Hot Rods Question on how rare a 56 Belair is...?

Nice 210. Clean body & If the mechanicals are recent (brakes/exhaust/ect) yes north of $7500.00. A killer glaze & buff would make that paint. A drop it of a couple of inches and a some Supreme/Cragar/Chrome reverse wheels finishes a nice cruiser.

 

Long Live the '56 Chevrolet, No matter what options. Save it and drive it.

 

That looks like a nice car. But do research and don't pay a 2 door price for a 4 door. And don't pay a Bel Air price for a 210. That car would be on the lower end of the scale in price and desirability but if its as clean and solid as it looks it would be a great car to own and have fun with. Plus, it will be worth more next year.

 

It's a 210, 4 door sedan. The padded dash was an OPTION, and not a part of the Del Ray package, but could have been added to one when ordered new by a dealer, or by an owner. I've seen a 150 Bus Coupe with a factory padded dash; that would have been a rare order as placed by a dealer. I'm guessing the car should be in the 8K range, and IF the owner says it's a rare car, it is these days, but NOT as ordered when new. I like the car, the paint combo, and the model, but it really needs a set of Cragar S/S wheels to really make it POP. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

As four doors go, that one's a fairly desirable example. Rare, no. If mechanicals are as decent as the outside looks, it'd make a dandy cruiser/driver. Just keep in mind the huge, & I mean HUGE price break between 2dr & 4dr tri-fives. I'd look at 7 to 10 ish, tops. But, you can't hardly give a 4dr anything away around here. I passed on a similar '56 4dr solid builder last summer for $800, but I just don't do 4drs. Your example looks like a pretty decent car. Like Butch said above, the right wheels would make big difference in curb appeal. Good luck!

 

I guess I wasn't clear in the initial post... this is a car I love and we are probably going to be selling it along with some other cars, but I kinda want to keep this one...it sings to me! (...is that a really girly thing to say?) The guys even let me have it in my garage I was angling for the fact that it might be a keeper to restore...and I could cruise it in the mean time...for maybe a year or 2...
I am impressed with the wealth of knowledge you all have! I am still such a novice, please forgive me if I screw something up. I am loving this board more than you guys will know, I didn't post for a long time because I need to learn so much...so thanks in advance for your patience.

 

wait....umm...the grill is different in the 55 that the 56, its wider in the 56 Ha I knew something!

 

My wife is from southern Minn. She said that's close to Cuba. Or maybe she said where we live now is close to Cuba. She also says I never listen to her!
That's a nice 210 1956 Chevy 4-door. So if ya love it why sell it Heidi? By the way is that Heidi on the left?

 

My left or your left?

 

I can't keep this and do the rat rod I want to create out of my grandpa's 1950 F-4, soooo I guess unless I become extremely persuasive it will have to be sold.

 

We have some near sighted posters today,,,,NOT a Bel Air,,ITS a 210

 

Mouse motors and rat motors: were cool with that!!!!

 

kk no talking about my rat rod dreams here.... Check

 

yikes! ...sorry...I didn't know...it is something I learned today... and check...by the way the guy that is not Heidi... in the pic was nearly mortified that I said it was a Bel Air. Poor guy tolerates me so well!

 

For sure a 210. Padded dash could have been added. But could have been ordered that way. Then make sure it's a real 56 padded dash. Unusual to be powerpak. But it could have been ordered that way. Does it have dual exhaust? If it was a real dual exhaust powerpak car the muffler and tail pipe brackets would be mirror images of each other.

 

283,125 1956 210 4 dr sedans were made.
Current Old Cars Report Price Guide values are
1. $20,000
2. $14,000
3. $ 9,000
4. $ 4,000
5. $ 2,400
6. $ 800
Keep in mind a #1 car in the OCRPG is a 100 point show car that is never driven, only trailered to shows. A #2 would win most car shows unless a true #1 were present.
A #6 car is an unrestorable parts car.

 

Actually "rare" is a word in anyone's vocabulary that should make one suspicious of the vehicle in question. If something is really rare no one will ever have to mention it.

Here is an example, if someone had this car for sale would they have to mention that it is a rare car?

 

I am thinking the term "rare" comes from the fact that it is a common car with a few uncommon features.

 

I guess so, a friend in highschool had a '56 Belair 4 door hardtop with a power pac motor in it. It was so rare that we cut it up and made a dune buggy out of it.

The power pack motors were a common upgrade in '56, at least I have seen a lot of them, or used to when you could still find these old heaps on the used car lots. The dash pad still intact would mean that the car in question hasn't seen much daylight.

 

Sure a 56 for door is rare they only made the 56,s for one year! I have a 56 four door. is says bel air on the dash and on the title. its a 210. It would be a good parts car. likely it will get a conversion to a 2 dr. if I keep it. I tried to sell it for $3000 and everyone ran backwards. A rusty two door will sell higher than a solid 4 door.

 

my offer still stands, you cold still give it to me and I'll make a sleeper put of it.

I personally don't think that 3K is too much given todays prices for a '56 more door. I haven't seen the condition of the car but they seem to be going pretty high in "fair" condition when I a looking at them.

 

Side trim.

 

I don't think you could get DelRay trim option on the Belair. Could be wrong.

 

OK color me dumb but I didn't think that the "del ray" option came about until the '58 model year.

 

People confuse rarity with valuable.... Rarity in and of itself doesn't automatically confer value, you need to combine rare with desirable to get value. So a less-desirable car with rare options not usually seen on it is usually still just that; less desirable. I used to know a guy years ago that had a '65 Bel Air 4-dr wagon who special-ordered a 327/four speed in it. This fairly-common combo in a hardtop would easily add several thousand $$$ to it's value now, in a 4-dr wagon (even though it's ultra-rare in that body style), not nearly so much.

 

The Del Ray option was an upgraded interior on the 210 Models, 55-57. It included a vinyl headliner instead of the cloth one, nicer seat and door panel upholstery in paneled black and white (at least that's all I've ever seen), and was only available on 2 door sedans. A padded dash would have been an option on any car.

 

New to me info thanks. this is a good day for me learning little things that I was not aware of.

@Crazy Steve,
you are absolutely correct, I once owned a '54 wagon with the export package, IE the corvette engine. It was not a '54 wagon that someone fixed up, I bought it from the original owner an old farmer in the Ozarks. He had the original paperwork still, he said what he really wanted was one of them new corvettes but he had a farm and a wife and kids.

Anyway I digress, I paid him the 250 asking for it and drove it for about 6 months (maybe a year). Kept it clean and maintained and nothing more because I liked it the way that it was. I sold it when I didn't need it any more and even though it was an oddity I had a hard time getting my money back out of it. Wagons were just not in vogue, especially wagons that just looked like a big ol potato on wheels.

 

Pork, I believe that you think the DelRay option came about in 58 because that's when Chevy placed the name tag "DelRay" on the 58 models.
DelRay as a option was available starting in 54 and was a upgrade trim package for the 210 models but there was no badge that said "DelRay". This continued up to 57. In 58, Chevy changed the DelRay from a option package to the basemodel, replacing the 150. The Belair replaced the 210 and then the new Impala was top dog.
A correction: For 58 the Biscayne was the based model, so only in 58 was there 4 models: Biscayne, DelRay, BelAir, and Impala. DelRay was dropped for the 59 model year.

 

Some good information here among the not so good. Heidi will figure it all out.
Back at the end of the 80's I bought my 55 Chevy 210 wagon when wagons weren't cool. Kinda like that cute young feminine blonde country singer tellin about country wasn't cool. Now station wagons are cool, especially 2-door wagons. I was kool before my time.
Now iffin that 56 210 4-door was a barn find with patina it would be rare.
I still ain't figured out which side the real Heidi is on. I know the one on my right wouldn't build a rat whatever. She looks smarter than that.