The Barn Find 1955 Bel Air

[flatwins]

Even if you weren't looking for a project, that would have been hard to pass on. Congratulations! My stepdad had a '55 back in '58 when he started dating my Mom.

True! Once we saw the potential of the car we knew we couldn’t walk away from the opportunity.

 

[Okie4570]

Very nice barn find for sure.
Clear coat will eventually peel and flake off unless you sand the paint underneath to allow it to bite in and hold.

I would not do that.
That car may have Acrylic Lacquer paint on it and it will last a long time if you keep it clean and in the shade when storing it.

I bet it does. Old real steel and a real paint job, it's amazing how long that will last sitting in the shade.

 

[Slim Deal]

A really good find. The '55 Belair's are my favorite of the tri-5'.

 

[Shadowrider]

Holy cow! I thought all of these finds were just stories from yesteryear.

As to the paint... @swampratt is probably right. I don't know when GM started using acrylic lacquer but I know for certain they were using it in the '60s. I had to strip my '66 Impala to put Imron on it. Imron doesn't play well with acrylic lacquer. This could be alkyd enamel but probably not or it wouldn't look as good as it still does. Definitely, ABSOLUTELY find out if the paint is original and of what type before throwing clear on it!

Huge high five on the find! It's amazing to find one as original as this one! Please keep us posted on your restoration!

 

[Glock 'em down]

 

[flatwins]

Holy cow! I thought all of these finds were just stories from yesteryear.

As to the paint... @swampratt is probably right. I don't know when GM started using acrylic lacquer but I know for certain they were using it in the '60s. I had to strip my '66 Impala to put Imron on it. Imron doesn't play well with acrylic lacquer. This could be alkyd enamel but probably not or it wouldn't look as good as it still does. Definitely, ABSOLUTELY find out if the paint is original and of what type before throwing clear on it!

Huge high five on the find! It's amazing to find one as original as this one! Please keep us posted on your restoration!

Oh believe me, this kind of stuff rarely happens to me! Other than the deck lid/part of the rear quarter the paint is the original Cashmere Blue/Indian Ivory. At some point the car had a bit of body work on the passenger rear quarter and the deck lid is from a different car. We’ve cleaned it up a bit but have no intention of color matching it or anything like that. I’m a nostalgic guy and see this as just part of the story the car tells.

 

[Shadowrider]

Oh believe me, this kind of stuff rarely happens to me! Other than the deck lid/part of the rear quarter the paint is the original Cashmere Blue/Indian Ivory. At some point the car had a bit of body work on the passenger rear quarter and the deck lid is from a different car. We’ve cleaned it up a bit but have no intention of color matching it or anything like that. I’m a nostalgic guy and see this as just part of the story the car tells.

Just from what I can tell from your pics, if there was ever a candidate for a frame off resto, this car would definitely be in the club. I'm thinking of the completeness of original parts, lack of cancer rust and general straightness of the metal here.

Hopefully the inner parts of all the panels still have paint coating to protect, but I'd want to get that "patina" slowed down. Your clear coat plan would go a long ways towards that if the inner surface isn't doing the same thing. But dust/dirt absorbs moisture and nature does what nature does, so I got my doubts. What does the underside and floor panels look like?

But it's still a heckuva find in that condition. It's even a 2 door!

 

[don ewald]

Hello OSA-

I've been away from the forum for quite some time but my brother dlbleak suggested I start a thread on a project the we happened into recently. Our dad passed away earlier this month and my wife and I were in my hometown checking in on mom. A friend of mom's stopped by the house and mentioned that a friend they have in common had sold her house but had an old car she needed to get out of a lean-to behind the house. When she told us what the car was and the amount the owner was looking to get out of we were quite interested. An hour before that we were definitely NOT looking for a project car.

This will be pic heavy and the photos are large.

So this is the car. The last time it was inspected and tagged was 1973.
View attachment 474257

The interior has held up surprisingly well and the original hubcaps are the in the rear seat. Floorpans are solid and the trunk is not rusted out.View attachment 474260
View attachment 474259

Dlbleak, myself, and my wife dug the car out, put it on some 90s Camaro-ish wheels and tires just to get it pulled out of its decades old cocoon.
View attachment 474261

Loaded it up on the trailer with the welcomed assistance of a winch. If you haven't used U-Haul's auto transport trailer before they have some handy features.
View attachment 474262

America!

View attachment 474272

Thanks to some of my favorite YouTubers (especially Vice Grip Garage), we got after the car with SOS pads, CLR, Scotch Brite, rubbing compound, polishing compound, and wax. Not 100% sure what we'll do yet but we'll most likely clear coat the car. We don't plan to paint it but rather preserve the existing paint including dings, scratches, etc.

Here's some comparison photos that have transpired in the past week or so. The bottom photo was taken around 36 hours after the top photo.
View attachment 474273

View attachment 474278
More on the next post.

 

[TerryP]

I’m happy for you guys, what a great project.

 

[Okie4570]

Just from what I can tell from your pics, if there was ever a candidate for a frame off resto, this car would definitely be in the club. I'm thinking of the completeness of original parts, lack of cancer rust and general straightness of the metal here.

Hopefully the inner parts of all the panels still have paint coating to protect, but I'd want to get that "patina" slowed down. Your clear coat plan would go a long ways towards that if the inner surface isn't doing the same thing. But dust/dirt absorbs moisture and nature does what nature does, so I got my doubts. What does the underside and floor panels look like?

But it's still a heckuva find in that condition. It's even a 2 door!

The patina gene in me says boooooo!!!!!!