I bought the car in 1988 from the estate of the original owner. The car at that time was 30 years old and only had 62,000 miles. There were a few things that needed fixing, like he had spilled brake fluid down the driver's rear quarter panel so that needed a repaint. He had Astroturf in the trunk, which was funky, so I bought a new trunk mat. I had the brakes rebuilt, a complete tune-up, and new tires. I had to replace the water pump and thermostat along with all the hoses under the hood. At first, I installed bias ply repro tires but they drove so badly that I just recently changed to radials. I had to replace a tail light lens which he had broken. Currently, the car has just over 90,000 on the clock. The valve covers have never been off the engine. Now for that brief description. It is a Bel Air Impala sport coupe. It was built in Los Angeles. It is paint code 930A, which the factory calls SILVER BLUE METALLIC, and it has the multi-stripe blue interior. It has the 348 cu. in. V8 engine, power steering and brakes, powerglide transmission, AM radio, and standard heater. It has the rare vinyl dash covering in blue to match the interior. At least 50% of the exterior paint is factory. The entire front grill, bumper, and trim is factory. I have had the rear bumper rechromed. The interior is all factory.
Have you ever owned a car that was a true "chick magnet?" That term is not politically correct, but it most accurately describes my first car, a '55 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible. Whenever I drove it, girls would follow me around and honk their horns at me. Some would pull alongside my cool ride and want to race. If you saw this machine at the time, you might be surprised that I got such a reaction from so many women. Let's just say this Tri-Five was far removed from concours condition.













