This 1956 Chevy Bel Air custom was an original California car that received a frame off, rotisserie restoration to the highest standards. The car has been finished two years, has been fully sorted from front to back and is ready to win shows or be driven coast-to-coast. Every component has been restored or rebuilt including all of the mechanical, electrical and cosmetic details. It is reliable, powerful and very, very good looking!
The Bel Air received a bare metal refinish, including the undercarriage, which was refinished in durable bed liner film. The frame on the Chevy has been powder coated in a beautiful satin black gloss finish which also covers the front and rear suspension components. All of the chrome and stainless trim is either new, rechromed or restored and the car has a great pop because of the high end trim work. The paint is a show quality hand sanded job with an excellent shine and great depth. All of the glass is brand new and of course all of the rubber trim was replaced at the time of the restoration.
Powering the Bel Air is one of our favorite Chevy crate engines – the ZZ383. This little sucker has 450 horsepower at 5600 RPM and 488 ft.lbs. of torque at 4400 RPM. Bottom line — the ZZ383/425 makes a fantastic street rod engine. The motor really wraps out on the top end while maintaining civility for cruising and a compression ratio that allows the use of pump gas. Cooling the motor is a custom and fully polished aluminum radiator with a custom shroud and dual Spal electric fans. The fans kick on at 190 degrees and do a fantastic job of keeping coolant temp in check even in the hottest weather conditions. The engine features a polished intake, polished pulleys, a polished alternator and a polished A/C compressor. Providing fuel to the motor is an electric fuel pump with a fuel pressure regulator and the system is plumbed with all AN fittings. Ignition is courtesy an MSD electric unit and replaces the old school points set up with a reliable and much more powerful unit.
The exhaust system is a custom built 2 1/2 inch job that connects to the motor via a set of ceramic-coated headers. The "fun" switch under the dash opens up the electric exhaust dumps if you really want to hear the stroker motor in action. This car really roars with the exhaust dumps open and has a pretty beefy note with the dumps closed.
The transmission is a Tremec TKO 600 set up for the car by Keisler engineering. The car rips through the first four gears with precision and the 5th gear is set up for low RPM highway cruising at 70 MPH. The rear end is a Ford 9" unit with posi gears. It really hooks up under hard acceleration and has been powder coated for a lasting exterior finish.
The front and rear suspension components are nicely sorted and upgraded from their fairly loose suspension ancestors, and the Chevy’s frame is powder-coated from front to rear. The front end is comprised of CPP tubular control arms and a CPP quick ratio steering box. The shocks on all 4 corners are Gas-Adjust there are lowering springs and dropped spindles on the front end. The Chevy has 4-wheel power disc brakes from CPP with a dual master cylinder, Wilwood proportioning valve and compact booster unit.
The car drives out wonderfully and will win shows and make trips as far as you want to drive. The car has been tastefully upgraded from a performance standpoint, and she’s tight, fast, and easy to drive. Although the cosmetic restoration your current love may have been performed by the finest plastic surgeon in the country, it will never achieve the quality of this fully restored automotive masterpiece–she’s calling your name.
