1956 Chevrolet Nomad Wagon Bel Air 265 V8 & Powerglide Tranny

You are bidding on an original 1956 Chevrolet Nomad Wagon that is in fantastic condition.

A little Nomad history shows that in 1956 there were 7,886 Nomads built and they topped Chevy's price chart at $2,608. When I started driving in 1968 you could find a fairly nice used one in the $300 to $500 range. Well times have sure changed.

On Memorial Day weekend 2011 we went on Craig's List and found a Nomad for sale just 4 miles from our house. We figured it was probably sold but we called the seller anyway. It was still for sale. The seller said the Nomad was built at the Chevrolet Plant in Oakland California and delivered toaChevroletdealerinStudioCity,California. Theoriginalowner purchaseditfromthat dealer.

The original color of the car was Sierra Mist (Copper) and Beige it hasa265cubicinch motor with the original 2bblcarburetorontopofthe cast iron intake manifold and apowerglidetransmission (leaks some). It still has the original motor.

The seller said in thelate1960's the original ownersoldthe Nomad to his cousin (2ndowner)whothenmovedtoHenderson,Nevada. Itwouldremaininhisfamilyforthenext35years.

Inthemid1970's the cousindecidedtopainttheNomadyellowandwhitetomatchaboathe owned. "Wishhewouldhavepaintedtheboatinstead”,hiscousintolduswhenwe broughtthecar.

In1987the second ownertiredofthecarandwasgoingtojunkit. Hissistersaidnowayandhegaveittoher. She droveitforawhileandparkedit. Micegotinitanddestroyedtheinterior,sothecarjustsat.

His cousin, in Minnesota said he wanteditbut shewantedtokeepit. For the next 20 years it sat. FinallyinSeptember2008shecalled her cousin in Minnesota and he was able to buy the Nomad. He was 65bythenandreallydidn'twanttotakeonthetaskofrestoringitbuthetookit.

Themotorandtransmissionwere rebuilt.A new floor was put in andthefrontandrearseats were reupholsteredbacktooriginal. Since he had already restored a few cars he didn't want another project so he decided tosellit.

When we first bought it we thought about just repainting it back to the original color but as we all know one thing led to another and we did a ground up restoration. We are glad we did. We took the body off the frame, media blasting the body and frame. The bottom was painted the correct redc oxide color. All the interior and exterior trim was either re-chromed or polished. Replaced or cleaned every nut and bolt on the car and reassembled it. Updated the braking system with front disk brakes, the radiator to a correct style aluminum, added the correct style dual exhaust, rewired the car with a correct wiring harness, and was able to find a set of date coded glass for the car, purchased 4 new wide white wall tires and restored the original full hub caps. Purchased the correct reproduction interior from CarsInc in Michigan. Had that professionally installed. Our plan was to put it back to its original glory. It is about 99% there. It is missing 4 stainless trim pieces in the cargo area, passenger side rocket panel trim piece, the brake pedal needs adjusting and the Wonderbar radio needs work. Health issues are forcing us to move some projects. The car has a clear title. It is a fantastic car that needs very little. I've included some pictures of the restoration process and one of when we first got it.

The winning bidder needs to make a $1000 nonrefundable deposit within 48 hours of the bid ending and the balance is due in 7 days.

Payment must be made by Cash, Cashier's Check or Wire Transfer payable in U.S. Dollars. The Nomad is sold as is, no warranty is given or implied. All transportation costs and arrangements are the responsibility of the buyer.

Please call 651-730-4447 for further information. I reserve the right to end the auction at any time because the car is for sale locally.