Turbo Fire 283 Bel Air Hardtop Coupe / DAY ONE HISTORY

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1957 Chevrolet BelAir Sport Coupe

as presented by.

Texas Classic Cars of Dallas

1912 W. Mockingbird Lane

Dallas. Texas. 75235

Dave at 214-213-7072 or Maris at 214-616-2317

ENJOY OUR VIDEO BELOW

VIDEO ABOVE / PRESS PLAY

FROM THE OWNER'S DESK ;

"This 1957 BelAir. VIN VC57S259650. was born during the third week of June. 1957 at the Chevrolet assembly plant. St. Louis. Missouri. It was originally purchased on July 5th. 1957 by Jack Dill of Newport. Arkansas. for the sum of $2. 50. The vehicle's title was issed by the state of Arkansas on July 22nd. 1957. The Dill family utilized and maintained the vehicle for the better part of 17 years. During the early part of the 1970s. the Dills were unable to continue utilization of the vehicle and the Bel Air remained in the garage for the next 15 years. During the summer of 1989. the estate for the family sold the car to a dealer. Orville Wagner. of Mena. Arkansas. Mr. Wagner aired-up the tires. placed a battery in the car. and put gas in to the tank and the Turbo Fire 283 V-8 engine cranked and started after 15 years of rest. Mr. Wagner drove the Sport Coupe from Newport to Mena. where he held the car for a month. occasionally driving it to keep the battery charged.

On August 3rd. 1989. Jay LaGregs of Tyler. Texas. learned of the availability of the '57 from a student in his class at Tyler Junior College. Contact was made with Mr. Wagner and on August 5th. a trip was made to Mena to view and drive the vehicle. A purchase agreement was signed on the day with Mr. LaGregs agreeing to purchase the Sport Coupe.  The car was driven from Mena. Arkansas. to Tyler. Texas. with a brief stop at the Jack Philbrick homestead in Sulphur Bluff. Texas.  

Upon arrival in Tyler. plans were initially made based on the "running condition" of the car. The vehicle was a rust free car. still in its original state with no modifications. and. most importantly. only the cigarette lighter was missing from the car. Initial plans were to paint the car and place a new interior in the vehicle. A new. original interior kit had previously been ordered by Mr. Wagner. but had not been shipped. The interior kit was diverted and shipped by J&L Chevy of Mountain View. Arkansas. to Tyler. Texas.

On August 19th. 1989. the '57 was taken to the M&G Auto Service Center for a state inspection. The original mileage noted at that time on the inspection ticket was 85. 14 miles. While the car was in the shop. it was decided to complete a compression check of the engine. The results of the check revealed three cylinders below compression limits. With this new information. the decision was made to initiate a frame-up restoration of the vehicle. On August 20th. the '57 was taken to Ted Smith's Old Chandler Road residence in Tyler. Texas. The car's owner and Mr. Smith commenced to disassemble the vehicle with the tear-down completed in just two days. The body parts and frame remained at the Smith residence for four months. During this time the frame and body parts were sand blasted. prepared with both epoxy and body primer. and painted with 4 to 5 coats of PPG Deltron paint.  

The engine. transmission. and other non-body parts were returned to the owner's residence for restoration and reassembly of the vehicle. The engine was torn down to a short block configuration and rebuilt by Lonestar Racing of Tyler. Texas. The heads were rebuilt by East Texas Head Repair and the transmission was sent to a specialty transmission shop in West Texas for rebuilding. The starter. generator. and carburetor were rebuilt by various local shops in Tyler.

The frame and body parts were returned to the owner's residence during the 2nd week of December. 1989. For the next 19 months. the BelAir was painstakingly reassembled by the owner with the help of family. friends. and passersby. Mistakes made during the restoration. which took their toll in time and money. were corrected. Lessons were learned with the help of various experts and from experience The restoration cost at the time. not including purchase priced. was approximately $20. 00.

The car was registered with the State of Texas on May 17th. 1991. On July 12th. 1991. the Sport Coupe was initially completed and the following day was entered in its first car show. As time passed. the car has been driven to car shows. cruise nights. and around town for that "good old time feeling. " A total of 5. 00 miles have been driven since restoration. To date. the car has received the following awards :

Car Shows Entered 51

Best of Show Awards 6

Peoples Choice Awards 4

Top Three / Top Ten Awards 4

Best Paint Awards 5

Best Interior Awards 4

Best Display Awards 4

Best General Motors Awards 2

First in Class Awards 35

Special Awards 2

Total Awards (9/10/95) 76 "

Texas Classic Cars of Dallas is proud to present this beautifully restored 1957 Chevrolet BelAir Two-Door Hardtop. This true "VC" Bel Air is extremely well done. restored to original and beyond. The paint. body and stainless are in excellent condition as is the engine compartment. interior. and undercarriage. You will seldom see a Chevrolet BelAir in this kind of restored condition. Enjoy our presentation and feel free to contact Dave at 214-213-7072 or Maris at 214-616-2317 with any questions.

FEATURES INCLUDE :

283 Power Pack V8 - 4bbl. Rochester Carburetor & Dual Exhaust

Powerglide 2-Speed Automatic Transmission

Factory Air Conditioning

Factory Power Brakes

Wonderbar Radio & Rear Speaker Option w control

Onyx Black & White Exterior

Red Cloth & Vinyl OEM Silverthread Interior

Back-Up Lamps

California Bumper & Front Bumper Cushions

Day-Night Rearview Mirror

B. F. Goodrich Silvertown Wide Whitewall Tires & Factory Spinner Hubcaps

Owner's Manual / Accessory Booklet / Factory Brochures / Original Title / Vintage GM Pamplets & More

Many of our photos were taken at the Dallas Love Field Frontiers of Flight Museum. located only minutes from our showroom.  Be sure to visit our friends at the Flight Museum if you find yourself in Dallas. Texas.  

We have an array of literature and brochures for this Bel Air. including a vintage original title for it.

The paint and body are in excellent condition.  

The brightwork is in excellent condition.

The engine compartment displays remarkable detail and attention to the correct components during the restoration.

The "powerpack" 283 cubic inch V8 features the factory 4bbl. carburetor & oil bath breather. The engine block is clean and detailed.  

Original clamps and hoses were used throughout this restoration.

The air conditioning system is also correct. down to the compressor.  

This car is equipped with factory power brakes.

Open the doors to 1957. The interior is in beautiful condition.

This is the correct interior for the BelAir. a stunning red cloth & vinyl silverthread.  

The upholstery is in excellent condition front to back.  

The dash is fully restored. displaying excellent brightwork along with the functional & restored instrumentation. down to the Wonderbar radio with rear speaker option.

The undercarriage is a further testament to the quality of the restoration performed on this '57 Chevrolet BelAir.

This is a true "VC" V8 Chevrolet BelAir. The original vin plate and trim identification plate are in place.

The brighttwork and stainless is simply exquisite. This is a very well done car.

The trunk is detailed to show. complete with the spare tire/wheel. jacking equipment. factory jacking instructions and  a vintage tow setup. The rubber mat is also intact and detailed.

Enjoy our remaining photos and again feel free to contact Dave at 214-213-7072 or Maris at 214-616-2317 with any questions.

PHOTO SLIDESHOW BELOW

PHOTO SLIDESHOW ABOVE

AUCTION TERMS & CONDITIONS 

ATTENTION TO NEW EBAY USERS/ 0 FEEDBACK USERS

If you have zero feedback or negative feedback. please call us or email us before placing a bid. Thank You.

SUCCESSFUL BIDDERS

 The winning bidder must contact us within 24 hours to proceed with payment and delivery arrangements.
 
DEPOSIT
 
The winning bidder must submit a 20% non refundable deposit within 48 hours of the close of the auction to secure the vehicle unless other arrangements are made with us.
 
PAYMENT METHODS
 
Our preferred method of payment is bank wire transfer. or 3rd party financing. We can work with you if that is a problem. All funds must be in US dollars only. Please be sure to have full payment or approved financing in place before making your final bid. Feel free to call us with any questions.
 
PAYMENT OF BALANCE DUE
 
The buyer agrees to pay remaining balance due within 5 days of the close of the auction. All financial transactions must be completed before the vehicle leaves our dealership.
 
TAX. TITLE AND LICENSE

We are a licensed Texas dealership.  It is required that we collect all tax. title and license fees from Texas residents at the time of the sale. We will do all of the title work. Non Texas residents are responsible for paying taxes in his/her state. Overseas customers will be charged a $30. 00 fee for wire transfers. We must collect a vehicle inventory tax of . 002277% and a small documentary fee of $75. 00 on ALL sales.
 
SHIPPING
 
The buyer is responsible for all shipping charges. We can refer you to a number of national and international shippers. Once the vehicle leaves our dealership. we will take no further responsibility for the vehicle.
 
ATTENTION BUYERS
 
This vehicle is being sold as is. where is. with no warranty expressed. written or implied. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description. authenticity. genuine. or defects herein. and makes no warranty in connection therewith. Although every effort is made on our part to accurately describe vehicle you. it is the buyers responsibility to see that his/her classic and collector car purchase meets their individual criteria. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. The seller will make every effort to disclose any known defects associated with the vehicle at the buyers request prior to the close of the sale. Seller assumes no responsibility for any oral or written statements about the vehicle. A personal or 3rd party inspection prior to purchase is highly recommended.  

I want to note that as a Texas dealership. we reserve the right to end this auction at any time should this vehicle sell on our showroom floor.

Also published at eBay.com

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