Back to Portfolio
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air - Tri-Five Restoration
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
Full RestorationCompleted May 2025
The Story
Robert's father bought this Bel Air new in 1957 and kept it in the family for decades. After sitting for 15 years, Robert wanted to restore it as a tribute to his father and a legacy for his own children. The car needed everything but had incredible sentimental value.
Challenges
- Complete drivetrain worn out from decades of family use
- Body straight but paint oxidized and clearcoat failing
- Original two-tone trim pieces damaged and missing
- Fuel tank contaminated with decades of varnished fuel
- Weatherstripping deteriorated causing water intrusion
Solutions
- Rebuilt original 283 V8 and Powerglide transmission to factory specs
- Complete respray in original Tropical Turquoise and India Ivory two-tone
- Sourced NOS and quality reproduction trim pieces
- New fuel tank and complete fuel system rebuild with modern ethanol-safe components
- All new weatherstripping and seals throughout
Before Restoration
![Bel Air before restoration](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1200" height="800"%3E%3Crect width="1200" height="800" fill="%230a0a0a"/%3E%3Ctext x="50%25" y="50%25" dominant-baseline="middle" text-anchor="middle" fill="%23ffff00" font-size="48" font-family="Arial,sans-serif"%3ECar Photo%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Transformation
After Restoration
Restoration Process
What Robert Martinez Says
“Frank brought our family's Bel Air back to life. My kids now get to experience the same car my dad drove me around in. The two-tone paint is exactly how I remember it from my childhood. This car will stay in our family forever.”
— Robert Martinez