Lately we've been noticing a trend: although the luxurious Chevy Bel Air continues to be ever-popular, the blue-collar 150 and 210 iterations of the Tri-Five are starting to get more attention. These budget-friendly models were once ignored in favor of chrome-clad 1955-57 Bel Air models, and many of them were even converted to look like Bel Airs. Now, however, we appear to have come full circle—and we're seeing more restored 150s and 210s as a result.

When you're tackling a Camaro restoration project, it's essential to know the original specifications of the vehicle you're restoring. If you don't know how your car rolled off the factory floor, it's much more difficult to return it to that condition. This is especially true due to the tendency of classic cars to be rebuilt and/or modified over the years. So, what's the best way to learn your vehicle's factory specs? The answer is simple: the VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number. Read on as we show you how to use our Camaro VIN decoder to learn more about your classic Chevy.

This November, some of the world's finest classic and custom cars gathered at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the SEMA 2015 Show. Since the SEMA Show is industry-only and not open to the general public, we walked the halls and snapped photos of the incredible vehicles we found inside. Now, for those of you who weren't able to make it to this year's show, we'll be posting some of the most interesting cars we spotted.

It's been said that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. While this may be true in some cases, we'd certainly disagree when it comes to classic cars. For many of us enthusiasts, there's no such thing as "enough". We continually search for new vehicles to restore, and even when we've accumulated 3 or 4 (or more) ongoing builds, we're always looking for the next cool project to take on. For Joe Ali, of Huntington Beach, California, this never-ending interest has been focused on one vehicle: the Chevy Impala.

Car enthusiasts tend to use a lot of complex terms that can be confusing to those with less experience. However, here at Classic Industries, we want to clear up the confusion, and make it easy for anyone to tackle their first restoration project. With this in mind, we'd like to talk about truck bed wood. After all, if you're new to restoring trucks, you might not know the difference between bed strips, angle strips, reinforcement strips, and cross sills, or how many of each your vehicle requires.

Many Chevrolet and GMC classic trucks were built with bed wood standard from the factory, while later models came standard with a metal bed floor and only offered wood as an option. Read on as we go over the basics of bed wood components and configurations.

The above photo of a 1948 Chevrolet 3100 is courtesy of Mecum Auctions.

Truck Bed Wood Components

We're always glad to see the third-gen F-body cars getting the appreciation they deserve. Ten or fifteen years ago, few people would have considered the 1982-92 Firebirds and Trans Ams candidates for restoration, but now that these cars are becoming more collectible, the prices for clean examples are on the rise. This white 1986 Trans Am is one of the cleanest we've seen, and shows how much these cars stand out in 2015.

The late 1950s and early 1960s are often referred to as the era of the tail fin. These aircraft-inspired accents could be found on many cars from this time period, and few of those applications are more recognizable than the 1960 Chevy Impala. A winglike ridge lines each side of the bodywork, culminating in a squared-off tip at each corner. It was perfect for a society that had fallen in love with jets, rockets, thrusters, and all things aeronautical.

There's no question that the iconic 1955-57 "Tri Five" Chevy models were a tough act to follow. Even today, they're known as some of the most famous and popular classic cars of all time. So, when it came time to retire the Tri Five and develop a new design for 1958, what was Chevrolet to do? Well, true to form, they created a model that would go on to become just as famous as the cars before it: the Impala.

In nature, bright colors often indicate danger. Many venomous snakes and poisonous insects wear vibrant shades of crimson or indigo, warning potential predators that messing with them will be a losing battle. In much the same fashion, Christian Tovar's shocking yellow 1972 Nova SS sets the tone for other cars it rolls up next to. This yellow car has "try me, I dare you" written all over it.

The collector appeal of classic trucks is growing, and it's easy to see why. After all, these utilitarian vehicles were never seen as anything particularly special or collectible back in the 1940s and '50s, much like today's base-model work trucks are viewed now. However, times change, and these once under-appreciated old pickup trucks are now being restored, modified, and cared for more with each passing year.