Check out this field full of classic Chevy Bel Airs
For most people, any thought surrounding a Bel-Air neighborhood conjures up images of that glitzy Los Angeles community where old-school Hollywood glitz reside. But for automotive archaeologists like Heart of Texas Barn Finds and Classics YouTubers, Bel-Airs takes on a more relevant meaning to them. In this case, they speak classical Chevy models that include iconic discontinued Bel-Airs, previously durable rusted Impalas and a few other predominantly Mopar classics. The one thing they have in common with this Los Angeles neighborhood is that they’re also totally old-school in a mondo realm that deserves a long look and a bit more, since these relics aren’t for sale. .
A field of Mopar classics
Residents of this part of rural Texas call this rusty landscape the Bowtie Dream Yard, in reference to Chevrolet’s dapper logo and the fact that visitors will find hundreds of the automaker’s classics — especially Bel-Airs and Impalas — populating almost every grassy square foot of the property. Several of the Bel-Airs are from the 1955-57 production period, although a few later models dot the scene.
Ditto for the Chevrolet 210, a cheaper version of the Bel-Air, although customers will need closer eyes to distinguish these two models in heavy states of oxidative decay. Even distinguishing early model Impalas from Bel-Airs can be an exercise in optics, largely due to the similarities in their tail fin designs. Sometimes people have to resort to checking badges to confirm which is which.
That wasn’t a problem for a Heart of Texas member named Thomas, who said he’d visited the site several times, hoping to buy something salvageable, but the owners weren’t home. Inexplicably, owners don’t seem to want to part with any of these vehicles, given their reluctance to sell any of them when pushed. “He might sell something,” Thomas said. “He’s not like what you would call a motivated salesperson.”
Heavily stripped rusty Chevys
But at least Thomas has been given permission to walk around the junkyard, where the experience is comparable to that of a child looking at treats in a candy store. The self-guided tour evokes a last-man-on-earth vibe, though Thomas doesn’t seem to care. “I don’t have that feeling of loneliness anymore,” he said as he strolled from one rust bucket to another. “I’m here with all my best friends.”
Plus, he’s quite busy and enthralled with identifying all of his metal buddies. With a keen eye, he noticed two 1957 Bel-Airs nestled next to each other, one with four doors and the other with two. Thomas also came across a rusted and heavily looted Chevy, which he immediately identified as a Bel-Air. He pointed to the rivet holes that once secured a strip of chrome from the rear spoiler to the rear window as one of the hallmarks of this classic vehicle.
He was particularly surprised by what could have been a law enforcement vehicle with a beacon still on top, but missing a front end. This omission provided Thomas with a good overview of the engine. “It’s a bloated, chrome engine,” he said of the engine. “It’s awesome, you know it is.”
Bel-Air Paradise Landscape
The more Thomas ventured into Mopar’s busy field, the happier he felt telling YouTube audiences of his discoveries. “Another Bel-Air plus a Bel-Air, here we are in Bel-Air heaven,” Thomas said when he discovered a number of cars in various stages of disassembly that would have been unrecognizable to a novice. Even with some of these vehicles in such dilapidated conditions, he could tell a 1956 Bel-Air from a 1957 one. Nor is he tossed about by a few quirks filling in some gaps in the terrain like a Biscayne that is in very poor condition.
Yet he found an occasional car reduced beyond recognition that threw him. “I don’t think it’s a Bel-Air,” he said, pointing to a vehicle with a blue exterior sporting white doors, but missing a front end. “Looks like the chrome doesn’t make it all the way, maybe I’m wrong.” In another part of the lot, he found newer models, like a four-door Impala, a rusty but otherwise intact Camaro Paladina, and even a few Fords, like an old Fairlane and a Thunderbird.
Most Mopars Beyond Salvage
Thomas found about two or three cars worth taking, but most of the vehicles in the field are far too damaged to undertake a salvage operation. “These are not quick turnarounds as far as repair goes,” he noted at the end of his tour. “Of course it would be a quick ride to buy and sell it.” For anyone interested in what’s on this property, however, Thomas regretted not having contact information. The best viewers can hope for is to send a message to the Heart of Texas Barn Finds and Classics YouTube channel. Thomas also hoped to relay this correspondence on the description of the video. “But we certainly don’t need everyone and their mums rushing here,” he added.
Source: Texas Heartland Barn Discoveries and Classics
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