All Good Mechanicals/1987 L98 Corvette V8/Nearly Finished Interior

1955 Chevrolet Nomad

The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad was in a class all its own. No other station wagon has ever achieved the near-classic status granted to Chevrolet's glorious 1955 Nomad - or come close. Even Pontiac's similarly shaped Safari never matched a Nomad's style and flair. Because hardtops accounted for nearly one-fifth of the market and wagons nearly 15 percent, logic dictated a marriage of the two. Nomad began as a popular Corvette-based dream car at the 1954 GM Motorama. Blending the posh airiness of a hardtop with a wagon's practical virtues, the production Nomad debuted in February 1955.

For consignment a Nomad that is in mid restoration, with many of the mechanicals buttoned up, a nicely done interior, new suspension and braking systems, and some undercarriage rust. The body will need some attention, but all is there for the taking and continuing of this 2-door wagon.

Exterior
Rakish is the only way to describe the Nomad, with its hardtop door-glass framing and sloping rear quarters that parallels the angle of the wide B-pillars. Styling touches include a fluted roof, wraparound rear side glass, and rear-wheel cutouts. From the cowl back, Nomads share little sheetmetal with other Chevrolets, except for the basic floorpan. Doors differ, because Nomads lack a beltline dip, and quarter panels are unique due to the wheel cutouts. We see faded Banana Yellow with repairs that will need eventual cosmetic attention due to some earlier rusting or denting, or misalignment. The doors have been reskinned with NOS skins. Lower tail gate is rusted on the bottom and will need to be replaced. Upper lift gate is warped due to factory torsion bars which seems to happen with lots of Nomads, so there are plenty of fixes available. The consigner states they have all the chrome and stainless trim for inside and out. It is also stated that the side trim spears will need reconditioning. 15-inch Cragar wheels all polished and nice, reside on all 4 corners.

Interior
A beautiful red and white waffle interior is seen on the door panels, and front split bench. The seats and panels show very nicely and are wonderfully retro with their chrome trimmings and tuck and roll bolsters in white surrounding the waffle in red. The rear bench retains its original waffle pattern seat but has a restored back. A dual "fan style" front dash houses the speedometer and switches on the driver's side, and a radio delete panel in the center, covered in multiple stamped bowtie pattern in an aluminum strip. On the passenger's side is the second "fan" which has a mesh metal to house a speaker and below a circular working clock. The Bel Air badge in gold metal in your grandmothers handwriting is seen attached to the black mesh. Some paint peeling is noted on the glovebox, and a trio of aftermarket gauges hangs below the dash. A circa 1958 standard size steering wheel is seen fronting the dash, and on the column is an aftermarket tachometer. Beautiful like new red carpet floods the floors, and a snappy vented black vinyl headliner sports chrome trim ribs at each seam. The back of the car also has nice red carpet in the cargo area.

Drivetrain
Gracing a restored engine bay, a circa 1987 L98 Corvette 350ci engine, with GM aluminum heads sporting 1.94 intake valves, and has been completely rebuilt, sits within. To add bling to this mechanical bauble, all engine pulleys are polished aluminum, the alternator is chromed, there is a new aluminum radiator with a high CFM fan. This engine is carbureted with an Edelbrock 600CFM carb and a new Edelbrock dual plane intake. A new polished chrome air cleaner is seen on top, as are new plug wires and distributor. On back is a TH350 Turbohydramatic 3-speed automatic transmission with a new torque converter installed. The rear is a 3.55 gear configuration.

Undercarriage
Virtually all new mechanicals with a new spring kit for the brakes and new wheel cylinders, new air shocks and lines, a stainless steel fuel tank and cherry bomb mufflers. The front has new arm bushings, an aftermarket sway bar, Heidts drop spindles, and disc brakes now on front. A few holes of invasive rust are seen on the floorpans, and all shirt braces to the body will need to be replaced due to invasive rusting. Noted all long braces are good.

Drive-Ability
This car ran well and creaked a bit when into a turn. It has a nice acceleration, good ride, and is a good cruiser

Plenty of new mechanicals, and upgraded rebuilt engine and transmission, nearly finished interior, and lots of nice features on this first year Nomad from our friends at the General. Add your TLC and pick your color combo, and you will have a first class classic.

VIN Decode
VC55T238373
V-V8
C-2400 Series BelAir
55-1955
T-Tarrytown, NY Assy Plant
238373-Sequential Unit Number

Trim Tag
STYLE # 55 1064OF-1955 BelAir Nomad 2 Door Wagon
BODY # CL7816-Cleveland Body #
TRIM # 544-Beige Vinyl, Red Waffle Vinyl
PAINT # 615-Shoreline Beige & Gypsy Red

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 500 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.