Car Restoration Projects

MOVE car restorations – Chevrolet Nomad 1957

The MOVE collection in Shepparton has some rare and memorable cars and this Chevrolet is one.

They don’t come much rarer than this two-door station wagon from the US of A. It came to Australia in 1979, was converted to RHD in the 1980s and has had four owners – most latterly the McCoy-Lancaster family of Sydney.

The car was given a full body-off restoration by Maskells Customs & Classics of Shepparton, in 2019-2021.

Although its exterior looks stock, the car sits noticeably lower than ex-factory height and, while the whitewall tyres look period correct, their 215/45R20 size is far from stock. Behind the original 1957-Chevy hubcaps are distinctly non-standard, four-wheel disc brakes, recalibrated suspension and anti-sway bars front and rear.

The need for this chassis, brake and tyre upgrading becomes obvious under-bonnet, where a Holley Sniper fuel-injected LS3 resides. It’s good for around 480bhp – hence a custom-made aluminium radiator.

Handling this much grunt rearwards is a 4L80E four-speed auto box, feeding multiplied torque into a rebuilt Chev-Salisbury 12-bolt diff.

Keeping this tyre-shredder on the straight and narrow is down to a Flaming River rack and pinion steering box, activated by a period-correct, pearl-finish steering wheel.

The interior matches the wheel in period-correctness, disguising hidden speakers and rear-mounted battery and windscreen washer bottle.