1957 Chevrolet
The 1957 Chevrolet is a car that was introduced by Chevrolet in September 1956 for the 1957 model year. It was available in three series models: the upscale Bel Air, the mid-range Two-Ten, and the economy/fleet model One-Fifty. A two-door station wagon, the Nomad, was produced as a Bel Air model. An upscale trim option called the Delray was available for Two-Ten 2-door sedans. It is a popular and sought after classic car. These vehicles are often restored to their original condition and sometimes modified. The car's image has been frequently used in toys, graphics, music, movies, and television. The '57 Chevy, as it is often known, is an auto icon.
History
Initially, General Motors executives wanted an entirely new car for 1957, but production delays necessitated the 1955–56 design for one more year. Ed Cole, chief engineer for Chevrolet, dictated a series of changes that significantly increased the cost of the car. These changes included a new dashboard, sealed cowl, and the relocation of air ducts to the headlight pods, which resulted in the distinctive chrome headlight that helped make the 1957 Chevrolet a classic. Fourteen-inch wheels replaced the fifteen-inch wheels from previous years to give the car a lower stance, and a wide grille was used to give the car a wider look from the front. The now famous 1957 Chevrolet tailfins were designed to duplicate the wide look in the rear. Bel Air models, though maintaining the same chassis, powertrains, and body, were given upscale gold trim: the mesh grille insert and front fender chevrons, as well as the "Chevrolet" script on the hood and trunk, were all rendered in anodized gold. The 1957 Chevrolets did not have an oil pressure gauge or a voltmeter.The base engine was an inline 6-cylinder called the Blue Flame Six. The engine was smoother running than the V-8. Carburetion came from a single one-barrel carburetor.
"Tri-Five" 1955–1957 V8
The 1955 model year Chevrolet introduced its now-famous small-block V-8 — the first V-8 available in a Chevrolet since 1918. It has a displacement of. Prior to 1955, Chevrolet offered a displacement in-line 6-cylinder engine only. The 1955 model, like its engine, was all new. The "shoebox" design, so named because it was the first Chevrolet to feature streamlined rear fenders, was a watershed for Chevrolet. The lightweight car, coupled with a powerful overhead valve V-8, became a showroom draw, but also thrust the company into the arena of competitive motorsports. 1955 Chevrolets went on to dominate drag racing and became a formidable force in circle track racing. In 1956, the design was lengthened somewhat in front and given a more squarish treatment; under the hood, engine power increased and a Chevrolet Corvette engine was available for the first time in a full-size passenger car. In 1957, the V-shaped trim on the tail fins was filled with a ribbed aluminum insert exclusive to the Bel Air's upgraded trim level. The fuel-injected engine represented the first time that an internal combustion gasoline engine in a passenger car reached an advertised one horsepower for each cubic inch benchmark, although the Chrysler 300B beat that by a year in its 355-horsepower, 354 c.i.d dual-carburetored engine, and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint was introduced a year earlier than that, with a 79 cubic inch engine that produced 80 hp. In NASCAR racing, the 283 with its increased horsepower, gave the 1957 a dramatic advantage over the smaller 265 V8 the 1955 and 1956 cars had. NASCAR held the competition, especially the 1955-57 Chevrolet to a cubic inch restriction because of all the races the 1957s were winning. This restriction stayed with the 1955–57 until they were grandfathered out of the lower NASCAR divisions in the 1970s as the 1957 was still beating virtually all in their class.Body styles
Body choices for 1957 included:- 2- and 4-door sedans
- 2-door Sport Coupe
- Sport Sedan
- 2-door Utility Sedan, a two-door sedan with a package shelf instead of a rear seat
- Delray Club Coupe, which was a Two-Ten model 2-door sedan with a deluxe interior
- The top-of-the-line 2-door Bel Air Nomad station wagon with a sloped pillar behind the hardtop door and sliding windows at the rear seat, unique ribbed roof sheetmetal and lower roofline height mimicking the hardtop models.
- The basic 2-door Handyman station wagon with an upright sedan B-pillar and a C-pillar, where the four-door wagons have one, available only in One-Fifty and Two-Ten trim levels.
- 4-door, six-passenger station wagon
- 4-door, nine-passenger station wagon
- Convertible
The 2-door Bel Air Nomad station wagon had its own distinctive styling, mainly in the roof line and rear deck.
Engines
For 1957 there were four standard engine options, a inline 6-cylinder producing, a V8 "Turbo-Fire" producing, and two V8s: a "Turbo-Fire" twin-barrel carburetor producing and a "Super "Turbo-Fire" four-barrel carburetor developing. To help mechanics distinguish the 265 cu in V8 engine from the red 1956 and 1955 265 cu in V8 engines and the orange 1957 283 cu in V8s, the early 1957 265 cu in V8 engines with manual transmissions were painted a bright yellow-green chartreuse. After November 1956, the 1957 265 cu in V8 engines were painted the same orange as the 1957 283 cu in V8s.Another optional engine was offered with two four barrel carburetors, the legendary "Duntov" cam and solid lifters. This engine produced 270 hp. 1957 was the first year that Chevrolet ever offered fuel injection as an option. A engine fitted with solid lifters, the "Duntov" cam and fuel injection was rated at and cost $500. This was the first time in history that a General Motors vehicle achieved 1-hp-per-cu-in in a production vehicle. Fuel injection continued as an option throughout the early 1960s. However, most mechanics of the time didn't have the experience to keep the units running properly. This prompted most buyers to opt for conventional carburetion.
In a 1957 survey of owners, Popular Mechanics reported that 16.9% of owners complained about the fuel economy, while 34.4% wanted fuel injection.
Options
There were many options available, most of which were designed to make the car more comfortable and luxurious. Air conditioning was offered though rarely ordered, as was a padded dash. Power steering and power brakes were available, as well as a signal-seeking AM radio and power antenna. Power windows and power seats were also available. A rear speaker could be purchased which required a separate volume knob to be installed in the dashboard, beside the radio — this rear speaker was touted as providing "surround" sound. An "Autronic eye" was offered; it was a device that bolted onto the dashboard and sensed the light from oncoming traffic, dimming the headlights automatically. One unique option was an electronic shaver, connected to the dashboard.The 1957 radio used tubes that required only 12 volts of plate voltage and a transistor for the output stage. This lowered the power drain on the battery to an insignificant amount when the engine was off. Playing the radio with conventional tubes for extended periods occasionally drained the battery to the extent that it could not start the car.
The clock was electrically self-wound and moving the hands to correct the time resulted in actually regulating the going rate. After a few corrections, the clock was remarkably accurate.
Another dashboard-mounted item was the traffic-light viewer, a ribbed plastic visor that was installed just above the speedometer. Because the roof extends so far forward of the driver, it is hard to see overhead traffic lights. The traffic light viewer captured the reflection of overhead traffic lights so that the driver didn't have to lean forward to see past the edge of the roof. A/C was also an option.
In 1957, Chevrolet started to add safety features such as "crash proof door locks", padded dash boards, safety-styled steering wheel with a recessed hub, seat belts and shoulder harnesses. However, unlike Ford, Chevrolet did not promote these safety features heavily.
1957 was also Chevrolet's first offering of a turbine transmission, known as the Turboglide. It was a design concept that Buick had developed with their Dynaflow transmission. However, due to a reliability reputation caused by its complexity, most automatic transmission buyers shunned the Turboglide in favor of the two-speed Powerglide that had been offered since 1950. At the time the Turboglide casing was the largest cast aluminum component ever put into mass production, but it never recovered from the reputation in 1957 and the option was discontinued in 1961. Manual transmissions were limited to three-speed, column shifted units. The Powerglide's shifter went P N D L R while the Turboglide's was P R N D Hr . An overdrive unit was available as an option on the three speed manually shifted transmission cars. Starting at the end of May 1957, a four speed manual transmission was also offered at an over-the-counter price of $188.00 but no installation kit was ever offered by Chevrolet and, while an owner may have jury-rigged an installation in their own car, there is no evidence that any dealer ever actually installed the transmission in any car in 1957. A 1957 equipped with this transmission mated to the 270 horsepower engine and limited slip differential was the one to beat on the drag strip and street into the early 1960s.