Projects 57 Nomad family car. Confessions of a Tri Five Dork

exactly!!!!!!

 

Very nice have always loved the nomads. I have a 57 chevy 2 dr hard top sport coupe that ive had since i was 15 been trying to get it back on the road...............

 

Way neat. Would LOVE to buff out the paint when the major wrenching is done. PS some unpolished 5 spoke's (not new one's) would be another cool look to your fine family cruiser.

 

I would love to buff it too but the paint is beat. Its nitrocellulose lacquer and its cracking and flaking all over. pics are very forgiving

 

Here's a few interior shots. Its definitely different but on course for the time the car was built...

 

The best times I have had were building hot rods with my dad.

 

My Dad was a HUGE Tri Fiver and this is one of the 57's he re-did..... He painted it flat black and then covered it with red metal flake and it gave it a black cherry look! Was one of his prized possesions, well, besides me lol

 

I don't remember ever seeing a power brake and a clutch set up.
Is that a custom deal? Or is it just something that wasn't ordered too often?

 

A little more history about the car..

I come from a family with a lot of aunts and uncles on my mother's side of the family. My mother had polio as a child that left her with a badly crippled left leg, so she never learned to drive. Her youngest sister, Juanita, never had any children but was always nearby to help raise my brother and me. To us, she was "Auntie".. She taught me to drive when I was 11 - 12 years old.. That lady was like a second mother to me.. She was fiercely independent and did everything for herself. She drove my race car one time when she went to watch me race.. She learned the upholstery trade and was very good at it. both my parents died when I was still in my teens, so she became a full time mother to me as I grew into adulthood. She was always "grandma" to TxRat and his sister. She was a natural when it came time to upholster the Nomad.. Cancer showed up in her body, but she fought it into remission, where it stayed for over half a century. Me and 8 of her nephews were paulbarers at her funeral..

Wild flower patterns were all the rage in 1971 when it came time to do the interior of the car, so yellows and browns were chosen to go with the Gold Firemist (a Cadillac only color).. The steering wheel and seats came from a 1968 Malibu SS.. The ivory colored inserts are original from the Malibu. My aunt trimmed the panels to fit the original rear seat frame.. She "dissambled" the original seat upholstery and fitted the new "colorful" panels to the ivory inserts. I painted the dash and interior metal trim pieces using an industrial brown enamel. Each and every piece was carefully restored..

I used parts from 7 automobiles, including 2 other Nomads and 4 various tri- fives.. The floor was replaced using the floor from a 56 four door sedan. Start to finish, the project took almost 5 years to completely finish..

RustyPile

 

The car was originally a 283/powerglide.. It came originally with Treddlevac power brakes. At some time before I got the car, the brakes were "converted" to manual brakes.. One of the donor cars had power brakes so I put the booster and all the associated linkage back on the car. The linkage consists of some heavy reinforcement plates and a 2:1 bellcrank/crosshaft that reduces the pedal travel and allows it to "hug" the floor. I also obtained all the clutch linkage from a donor car to finish the conversion.

I'm quite certain, since back in those days, a person could order accessories in just about any combination he wanted, that a PB/Manual tranny could be had..

RustyPile

 

Thanks for chiming in Dad.

 

Drop the front 4", and it will match the back (do to sagging springs). It will look great. I also like to drop some of the old ornaments, and do a little smoothing. Great tradition you have in your family!

 

Powerbrakes were indeed available with standard shift except it was a Tredlevac unit rather than a hydrovac mounted on the inner fender . This was done to maintain equal height between brake and clutch pedals. This I know for a fact as I had a 57 9 passenger wagon that had a 265 eng. painted Yellowish, w/ 3 on the tree and a 4:10 rear. Sort of a rare car wish I still had it.

 

Actually I think I screwed up and mixed up hydro and tredle, just switch up the 2 names. Thanks

 

Jeff,
The stance is due more to "relaxed" front springs.. The car came originally with power steering, Air conditioning, a powerglide transmission, and cast iron intake and exhaust manifolds. All of which have been removed. The intake is now an aluminium unit, the transmission is an aluminium case Muncie 4 sp, and I installed a 60 amp alternator in place of the generator. The P/S pump was driven off the rear of the generator. All the combined pieces are extremely heavy.. Just a guess, but probably 200 lbs were removed from the engine compartment. A pair of front springs from a lesser equipped 150 sedan would bring the nose down a bit.. Although in the present configuration, the header collectors still bump and drag..

RustyPile

 

I would love to buff it too but the paint is beat. Its nitrocellulose lacquer and its cracking and flaking all over. pics are very forgiving

Sounds good to me <!-- / message -->

 

I can vouch for this as Dad hasnt thrown out anything from this car and I just reboxed all the underhood accessories and put them up on the shelf. My back is killing me....

For now my son and I have decided to just leave it as it is since the car has so much family history. The interior just needs to be freshened up and we can't bring ourselves to cut the trans mounts off in order to get long headers to tuck up against the frame. plus its been gold longer than its stock colors. The gold is growing on my son....

I will say this, Dad you need to come drive it before we button the exhaust up. Man I forgot how quick it gets up on the cam without the mufflers. My neghbors love me

 

The neighbors quit loving you the day after you moved into that neighborhood. Mini choppers, go karts, and now a full race stock car engine - all missing their mufflers!! I don't know what they feel for you but trust me, it ain't love. <<<grin>>>.. Mom and I will be by in a day or two..

RustyPile

 

some chrome steelie wheels and white wall pinstrips that car would look killer!!!!

 

Yea, I don't think so.....

 

Ive been following your progress on your Dads last car, You're doing a good thing.....

 

I've been a tri five chevy "Dork " for like 40 years and now I've got 3. Cars and trucks. Can't help it, they keep following me home.lol.

 

That car is perfect. I even like the interior.

 

Got a little more done this week. Gotta have a place to sit at the round-up so I jumped in and replaced the broken tail gate retractor

Your interior may vary

First start removing the trim around the lower edge of the glass.


Next remove the interior panels and seat striker plate to expose the access covers


Once covers are removed pull the cable inside cabin and pull cotter pin and
pin.

Remove upper cover in this picture and pull retractor. remove the two screws and install new retractor on plate.


now the trick I found to hold the tape out was clamping vice grips to the tape and feed it back through and reinstall pin and cotter pin to tape and cable
install all covers and replace panels and there you go. It was a pretty simple process and got it done in less than an hour....

 

I've had my 55 forever, will most likely die with it. Great 57 you have there.

 

great car you got there dude. keep posting the pictures. the retractors and cables can be a pain to replace. lookin good.


MadMook

 

Bump this thread to the top again.

I have had my 56 sedan (4 door) for 37 years, but I could get rid of it tomorrow for a Nomad project.


Keep at it - it looks fun

 

i wish i could get my wife to like the style of the nomad... i've got a friend with a 57, he's had for about five years and does nothing with it, it just sits.. pretty much all stock, that he said he'd sell me for $20,000... i just can't get the wife to go along with it.... sighhhhhhhhh

 

Thanks guys:

Not much to report right now, Got the front hubs swapped out to upgrade to roller bearings and got rid of the old ball bearings. got to get a new radiator and tires. Its looking really good on having it at the roundup.

 

didnt read all the posts....but the old paint job sure is holding up.....