1955 Chevy Two-Ten Wagon: The Texas Hauler

Story and photography by David W. Temple

1955 Chevy Two-Ten Wagon: The Texas Hauler. There was a time – a long time, actually – when station wagons were not cool. In fact, they were shunned by collectors. At best, they were useful to enthusiasts as parts sources for two-door hardtops and convertibles. That attitude changed roughly a decade ago, and now the “lowly” station wagon is desirable. One of those once shunned family and cargo haulers is shown here – a 1955 Chevy Two-Ten. However, it is a bit cooler than it was originally, thanks to some modern updates.



Owned by Tom Chinn of Longview, TX, this Sea Mist Green and Neptune Green wagon was acquired in the condition you see it here. Tom bought it from another East Texas resident who had a body-off-frame resto-mod performed on it several years ago. A carburetor-fed 500 hp 383 stroker coupled with a 700R4 transmission turning a 3.35 Posi rear end provide more than enough power to turn the rear wheels. Tri-Y headers and a set of Flowmasters provide just the right amount of rumble to make a favorable impression.
Keeping the engine at the proper operating temperature is a Griffin radiator with an electric fan. A set of gauges from Classic Instruments keeps the driver well informed of what’s happening under the hood.

Intro Hammer Wheels – 19-inch in front and 20 in back – along with a lowered suspension give the car a modern street rod look. Braking got a big upgrade with a set of slotted and drilled McGaughy’s power disc brakes.
Keeping the cockpit comfortable during Texas heat waves is a Vintage Air Gen IV A/C system, and the tunes are supplied by an Alpine stereo with a pair of Alpine PDX amps with 6.5 Treo Speaker components and 10-inch Metro subwoofer. The stereo components are hidden under the back seat, which folds down for increased cargo carrying capacity.

Other than those aforementioned modifications, this ’55 maintains its mostly factory stock appearance, including its original two-tone paint scheme and interior. Still, there are additional modifications not so obvious by a casual glance, including Halogen green glow headlights, LED tail and back-up lights, 605 power steering box, Flaming River tilt column, leather-wrapped Billet Specialties steering wheel, Lokar foot pedals, extra sound deadener, and a space saver spare tire.

Back in the day, this 1955 Chevy wagon was a mid-level car positioned between the economy-minded One-Fifty series and the top-of-the-line Bel Air offerings. Of the three series of cars, the Two-Ten and Bel Air offered a four-door wagon, while the entry-level One-Fifty line only offered a two-door wagon. Added to the Bel Air lineup about mid-year was a sporty two-door station wagon dubbed the Nomad.

The addition of the Nomad brought a two-door wagon to all three series of Chevrolets, but the wagon sales leader of the group by a wide margin was the Two-Ten four-door version, with over 82,000 sold. Not many survive today. That fact, along with the still beautiful styling, guarantees such wagons will get noticed today.

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