Classic American Muscle Cars-Part 2: 1955-57 Chevy (59 Pics)

Various sources

[tacticalogic]

everyone took off the front bumper and jacked up the back end with shackles ( that usually ruined the leaf springs after awhile)

That's hard on u-joints, too.

[Liberty Valance]

'57 Chrysler 300

[Vinnie]

If I could have any ‘Muscle Car’ it would be a ‘57 Chevy 2dr. hardtop. Dagmars, Continental kit, fender skirts.
Maybe with the engine punched to 301 but 283, Duntov cam, 2) 4brl carbs or Corvette FI. would do.
That 283 engine is my all-time favorite. Short stroke, big pistons, instant rev.

IIRC the first American engine that produced 1 hp /cu in.

[Liberty Valance]

[RegulatorCountry]

There were some fine Chryslers when Virgil Exner was head of design, just awesome American iron, well-proportioned and beautiful. Too bad they rusted so, very few survived outside of lifelong garaging or a dry climate. My favorite 300 was actually the first model sans tailfins, though. Beautiful as they were, it had gotten excessive. It was time, and it worked.

[Howie66]

I already did hit your other links! Great pics! Thanks!

[Bringbackthedraft]

I seem to recall that in 1957, the year of the Great Chevy icon, Ford out sold Chevy. Personally, I would pick the Lowe’s Studebakers over all of them, as the coolest looking of that era. My muscle car of that era was an Austin Healy Sprite.

[RegulatorCountry]

Ford broke with fifties convention first with the ‘57. It looked “newer” at the time than the ‘57 Chevy. Over time, the Chevy has come to be highly appreciated and the Ford less so, but at the time, you’re right. The Ford outsold it.

[Liberty Valance]

So thats what happened to them. You don’t see many out there.

[ETL]

[IYAS9YAS]

If you want even more confusion, there were actually two models in 1955. The 1955 First Series, which looked like the 1954, and was the last of the Advanced Design series trucks (they ran from 1947 to 1955). Mid-year they switched to the 1955 Second Series, and it was the first of the new Task Force series, which ran from mid-year 1955 to 1959.

For the 1955 First Series, the only external difference that I know from the 1954 was in the trim on the sides of the hood. Mechanically, the 1955 First Series had an open drive-shaft between the transmission and rear-end (basically what we're used to seeing on rear-wheel-drive cars). The 1954 had a torque tube, which was a solid tube that connected the transmission and rear-end, and the drive-shaft was contained within the torque tube.

[ETL]

Wow, you seem to know your stuff. I’ll take a closer look when I have more time. Thanks again.

[virgil283]

exterior color on 47.....If I Recall...we called that color 'Canary Yellow'....at that time.

[IYAS9YAS]

Wow, you seem to know your stuff. I’ll take a closer look when I have more time. Thanks again.

De Soto. Grenada. De nada.

[virgil283]

jacked up in the front with leafs and shackles...you're right .I saw this done with a straight axel and leaf springs fom a pickup truck. It was supposed to reduce weight.. [but boy did it ride rough]...

[ConservativeStatement]

Great, thank you.

[chicken head]

I have (2) 1957 chevy hardtops. building a 327 for one of them now— nice photos

[ETL]

Thanks, and good luck with them. Perhaps you can get some ideas from those posted here.

[Sixpackplymouth]

#15
Nice Mopar pistol grip shifter!

[Squantos]

AWESOME !!!

My neighbor owns an almost perfect copy of your picture number 32 here that is all original, ..... Including the Eisenhower for President Bumper sticker.....:o)

Angry at myself as I passed up a clean driver 55 two door about a year ago. My bad...

Beautiful ....thanks very much for posting this stuff. A relief from the doom and gloom of news these days.

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Thanks .....stay safe !