How We Stumbled Across This 57 Chevy Nomad Wagon
This 1957 Chevrolet Nomad Restoration started when I drove a 1940 Chevy to the Carlisle Spring Car show in Hershey, PA.
That is the biggest car show in the northeast. I was able to drive my 1940 Chevy into the show and park next to my friends Narragansett wiring.
While checking out classic cars and parts, someone left a note on my car saying they had a 1957 Chevrolet Nomad Wagon, and they want to trade it.
I looked at my best friend, Paul Edwards. We talked about the proposal, and we made the deal.
I was in the Car Restoration Business in full swing at that time, along with a Sandblasting business. We would strip Classic and muscle cars to a white metal finish. First, with New Jersey 0 grit, then follow up with DuPont star blast for a gunmetal finish free of any Dirt. The star blast is made out of metal, so it cleans ready for Epoxy metal etch as soon as you finish blasting.
When we got this project, the car had a virtually rust-free body.
The first thing we did was a total tear-down. Then we bagged all the parts with labels. They had never been apart. It was in amazing shape with only one cross member on the floors needing replacement.
We started the body repairs of the 57 Chevy Nomad after we completely disassembled the frame Sandblasted And refinished with Dp -90 epoxy and Urethane PPG version of DuPont Imron.
Then, we completely rebuilt the original 1957 V8 283 block along with a fresh turbo -400 and a brand new front suspension.
At stage three, we finished the frame. First, we set a polyurethane bag on-top. Then we set the body back on the frame until everything fits. All door gaps were perfect, as well as hanging the nose and test fitting.
1957 Chevrolet Nomad V8 restoration
This 1957 Chevrolet Nomad V8 restoration was a 2500 working hour project, not for the weak-hearted.
This car meant a lot to me since my best friend, Paul Edwards, helped me with the restoration. A great friend and mentor, Paul, was five years older than me, and we met because of the love for the Tri-Five Chevys.
He was an expert in all aspects and was responsible for creating the brand new set of wiring harnesses for the car.
The body and sheet-metal work took some time. I always say you can restore 2 Camaros or Mustangs while you are restoring one 57 Nomad wagon.
We sent out all the Chrome for a Tri stage re-plating, copper, and nickel. Then we chrome it. Joe Perry from RI Technical Plating handled that. He did a perfect work and had refinished dozens of cars for me in the past.
Great Friend ‘Frank Hawker,’ a concourse Judge in the classic car industry, trained By the Famous Johnny Lema, did all the upholstery to perfection.
The crazy thing about the car was it still got 23 miles to the gallon on route 95 while cruising along at 70mph.
Baseball and Apple Pie colored Chevrolet 1957 Chevrolet Nomad V8 restoration.
The end product: as the newspaper clip states, was a “like new” restoration. The Nomad looked as if this was its first glimpse at the sun.
Ready to start your own classic or muscle car restoration?
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