History 1957 Chevy 2 Door Wagon Government Car?

A 57 Chevy 150 2 door Wagon just came into the shop. It's a factory rear seat delete, just has a flat deck like a sedan delivery but it's got windows. The owner was told that a few were ordered this way for either military or other government ues. Colorado car it's whole life and must have been taken care of as there is very little rust. NORAD maybe? Anybody know? Has a radio, heater and clock, 3 speed column shift. Neat car if you like 567 chevies. Just curious.

 

They did make sedan deliveries with rear side windows for government use.I've heard there were around 250 produced that way.Easiest way to check and see if it is legit is the tag #.Body style should be 1270 or 1271 for a sedan delivery.

 

Ever watch North By Northwest ? Towards the end there when they are at Mt. Rushmore is a '56 Chevy wagon like that with US Forest Service or maybe Park Service markings. Being in Colorado that would be my guess or the USDA.

 

Is the back door one piece, hinged from the top & lift up?

 

Yes it is/does.

 

sounds like a yeoman

 

pictures ?

 

More stuff, the hood has the V on it, but does not have the Chevrolet script, nor does it have the holes. Original paint under the hood and it's clear there were no holes filled.


Cowl Tag:

Style 57-1271
Body No CL8404
Trim 717
Paint 793A
ACC SPL

I'm thinking restore, not rod. Now to talk the owner into that plan.

 

Here's a pic down the side showing windows and lift hatch.

 

more pix please.

 

There it is...Sedan delivery body style 1271.

 

My buddy has one of these; came from a college maintenance area in California. He calls it a handyman if I'm not mistaken. According to him, only about 93 were built. The ones from California might have had a different rear - one piece- bumper. Anyway, his has one. Came with a straight six and 3 on the tree. Where the rear seat would be, a factory built in wooden box was for hauling maintenance tools.

 

Sedan deliveries don't have windows, and 2 door wagons don't have the one piece rear hatch. Don't know what's up with the hood trim delete.

 

A friend of mine had a 60 once like this, real low miles. It also came from Colorado and was used in the Forestry division. Gary

 

Perhaps the windows were an option?

I know that the body tag is unmistakeable and nothing else that I have seen has that style number...

...definitely a head scratcher.

 

>>>>>Military/ Government Cars back then have a MIL Serial Number Tag inside up on the firewall above the clutch pedel ,NO VIN NUMBER TAG ,,when i was in Alaska in the '60's i bought several 'Chevy's outa the Army/USAF junk yard ,, my buddy here has a '55 Chevy Army Sedan Delivery ,,it's rear hatch is a third door ,,not a lift up ,,

 

It's a sedan delivery. Goverment ordered, I am almost sure the production number was 93. But it is not a handyman wagon. I have owened a few and still own 2 sedan deliveries. That is a very rare and good find.

 

Radio - clock???....just sayin...

 

Thats way cool

 

Man I like that.

 

I'd bet that car is a civilian customer-order and NOT a gov't-order car. Colors, clock and radio. Yes, windowed sedan deliveries were built in '57, and the rear liftgate is a stock piece. That was NOT a gov't-only deal - that was standard on this model. A two-door wagon has a back seat. Sedan deliveries have no provision for one at all. That is the defining difference between wagon and delivery, whether it has rear side windows or not is not relevant.

One of you said Yeoman wagon. That was the bottom-line Chevy wagon model...in 1958 only! Plus, the 1958 Yeoman was a station wagon, not a delivery, and was available in two and four doors.

 

I've seen a couple in the last 25yrs. All '57's. Rare as it get's. This blk/white one you have is wwaayy cool. Make a black 'wida clone outta it.....wicked 283 w/2-4's, 4spd, ect. What are it's plan's?

 

It was originally all black, the 2 tone is a repaint and I'm sure Government types need to know what time it is and listen to the radio, not just civilians....just sayin... It has no provisions for a back seat at all. Another strange thing is the VIN tag in the door jamb is double stamped, it has the VIN, and above that in the same factory stamp another Letter/Number combo that I'll post tomorrow after I take a pic. Keep the info coming as it may help determine that fate of a rare or if nothing else odd and cool car.

 

I meet the owner later in the week. Hopefully I'll have some solid info for him and a plan will be made to not ruin it. Don't know what he wants yet. I hope it's not paint it red and American 5 spokes.....

 

Government cars were bare-boned, period. A clock and a radio weren't part of the normal gov't buy back in the day. Plus, a federal-gov't car/truck would have a nomenclature plate, either riveted or screwed to the dash, even then.

A black car with clock and radio...could've been a funeral car, coroner wagon, or something of the like, NOT to be confused with a hearse...they ARE different. My '67 Belvedere I wagon was ordered nearly exactly like that - six, three-speed on the column, clock, but no radio, as a funeral car.

 

I had one of those a few years back. It was originally black like this one. The SPL on the cowl tag is an abbreviation for SPECIAL which denotes the special order side windows. The only thing on your car that is not from the factory is the angled side trim that goes from the quarter molding to below the side window. Sedan deliveries didn't have this. Someone added it when they did the two-tone.

 

i have an old broacher that had the sedan delivery showing window option
i am looking for it and will post a copy if i find it soon
i have had manny 567's with differently put togeather
had a 57 210 6 lug wheels no back seat no spair tire well at the time did not know what it was was to plain sold it for $50.00 in 1969

 

that is correct it was added later
that was not offered for SD's

 

I wish that I had $50.00 to pay you, for the car that you sold when I was 8 years old! That would have been a nice investment!

 

in the civilian sector they were used as flower delivery vehicles and the reason for windows was to advertise the flower shop. in the goverment sector they were used by the U.S. forestry service for fire watch vehicles. the windows allowed them to see behind themselves regaurdless if they were going up or down the mountainside. goverment models usually had rear seats for extra people to watch for fires. bet it was a floral delivery vehicle.