See also: Chevrolet Bel Air, Chevrolet 210, Chevrolet 150, and Chevrolet Nomad
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Motor vehicle
1955 Chevrolet
1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe
Overview
Manufacturer
Chevrolet (General Motors)
Also called
Chevrolet Bel Air Chevrolet 210 Chevrolet 150 Chevrolet Nomad Chevrolet Sedan Delivery
Production
1954–1955
Assembly
United States Canada[1] Woodville, Australia[2]
Designer
Bill Mitchell
Body and chassis
Body style
2-door coupé 2-door hardtop 4-door sedan 2-door convertible 2-door Station wagon 4-door Station wagon 2-door sedan delivery[3]
Chronology
Successor
1956 Chevrolet
The 1955 Chevrolet (sometimes referred to as '55 Chevy) is an automobile which was introduced by Chevrolet in Autumn 1954 for the 1955 model year. 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 1955 Chevrolet 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 36-horsepower overhead valve 288-cubic-inch V8, but it remained in production for only a year.[4] 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 which was an earlier GM success. Chevrolet's new 265-cubic-inch overhead valve V8 was designed to be smaller, lighter, and more powerful than previous V8s in the auto industry, and would come to be known as the "Chevy small block".
However, the new small block engine in the 1955 Chevrolet had some early teething issues. Some problems existed with cracked pistons, there was no integrated oil filter, so an external bypass filter was offered as a factory or dealer option. Those who did not order the engine with the "oil filter option" dealt with a high frequency of oil changes. Even with the oil filter option, only part of the oil was actually filtered (the oil going through the thermostat). This issue was corrected for the next year when a full flow oil filter system was added to the engine.
Additionally, to keep performance and mileage levels high required spark plug and ignition points to be replaced on a regular basis. The small block Chevrolet V8 became so popular that Chevrolet still sells it today as an over the counter replacement engine or better known as a "crate engine". There have been various changes made to the engine to modernize it since its introduction in 1954 however the basic design of the original 265 remains in place.
^Production Numbers, www.fiftyfivechev.com Retrieved on 8 November 2013
^Norm Darwin, 100 Years of GM in Australia, 2002, page 146
^1955 Chevrolet Specifications - Model Identification, chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com Retrieved on 8 November 2013
^Lingeman, Jake. "Chevy D-Series passes through three generations before auction." Autoweek. Crain Communications, Inc., 13 Sept. 2012. Web. 22 Dec. 2014. Accessed 2014-12-22. Archived 2015-01-09.
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