ProTouring442's 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air

The "Old Man's Car"

About this Current Vehicle:

The Old Man’s Car

Our project ’56 got its start in, well, in 1956 to tell the truth. The first car my father ever drove was his father’s 1956 Chevrolet Model 150. He was 14 or so when his dad decided he should try driving down a little country road. All went well until he went across a one-lane bridge. You see, he crossed that bridge while someone else was crossing it too, and they were going the other way! After my grandfather recovered, he decided that maybe my dad should wait a while before driving. So, flash forward to the early 80’s.

When I was 13 or so, it was decided that it might be a good idea to go out and get a car for me, a “fixer upper” that my dad and I could work on. My parents figured that this would keep me out of trouble, and they were probably right. Our first project turned out not to be a car for me after all, but rather a project for my dad. We spotted a 1961 Impala 2-door hard top, about two blocks from our house. As this was during the drive home from yet another wild goose chase (while trying to find that project for me), we decided to stop and see what “the first new car my dad ever owned” looked like. When Dad asked the owner if we could have a look, the owner replied “sure” but then followed with “it’s for sale.” Well, my dad started doing laps around that car like some sort of ritual dance. This dance ended with a call to my mom, and the delivery of the checkbook. It was decided that this would be his car, and father and son started out on their first restoration.

A few more cars followed. A 1966 Chevelle convertible was eventually purchased for me, and we went wild on it. A big block, 4-speed, and loud exhaust ensured that it was a “kid’s car” to the bone. Next was a 1961 Corvette that Dad “restored” and then modified in what turned out to be a failing attempt to outrun my Chevelle at the local drag strip. Again, this was a father and son project, and again we both had a lot of fun. A ’60 Impala convertible came into our lives, and though it didn’t need an involved restoration, being mostly original and in great shape, my father and I still had lots of good times working on it along with his growing collection.

For my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, my father built my mom a 1957 BelAir 2-door hard top. He added power steering, disc brakes, air conditioning, and many other creature comforts. I say “he” because at this time I was at that point where sons know everything and their fathers get pretty stupid. He still managed to do a great job on my mom’s car, and they’ve enjoyed it for many years. For quite a while, she even used it nearly every day in her commute to work.

Over the next several years, he sold the ’61 to me (after I sold the Chevelle) and then sold the ’60. With only the Corvette to drive around, Dad decided it was time to build another car. This one would be different, and since I had grown up a bit and therefore Dad had regained quite a bit of his intelligence, we decided it would be a father and son project. We started looking in the local papers, and after more wild goose chases, he purchased a very ratty 1956 Chevrolet convertible. We hauled it home and began the process of deciding what it needed, as well as what we wanted to change.

To say that this car was a basket case would be an understatement. To tell the truth, the basket was at least as rotted as the rest of the car! The whole floor was rusted to the point that the back half of the car was twisted and sagged down around the frame. Well, he sold the Corvette and bought a sawzall. “Open the driver’s door and start cutting,” I advised, “and don’t stop until you are out the other side!” With that advice, the entire back half of the body was standing in the corner of the garage, and with a lot of sweat and cursing, we reduced the car down to the frame and cowl, with the doors and rockers still attached. Using the frame as a jig, we rebuilt the body using reproduction quarters, floors, wheel houses, and even door skins. The fenders were NOS, and came with the car. Soon, or rather after about a year, we had a body that looked just like a ’56 Chevy again! We saved painting the car for later and moved on to the frame.

My dad knew he wanted disc brakes on the front, along with power steering, but he wasn’t certain he wanted to do the normal “kit” routine. I had heard of people using the front sub-frame from a Camaro/Firebird, so we pulled by ’79 Trans Am into the garage and started measuring. I’m sure you can guess what happens next. Out came the sawzall again, along with the welder, and we went to work. It took a lot of cutting, measuring, re-cutting, re-welding, and sweating, but in the end it fit. This gave us modern suspension, as well as disc brakes and steering linkage in front of the cross-member for better engine clearance.

Next we decided that we should install the body back on the frame and work on the installation of air conditioning. This was quite a task as we wanted to use a full-size GM evaporator core. Off to the junkyard we went, returning with the full air-conditioning systems from several cars. We modified the dash to accept the upper dash outlet from a ’72 Cutlass, then molded a set of outer outlets from a mid ‘60s Buick to fit the contours of the lower dash. We extended the cowl on the passenger side to within ¼ inch of the right front fender to accept the recirculate/fresh air assembly, then modified four or five evaporator cases to clear the hood hinge, engine, and fender while still lining up with the heater box! If I remember correctly, we probably spent three or four months’ worth of weekends just making that evaporator case. The work is repaid by comments about how lucky we were to find an evaporator case that fit so perfectly. People really think we found one that bolted right up. Quite a compliment, believe me! The A/C system was topped off with the dash controls from a mid ‘80s Buick.

A tilt column was purchased and modified to fit the dash. We had to shorten it, dropping the ignition switch rod into the space between the outer column and the shift tube, relocate the electrical part of the ignition switch, and reshape the top of the column over the course of three or four weekends before we got what we wanted. In the end, it looks just right topped off with a 1970 Chevelle imitation wood wheel, modified to be two-tone blue, of course!

The rest of the interior features late ‘60s Chevy pick-up truck hound’s tooth cloth inserts on upholstery patterned after the original ’56 interior. The doors depart from the original pattern as they feature homemade armrests with integral switches for the 6-way power seat, power windows, power vent windows, power door locks, and power outside mirrors. Further modifications include custom speaker housings fashioned to mimic the original dash speaker, volt and oil pressure gauges where the original ignition and wiper switches belong, and a stereo head unit with CD changer controls back-mounted into the dash. To add just the right touch of class, custom aluminum insets were made for the dash and armrests.

The car is painted in a custom mix two-tone blue, sprayed in a homemade “spray-booth” in our backyard garage, using DuPont’s “Premier” paint system. Subtle body modifications include moving the rear tag onto a station wagon bumper and an automatic trunk closing mechanism from a Cadillac. The crowning touch for the outside was the installation of modified ’90 Caprice wire hubcaps using ’57 spinners.

As we rolled along on the project, the vision of the car began to take hold. He wanted it to look young but have all the creature comforts of a modern Cadillac, and he wanted it to be fast too. As this vision became reality, the car came to be known as “the Old Man’s Car.” This wasn’t because my father aged a few years while we built it, but rather it was named this because he was building a car for “an old man.” My “old man” to be exact!

In the end, we ended up modifying and installing the following:
- Power disc brakes from a ’79 Trans Am
- A 1996 Corvette LT4 350
- Turbo 700R4 transmission
- ’79 Trans Am rear with Auburn posi-differential and 3.31:1 gears
- Rear air shocks with on board automatic compressor
- Cruise control
- Power windows
- Power vent windows
- Power door locks
- 6-way power seat
- Custom upholstery with Hound’s Tooth cloth seat inserts
- Power trunk release with power close feature
- Inflatable “space saver” spare tire
- Dual air horns
- ’90 Caprice simulated wire wheels with ’57 BelAir spinners and emblems
- Power outside remote mirrors from a late model Buick
- Lighted driver and passenger visor vanity mirrors
- Modern rear view mirror with courtesy lights, map lights, and electronic compass
- Under dash, door and rear courtesy lights
- 2-speed wipers, with pulse
- 215-75R15 semi-wide white wall radial tires
- Custom installed 6-speaker stereo with6-disk CD changer, and multiple amplifiers
- Tilt steering with custom 2-toned steering wheel
- Custom, fully welded stainless exhaust system

All modifications performed on this car were thought out, designed, and executed by my father and myself, over the course of four years. This car was built to be driven, so the underside is pretty much painted black, or undercoated. We aren’t professionals, and we didn’t build the car to be a “show car.” We drove the car to a Classic Chevy show in Ohio and were very surprised to take 1st place in 1956 Modified, scoring 983 points and earning a Platinum certificate. Boy you should have seen the look on Dad’s face when they called his name!

Through four years of hard work, a lot of fun, and even a few arguments, I know I am lucky to have participated in the construction of this car. The fun and comradery with my father, as well as the enjoyment he will get from driving the car, made all the time, blood, sweat, cursing, and tears worthwhile.