Patrick Andres was searching for the perfect birthday present for his wife, Carol.
The perfect birthday gift was a , (sedan) with one major complication: it was stripped down and needed to be reassembled before Patrick could wrap it up as his bride’s birthday present.
Jim Sutherland
There were plenty of cool resto mod pieces in the mix for the ‘53 Bel Air, including a stroker 350 Chevy small block race engine bored out to 400 cubic inches with plenty of new horses housed in the combustion corral.
The stroker engine is coupled to a Turbo 350 automatic transmission that may be replaced by an overdrive tranny in the future, according to Patrick. He wants to drop the RPMs to place less stress on the transplant engine because of the low rear gears.
However, Patrick is a firm believer in the “You-gotta-drive-’em” school of thought and has taken some long road trips in the car with Carol, including a trip from his Alberta home to LA and back for a car show in 2014.
Patrick told MyStarCollectorCar that Carol’s birthday present “runs good on the highway” (70-75 mph) but runs hot on short in-town trips. The solution for most overheating problems is usually an aluminum radiator with an electric fan, but Patrick still has an issue at lower speeds even after he tried the replacement aluminum rad method.
Other upgrades to Carol’s birthday Chevy resto mod include an aftermarket digital instrument cluster and cruise control, along with power steering and brakes. The ‘53 Chevy has also been upgraded to a 12-volt electrical system and an alternator for more efficiency.
The transplanted Chevy stroker rests on an old school Nova subframe that was integrated with the car’s original frame and provides an efficient front disc brake system to slow down the 73-year-old car much quicker than its factory drum brakes. Additionally, the vintage Chevy now handles better than its factory version.
Efficient mechanical operation is important to Patrick because he and Carol have no desire to own a car trailer–they believe a vintage car should be driven and not towed to an event. Patrick told MyStarCollectorCar that he and Carol have logged over 10,000 miles (almost 17,000 kilometers) in the ‘53 Chevy since its reassembly.
The Chevy has also undergone some cosmetic changes and now sports a Continental kit and a frenched electric antenna, two components from the golden era of custom cars. Carol’s birthday car has been lowered but not slammed and now has an ideal ride height for a custom ride.
Sharp-eyed MyStarCollectorCar readers will notice the Chevy’s seats have a stock configuration and are indeed the recovered original seats with new foam and braces, according to Patrick.
One of the more intriguing additions to the ‘53 Chevy is a scale model version that travels with Patrick and Carol when they attend a car show and is displayed on the rear package shelf inside the vehicle.
The net result is a very stylish 1953 Chevy Bel Air two-door resto mod sedan that is arguably one of the coolest birthday gifts ever given to a car guy’s bride.
Jerry Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
