Car Feature: Greg Schubert’s 1957 “Blue Ice” Bel Air Overhauled

From a first car of a teenager to the popular show Overhaulin, Greg Schubert’s 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air has a distinguished history. This story starts in 1973 when a 16-year old Greg would see an older man drive a very used 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air near the store where he worked. Greg would leave a note on the car [with his phone number] asking if the owner was interested in selling the car. This happened week after week until one day, the old man’s wife drove the car. Following his weekly ritual, Greg left another note on the car.

This is how the car looked when Greg first bought it after getting a loan from his father.

That last note obviously found the true owner of the car. The next day the old man came to the store where Greg worked, and the negotiation began. Greg convinced his father to drive to the old man’s house and check out the car. After borrowing enough cash from the bank of Dad to add to the nest egg that the teenager had accrued from his summer job, Greg was the proud owner of his first car.

More History

That would be a great tale if the story ended there, but there is a lot more history behind this Bel Air. A couple of years went by, and through some horse trading and money switching hands, the Bel Air became the first car for the next Schubert brother, as older brother Greg bought a different car. Greg eventually bought the car back from his younger brother when he was ready to move into something different for a daily driver. Again, this would be an interesting story if things ended here, but the Bel Air still had more to add.

Chip Foose’s Overhaulin’ team created a “blue Ice situation.”

When Greg’s youngest brother was ready to buy his first car, it had become a family tradition by this time for the newest driver in the family to own the Chevy. Like Groundhog Day, the car eventually ended up back in Greg’s ownership when the youngest Schubert brother was looking to upgrade into a more modern ride. The Bel Air had been the first car for all three of the Schubert brothers.

Several months after the Foose crew finished with the overhaul, we got the chance to take a closer look at this classic.

With that much family history tied up into the old clunker, Greg was never going to relinquish the tired old beast. Hoping to restore the car one day, he parked it in the corner of his property, starting it occasionally at first, then leaving it to gather rays from the California sun as it succumbed to nature’s palette, generating its own form of artwork.

Best Wife Ever

Enter Greg’s wife Marci. After attempting to get Greg to sell the aging hunk of Chevy metal, Marci realized the importance of the old car to her husband. Knowing that he would not part with it at any price, and that he did not have the time or skills to do all of the restoration on his own, she did what the “BEST WIFE EVER” would do. She contacted Chip Foose’s Overhaulin crew.

"Blue Ice" 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

  • Owner: Greg Schubert
  • Build: Chip Foose “Overhaulin”
  • Engine: Edelbrock 350 crate engine
  • Transmission: Art Carr 200R4
  • Chassis: The Roadster Shop
  • Rearend: Ford 9-Inch
  • Brakes: Baer 6P Brakes
  • Wheels: MHT “Foose” Wheels
  • Tires: Pirelli Tires
  • Suspension: AFCO Racing Shocks
  • Interior: Custom by 714 Motorsports
  • Paint: Custom paint by Exoticar Paintworks
Working with Marci, the Foose team devised a spectacular ruse that centered around a hunk of Boeing blue ice from a passenger airliner lavatory crashing through the windshield of Greg’s Bel Air. Playing the scam to the hilt, the Foose team, acting as government agents, threatened to take the Bel Air away as an environmental hazard. Greg, obviously distressed, was starting to protest the destruction of his prized possession when Foose himself revealed the hoax, explaining that the Bel Air was going to be “overhauled” and returned back to Schubert on the grand stage at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The full video can be viewed by clicking here.

The Build

The Foose crew hauled the environmental disaster out of the Inland Empire to their shop/studio in Huntington Beach, California. Upon arrival at the shop, Foose decided to strip the car down and power wash the inside of the car before allowing it into the shop. The “environmental” hazard turned into a biohazard when evidence of rodent infestation was discovered. Fortunately the car would not have to be destroyed, only cleaned.

Interior work by 714 Motorsports with components from Danchuk Manufacturing brought the inside of this car back to life.

Once the car was stripped, the team felt that the prep work should be conducted on a two post lift outside the studio. The grand plan was to pull the body off of the frame and send it to a media blaster to remove the years of crud, grime, rust, and paint. The body could then be assessed and repaired. Meanwhile, the crew was working with the Roadster Shop for a new state-of-the-art chassis with independent front suspension.

A custom chassis from The Roadster Shop with suspension components from AFCO Racing and a Ford 9-inch rearend combine to serve as the platform that should have been created long, long ago. The custom modified Danchuk bumper and smooth rear emblem spice up the rear view of the old Bel Air.

When the chassis arrived, the crew planned on putting wheels on the frame to make it a roller and bolt the body back on the chassis for transport to Las Vegas where the build would be finished in front of a watchful crowd at the SEMA show.

In Vegas

The crew removed the body once again, sending it to Exoticar Paintworks for the body work and painting. Simultaneously, the Overhaulin’ crew began installing components on the custom chassis. The interior was being prepped and assembled by the legendary 714 Motorsports crew that has become well known in show car circles.

Edelbrock’s Performer RPM E-Tec crate engine was bolted into the engine cradle of the custom chassis. Featuring Edelbrock’s Pro-Flo 2 electronic fuel injection system, complete with intake manifold, fuel injectors, fuel rails and throttle body, the crate engine is equipped with a flash programmable ECU that can be fine tuned right from the driver’s seat with a handheld module. Although it is a modern EFI system, this Edelbrock crate engine has a retro look that Foose’s crew customized with gold highlights.

The Edelbrock small-block 350 crate engine with electronic fuel injection provides more than enough power to keep Greg happy.

Mounted to the back of the Edelbrock mill is an Art Carr 200R4 from California Performance Transmissions. Using a Hi-Pro friction material, the Art Carr transmission is packed with two extra clutch plates in the direct clutch housing (eight total), for extra holding power. There is an additional clutch plate in fourth gear for a total of three and even more driving power. This transmission includes a 10-vane pump with heavy springs, and a heat-treated input drum assembly for a bullet-proof high performance transmission.

More Custom

The crew of Magnaflow made the trip out to build a custom exhaust for the rod. Magnaflow has been working with these special builds for decades, and nothing seems to be outside of their realm. Magnaflow’s senior manager Richard Waitas, a well-known figure in the industry, performed the work himself.

MHT Foose signature wheels with Pirelli tires and the Baer Brakes rotors with 6P calipers really keep this Chevrolet iron grounded.

The crew pressed on and continued adding more components to the powder-coated chassis highlighted by premium parts like Baer Brakes 6P brake calipers and big rotor kit. Baer’s six-piston calipers and big wheel rotors could stop anything including a runaway locomotive. The Foose crew also customized the look of the brake calipers, even though Baer does a great job with their powder-coated appearance. For Foose, building a one-of-a-kind custom is the key to making each build “overhauled.”

The suspension, chassis, wheels, brakes and tires give this Bel Air an aggressive and wicked stance that is unique to this build.

The crew was down to the final hours, pushing against the clock and a strict deadline. Adding suspension and shock components from AFCO Racing, an E-Stopp Emergency brake kit, Fluidyne cooling system, Kooks headers with ARP bolts and an ignition system from MSD performance.

Finishing Touches

As the body was reinstalled and the final components were being installed, the countdown to delivery in front of the audience began. Foose’s crew scrambled to install the ARC Audio KS and package tray speakers, JRD glass all around, MHT’s Foose signature wheels with Pirelli tires. The final systems were being completed with Russell Performance plumbing products and Painless Performance wiring. With only minutes left, the crew installed the last touches from Lokar Performance and Danchuk Manafacturing, the company that makes all the hard to find reproduction products for vintage Chevys.

The ARC Audio system and Danchuk Manufacturing replacement components take this build to the next level. The car’s dash and panels hide the Painless wiring harnesses that power up all these goodies.

An Optima battery was added and the Coverking car cover was added to shield the car from Greg as he made his way to the stage. With the crowd of fans looking on, Foose’s team pulled back the cover and showed Greg a completely different side of the car that he had owned for 42 years. Checking out the engine, Greg teased the crowd by saying, “You should see in here,” and pointing under the rounded Bel Air hood.

Greg is grateful to the Overhaulin’ crew, and plans on entering car shows to help share the story of his first car.

Final Thoughts

Greg Schubert’s odyssey with the classic Bel Air has taken 42-years and shows no signs of slowing down. Grateful to Foose and the Overhaulin’ crew, Schubert considers the car completely finished and has no plans to change anything. Seeing how receptive everyone has been to the project, Greg plans on taking the car out to a few special car shows a year. Currently he tries to drive it once a week and is trying to bring himself to driving it more often. It is still in “new” condition and the smile has not worn off of his face. His favorite part of the car is the color. Knowing that the Overhaulin’ crew began this rebuild with the Boeing blue ice ruse, we tend to think of the custom blue paint job as “blue ice.”

Enjoy this photo gallery of Greg Schubert’s Blue Ice Bel Air:

Photo gallery

VIEW FULL GALLERY >

About the author

Bobby Kimbrough

Bobby grew up in the heart of Illinois, becoming an avid dirt track race fan which has developed into a life long passion. Taking a break from the Midwest dirt tracks to fight evil doers in the world, he completed a full 21 year career in the Marine Corps.
Read My Articles

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