Customs My new 1957 Chevy Bel Air cover car

TRUER words have never been spoken- agree with you 1000% on EVERY point and had been saying pretty much the same things. Thanks Jim

 

keep that car!!!! and make it look and run like it did

 

These are his intentions.


Some of these other guys posting on this thread need to back off a bit and give Camel a chance. He said it's going to take 7 - 10 years and if it takes longer, so be it. Whatever it ends up costing to get the car back in shape isn't our concern and apparently he's financially able to do it.

It'll be bitchin' to watch the progress on this car once it gets started.

 

Man talk about smokin crack! where the hell did you come up with those prices,Boyd C? Foose? in my town their is guys doing killer paint jobs that rivel the best for 8K and interiors for less than 4K. 50K for labor on top of those prices wtf? 30K and I bet it will look as good as it did the day it was first finished. carry on rippedcamel and have fun with it and your son.

 

Most people like the modern drivetrain, billet wheels, and so on. That's what will bring you the big bucks at sale today.

That's the problem with a car like this. A 283 doesn't get much attention at the local car show, but that's what the car needs.

Most car sites will recommend far different than here. Everyone who digs the old customs, especially one with a history should be glad that camel choose to post here and is open to doing the car "right".

I just have to add though........the car can be done "right" without spending 25K to paint it. There are people all over the country that can lay down killer incredible paint for a fraction of that and do it right.

 

^^^Amen.

 

I wish you the best of luck on your project. I'll always be interested if you should change your mind.
FRITZ

 

Sell me the car, I want it.

 

Lots of truth to this.
And i also have to agree on the paint too... I've seen some KILLER paint and body work come out of one car garages..at a fraction of what it would cost to pay a pro shop with results just a nice...
Drive, desire, the ability to learn and lack of cash can make people do some pretty amazing thing's.

Can't wait to see this car being reborn.

Tony

 

I see more than $20K worth of work needed in just the body and paint if you get a pro tp do it.

Because that rear panel is all custom, its going to have to hand fabbed starting with a 57 quarter, wheelhouse, and whatever else is needed. That takes time, and a good metal guy is not cheap by the hour. Once that is done and the all the gaps are done, rust repair, and general straightening, it needs to be painted. There would be a ton of hours in the car by now, and it hasn't even been blocked yet. Blocking it straight will be a ton of hours.

Real good quality paint systems (etching primer to clear coat) can cost several thousand just for the materials. An a drop of paint hasn't even touched the car yet.


If you can do a lot of the grunt work yourself, it will be signifigantly cheaper, but material costs, and the costs for the time of experts can't be signifigantly changed without it negatively affecting the end result.

I think you have a good idea if you are lookin gat a 7 year plan.

 

Updating an original custom is kind of like restoring the finish on antique furniture. It looses most of it's value and all of its essence. You have a very rare situation... "A" you have an original custom. And even cooler "B" it was your fathers car. Thats amazing! Restore it exactly how he had it, or if your hearts not in it make the decision to sell it to someone who will, and build your own. In the custom car world, it is more of a disgrace to alter vintage customization, than to alter and all stock car.
-Chris

 

In my limited experience what you "think" it is going to cost no matter how detailed your estimate is-it always costs more, sometimes double. You need to be prepared for more expenses than what is in the plan.

I think you need separate the OPINION from the FACTS.

OPINION #1 Your dad says to sell, but he isn't into cars any more from what you posted.

OPINION #2 The Barrett-Jackson watchers say it will be worth big dollars with a LS-1 and Corvette suspension, I don't think they know the money it took to build those cars initially.

OPINION #3 The HAMBERS...oh don't get me started on those people . Most of us here think the car should be what it was exactly as it was in the magazine. If you are not the person to do it with BIG dedication and with whatever it takes for money and time then PLEASE sell it to someone who will. You will fell like crap doing it half-ass or never finishing it. Trust us we've seen it or have done it.


FACT #1 There were only a small number of cars ever featured in those magazines compared to what got built, fewer of the old feature cars survive today. This car stands out and is special for surviving and for what it was. It was one-of-kind then and it still is now.

FACT #2 The only people that make money from custom cars are the people who build them professionally. Usually not BIG profits.

FACT #3 There are plenty of LS# custom built what-evers in the magazines and on the market place. Nothing special with those, there are a lot of them.

FACT #4 Cross breeding generations of custom style never works. It always looks funny and out of place. The characteristics of the car don't flow together when generations are mixed.


Marty McF.

​

 

So far, I have not seen any old mid-1960's pix of my old kustom Rikster has, BadBob (and I've even offered him some...but get no reply from him)...so I'm just a bit of an non-believer on your statement...

R-

 

It's your car to do what you like with, however, as you've read here, it's also a part of history that is very special to lots of people. I'm concerned about your ability to do the car justice. I think you have good intentions, but from your posts you obviously know very little about cars in general, and less about customs from back in the day. I can tell from your previous posts, that you do not grasp the concept, purpose, or essence of a car like this. This isn't a F bodied mustang that you can buy bolt on parts for, things will need to be hand made and hand fitted. That requires tools and the experience to use them properly. Nobody that I know of was born with the skills needed to build something like this, but SOME have learned them. Few people in the world have the skill and patience to pull this off the way it should be done, so if you're not one of them, or not willing or able to learn those skills and most of all, patience, I say it would be in the best interest of the car to sell it to some one who is capable of doing the car justice.

 

Who did the custom work?
Being from the area I may know him, if it is who I'm thinking it is he did my car back in 58-59.

 

You're right I do know next to nothing about customs in general, especially customs from back in the day.

As for knowing little about cars, I don't know where you're getting that from. Being that I worked at Steeda for a few years writing articles for their magazine 'Modular Motor Magazine', I think I had to know more than general information about cars! Secondly my car isn't an F-body, so if you're trying to tell someone they don't know something about cars, make sure you know what you're talking about. I have an 03 which is considered the "New Edge" mustang and is based on the same platform as the "Sn95" mustang. The Fox body mustang stopped production in 1993.....a full 10 years before my 2003. My car is much more advanced, and can run circles around similarly modded fox body 5.0's and cobras.

I can probably school many people on modern automotives when it comes to muscle cars, and imports. However I'm a noob when it comes to customs and old customs. That's why you come to forums.....to learn.

So don't just stereotype me as someone who doesn't know anything about cars, without having factual info to back up that claim.

I'd also appreciate a little more respect. It's getting a little old, people ripping into me for their own issues with comprehending my posts. I think I've made my points explicitly clear, and am tired off repeating myself over and over. If you can't take the time to read the posts, why respond to the thread?

For those of you that have helped me along with advice, and a little knowledge on why doing anything other than building it all original is a mistake, thank you.

 

Since you're ready to spend five years or more (7 to 10) to work on restoring this car to its earlier glory, the money it will cost to do it right won't bust your wallet. I think the trick will be in finding the right people to help you along as the restoration unfolds.

One step at a time.

You seem to be on the right track by understanding the rust and rot in the floor needs attention right away. However difficult it may be, once you're past the structural repairs, you'll have a better handle on the scope of your project.

Its hard to tell from the photographs, but I'd be willing to wager that there isn't a lot of rocket science under that body work... just a lot of hard work. Look at it this way, you have a good side to use as a guide for the bad side... that's a heckofalot easier than starting from scratch.

I'm just hopin' you keep postin'... with the progress.

Best of luck.

 

A friend of mine bought an early Barris custom that Sam Barris had chopped the top on. By the time my friend got the car it was a total
rust bucket; but since Sam Barris had chopped the top it was a collectible custom. What he did was he bought a rust free body of the same make and model. He removed the top and all of Sam Barris' custom
work and put it on the donor car and then restored it to original custom as Sam had built it.
Because your car has so much rust this might be the answer for your similar problem. Buy a rust free 57 post 2-door sedan, strip the paint off the custom so you can see where the lead work is -- save all that and join the panels to the donor car. Many of the parts that you remove from the donor car could be sold to help you recover some of your money.
TwoChops

 

You should also read the posts better.... I didn't say that you shouldn't restore that car,

I said if you don't have, or can't learn the skills, and the patience to do it right, you should not restore that car.

I used the Fbody as an example, I don't know anything about your late model experience, but your questions/statements about Ls this and Ls that, and a C4 chassis swap tells me that you are out of your area of expertise...also, it seems to me that any reasonably informed "car guy" should know what kinda power you could get from a 283.

I read the entire thread from beginning to end, before my first post, and my OPINION stands.

This is not intended to be some sort of personel shot, or anything like that. I would hate to see a car with that kind of history possibly ruined by someone with the best of intentions, but not the skills, money, or patience to restore that car to it's former glory.

 

Read all of his posts.
Then come back here and apologize.
HE ISNT GOING TO PUT AN LS MOTOR IN IT!
NO C4 CHASSIS!
HE SAID HIMSELF HE CAME TO THE DECISION IT SHOULD BE RESTORED!

 

wow! I am truely surprised at the negative reaction to this guy's thread If I were him I would have thrown in the towel on the hamb thread a long time ago. Hell I thought he picked up the idea of the "traditional" kustom a lot sooner than some guys on here. I rarely write on here unless I have something useful to say or somebody asks for an opinion. I think some of you have good intentions but, came off the wrong way. I work in the paint and body industry as a supply store manager and tech guy. I think (even in California) if you were to talk to a jobber store in your area they could point you in the right direction for professional help at an affordable price. I have also seen a lot of guys come through our doors with very little to no experience and with help and a lot hard work, produce some unbelievable paint jobs and great body work. Now that being said I have also seen some original customs both old and new shot for magazines that are lacking in these areas so for you guys to say that it should be put back to "original" or "period" may not be that impressive. I can't tell from a couple of old black and white magazine shots. I don't see how this car couldn't be done in a realistic time frame like this guy has and for around the price range he is looking at. The way I look at it is just because it is expensive doesn't mean it is the best. A little shopping around, some question asking and knowing when to leave it to the pros can take you a long ways.

 

That might be one of the coolest things I've heard a Dad say.

Your choice though......

 

By the way I have seen some really horrible $10,000.00 paint jobs and some really nice $4,000.00 paint jobs.

 

I would personally think that if the original builder was willing to re-do it, that's where
I would take it. Hopefully his talents are still as good today as when he did it first.

Probably would need to spend some time with him going over the car and estimating
costs for things that need done...and how they will get repaired. He may ultimately
exceed his 20K original estimate. But if done over time, maybe it will be OK money wise.
A picture diary could be done of the resto. May
well warrant a new story in a current magazine when completed.

It's a neat and unique car, and being unfamiliar with such a machine
I can understand how a person might have questions at first.
Since I'm old, I remember seeing cars like that in the magazines when
they were first built.....

Good luck.

 

Well said! Their is nothing but truth in what you have said.

 

I agree with your dad, sell it if the price is right and build your own COVER CAR.. I would rather build something "MY WAY" with my own ideas than spend time and money on re-doing sombody else's "COVER CAR"....... My 2 cents
Good luck in what ever decision you make..............

 

very cool car to have, all i have to say is good luck on which ever way you decide to go, my myself, id restore it back to the cover car days, no updates, just restored, if there some tasks you dont want to tackle, look for some good help and have that work done.

good luck

neat car

JEFF

 

I have read all his posts, I know what decisions he has made....My point is that if a guys first reaction upon seeing this car is to consider a modern engine and C4 chassis swap, he is out of his area of expertise..IE, he doesn't know what he has....or what to do with it.

I'm happy that he found the HAMB, I'm happy that he has come to the decisions that he has......I'm worried, based upon his previous ideas that this isn't the right guy for the project......

I wish someone would stumble across the part in both my posts that mentions the fact that if the owner has the willingness and ability to either apply or learn the skills and patience , he should by all means proceed...... and then get off my ass.

That's 2 people jumping my ass for not reading the thread, who clearly didn't read ( or understand) what I posted...

 

Where did I say, you didn't say I should restore the car? Maybe you should read the posts again.

Because, again as I said, I have a plethora of knowledge about MODERN CARS!!! The 283 I asked about is not a modern engine! It's from a 50's Vette and it utilizes a carbeurator which I'm not too familiar with. I don't know alot about the old school engines.

Also, just an FYI there are brackets and such to do a direct swap of a modern engine into an old school car. It's no longer a hard thing to do, and in my opinion is pretty cool. Nothing better than old school looks, and new school performance.

Also the C4 suspension is a direct fit with the 57 Chevy Bel Air with almost no alterations needed. It would make an unbelievable difference in the handling of the vehicle, which old cars lacked.

As I said I'll be sticking to the original stuff on this car, but if I ever have another shot at an old school car like an Oem 57 Chevy Bel Air, you better believe I'd modernize anything I could performance wise, and would leave all the looks to maintain their old school appearance. Well except the rims, which I'd probably add some 17" Mustang Bullitt rims to it, but of course removing the Ford center cap.

 

allright now I argued for you don't make me look bad with all that modern talk thats like cussin in church around these parts.