong vendor support network, which helps keep those cars alive and on the road. Personally I think the “Tri-5 Oldmobiles” (as I like to call them) were considerably better vehicles than their Chevy counterparts, but you almost never see them at a show (or anywhere else for that matter). The Olds have very little vendor support, and finding parts is often an exercise in futility. A successful find of said part results in the instant combustion of any money in your wallet.
I think the Tri-5’s will always be around, but I do believe that their sky high prices will soften considerably over the next decade.
I’ve been away from Tri 5s for a few years, the term “Daytona frame” for the so called one piece is a new one to me. We used to call them California frames as the California assembly plants (north and south) typically used them. Oh well.
The past year or so, projects on ebay have pretty much maxed out on bidding with somewhere half to a full day left, this one is inching a bit toward the end. Be interesting to see if there are any snipers to push it higher. For what’s there, based on thin description, seems fair.
Well now! That was a spirited close to the auction.
Try fives will be around forever, but just like pre war restored Fords, either the prices are too high, or the generation that wanted them is passing by. Prices for the later 30’s Ford car are moderating even for perfectly restored vehicles. So, look for prices for the tri 5’s to begin to come down… led by “drivers” and poorly restored versions..
Sold: $7,100
@THE GASHOLE. I often used my 1951 Buick Super Straight Eight on the freeway and never had a problem keeping up with the modern cars up to 70 mph. The only thing I couldn’t keep up with at that speed was the fuel consumption!
You are a braver man than I am sir! Now I will say that if I was back in good old Montana I probably would have had a different experience, but over here in New Jersey driving that Hudson on Route 80 just wasn’t my idea of fun or safe
The last thing I think of when I think of the 50s. Sorry, no soft spot here.
Neither! Just PARTS!!!
HEY, please look up what your printing in your text. Your ebay ads are matching what your showing. Varify what your printing also monday’s text was also aloof.