I don't know a whole about these wagons . Other than the obvious ...... where are the trouble spots on these cars ? Any frame rust issues ? Cowl , dog leg , any body panels more susceptible to rust ? Any info or advice is extremely appreciated Thx ! Lgh1157 Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
in addition to the ones you noted watch out for the lower tailgate in and out. perhaps others have some 55 specific areas to point out but it seems they are similar to the other models. Watch out on the frame to body mounts, can be hard to detect.
In addition to tailgate rust, as 1959Nomad mentioned, check also fender eyebrows, cargo floor (due to liftgates that leaked when new and got worse as torsion rods straightened out factory curve along top edge of liftgate), floor braces, rocker panels. The good news is pretty much everything is reproduced for these cars. Also, madmooks here on the HAMB straightens those bent liftgates and is a great source for Nomad info. http://www.madmooks.com/Liftgate_Straightening_40AX.html I saw my first Nomad, a red & white one, when I was 15. Love at first sight. 19 years later, I finally got one. I've owned mine for over 23 years now, and 300,000 miles later, it never fails to put a big smile on my face when I am behind the wheel. There is also a Nomad/Safari social group here on the HAMB. I don't post on it like I should, but I need to start.
look out for roof rust above the drip rails, they rust from the inside out. my buddy can make some nice patch panels for that area. also look at the eyebrow/fender/door trim it's potmatel and pits real bad and is expensive to re-do.
Wow Great info Haven't posted on the hamb for a long time . Great to be back here getting good info Thanks all L Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Not rust related, but be sure the Nomad trim-the stuff on the front fenders is there. Hard to find. I know more than one guy who bought an entire car just to get those pieces.
I've heard someone is reproducing it. It's been a few years since I last was aware of the going price on the Nomad eyebrow & spear trim, but I think at that time it was going for $2500-$3000 for a complete set. That's why an earlier poster's comment above about factoring that into the purchase/purchase price is relevant. To the OP: I see you are from Decator, GA. If the car you are considering has been a southern car most of it's life, that should play into your favor in terms of the amount of rust it may have - obviously, no guarantee. I've read the suggestion time & time, again, that if you can find someone who has a history with tri-five chevs, to take them along with when inspecting the car, they usually know where to look for the rust spots, or can point out other issues that might need addressing, like a poorly incorporated replacement part, or perhaps other missing parts.
When I got my 55 Nomad, it was 20 years old at the time and the only rust issue it had then was at the rear corners. The drip rail follows the curve but the water doesn't flow out. It just sits there, so over time, that area starts to rust. A common solution, which is what I did, is to drill a couple of small holes in the drip rail (at the curve).
The eyebrows and spears are reproduced and are high quality, and are from a company in Ga. They do run around $4000.00 for a set. I've seen stock rechromed sets go for over $6000.00 which is why some just run without the trim on '55's
Hope the car is still there when you go to look at it- my experience is if is decent it is gone very quickly and if you want it you better move on it now- unless it is totally overpriced. Nomads are great cars, my first car was a 4 door chevy 56 wagon, should have kept it.
Very cool, looks like it's a nice car, from the front end shot. So to be clear, your f-i-l picked his new car or your new car?
Nice, I painted my Nomad the same color, using the paint code..boy do I kick myself often for selling it (30 years ago)
He wanted one of these cars for 30 years ( seriously ), he was in 'Nam, Firefighter for 30 years, he used to recruit veterans from Iraq to become fire fighters, . . . all around great guy. Really stoked for him. He deserves a nice car to spend his retirement in, . . . Whole deal worked out really well.
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