1961 Bel Air (traded off)

I figured I have had this car for a while now and I'm always doing something to it so I will keep a log of it here. Amy had a mini van at the time and it was easier for all of the family(3 Kids) to jump in it to go to car shows and cruise ins. I never liked the idea of pulling up in a parking lot and trying to hide the mini van away from everyone so people wouldn't see us getting out of it to look at their hot rods. after seeing an add in one of the local street racing forums for this 61 I traded my truck for it.
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this is my truck I traded for the car
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first thing I did was sell the mag wheels and try to make the car look older than it was. duh!.. a coil cut out of the back springs sit the back down a bit a set of used WWW got stuck on that I bought off a friend with spinner hubcaps

a month or so later. I found some skirts, bought peep mirrors and the chrome scratch gaurd for the gas door.
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a few months later I got sick of the WWW and bought something that matched the car a little better. set of smoothies with regular white walls. add scratch gaurds to the doors , tossed on some spotlights and cut another half a coil out of the back
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winter fell on us and I drove the car just like I would a mini van, drove it every day rain, snow or ice it went through it all. the 6 banger gets killer gas milage and the family and I was never broke down on the side of the road. even with the windchill at 5 below some mornings I walk out pumped the gas 2 times hit the key and she started right up. within 4 or 5 minutes the heater had to be turned on low because it was already getting hot it was used to take the kids to and from school, church, krogers,and all other running around I had to do. after spring pop up again I was ready to sell the car. the thing just looked funny to me. I offered it up a few times and almost had it sold a couple of times but I would back out. I liked the idea of an old car that we could all fit in. I drove out to the garage one day wondering what I could do to it. paint it white. the body was too rough to paint black. befoer anyone got there I did a little sanding on the car and filled in a few small dents and dings. I wanted to just change the color drive it for a month or two and sell it

I didn't think I was keeping the car and wasn't worried about doing much body work. I knew it would have dents and dings in it but hey it was a 4 door chevy worth ? who cares if it had dings in it. I patched it up and figured with all I had to do I didn't have time to paint it right now. I left it sitting for a few days still no time so HMMMM forget about it. let Maaco paint it. late one night I had someone follow me over to Maaco and drop the car off in the lot. The next morning I was gone getting things done early. Maaco called my house and ask Amy why my car was sitting in their lot .lol she's says I don't know, I call him. they was closed when I dropped it off but they found a company card with my # on it. Amy called and let me know they called so I made my way up to the store. I walk in and tell him it's scuffed don't do any body work seal it and shoot it. he walked around teh car for a few minutes said what color. sitting in the lot next to the bel air was a brand new SUV. I looked at it and said you have that color yet? yeah we can get it. ok shoot it that red. signed off on it and away I went. few days later they call and I make my way back over there. not caring one way or the other how it came out I was really overwelmed at how good the car looked. wow red was the color for this car. out of all the cars I've had in my life other than a truck I'd never had a red car never even liked the color til I seen it on the 61. the cheapie paint cost me $326.00 I couldn't even buy the paint at cost for what they painted it for

with the car red it made me want to screw with it again so out came the back springs for the 3rd time and a tad bit more was cut off. now it had that gasser look going on. lol this will make some guy cringe lol what about the front. sat teh car on level ground got out the tape measure and starting writing down numbers. grabbed two propane torch off my shelf for copper pipes fired them up and stuck both them on teh drivers side coil spring in the front. walked away and drank me a fast pop. took the torches off and stuck them on the other side. waited,waited,waited, then more fun with the tape measure. wow she's in the weeds now and rides like a Caddy to boot. now that it sat the way I like em on went some more chrome. lake pipes, emblems, 348 badges on the front and back. they have the racing flags and looked alot better, new Impala taillights with blue dots, tri bars on the headlights and more.. last year I went down to Somerset with a few locals that was doing the power cruise down there. here is the pic out in Richwood Ky before we hit the highway

My buddy Ronnie and I made it to the Somernites Cruise and Killer D was there laying down some stripes. I thought about it for a while and pulled my car under his tarp. I figured a few stripes on it would give it a better look if someone was up on top of it even break up some of the small bad spots the car had in it. after going over it a few times he asked what I wanted? traditional.. something bold. he walked and walked around the car stopping to talk to people a few times. I ask HOW MUCH WILL IT COST ME????? he would never say. he started striping and was going to town on it. while he was doing it I asked again. HOW MUCH IS THIS GONNA COST ME??? he just kept striping and striping. I was starting to get worried I had about 350.00 bucks on me. I was figuring 300 bucks worth of stripes and I still had to eat and make it back home. he striped on the car so long that people that was in line behind me were leaving because he was taking so long. his ol' lady was getting on him because he was taking so long. he was still not done striping and I was worried because the guys I know that stripe would charge more than $300.00 for what he had already done.



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after he get done the show is already over I'm freaking out that he is gonna take my last buck I have in my pocket. he still stood around chatting with people while I stand there looking at the dash and all the work he did. he walks over and says come over here. we walk away from everyone and he tells me that was the most stripes he had ever put on a single car at a car show. ..GULP>> lol he then ask if I was a HAMB'er why yes ,yes I am. I was wearing my white HAMB T shirt. he said so am I give me 150 bucks and we'll call it even. :? how much? $150.00 will do it.. DUDE I can't just give you buck and a half for all that work. he says don't worry about it I made out good today. after smiling like a teenager on prom night with his girlfriend in the back of the Buick I pulled out $200 bucks and shoved it in his hand.

so now we have a car that is built on a budget. cheaper than most cars to run and has never left me broke down anywhere. last week I tossed on some air shocks and I'm going to have a slip yoke put on the back on the fixed driveshaft so I can lower it down to the ground, in the rear while I'm at the car shows. so you guessed it! out come the rear spring again and a coil was cut off . with a little air it sits like it did before and rides good. get to a show, loose the air out of the shock and it's 3" down lower. here a shots down at the Beatersville show in Louisville Ky and Greyson Ky show that Carter County Cruisers put on. Me and Corey had a blast that weekend.

I forgot about those center caps that I just had to have^ I also tossed me some Mexican blankets on her till I can get the inside redone and the other day I stuck these 61 Impala hood birds to the front. may sound easy but you ever try to drill a hole in a skim coated angled fender top without screwing it up and scratching the paint

while I've been sitting here I've been getting together all my bills. everything I bought for the 61 and writing down numbers to get a figure. with what I had in the truck that I traded and selling the van and some wheeling and dealing and watching ebay all the time for good deals I don't have much in my 61 with EVERYTHING added up my every day driven Stewart mini van has taken less than $2500.00 out of my pocket. yeah it's a 4 door no it's not my hot rod but it's better than driving a honda or a mini van every day and please don't tell me you can't build a decent beater that you can cruise unless you have alot of cash. she isn't perfect and I don't want it to be. if it ever gets that way I will not have anything to do to it and it will be for sale

alot of good times it the ol 61

chev_hotrod wrote:alot of good times it the ol 61

yeap

The best pics of that car are the ones from Mexico...

I found this pic that Bailey took. I miss this car a little.

I miss a bunch!

that was such a cool car. i miss it.

just because i want to bring it to the top of the list