Classic Cars & Restoration Parts | Classic Industries

1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevrolet Options

Written by Classic Industries News | Feb 18, 2021 10:01:08 PM

The Tri Five Chevy models built by General Motors in 1955, 1956, and 1957 changed substantially with each passing year. Body panels, grilles, lighting, trim, interior colors, and exterior colors all differed from year to year. In addition to these standard features, Chevrolet offered a variety of optional features for '55, '56, and '57 models. These options ranged from common choices, such as two-tone paint and whitewall tires, to much rarer choices. Read on for a list of 1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevy option codes, descriptions, and original prices.

1955-57 Chevy Option Codes

As is still the case today, Chevrolet offered both factory-installed options and dealer-installed options for Tri Five Chevy cars. Factory-installed options, which GM later standardized as RPO (regular production option) codes from 1970 onward, were added to cars as they traveled down the assembly line. Dealer-installed options were added to vehicles after they arrived at their destination dealership, and were therefore less set-in-stone. In this article, we'll focus only on factory options — dealer-installed options will be a topic for another day.

Some of the option data and pricing information below is thanks to TriFive.com.

1955 Chevy Options

In 1955, there was an extensive list of option codes for Chevy 150, 210, and Bel Air models. Since it was the first model year of the Tri Five series, the sequence of these codes is less intuitive, with paint options interspersed between other codes. This would be streamlined and simplified the following year.

Code Description Price
100 Turn signals $16.75
101B Airflow heater (not available with A/C) $72.80
101C Recirculating heater (not available with A/C) $48.15
216C 1-pint oil bath air cleaner (6cyl only) $5.40
227A Heavy-duty clutch $3.25
235 Single color paint No cost
235W Single color paint - Anniversary Gold $26.90
236G/M Single color paint No cost
236A/F/H Special two-tone paint combinations $25.85
237B 1-quart oil filter (6cyl only) $11.85
237L 1-quart oil filter (V8 only) $11.85
237M 1-quart oil filter (models with A/C) $14.00
238A/F/P/W Special two-tone paint combinations $25.85
238H/M/N/U Single color paint No cost
238G/K/L/Q/S/T/V/X Standard two-tone paint combinations $12.95
241A Governor (standard for 6cyl models) $18.30
246 Standard two-tone paint combination $12.95
254T Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (5-leaf) $2.70
254Y Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (wagon models) $3.80
254V Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (6-leaf) $6.50
288A Five 6.70-15 6-ply tires $37.90
288L Five 6.70-15 6-ply whitewall tires $73.65
290B Five 6.70-15 4-ply whitewall tires $26.90
313 Powerglide automatic transmission $178.35
315 Overdrive transmission $107.60
320 Electric windshield wiper $10.50
324 Power steering $91.50
325A 30-amp generator $7.55
325U-Z 30-amp generator (models with A/C) No cost
325C-F/Q/R 40-amp generator $80.75
397 Electric controls for seats and windows $145.30
398 E-Z Eye glass $32.30
410 4-barrel carburetor $59.20
412 Power-assisted brakes $37.70
417 Positive crankcase ventilation $12.95
435 Trim combination No cost
437 Single color paint No cost
440 Single color paint No cost
441 Standard two-tone paint combinations $12.95
450 Air conditioning $565.00

 

1956 Chevy Options

For 1956, many options featured slight changes to availability or price, but the darker grey fields below represent options that were substantially changed from the previous model year, or entirely new for 1956. The new options included the Super Turbo-Fire engine, dual four-barrel carburetors, Full-Flow oil filter, and heavy-duty battery. Electric seat and window controls were now separate options, the air conditioning option code now included a 30-amp generator, and paint option codes were streamlined.

Note: Options with multiple prices listed varied in cost depending on the model or series they were applied to (e.g. two-door or four-door, 150 or Bel Air).

Code Description Price
101 Airflow heater (not available with A/C) $72.80
101 Recirculating heater (not available with A/C) $48.15
104 Full-Flow oil filter (V8 only) $8.65
110 A/C (including 30-amp generator) $430.50
216 1-pint oil bath air cleaner (6cyl only) $5.40
227 Heavy-duty clutch $5.40
237 1-quart oil filter (6cyl only) $8.65
241 Governor (6cyl) $18.30
241 Governor (V8) $43.05
254 Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (5-leaf) $2.70
254 Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (wagon models) $3.25
254 Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (6-leaf) $3.80 / $4.35 / $6.50
288 Five 6.70-15 6-ply tires $43.50
288 Five 6.70-15 6-ply whitewall tires $86.55
290 Five 6.70-15 4-ply whitewall tires $26.90
290 Five 7.10-15 4-ply tires $13.25
290 Five 7.10-15 4-ply whitewall tires $48.75
313 Powerglide automatic transmission $188.50
315 Overdrive transmission $107.60
320 Electric windshield wiper $11.35
324 Power steering $91.50
325 30-amp generator $7.55
325 40-amp low-cut-in generator $7.55
345 Heavy-duty battery (not available with A/C) $10.80
397 Electric controls for seats $48.45
398 E-Z Eye glass $32.30
410 Super Turbo-Fire V8 engine $32.30
411 Dual 4-barrel carburetors (V8 only) $242.10
412 Power-assisted brakes $37.70
417 Positive crankcase ventilation $12.95
426 Electric window controls $64.60 / $107.60
484 - 499 Trim combinations $6.00
500 - 523 Single color paint No cost
525 - 558 Standard two-tone paint combinations $12.95 / $25.85
525 - 558 Special two-tone paint combinations $17.25 / $25.85

 

1957 Chevy Options

Chevrolet released several new factory options for 1957, including fuel injection, dual-quad carburetors with high-lift cam, close-ratio transmission, several limited-slip differential choices, and a padded dash. As above, new or substantially different options are represented by darker grey background, and options with model-dependent pricing are listed with multiple prices.

Code Description Price
101 Airflow heater (not available with A/C) $74.90
101 Recirculating heater (not available with A/C) $48.15
104 Full-Flow oil filter (V8 only) $8.65
110, 111 A/C (including 30-amp generator) $430.50
216 1-pint oil bath air cleaner (6cyl only) $5.40
227 Heavy-duty clutch $5.40
237 1-quart oil filter (6cyl only) $8.65
241 Governor (6cyl) $18.30
241 Governor (V8) $37.70
254 Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (5-leaf) $2.70
254 Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (wagon models) $3.25
254 Heavy-duty rear leaf springs (6-leaf) $3.80 / $4.35 / $6.50
303 Close-ratio transmission $59.20
313 Powerglide automatic transmission $188.50
315 Overdrive transmission $107.60
320 Electric windshield wiper $11.30
324 Power steering $69.95
325 35-amp generator $7.55
325 40-amp low-cut-in generator $8.70
345 Heavy-duty battery (not available with A/C) $7.55
397 Electric controls for seats $43.05
398 E-Z Eye glass $32.30
410 Super Turbo-Fire V8 engine $43.05
411 Dual 4-barrel carburetors (V8 only) w/ standard cams $209.85
411 Dual 4-barrel carburetors (V8 only) w/ high-lift cams $242.10
412 Power-assisted brakes $37.70
417 Positive crankcase ventilation $12.95
426 Electric window controls $59.20 / $102.25
427 Padded dashboard $16.15
465 Five 7.50-14 4-ply whitewall tires $31.60
465 Five 7.50-14 6-ply tires $42.85
466 Five 7.50-14 6-ply whitewall tires $42.85 / $85.00
480 - 499 Trim combinations No cost
500 - 524 Single color paint No cost
525 - 559 Two-tone paint combinations $21.55
578 Fuel injection $550.00
675 3.36:1 limited-slip differential $45.00
676 3.55:1 limited-slip differential $45.00
678 4.11:1 limited-slip differential $45.00

 

Looking for Tri Five Chevy Parts?

Whether you're trying to restore your 1955-57 Chevy to match the original options it was sold with, or you're rebuilding an ideal version with all the options you wish it had, Classic Industries can help. We have thousands of parts for Tri Five Chevy models, including many of these optional items. Click the button below for a free full-color 1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevy parts catalog.