Long Way from 1957 Chevy

[Flivver]

Much as I like the '55 Chevy, I don't think that it can be considered the first modern (meaning envelope bodied, I presume) car. Probably something more along the lines of the '47 Studebaker, '48 Hudson, '46 Kaiser line, '48 Olds "Futuramic" 98, or the "shoebox" '49 Ford.

What immediately came to mind was the '52 Ford - most people probably think they're looking at a '55 Chevy when they see their first '52 Ford, the '55 Chevy just looks like a variation on that theme 3 years later.

-Dave

From a design standpoint, the '52 Ford was a real trendsetter...but it never gets much credit, nor is it very sought after today. But it set the trend for the rest of the industry right into the mid-1950s.

The basic body structure was advanced enough to allow Ford to continue to use it right through 1956.

 

[Flivver]

I saw a '39 Plymouth -- sigh, my dream car -- earlier this summer which looked like it just came out of the factory except for the fact that it was painted an extremely violent shade of metallic beet-juice purple. There's no accounting for taste.

My grandfather owned the classic 1957 Chevy Bel Air.-- it replaced his '36 Chevy, which he drove for nearly twenty years. Both the '57 and the '36 were good, honest, hard-working, sour old New England Calvinist black, like all respectable Maine cars. When the '57 rusted out, he traded it in on what would be called today a "midlife crisis" car -- a '61 Chevy Biscayne. In *maroon.* No one knew what came over him. And then when he traded that in on a turquoise '64 model, they were ready to call the wagon.

Our next-door neighbors owned a seafoam-green-and-white DeSoto, and were considered suspicious radicals.

Actually the '57 Bel Air looks really sharp in solid black. A former business associate of mine, who was born in 1941, talked his Dad into buying a new, solid black, '57 Bel Air Sport Coupe. He was 16 at the time and was the hit of his high school class when driving that black beauty.

I guess things were a bit less conservative here in Massachusetts. My Dad had a Tropical Turquoise and India Ivory '56 Bel Air Sport Coupe, and my uncle had a '57 Bel Air Sedan in Surf Green and India Ivory. Both were in their 30s at the time, but as conservative as they come! They were both mechanical engineers.

Lizzie...what bodystyle was your grandfather's '57 Bel Air?

 

[Foofoogal]

http://images.carcraft.com/eventcoverage/116_55z+1957_chevrolet_bel_air+left_front_view.jpg

yes, I would not return this one if someone happened to give it to me. lol
Sharp.

 

[Geesie]

They've been doing it for years with aircraft.

They make entire airframes out of epoxies, and props as well. They are stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum and usually plastic.

The modern car is made far better and will on average last far longer than those old cars. And I love old cars and have owned quite a few of them.

And that old Chevy might have felt tough and like a tank. But in reality the new cars are far far safer. It isn't the weight and steel that makes cars safe, its the safety features, handling abilities and the design of a car to disburse energy in a collision.

The adhesives will work just fine but the problem comes with servicing the vehicle. If I need to replace engine parts I want to unbolt, insert new part, rebolt. I don't want to have to get engine-quality high-tech industrial adhesive as well as whatever solvent is required to get the thing off in the first place.

Also, modern cars do have a lot more safety features. But in a collision, I'd rather be in an older car 9 times out of 10. If two modern cars collide, the crumple zones and so on will wreck the cars and protect the drivers. If two old cars collide, the force will be transmitted to the drivers and potentially injure them worse than the car will be hurt. However, if an old car hits a new one, the new car gets to be the crumple zone for both vehicles - the drivers are both safe and the new car is crushed while the old one is solid. It's like if you slam two bricks together, they'll both shatter but if you drop an egg on a brick the egg will crush and the brick will be fine.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Lizzie...what bodystyle was your grandfather's '57 Bel Air?

Both the '36 and '57 were four-door sedans -- I think he had strong views about two-doors for some reason, and would never own one.

He didn't like the '57 very much for some reason -- I never asked why, but I think he was just embittered over having to get rid of the '36. My mother, however, thought the '36 was a hideous lumpy embarassment, and remembers being overjoyed that she could finally, at the age of eighteen, ride around in a car that wasn't older than she was.

 

[Flivver]

My Dad always liked 2-door cars for their sporty style. But he justified this extravigance in the 1950s by saying he bought a 2-door because he didn't want me to open the rear door and fall out of the car. Kid-proof door locks were standard on 4-door Chevrolets beginning in 1955, but Dad said he didn't trust them.

Actually, my Dad was not alone in his preference for the 2-door hardtop bodystyle. According to Ward's, the 2-door hardtop was the #1 selling bodystyle throughout the mid to late 1950s. I'll bet a lot of Depression Era Dads used the same excuse mine did to justify choosing this sporty bodystyle.

A bit of history...the 2-door hardtop was a close coupled 2-door coupe with pillarless side glass. When the windows were rolled down, the center pillar disappeared, giving the car a sporty, convertible-like look. When introduced by GM in 1949, they were originally called hardtop convertibles. GM gave their hardtops special names...Chevrolet Bel Air, Pontiac Catalina, Olds Holiday, Buick Riviera and Cadillac Coupe de Ville. The Chevy Bel Air was available only as a hardtop when it was introduced in 1950. But, the Bel Air was expanded into a multiple bodystyle series in 1953.

 

[Talbot]

If it doesn't leak its empty

and if it doesn't squeek and rattle, how can you tell if its working right?

I'll take my 54 hardtop over my daily driver any day.

Chalky paint, pitted chrome and gas fumes, aaahhhh....

 

[Mike in Seattle]

If you haven't already seen them, GWD has several pics of his BelAir here on the Lounge...or at least did a few months ago before the last two system crashes.

 

[JimInSoCalif]

Actually the '57 Bel Air looks really sharp in solid black. A former business associate of mine, who was born in 1941, talked his Dad into buying a new, solid black, '57 Bel Air Sport Coupe. He was 16 at the time and was the hit of his high school class when driving that black beauty.

I guess things were a bit less conservative here in Massachusetts. My Dad had a Tropical Turquoise and India Ivory '56 Bel Air Sport Coupe, and my uncle had a '57 Bel Air Sedan in Surf Green and India Ivory. Both were in their 30s at the time, but as conservative as they come! They were both mechanical engineers.

Lizzie...what bodystyle was your grandfather's '57 Bel Air?

In the mid 50's two tone paint jobs were very popular with Chevy. I can't remember if that was the case with other GM products or not.

And, there were some three tone Mopars. One was aimed at the feminine market and had a matching makeup case and umbrella - it was not very popular.

One thing that increased Chevy's popularity in 1955 was the new V-8 which made the car a lot more appealing to a younger market. Even the Corvette for the first couple of years had the Blue Flame Six cylinder.

The Chevy V-8 was used in a lot of high performance applications. By the 70's it had made the Meyer-Drake Offenhauser engine obsolete for Sprint Car racing.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[JimInSoCalif]

http://images.carcraft.com/eventcoverage/116_55z+1957_chevrolet_bel_air+left_front_view.jpg

yes, I would not return this one if someone happened to give it to me. lol
Sharp.

That is really a nice looking two door. Too bad it does not still have the original wheels and tires. Well, that would be an easy thing to change back to original.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[David Conwill]

And, there were some three tone Mopars. One was aimed at the feminine market and had a matching makeup case and umbrella - it was not very popular.

Ahh, the Dodge LaFemme. My wife would love one, but my understanding is that even in 1956, most women found the concept somewhat insulting.

-Dave

 

[JimInSoCalif]

Ahh, the Dodge LaFemme. My wife would love one, but my understanding is that even in 1956, most women found the concept somewhat insulting.

-Dave

I did not remember the name of that model, in fact, I may not have ever known. In 1956 a friend's mother had one. I think that was the only one I ever saw, so you are probably right about the concept being insulting to most women.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[David Conwill]

Hmm, now I'm thinking about this. If I can just find a place to make bespoke umbrellas and handbags, I can offer my wife the LaFemme option for any car!

-Dave

 

[52Styleline]

I don't claim that my old Chevy is a hot item in the collector market but I like it because it represents Post WWII middle America about as well as any car can. The body debuted with the 1949 model year and ran through 1952 with minimal change. The Styleline Special was the cheapest full size four sedan made in 1952. Six cylinder engine with three on the tree and power nothing. It came with only the driver side sunvisor and a heater was a dealer add on item (thankfully mine has the heater). No radio, no ashtrays, no lighter. This was the car that GI Joe hauled his family around in while he was going to college on the GI bill.

 

[Talbot]

I had a 52 styline years back. There is something about sitting behind a split windscreen isn't there?

 

[Flivver]

Prior to his '56 Bel Air, my Dad had a '51 Styleline Deluxe 2-door sedan in dark green metallic. It's the first family car I remember.

My parents got me a car-seat that hung on the front seatbacks of the '51 that had a steering wheel and a shift lever (on the tree, of course). This allowed me to "drive" along with my Dad. Did anyone else have one of these car-seats when they were a little kid?

 

[52Styleline]

Yes, I certainly remember those. There was also a steering wheel with a big black rubber suction cup on the end of a long black rubber tube. In theory, you stuck the suction cup on something under the dash and steered. I can never remember the suction cup sticking to anything. It also had a "horn" in the center of the steering wheel that sounded more like a dog's squeaky toy.

 

[jamespowers]

Speaking as someone who still has the 57 Chevy he had in high school, it is a great vehicle that can go through many iterations and it does what you need it to. The parts remove and replace easily.
Since I inherited my mothers 55 chevy and it still has a place in my stable along with a few others.
I've been through the egg and brick situation a few times with classic vehicles. Just about everytime, the egg was a complete mess while I could just drive away with minimal damage. [huh]
1956 Crash Test into a solid block of cement:

2000 saturn (I think) wrapped around a pole:

Used to be a 2001 Maxima before it was rear ended:

Glued or epoxied together? Uh, no thanks. :eusa_doh:

 

[Bourbon Guy]

Problem with the older cars is that they were sturdy, while their human occupants were not. Modern cars have benefitted from race technology so that the car is totaled, with breakaway body panels, and the impacts are absorbed by the car and not you. Modern cars are safer, and there is not much room for argument on that.

 

[jamespowers]

Problem with the older cars is that they were sturdy, while their human occupants were not. Modern cars have benefitted from race technology so that the car is totaled, with breakaway body panels, and the impacts are absorbed by the car and not you. Modern cars are safer, and there is not much room for argument on that.

That depends on what you get hit by. That last picture is of a car whose rear seat occupant suffered brain damage from the impact.
I also refer you to Gessie's egg and brick analogy. I would rather be in the brick--in fact, I am everyday.