After the drive out to Iowa, Jennings rented a trailer and packed up his car. The following 10 years were spent more often than not with his nose in books rather than a wrench in his hand as Jennings tried to make sense of the mess, paging through factory assembly, accessory and Chevrolet shop manuals. Jennings did not do the work alone. He contracted out a shop in his area courageous enough to take on the intense project.
| Specs box |
| » Engine: 283 V-8 |
| » Performance: power brakes, automatic transmission, 4-valve carburetor, dual exhaust |
| » Wheels: 750/14 whitewall tires |
| » Paint: black urethane single stage |
| » Interior: radio, power steering, rear seat radio speaker, OEM vinyl/nylon upholstery |
| » Exterior: spinner hubcaps, fender skirts, rear fender radio antenna |
“Most shops do not want to restore cars; they just want to work on newer cars and replace parts such as fenders, hoods, bumpers and the like,” Jennings said.
When the car was holed up for 10 months with a shop that had agreed to work on it but hadn’t touched it, Jennings pulled the vehicle and found another mechanic willing to do it. When almost two years passed with little progress made, the shop owner approached Jennings and asked to have the car removed, paying him 1,500 for his time and trouble. Jennings’ Bel Air was out on the street once more and in need of a good garage.
It was Al Prueitt & Sons in Glen Rock, Pa., that eventually made the largest dent in the work. Prueitt finished the body work, painted the car and delivered it unfinished to Jennings’ home, where it was his turn to finish the rest of the work.
Jennings still needed parts. The problem was that his car was an original numbers-matching vehicle, and trying to find the matching numbered parts was a challenge. Some of his woes included purchasing two radiators in an attempt to get the correct month and year of manufacturing and then fitting a core between the top and bottom tanks. Jennings was in luck when he found an original power steering unit, a power brake unit, a rear-seat radio speaker and a cover plate. Two years later, the restoration was complete.
Jennings is proud to show off his work, which has been recognized at a number of car shows, including major shows at Hershey, Carlisle’s GM Invitational Nationals, Grand Nationals in New Bern, N.C., and an invitation to the Concours d’Elegance show in Fairfield County, Conn.
What do you drive? A black 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air two-door hardtop.
Why do you drive it? The car is tailored to car shows, except for the local shows. We do occasionally drive it on a weekend, and it is nice to experience all the attention the car receives and all the interested people you meet.
What makes this car so special? The car when purchased was a disaster and would have been passed up by most people wanting to restore a car. I spent 10 years working on the car and the completed project was better than expected and has shown well at the shows it has been entered in.
What is your most memorable driving experience in this car? Fairfield County Concours d’Elegance tour of the Connecticut countryside. There were approximately 35 antique cars on the tour with a stop at the AACA auto show. The tour was for the Alzheimer’s Health Fund.
What was the first car you owned? A 1954 Ford Victoria two-door hardtop. The first year Ford had overhead valves.
What kind of music are you currently listening to in your car? It is an AM-only radio so locally I listen to WBAL — in other areas, whatever I can get.
And your first ticket? What was it for? I have not had a ticket in the Chevy, but my first ticket was naturally for speeding.
