1957 Chevy Bel Air – One of the Best; A Bel-Air Story

– Certain areas of the country are a ‘hotbed’ of classic car collections. The South Coast has dozens of clubs with thousands of members, my task is to seek out just some of them and bring a new story to classiccarmag.net each month. In certain circumstances pictures do speak louder than words, this is one of those times. My descriptive powers cannot match the Nikon lens, but the story behind the images is so great the battle for space will be hard fought. In 1999 neglected in the back streets of Bognor Regis the 1957 Bel Air was found by an American car lover Jack Keen. Purchased and trailered home Jack put the legendary machine back on the road, not the finished item you see here, just enough to be able to use and enjoy. The new decade saw his son Gary take the car on in 2002 and the trend continued, enough was done to keep it road worthy until early 2009. The decision to take the Chevy off the road and restore the 50 year old V8 was as massive as the car itself, using every spare moment it would take two years. With any project of this type you are never sure of what is involved until it is back to a bare shell and living in a coastal town the biggest issue for old cars is tin worm, it attacks on the sea breeze with a vengeance and shows no mercy. Gary tells of this time in his life as if it was yesterday, there were times over that period when there were doubts over completion. The 283 cubic inch (4638cc) power plant had a complete rebuild and an unleaded head conversion, and then finished in original Chevy orange. The two speed Power-glide transmission was also treated to the full restoration process. The body was basically solid, yes repairs were required but quality of the lead filling and the time taken to achieve the dead straight panels are there for all to admire, finished in the original red with correct gold and stainless trim parts; all 16ft is stunning. The original all drum brakes overhauled, a complete re-wire and a full hand-made stainless steel exhaust, the labour hours and costs just kept increasing. We all have many reasons for restoring a car; having been his fathers was the driving force for Gary. Jack Keen had suffered a stroke and was living in a local nursing home and so to finish this mammoth task and let his father see the transformation became paramount. New fuel tank and radiator had to be sourced and plumbed in. Gary was becoming the courier company’s no1 customer shipping original or authentic reproduction parts from the USA. The interior is just incredible; in its day being inside the Bel Air made every journey an experience. I felt like I was sitting in a fifties juke box, striking colours and gleaming chrome, again with a faultless attention to detail. The roar of the Chevy ‘small block’ competing with the hidden CD unit playing ‘Bad To The Bone’ the 1982 hit used in the film Christine, different car but you get the picture. The original valve radio on display also works perfectly with parts from Texas and the genius of a local restorer. A new wrap around windshield and complete wiper system and finally the original size 14 inch rims and white wall tyres sit perfectly with the rest of the car. Gary Keen can rightly feel extremely proud of what he has achieved. I am also certain of the massive pride his father Jack must have felt when he was introduced to the finished Bel Air outside the nursing home, just two weeks before he sadly passed away. There is so much more I would like to tell about this car and the people behind it, they say a picture paints a thousand words, so best leave it to the pictures. To Gary and the memory of his father, I can only say thanks for your time, honesty and the chance to spend a few hours with the magnificent Chevrolet Bel Air Sedan.Tags: Coastal Classics