1956 Chevrolet Bel Air

The 1955-1957 year range represented a lot of effort by GM. They spent a million dollars in 1956 alone because they wanted to make the Bel Air look like the more expensive Cadillacs. The result was extravagant body lines, Cadillac-inspired bumper guards, and tail fins. Although largely a carry-over model, sales soared in 1956, especially for Bel Air models. This is thanks to the popular V8 introduced in the prior year. 1956 Be Airs had hidden gas caps -they were behind the driver's side taillight!

For consignment, the middle car in the Tri Five craze, the 1956 Bel Air. This car has been fully documented as to various work, redux' and maintenance since our consigner's ownership took over in 1977.

Exterior
A clean white paint covers the upper roof and rear of this car. It is delineated by a trim spear where we see orange below, on the hood and front quarters. Panels are straight, and gaps are good. Some surface rust in the form of bubbling can be seen on the passenger's door, and areas scratching is noted throughout. The jet age hood ornament is flying above the simplest of the grilles for the Tri Five Bel Airs. Chrome bumpers are good, and the trim is shiny with slight dimpling and light rust in a few areas. The Bel Air badging and Chevrolet script in your grandmother's handwriting is good. 15-inch chromed steel wheels with dog dish style caps are wrapped in thin whites and are seen on all 4 corners. A shout to the rear brake lights with the nifty round ball taillight with a small square backup light below all within a lamplighter styled bezel on each rear quarter upper corner.

Interior
Looking like the original and slightly soiled and torn, door panels sport white upper vertical stitched vinyl housing the door actuator, power window toggles, and window crank. A black vinyl mid-section has the armrest which is worn through to the inside padding. Below is a trim swoop and another white panel. Looking toward the front bench, the nifty fifty design abounds with black slate pattern broadcloth inserts and the back inserts forming a duplicating V pattern with a central button. White vinyl is reserved for the bolsters. Seatbelts are seen at every passenger position. The rear bench emulates this snazzy pattern looking showroom and has seen little action. Black clean carpet covers the floors throughout. Hanging above is the dual fan shaped dash front and a wonderful horizontal ribbed chrome middle with painted metal below. Bezels and knobs are pristine. In the middle we see a vintage replacement AM/FM/Cassette radio. Otherwise, this interior and dash are simply…elegant.

Drivetrain
A raise of the hood, and there is the reliable 265ci V8 under there. It has been rebuilt by Jasper and is able to run smoothly on unleaded fuel. It is topped by a 2-barrel factory carb, and a Powerglide 2-speed automatic is strapped to the back of the mill. 3.36 rear axle is for the back tires to spin. All is looking good under here with some patina and some surface rust on the cast block and intake.

Undercarriage
A bit of surface rust is seen mostly on the edges of the framing and some suspension parts. All else is coated in rust proofing. Over his tenure as owner there is a listing of various upgrades and repairs done on the car. Some highlights are replacing springs and shocks, a brake system overhaul, a rebuilt transmission and a new battery as well as a new radiator.

Drive-Ability
The car runs smooth and quiet, accelerates nicely and shifts smoothly automatically. It has a nice cruising altitude if you will, and an overall comfortable seating and ride. The rear windows have been disabled, the brake lights are nonfunctional, and the steering was a bit sloppy and not as tight as it should be.

The 2 owner car has undergone an earlier stages of restoration from 1998 through 2021. Some of the exterior panels starting to show battle scars, and a beautiful 50's interior save for the door panels. Solid power plant, and some slight surface rust below, a nicely colored example of the mid Tri Five era on the high end in the form of a Bel Air trim.

VIN DECODE
VC56B155632
V-V8
C-2400 Series BelAir
56-1956
B-Baltimore, MD Assy Plant
155632-Sequential Unit Number

TRIM TAG
STYLE NO 56 1037D-1956 Bel Air 2 Door Hardtop
BODY NO M12486-Baltimore Body #
TRIM NO 579-Charcoal & Ivory Cloth & Vinyl
PAINT NO 701-India Ivory & Onyx Black

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 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.