1955 Chevrolet 210 2-Door Sedan

Description for Chevrolet Bel Air/150/210 1955

This '55 210 2-door Sedan was one of the finest vehicles with which a person could start a restoration. The '55 was a one-owner survivor. It had original paint, interior, floormats, glass and chrome, and was completely rust-free and accident-free. It was a 265 cubic inch Powerglide car. A friend, whom I had known from the sixties, bought the '55 from the original owner and brought it to me for a restoration in 1999. I tried to buy the car in its original condition and planned to keep it as a survivor. Nothing doing - he wouldn't sell it to me. So, I restored it to his specifications.
After stripping the body to bare metal he chose a Mitsubishi green paint with an off-white and had the colors reversed from factory-style. The paint is a Sikkens clear coat and was painted by Crown Paint in Lake Worth, Florida, in 1999. The interior was strange, at first, to me as well as to others, but give it a couple of days and it grows on you. It is definitely a South Beach type car. The interior could qualify for a best interior award at any show. The chrome and stainless are show worthy as it sits.
The '55, being such an excellent-bodied car, impressed my friend and myself so greatly that we decided to do the restoration as a body-on. The car is undercoated and as I said, rust-free in perfect condition underneath. It was a heater, clock and radio delete car and still is except it now has ice cold Airtique air conditioning. The engine came straight out of a 1970 Corvette with low miles that was rearended. It is a LT-1 370hp motor with a Doug Nash 5-speed transmission. The rear end is a 355 positraction rear. The wheels are American old-school racing mags with B F Goodrich P215 70R X15 tires. It has front disc brakes, a 3-inch exhaust system with headers, electric wipers, a front grill guard and a rear sway bar.
Everything works and you can let this car sit for two months and it will start right up. It runs and drives flawlessly. I would never recommend buying a car from an auction and driving it home. This one I would. It would be a shame to not do so. In my photos you will see one original photo the way it was bought and the literature was in the glove box showing the original miles. On January 3, 1986, as shown on the oil jamb sticker, it had 71,338 miles. I now own the '55 because my good friend sadly passed away in the year 2000. I bought the car from his estate. I also have it for sale locally. Feel free to ask questions or, if you need more photos, please contact me.
[Some of the photos, especially the engine shots, look very dusty. I think it's my camera that makes them look like that.]