Cars which rolled off the US lines in the 1950s evoke an aura of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era that spawned their creation- no coincidence therefore, that they have become the favoured chariots for those who are a part of what has become lovingly referred to by the initiated as the “Rockin’ Scene”. Paul Selfe, long-time member and owner of this impeccably restored ‘57 Chevy Bel-Air belongs to this great fraternity of music lovers... And while, up until the last few years, his Bel-Air’s history owed more to a “Little ol’ Lady from Missouri”, than Pasendena, Rock ‘n’ Roll music has featured extensively in the Chevy’s life since.
Imported in 1988 by Dream Cars of Battersea, London, the Chevy was first sold to interior restoration specialist, and good friend of Paul, Doug Browne, on the understanding that Paul would buy the car from him a few months later. As the story goes, the St. Louis - built Chevy was a “one family owned” example: when the man of the house shuffled off this mortal plane, his wife used it for ‘grocery shopping’ until it was inherited by her grandson. The new young owner harboured no interest in the old ‘57 and sold it on.
It had all begun for Paul when he bought a book entitled Chrome - Glamour Cars of the Fifties (Brian Laban, 1982). Emblazoned across its glossy cover was an enlarged front corner shot of a turquoise 1957 Chevrolet. As he admired the cover, Paul set his heart on ownership and remembers saying “I’m gonna have one just like that”.
When Paul took on the 4-door (pillarless) hardtop it was still on original paint. Everything, in fact, such as the chrome, interior, and so on, was totally untouched. Unusually, perhaps, Paul only desired this particular body style, preferring its lines to those of its 2-door counterpart. Fortunate- when one considers the chances of finding a Sport Coupe in such unmolested splendour to be virtually nil.
Almost immediately, Paul went about tracking down and ordering all the new parts he would require for the restoration of his new acquisition. This eventual list would be one of the most extensive I have ever seen here at club HQ in the last six-odd years - the total cost - mind-blowing! Here is a man, I recall thinking, who believes in doing a job thoroughly.
Replacing parts is an expensive business, so to keep costs to a minimum, and to guarantee safe delivery, Paul ordered quite a number of the smaller parts to be dispatched to various U.S. destinations. Paul’s “personal postie” would be girlfriend Debbie, ideally stationed in the United States while working for the BBC on an “Arena” series of documentaries entitled “Tales of Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Each of the four programmes revealed the story behind a famous song - and wherever Debbie travelled, parcels of Chevy parts were sure to follow.
One of the first Arena documentaries recalled the sad undertones behind Elvis’s “Heartbreak Hotel” - which, if my memory serves me correctly, began with the suicide of a jilted man in a hotel room. Apparently - a line from the lonely lover’s parting message hit the headlines, was spotted by songwriters, and the rest became rock ‘n’ roll history... Meanwhile, the first packages of new life were arriving for Paul’s classic Chevrolet; some, like the new wheel cylinders and brake hoses, to Debbie’s hotel on Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee.
Packages continued to trail our good lady while she took a “Walk on the Wild Side” (Lou Reed) and even travelled the whole length of “Route 61” (Bob Dylan). One particular parcel containing switches, rubbers and lenses, landed at the Shadow Marmont Hotel on 8221 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. Should that ring bells in the minds of music trivia folk, that’s because it just happens to be the location where John Bellushi took his final trip to oblivion. Aside from this, Debbie was in good company at the Marmon, the proprietor of which lays claim to a top-notch California-restored ‘57 Chevy.
Back in the UK, the restoration was coming on in leaps and bounds. Practically everything mechanical was rebuilt: Suspension was uprated using Camaro Munro shocks up front, and adjustable air shocks on the rear - mounted to an additional chassis rail. The rear leafs were rebuilt and re-tempered by Paddington Motor Springs. The steering box was overhauled using a Danchuk kit, and all new steering and suspension bushes were replaced. A new power brake servo was fitted under the left-hand front wing. All drums were skimmed, new cylinders fitted, and every last length of original pipework was replaced with copper.
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