1957 Bel Air 2 door hardtop 26K miles All Original Pictures!

Ok talked to someone that knew the owner. Turns out something happened and he parked it in his garage around 1967. There was a creek behind the garage so it was damp and might have caused some of the rust we see. Was told the mileage is correct.

As far as the engine goes. It was cleaned up and painted for some reason 2 months ago. So I say they replaced a hose to clamp here and their.

 

E brake handle should be plastic an black in color. Would not the wheels be silver. Is a nice looking car.

 

...that being said about the ole'crik runnin by...I would DEFINITELY want to give the frame and body a very thorough inspection, imagine if the frame has soft spots near spring eyes etc...I saw this happen before on a really clean Corvette. great interior, engine bay, paint etc, frame was gone, sat in dirt floor garage for years

 

Even if it is a genuine low mileage car, which I seriously doubt, there's nothing all that great about a seldom driven car that's been sitting, a high mileage car that's been used on a regular basis is a much better car. People ask me "how many miles are on it?" about my cars and other than two of them I have no idea.

 

My assessment too. The undercarriage looks dirty but not terribly rusty. Someone was trigger happy with the grease gun. The engine compartment was recently cleaned and detailed. The mileage may be legit or close to it. Certainly not 126k.

I think they'd easily get their asking price at auction if not more. Like Bob37 says, they're not making originals anymore.

 

Open the doors, hood, and trunk and look for masking tape lines and or overspray in the jambs. Also look around the same areas for rubbing coumpound , etc. which may tell if the car has had paint work. Do all the stainless mouldings fit well? Often when the car has been apart the mouldings (especially around the front and rear glass) dont fit as well as they once did.

My dad sold a 80K original paint/upholstery '57 BelAir 2 door post 7 years ago for 25K.

Like others have said they don't make them anymore. Buy it if it is for real.

 

I know it's not as good of a method as the thoughts about the ball joints and shocks and stuff, but I always look at the brake pedal pad. Hard to see, but I think that one looks worn enough to have 26,000 miles and not replaced. If it had 126,000 miles or more, and hadn't been replaced at one time, it'd be worn much smoother than it is. If it had been replaced, it'd be new looking. Moisture can certainly cause rust like that on the undercarriage over decades of time...even if it is a low mileage car. The engine and engine compartment were definitely spruced up. Anybody know if there's a visible tag on new replacement seat covers?

 

It looks to me like a very nice original car with a 126000 miles if its all original unrestored car thats not a bad price

 

Heading over there to take some more pictures. Anything else I should check and take pics of? Any problem areas?

 

The carpet shows more wear like 126K than 26K. Nice car just the same but for $35K go to hotrodhotline.com and see what $35K will get you.

 

All 4 feet areas & trunk floor especially under the latch/behind the bumper, there's like a 2"x2"x48" galley there that notorious.

Compaire prices on EbayMotors/craigslist/Autotrader/etc first

 

There's too many "gotchas" for my liking here.

IF its really a 26k car with presentable original paint then I'd say its easily worth $35k.

But then what do you do with it? Drive it and use it and devalue it? Cars like this seem silly to me, but that's just my opinion. I suppose I could see having a trailer queen if it was a PERFECT original car, but I'd rather have a nice clean driver that I could pile the miles on.

And that being said, for what you'd pay for a 57 Chevy there's much better (IMO) cars for the same or much less money. I'd much rather have a 57 Lincoln/Cadillac/Olds/etc coupe for what those things go for. Hell, 57 Continental Mark 2s bring similar $$ or even less and that's such a superior machine its not even funny.

 

Hell yes, drive it. It's not THAT perfect. You won't devalue it; in fact I'd trust a car driven regularly more than some garage queen with all the problems of a car that sits a lot.

 

Take pix of the bottoms of the doors. All jambs. If you score it drop it 3" in the front, 2" in rear and then bury the paint in Meguiars #7 glaze. Drive it.

 

It could be a 26,000 car parked on a dirt floor garage.

My Grand parents Rambler was a 47,000 mile car, and it looked like it until you looked under it. Their garage floor was dirt floored and it just corroded everything.

 

What's the 57 chevy market on restored cars in the $35K range? This car is questionable low mileage, with old maybe original paint, and a rattle can restored engine compartment. Questionable original or restored interior. Its a very nice looking car,but its not what would be considered a survivor car, its missing the untouched "mystique" that brings the money on survivors. I think at $35K you might lose your ass if this isn't documented or later determined to be OTHER than a 26K mile car.

 

It looks like it has had some work done to it in the trunk and engine compartment, Here some picture of my 55 that I know the history.
It has 33,000 mile on it.
under side of yours looks like mine.

 

Could be an early car. Early cars had body color wheels, late cars had silver wheels.

 

In 1971 I bought a '58 Chev that looked about the same overall condition as this '57 ....body was as good ,as was the interior . My undercarriage was about like yours but this '57 engine and compartment looks much cleaner than mine . The guy that owned mine did a home style undercoating on all fenders but not the floor ...floor was rotted after 13 years and I replaced it . Oh, and I paid $450 back then but it was a stick , 6 banger . I think yours is more $25k than $35k ....and as others have said , no way this is a 26k mileage car ( mine had 75k at the time in 1971 )

 

Looks to me (from the pictures) it could be a 26k car. The brake pedal has been mentioned, but you look and the steering wheel and you would see some wear as well. Not to mention cracking from heat if it spent time outside. The carpet looks like it has a little rot, and the surface rust on the underside look to me like normal wear from poor storage in a damp climate. If you like and want a '57 30k wouldn't be a bad price. Expect to spend some money if you want to drive it as a dependable car. Rubber, piston rings, don't like to sit. Wheel cylinders stick too. If you look at what a roached out 57 hardtop can bring 30k isn't bad when you look at the time and money you'll spend on a rusty shell.

Also to make it a dependable driver you will need to install hard seats in the heads. You can get by for a while but it is just a matter of time. Btw 57 had nice power pack heads. Much better then the 55 or 56.

 

Everyone's all over the map on this one. What it's worth to you is the price you should pay. Keep all that billet shit and ghetto wheels off of it, drive it like you own it, and have a great time in a beautiful car. Easy to be a Monday morning mechanic here but most of the fellas are spot on in that this car blurs the survivor/restored line. I would need to check the car out for awhile for my offer price but I would not go over 30 grand. I see well restored examples selling in the low 40's in Arizona that are great drivers. You'll have to put some bucks in this one, that much I know.

 

Carson: Have a professional appraisal by someone who knows these things. Its hard to compare it to another car without the two sitting side by side and knowing the complete history on both. So, find out what this car is worth. tim

 

the motor's off....why detail it....to nice under the hood....they didn't paint that generator strap orange I'mathinking....

 

if you like it, and can afford it, buy it.

As described, the price is reasonable.

If you determine it is not as described, you won't like it, so don't buy it.

but if the signs say the description is accurate, buy it.

have fun!

 

I would think a 55 year old trunk would look a lot more like this^^^^

If the owner was as fastidious as the kids claim, there would be other records to back up the low mileage. I don't think they have the paper trail to back it up. It looks like a well taken care of car that has had a 'freshen-up' done on it -I would not trust them.

Having said all that, if you can agree on a price cool, but I would not pay extra for the low miles.

You could also agree on a price based on the low miles...pending a certification by an expert.

I have rebuilt a speedo, it is easy to set it anywhere you want.

Not an expert here, just my opinion.

Kelvin

 

Car has definitely been restored ,, Probably 126,00 miles ,, Looks good and may be worth 25- 30 depends how much you like it .. Check Carsonline for prices

 

well worth the 35K asking price hell it's a blk hardtop

 

If you can get verification on the mileage and wanna use it as an "investment" it's probably not going accrue much profit considering it's overall shape and availability. If you want to have something to drive often and really enjoy for for that kinda money you can find an updated '57 street rod that will most likely retain it's value at least as well and sure as hell be more fun.............to me. That sucker is nice tho and not everybody out there is trying to pull something.

 

I can see Randy in those pics but where's Mr. Lahey?

 

Watching with interest on this one. It is a good looking car but there seems to be a lot of questions, many which I never would have thought of. Another tech lesson.

Good luck if you buy it.