Art & Inspiration Nomadness: A Decades-long Obsession

Today, as I drove my 1956 Nomad for New Year's Day, having owned it for 30 years this month (and over 300,000 miles), I thought back 49 years ago to January 1, 1972 in Tulsa, OK.

My older sister who was a school teacher in another state had come home for the holidays and took my 13-yr-old brother and 15-yr-old me to the Coney I-Lander on 11th St. Love me some coneys.
As we sat there and ate our coneys, I stared out the window at a little used car lot across the street, Mid-Way Motors. Sitting on the end of the front row, right in front of me, was a red and white '56 Nomad and as I looked it over while munching coneys, I thought that was probably the most perfectly-proportioned and cool car I had ever seen. It had "Mickey Thompson" mags with narrow white-walls, which were actually out of style by that time but I thought they looked cool. On the windshield was written in shoe polish "56 Nomad, make offer"
I went home and told my dad all about it and although he was a horse guy, he understood my love of all things automotive; he told me we could go look at it tomorrow when they were open. So the next day, in great anticipation, the two of us climbed into our well-worn '64 Falcon and drove to check out this thing that had so sparked my interest. When we arrived, we got out and starting looking over the Nomad. The salesman came out of the little house that served as the office and asked if we would like to take it for a test drive. My dad and I got in and down the street we went. 265, Powerglide and to me the sweetest sounding engine I had ever heard.
Unfortunately for me, to my dad it was just another old beater station wagon and he would actually be the primary driver of it since I was not quite old enough in Oklahoma to even get my learner's permit. The salesman asked, "Whattya think?" My dad said it was ok and then he asked if the guy would trade straight across for the Falcon (a plain jane 4 dr six). The guy laughed at my dad for making such a ridiculous offer; I was embarrassed, humiliated and couldn't understand why my dad couldn't see what an amazing car that Nomad was (although, in truth, it was just an old beater albeit a Nomad). We got in the Falcon and drove home and as I sat there in defeat, my dad told me, "As we looked at the car, I noticed you're growing a bit of a mustache. I think it's time you started shaving."

And so that day began two things: shaving and a life-long obsession for Chevrolet Nomads.
Stay tuned....
And here's a photo from my New Year's ride today

 

Always thought the '56 was the best looking of the three ... it's the side trim.

 

Thanks for sharing that story Duncan! I have always loved your Nomad. My story with Nomads goes back just as far (at least my age). When I first moved to Oklahoma when I was 14, we had to swap titles on all our cars from Texas. That included my 67 Camaro convertible. It wasn’t street legal or done yet, so we trailered it to the tag agent. While we were there, a lady came by noticing the Camaro. She invited us to a car show coming up. I later met her sons who became lifelong friends. Anyway, this family had a coral and grey 55 Nomad that they had owned since 1968. We ended up cruising this “pink” Nomad when we were in high school in the 80’s while most made fun of us...

 

I purchased my first ride when I was 18. A Chicago rust bucket with 120k miles. Owned it for twenty years but young family and career made sure I never got it fixed up.

 

Cool story! But don't leave us hanging, let's here the rest of the story

 

I bought my one and only 57 Nomad in 1967 from an old man in Coral Gables ,Fl.
I was working for a tree company trimming the trees around the power lines. I had spotted the car from one of the trees.
We were sitting down besides our truck having lunch when the man came up and said he had a car for one of us. He told me it was the Nomad and so I walked down to his house to look at it.
It was a 283 automatic and he was storing lumber in it. The city had told him it had to out of site of the street with no tag on it. So he decided to just sell it. He told me a hundred bucks. I had 50 on me and gave him the deposit. We went back that night to pick it up and he told me he had saved me 25 because the windshield was cracked and it wouldn't pass inspection.
So for 75 dollars I had me a running . driving 57 Nomad.

 

Great story, I think we all have a story like that. Mine was a o/t 66 chevelle ( rust free 327 4 spd) dad said no because it had 100 thousand miles on it.

 

I had all three, 55, 56, and 57, all rust buckets. Out of the three I only got one on the road after several years of labor and much money. From then I have owned 55 -57 sedans, wagons, convertibles, and four doors none were as rusted as those 3 Nomads. Right now I have a 57 Sedan Delivery, which is pretty much rust free. But you know, I share your obsession for the Nomad, every-time I see an ad, I take a look.

 

Cool story

 

I started this story on January 1st, thinking I would have added more to it by now but got sidetracked by other things so I better add some more to the story, especially since this is January 31st, and the fact I finally got my Nomad in January, 1991, 30 years ago this month.
Well, back to 1972. After my dad did not see what a fantastic buy that Nomad was, I became obsessed with Nomads. I drew pictures, I wrote down info on every Nomad I saw in the Tulsa area or for sale in the newspaper. I kept notes on year, color, location, and even typed it on a piece of paper:

Notice I wrote "Bronze & Beige" as the color of one, not knowing it was called Sierra Gold and Adobe Beige. There were more in Tulsa area, as many as 42 Nomads and Safaris in the early 70s, although my typed list stopped at 28.

 

Then I took it upon myself to draw pictures of the Nomads I had seen in Tulsa, I guess to document it to myself as I had no idea the HAMB would be around decades later. Here are some I drew and colored in back then to match the typed list:

 

It so happened that a friend of mine at school had a copy of Special Interest Autos that had just come out at the time (Jan-Mar 1972 issue), featuring NOMADS! Since Nomads were my main topic of conversation, he brought the SIA issue to school for me to borrow (his dad wanted it back), and I learned a lot about Nomad history from that magazine. Remember, no internet, etc., at the time, so to find out about Nomads, one had to peruse the newstands for car magazines that had articles about Nomads, and believe me, I bought every magazine that had something Nomad in it.
Years later I was able to find a copy of that SIA issue for myself

 

It was from this magazine that I learned about the history of the Nomad (including the original "Waldorf Nomad" concept car). I also learned from this magazine how rare Nomads are and how ever rarer Safaris are. It only made me want one even more.

 

One more page from the SIA article and I will call it a night. More to follow later

 

Took one of my older brothers to the Huston Autorama car show downtown during thanksgiving a few years go when visiting him. He asked me about a station wagon. He liked it. It was a Nomad. A 56. Walked a bit more. He saw a 57 and liked it. Saw another 56. Then a while later he noticed a 55. He knows very little in the old car world. But that day he fell in love with the Nomad at the age of 48. He asked me why he liked them, I said because they were very cool. On the way back to his house, he asked the price range of one. I informed him, he said maybe when he retires. Or when the kids are out of collage. It`s in his budget. The Nomad has that effect on people. It`ll pull you in.

 

Very cool drawings! You certainly are infatuated with Nomads!

 

Nomads are cool..one tri-five body style I haven't owned.
I'm partial to the '55, I really like the eyebrows and the radiused rear wheel wells, and the fact that is the year I was born.

 

Like I need any more encouragement to post '57 Chevys!

 

Great story Duncan. I too, have had a fascination with the tri-five Nomads. When in high school, a friend had a '56 and later a '55. That most likely was the beginning of my yearning, but when I saw this '57 on the cover of Rod and Custom Magazine I was hooked! One of these day's....

 

I have the magazine!

 

I had several of the Revell '57 Nomad model kits

 

Yep, that's the one!

 

The model kit was amazing!
The pistons cast into the bores, many moving parts.

 

I've had my 55 Nomad since 1964 75% original finish ( shoreline beige lower/glacier blue upper) radio delete/power glide /grille guard /vin # 1195 also just recently purchased my late brothers 55 Nomad which he purchased I believe in 1972, 100% original finish turq./white, pwr. steering/brakes/4 bbl/wonder bar/power glide/over head traffic light viewer, both have around 80k miles.

 

sounds nice, pics of both?

 

Sooooo, why isn`t their one in your avatar?

 

Great read. HRP

 

Nomads.....an impossible dream for many of us.

I'm with you on the 56, never understood the hoopla of the 55 and 57 over the 56, I think it's the best of all 3. Not as subdued as the '55s, not as garish as the '57...just right.

 

Dirt Car. Please post pictures of 55’ Glacier Blue / Shoreline Beige. Very hard to find pics of original dark over light two tone . I love them they way.
Stretch

 

Our 56 is just a family driver. But we love it. I drove my daughter down the aisle at her wedding in it. It was her idea not mine. Ron....