1957 Chevrolet Bel Air 2 Door Hardtop 283 NOM w/ 4 bbl Carburetor 700R4 Automatic Overdrive Transmission Original Rear End Power Steering w/ 605 Box Upgrade Power Front Disc Brakes Tilt Column Hidden Stereo w/ 400W Amp Rally Wheels Custom Interior Dual Exhaust + More
This car was built in Oakland and sold right here in Fresno. It did leave for a few years but returned, the current owner and his dad co-owned the car and dad went out of state for a few years for personal business but returned. Unfortunately he passed a short time ago and now the son doesn't have the same feelings for the car and feels it's best to find a new owner. The car was purchased from the Actor Willy Ortlieb of Fresno, I know he's not Tom Cruise but he's starred in a few movies and even Produced 2 including; "Hot Rod Horror" and "Two Lane Asphalt". The car and owner were in "Hot Rod Horror", I included a picture. The owner is the guy in the gray coveralls sitting to the left of the car. This body is extremely clean, I put it on the lift to take pictures to show just how nice it is. These original cars with no rust are getting scarce, lots of restored stuff out there but what were they like underneath before being restored? I tried to show how straight the body was in the pictures, it has no evidence of accidents and all the panels align as good or better than what I usually see. The hood and truck lid open and close without dragging on the fenders and don't have to be slammed. The paint was done about 15 years ago, in a single stage like original and is still very presentable. The car was yellow when they got it but the tell tale signs around the hidden areas tell me it was red originally, I didn't run the trim tag. Not sure if it was a solid color originally. Look at the floors, rockers and panels in the pictures, you won't find anything other than a little surface rust and original undercoating. You will see the period typical rolling of the inner fender lip for wider tires, they were all like that around here back in the day. There are a couple of blemishes in the window glass due to delaminating but he didn't want to change them because the car is so original. The chrome is very nice and the side trim is the same, the trim around the back window is in need of a good polish. The rest of the trim is all there and looks good. He bought a set of cat whiskers for the window glass and they will be included as well as a few other misc items like the door handle guards and original pulleys. The interior is very clean looking, they used a velour on the seating surface and it's very comfortable. The door panels look nice. The headliner is in great shape as is the rear package tray and carpeting. There was a tilt column added and at the time the owner had the seat moved back for more leg room, we all know they were a little cramped up front. The original gauges and speedometer are present but the temp gauge doesn't work and the fuel gauge works intermittently while driving. The speedometer needs the adapter to hook up to the 700R4, he didn't get around to it. The original radio (not working) is present and it has a modern CD/USB/IPOD stereo hidden in the glove box, it has a 400 watt amp in the trunk, 6X9's in the package tray and custom kick panels w/ 5" mids and tweets. It sounds nice without being obnoxious. The engine is a simple period correct 283 w/ ram horn manifolds tied to the custom dual exhaust. The carburetor was updated to an Edelbrock as well as replacing the original air cleaner. A few upgrades such as HEI ignition and alternator do give it better reliability and drivability. The pulleys were also swapped out because the alternator and modern power steering pump changed pulley depth. The Heater core was disconnected because it started leaking many years ago and because it's not a driven in bad weather it was never replaced. I think the car was originally a 283 3 speed column shift because it has the V (for V8) in the VIN and I see a small brake pedal but not a hole in the tunnel. The power steering tended to be something that was hard to keep sealed so this one was upgraded with the later "605" Saginaw replacement, it also steers much smoother. Power disc brakes were added, no need to explain. He did buy new rear brakes lines but never got around to installing them, they're included. The wheels are in excellent shape and the tires have plenty of tread. An electric fuel pump was added so it is easier to start after sitting for a week or so. This is a really cool car, it has the original visor mirror from Hallowell Chevrolet (needs replacement mirror) and the drivers wing window has a decal from the original 55-56-57 Classic Chevrolet - Fresno Area car club. Not to mention it's "movie history" and famous owner tie in. Seriously, you don't find them like this very often anymore. Almost 60 years and no rust! Drive it as is for many years without anything but maintenance if you want, it's that kind of car. I have about 60 high resolution pictures, I can't send them thru the eBay system because they are too large so send me your email and I'll send them. Don't ask if not serious because it takes about 20 emails to send all of them. I think I covered most but contact me if you have any questions other than "what's the reserve?".
There is no Buy-It-Now, your welcome to make an offer the owner can think about. The reserve is in the fair range based on the condition, I've looked at classics for over 35 years and have advised him to what's fair. There is no interest in any trades, he's got a lot of plans with the wife and the car scene is not the interest for them at this time. I welcome inspections, the car is in Fresno, CA, close to my shop and can be viewed by appointment. The winning bidder will receive clear title CA title for the car, the registration is all current also. I can assist with arranging shipping to your location or make recommendations for shipping, of course it can be picked up in person after we have received funds or cash in person. | 
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