My Dad got a brand new 55 Nomad,they gave him a deal on it as the 56's were on the way. Not what he went in for. That was a pretty car,red n cream,lots of chrome, I loved it as a kid. It had the all new V8,Dad went in looking for a work wagon with the 6. I loved the look of that wagon,but that all new 55 V8 265 was a pile of crap,leaked all over the car port an smoked driving. Dad took in back to dealer 6 times and they worked it,but never could fix that 265 v8,the 6th time the deal put a 283 V8 in it free. Now that was a good engine,no leaks or smoke and would almost keep up with Grandpa's 56 Ford,who told Dad he should of got a Ford. Ya,shocker for some,the SBC started out as a pile of crap,but by 1957 was doing very with cool FI.
There were problems with the early 265's. At least in the beginning of the '55 model year 265 manufacture. All the machining operations of the block were done on one big machine. There was no or inadequate provision for the removal of all the cuttings. With that I think you can see the potential for many problems. This may be the reason your dad experienced what he did and why the engine was replaced under some sort of warranty.
I think this Nomad has been posted here a couple times already. This R&C cover shot of the Hollingsworth Nomad made me weak in the knees when I was just a kid still in high school. Oops, grade school! From Joeys! Fathers day thread.
The Chevrolet Nomad is a name used on some Station Wagon models produced by Chevrolet that were marketed from 1955 to 1961, and again from 1968 to 1972. The name was later used as a trim package on the 1976 Vega as well as Chevrolet vans during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In South Africa, the Nomad name was used on a GM small utility vehicle. In 1954 GM built the Harley Earl inspired Corvette Nomad Wagon concept car. Sometimes known as the Waldorf Corvette when it was displayed at the Waldorf Historia Hotel. The car never made it to production and was destroyed but the Nomad name began being used. Today you can buy a newer kit car body replica and build your own version of the famous Corvette Nomad. The 55, 56 and 57 Nomad Wagons are the ones most people identify with the Nomad name. These sporty 2 door Wagons never did reach sales expectations and the popularity GM had hoped for (now try to find one at a bargain price). In 58 the Nomad became their higher priced 4dr Wagon models with Belair trim. The Nomad continued in 59, 60 and 61 4dr Wagons now with Impala trim and then the name was dropped. From 68 until 72 GM brought back the Nomad name for their lowest priced mid-size Malibu 4dr Wagons and once again dropped the name from their Wagon line. (Apparently the image of the 68 and 72 Nomads that fit the historical subject matter of this thread offended some readers, so to keep everyone happy, I deleted them). View attachment 4726311 View attachment 4726315 View attachment 4726316
Sorry I'm a little late to post this: I'm not a big fan of fender skirts on most cars but there is something about this particular combination that I find striking. Maybe it's the red and white or just the picture but I like it
Thank you very much! A friend had these skirts for sale at a swap meet and he asked me if I knew what they fit. I said, " '56 Chevy." He said, "Are you sure?" I said, "100% positive." Then he said, "They're yours." I painted them (they were originally Sierra Gold as was my Nomad) and put them on.
010310 Pal Joey's 082 by Dave Lindsay, on Flickr 010310 Pal Joey's 087 by Dave Lindsay, on Flickr 010310 Pal Joey's 090 by Dave Lindsay, on Flickr 010310 Pal Joey's 091 by Dave Lindsay, on Flickr
The Jalopy Journal
