Tri-Five Chevy’s are one of the quintessential Classic American cars. You can’t got to a local cruise-in or even a huge National event without seeing at least one. Despite their inherent coolness, because you see them regularly, it’s easy to overlook them due to their popularity. This righteous ’57 Bel Air is a definite exception. Owned and built by Tim, the owner of a collision shop in Fort Wayne, Indiana, his Chevy has an undeniable allure.

Tim has owned the Bel Air for well over 20 years, accruing a young lifetime’s worth of memories and sentimental value. When it came time to freshen the old gal up, a mild resto was the plan. But as most projects are want to do, “The deeper you go, the deeper you get”, jokes Tim. A full rebuild then ensued.

Owning a collision shop has its perks, as evidenced by the flawless bodywork and laser straight Sherwin-Williams black paint job. The glossy black is contrasted with subtle airbrushed emblems by Gary Morgan. The frame was sprayed a contrasting silver and then pinstriped by Jim Studinski while the car was still on the rotisserie.

Under the hood, a fuel injected Street Performance LS2 provides motor-vation, backed by a venerable Tremec 6-Speed manual trans. Bill Davis Fabrication built custom inner fenders and billet hood hinges, among other things, adding a custom look with modern functionality. Rolling stock consists of a custom built set of staggered Billet Specialties 5-Spokes in 17 & 18-inch diameters wrapped in Nitto rubber.

In the passenger compartment, four custom built bucket seats and a full length console are all wrapped in a rich red leather, adding a very modern and sporty vibe. Tim wasn’t happy with the stock gauge cluster, so the dash was smoothed and a centrally located custom pod was built to house the instrumentation, continuing with the modern, sporty look. In lieu of rear view mirrors, three rear facing camera’s were hidden and a screen added into the console to keep things looking smooth and unhindered. The car came factory equipped with many power amenities, but everything was updated to keep things fresh. Air Conditioning, power windows, and power locks keep things luxurious and convenient.

Tim drives the hell out of his ’57 and plans to participate in some Autocross events with it and says he won’t be holding back when behind the wheel. Sounds like a great time and we hope to see more video of this car on the track soon!