Projects My new 1957 Chevy Bel Air 4dr Hard Top project.

You gotta admit. If someone shaves the rear door handles. They actually wish it was a two door LOL

 

Put on a better set of rollers. I'm going to try and find my five spokes for the front. The windshield the previous owner gave me is actually a very nice ez eye factory rear window! Little by little getting it ready to move off the trailer and start work.

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Yeah I have to admit. Either all the door handles go or they stay. Shaving just the rear says "I like my 4dr but I really wish I had a 2dr.

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Too bad they are 14s!

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The 1st real issue I have found. I've seen rust here before on other 4dr hardtops.

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My volunteers!

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Nice find, I love 4dr hardtops.

Here's a photoshop from the 4dr to 2dr conversion thread

 

I have to admit Im surprised at the people talking about liking the 4 door hardtop 56/57 chevies best, or not noticing the difference with the rear door handles shaved??? or thinking a 2 door conversion would be easy on these
Dont get me wrong I like em all but the top on the 4 door hardtops(verses 4 and 2 door sedans or 2 door H/Ts)are completely different and kind of requires an acquired taste in my opinion, However they are cool just because and lotsa character there but almost a different animal when "I" think of a typical 57 chevy, These almost seem to be in a class with the bigger family cars of the day which is cool too but different...Still cool tho, especially if you already have the rest of the tri fives collection in your yard
I like what it is!

 

Looks like it's a Van Nuys .CA car from Glendale. Original color was Indian ivory and canyon coral.....my absolute least favorite 57' color combination!

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Agreed. There would be a lot of work there to try and convert one to a 2dr. I'm happy with what it is. Besides they do have there place in the hotrod world. I think this Jr stocker is perfectly content with its extra doors.

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When I was in high school s Guy we called big Jim owned and drove a real nice 57 sport coup. Had the original 265 bored to a 283. converted from a powerglide to a stick in the floor. Good turquoise paint and nice interior. Then he found a rough 56 2 dr sedan. and junked that much better 57 to fix the 56. And right or wrong most of us even today prefer a two door

 

That is a perfect example of how to get into hotrodding. You buy the "entry" level not as desirable car and it typically leads to something else in this case a 2dr. My son's will probably go this route because of price. That and I'd rather them not wreck a 2dr. Plus you usually tend to make connections that lead to other stuff once you at least have an entry level car. Like you I will always prefer the 2dr but this time around I preferred the 4dr price. . I'm curious was a 2dr in his condition would have cost.

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A youngin in a 4 door 57 is a lot cooler than a old guy in the nicest 2 door 57 out there...

 

I like them almost as much as the 56 4dht. The vertical cut in the flair is distracting, but still great looking cars. Leave all the door handles on. A 2 door hardtop front windshield will fit, and while I like 15s too, 14s were what it came with originally. Good luck whatever direction you go. Do the old girl up right.

 

Wicked Cool man!

 

I cut up a non salvageable 56 4dr hard top 2yrs ago. Kept around the parts for 2yrs and finally got ride of the 4dr specific parts because no one wanted them. Now I would have liked to have some of them. Lol. That is why I don't like to get rid of stuff because every time I do I kick myself in the rear!

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Thanks Belair for the encouragement!

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I think a low slung '56 or '57 4dr HT boulevard cruiser on narrow white walls on the 5"-6"-ish wide chrome rims of most any choice is cooler than a 2dr HT of the same ilk.

Like you, 31HRG, I've seen other 4dr HT's with rot in the C-pillar like you showed. Hopefully putting a patch there isn't too much of a pain after you get the stainless off.

 

There is a 4 dr HTP specific floor pan brace that the center post attaches to. Back when I owned a 57 with rusty pillar attachment there wasn't any new replacement available. Gene Smith was going to make some don't know if that ever happened.

 

Those old reversed dish cragars will probably clean up quite a bit with some water and SOS pad action.
They will look good on something even tho they are 14s. Ive got a couple out in the garage about like em.

 

The tri bar spinners are worth cleaning up as well.

 

The cragars will be one of those "fun" projects for the kids. Or at least I use to like to do that stuff as a kid. Then again I was pretty twisted......still am

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Nice score!!
Whenever I see a 57 four-door hardtop, I always think a version based on this would be cool....

 

I ran across a pic of a 2 door hardtop 55 wagon the other day, I started to save it but didnt, I knew I should have..It had off topic wheels so I knew I couldnt share it here so.....where else would I share it???

Anyone else seen it? It was pretty cool!

.......A chevy version of this would be cool too.

 

I see OT wheels an other stuff on the HAMB on a regular basis so I would have been okay with it but that call is ultimately its up to the mods. The buick and olds 4dr hardtop wagons are really neat. A Chevy conversion would be way more body skills than I have.

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Thanx for the pic..........I was struggling with how it would look and how to build it.
6sally6

 

Nice! leave the rear door handles and get rid of the front ones!

 

I think 4 doors are like big girls - a guy can have a lot of fun with both but he won't admit it

 

Ha ha ha

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