1955 Chevrolet

The 1955 Chevrolet (sometimes referred to as '55 Chevy) is an automobile that was made by Chevrolet in 1955. It is considered a huge turning point for the manufacturer and a major success. It was available in three models: the 150, 210, and Bel Air.

The '55 Chevy was the first successful Chevrolet with an optional V8 engine. Chevrolet had produced an earlier car with a V8 in 1918 (Chevrolet Series D), which used a 155-horsepower and 288-cubic-inch V8, but it remained in production for only a year. In 1955, Chevrolet decided to fit its new car with an overhead valve V8 engine design, which was similar to the 1949 Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" V8 engine. The new 265-cubic-inch overhead valve V8 was designed to be smaller, lighter, and more powerful than previous V8s in the auto industry.

A year earlier, Ford produced an overhead valve V8—the 239 CID (the same displacement as the previous flathead); however, Ford's "Y-block" (as it was called) was problematic, especially when it came to a critical design error in its engine oiling system. A small and too-deeply set passage from its crankcase to its cylinder heads could easily clog if the oil wasn't changed often. Since oil of that time was low on detergent but high in coke, oil with too much age and short intermediate drives could clog the passage, which could lead to oil deprivation in the top end of the engine and result in burning up the rocker shaft assembly. The Y-block was also limited to the increase of its cylinders, compared to the Chevy V8.

Bel Air

Bel Air or Bel-Air may refer to:

Places

France

+ about 50 other places around France

United States

Other places

Chevrolet Bel Air

The Chevrolet Bel Air was a full-size automobile that was produced by Chevrolet for the 1950–1981 model years. Initially only the two door Hardtops in the Chevrolet model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950 to 1952, as distinct from the Styleline and Fleetline models for the remainder of the range. With the 1953 model year the Bel Air name was changed from a designation for a unique body shape to a premium level of trim applied across a number of body styles. The Bel Air continued with various other trim level designations until US production ceased in 1975, production continued in Canada for its home market only through the 1981 model year.

History

First generation (1950–1954)

For 1950, Chevrolet came up with a revolutionary style that would set a pattern for decades. The Bel Air Hardtop was styled as a convertible with a non-detachable solid roof. Models like this had been around since the 1920s, including early Chevrolets, with no degree of success. But the newly revised idea, sweeping the GM line from Chevrolet to Cadillac, had finally found its era. First year production reached only 76,662 as buyers cautiously tested the revised concept. The car cost $1,741 and weighed 3,225 lb (1,463 kg). Front suspension was independent, named "knee-action".