Hi everybody, My name is Mimi from sunny Tauranga in New Zealand. I now have my first classic car , a 1957 Chevy Belair sedan which I got as a Xmas gift. It is almost stock with a 283 and 3 speed column shift [ I need to learn to drive column manual] There are a few issues that need sorting [Clock, Fuel and Temp guages don't work] and I want to install some sort of sound system that won't ruin the originality of the car Thanks ..... Mimi
Welcome from Colorado Mimi. Nice looking 57 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Thanks for the Welcome........ It is appreciated. The car is quite a darling for a 62 year old girl. It was re-sprayed a few years ago and had new carpets, but all the seats are original [if you look closely at the photo, the original Texas inspection decal from 1957 is still on the windshield] My husband rebuilt the engine due to a bad oil leak. He said he converted it to "rubber rear main seal","cannister oil filter", "PCV valve", and "electric choke", and added a "short duration/high lift cam" to make it more drivable at low engine speeds. This is all a learning experience for me. Over the next few weeks , we plan on adding a hidden "Bluetooth" amplifier to the car so we can listen to music via an android phone or MP3 player [I don't want to ruin the car in any way whatsoever] When this is being done, I will take photos and hopefully this will be my first Tech thread ......Mimi
Hi Mimi, there is a company called Wards Radio Repair here in the USA... http://www.wardsclassiccarradiorepair.com/ He has done radio's for me and does exceptional work. He can convert a original Vintage AM to a FM radio, and install the MP3 jack. That's a really nice car you have there, my first car was a 1957 Chevy. In closing, Welcome to the Hamb from sunny California! And Kansas at times.. I reside in both states. Sent from my Moto Z (2) using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Welcome Mimi, You certainly have a very nice 57 Chevy, does not get any more classic than that. A pretty girl in a pretty car.
https://inspectionsticker.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=43&products_id=122 Hello from across the ditch, I love the old inspection sticker and got one for my car from there.
You had both me and my husband worried here for a bit. We thought maybe the old timer who sold us the car had "faux patina'd" it. All those old minor details [even replicas] are a nice touch , even on newly built cars. The inspection sticker [decal] on ours looks very old and has little pieces picked at. Where the serial number goes is very faded but you can carefully see the numbers. Behind the decal it is totally "weathered" brown. Here is some up close photos of the decal [there are minor differences in them] The irony is, that decal draws more attention than the rest of the car. And I wanted to scrape it off [Shhhhh!]
Unfortunately I was overseas during Beach hop [ I've missed it 2 years in a row for the same reason] Whangamata is only 1-1/4 hours from home so I'll have no excuse next year.
My husband agrees with you , but I'll leave that sort of sound system for his race car. He thinks the smell of Avgas and the sound of race engines has some sort of narcotic effect on him ....Is that some sort of "borderline personality disorder"?
No, way. I spent last night at Fonda speedway. (Fonda is a 1/2 mile dirt track that has been running since 1953. Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, and David Pearson have all won there.) I was helping my cousin with his vintage car How could racing be a personality disorder? Building a $50,000 engine putting it in a $30,000 chassis with multi-thousand dollars of other equipment to try to win $2,500 sounds totally reasonable to me. Nice 57 as well have fun.
hey ya take the clock out. Open the back up and give it a light bit of WD40. Have a a bit of a tinker about by carefully wiggling bits around. hook a spare battery up to it direct and give it a few short jolts then if you see movement hook it totally up. More often than not it will pop back in to life. Put it back together and slip it back in the car. then over the next few days adjust the speed setting to get it to run true. Fuel & temp gauges could just be a lose wire, fuse or an old wire perished. They show any readings at all? wire live at all? a small test bulb grounded to some metal and touching the live side should turn on if they are getting power. As for tunes. A modern head unit can fit under the front seat or even back in the boot/trunk. With it set to bluetooth you will never have to touch it as you control the volume & play list from your phone. Not seeing seatbelts up front there. It have a cert? Front belts are needed from 1956 onwards from memory to be road legal. If you are after parts start going to car shows. Always a heap of tri five chevies and most of the owners are more than happy to chat and may be able to help. Best of luck. Alex
Hi Alex ! If you look closely at the first posting , and the photo of the decal the seat belts are on the pillar [The interior photo was taken before the belts were fitted] The biggest problem for the seatbelts were getting the anchor plates inside the pillar mounts without damaging the paint , but with patience we did this . [ there were lots of hoops to jump through, to make the car legal in NZ] The gas gauge is totally frozen in one position, so hopefully this can be freed up. It has a new tank sender . The temp gauge is totaled but we have a mechanical gauge under the dash for now. But I want the original gauge working and have chased down a whole instrument panel for a reasonable price. My husband has repaired a clock for a friend . It was so simple that even I feel confidant to tackle this myself [with his watchful help]
Thanks for the welcome. It is pretty straight , But at 62 years old there was a few skeletons to sort out. [1970's repairs, from back when the car was worthless] We replaced all the brake shoes as they were crumbling , and all the wheel cylinders and hoses.[they had deteriorated from lack of use] The rear brake lines had a dodgy looking inline repair , so we replace the whole piece [we had enough tubing left over so we did across the rear end as well] Then while we were at it, we replaced the fuel lines also. So what was a simple repair turned into a major overhaul work wise [but it was inexpensive to do] Apparently this is normal for old cars