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This show-stopping ’56 Nomad sees lots of miles, and family smiles!

Story and photography by Curtis Hawk, Bloomington, IL

In 2007, I purchased a 1956 Nomad from a friend's wife after he had passed away. In 1968, my friend had stripped the car down and let it sit in his home garage with the intention of someday restoring it. He had traveled around each year, purchasing old original Nomad parts from the dealerships– when they were still available that is. I had been hoping to find an old Chevy truck to restore, and then I heard about this car...

Corvette aficionados won’t have much longer to wait: the National Corvette Museum’s Skydome will be reopening in a few short weeks. It’s been a long, daunting process, however.

We’ve kept you in the loop on the progress throughout construction, but we’re glad to see the project completed after a gigantic sinkhole opened up, swallowing a handful of special Corvettes.

This ’78 Z/28 was built on minimum wage and no candy bars!

Ever since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with cars– mainly Camaros and Corvettes. I collected them in Hot Wheels and Mattel versions, I built models of them, and I dreamed of one day owning a Camaro.

When I was a kid we were offered a candy bar a day or the money equivalent. I always took the money, my brother always took the candy bar! I had a savings account as a young kid. I sold aluminum cans and took care of all of my clothes and toys so that when I got tired of them I could sell them at a yard sale. I put all of this money into my savings.

Time: 1 hour (approximately)

Tools: socket set, flat-blade screwdriver, small putty knife or scraper, adjustable wrenches (optional).

Cost: (varied) approximately $100-$300

Tinware: center-hung float fuel bowls (if needed), metering block and hardware (sold as kit), metering jets, replacement gaskets, dual-inlet fuel line.

Tip: transfer the carburetor from the engine to a clean, open workbench. If you don’t have a carb stand, simply slide four bolts of your choice through the mounting holes in the bottom plate, and “nut” them up at the top. All you need is enough clearance for the levers and protruding linkage. (see photo #1)

Performance gains: increased fuel delivery and tuning accuracy.

After washing your car, let the water flow heavily over the car. The water will sheet off and it will be much easier to dry as well as help avoid water spots.

Recommended: Heavy flowing water will help the excess water dissipate faster, making it easier for drying.

Not recommended: A light final rinse will leave plenty of water droplets to wipe down. If they’re not wiped off fast enough, water spots can result.

Back in 1974, we purchased our first (my second) 1957 Chevrolet. We had decided to buy a classic car that we could fix up as a daily driver. We were in the hunt for a ’57 2-door Sport Coupe. Most folks don’t remember the days when a hardtop was harder to come by than a convertible. That was the case, and we found a convertible that was solid enough to build what we had in mind. However, after a month of working on the car and not getting very far, we bought a really nice ’56 4-door Bel Air. It turned out to be more in line with what we needed, especially since we were starting our family.

Bodywork: Wet Sanding

Time: depends on size of area and repetition

Tools: soft-block sanding pad

Cost: approximately $40-50 for supplies

Tinware: 1000-4000-grit fine sandpaper, garden hose or bucket, clean rags, rubbing compound, high quality Carnauba wax

Tip: Choose an open, outdoor area that will allow you to run water

continuously for extended periods of time.

Performance gains: Properly wet-sanding your vehicle will make a night-and

I bought this 81 Corvette in 2011. It was cream color with all the original components. It was clean with 59,000 miles. It was a one owner car. After being hit, I decided to modify it.