AK 57 Chevy

Boyd Auto Body & Glass Kelowna Location

Welcome to Boyd Auto Body & Glass Dayton Street. We have being proudly serving the Kelowna and surrounding areas for 10+ years. We have 70 employees who specialize in everything from Autobody repair and paint, sales and service, customer service and ensuring you leave with a smile on your face! Our Boyd Kelowna Location is open from 8am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Read more...

Boyd Auto Body & Glass Rutland Location

Conveniently located on Hwy 33 just east of Rutland Road. This autobody location has been proudly serving the Rutland community for over 30 years and has been a Boyd's shop since 2000. With friendly and knowledgeable staff you will be satisfied with your Boyd experience. Our Boyd Rutland Location is open from 8am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Read more...

Boyd Auto Body & Glass Westside Location

Boyd Autobody - Westside is conviently located on Western Road just behind Westgate RV. This location has been an autobody shop for 30 years. Boyd Autobody has been proudly serving the westside as a full service shop since 2001. Our Boyd Westside Location is open from 8am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Read more...

Boyd TreadPro Tire & Auto Service

Welcome to Boyd TreadPro Tire & Auto Service is convientlly located behind Buckerfields on Springfield Road. We offer complete brake and suspension services including wheel alignments, tune-ups, engine diagnostics with highly skilled individuals. Rest assured your vehicle is in great hands! Our Boyd TreadPro Tire & Auto Service Location is open from 8am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Read more...

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AK 57 Chevy

Written by Administrator

Tuesday, 28 October 2008 23:54

Who doesn’t get goose bumps at the sight of a sweet '57 cruisin' down the road? Since the days when these chrome behemoths rolled off the assembly lines and into automotive history, enough time has passed for many of them to become a legend. The popularity of Classic Chevy's are limitless and the 1957 Chevy Bel Air is one of the most admired of collector cars. It's the crown jewel of Motor City, and treasured by nostalgia and custom auto buffs. All you have to do is look at any of the photos of this convertible to understand why.

Hi, my name is Gordie Abougoush and the tale of this AK57 beauty begins in March of 2004. That was when I decided to build a custom 1957 Chevy Bel Air. Shortly, the search was on to find a suitable car and within two weeks I was lucky enough to find one on the internet. It was located in Davidson Saskatchewan, a call was made and the deal was struck. The car was shipped out to Kelowna and we evaluated what we had to start with. As with most things 40 years old, a typical '57 survivor needs to be painstakingly rejuvenated or, in plain words, rebuilt from wheel bearing to headliner. So after a careful assessment of the shape of the vehicle the only hard decision I had to make was.....convertible or hardtop?

The first fact of life when building a car like this is that very few off-the-shelf parts exist that will do what you need. When I started looking for replacement sheet metal I found it was possible to buy most of the parts for a convertible conversion from Danchuk Manufacturing, Inc. They are the world’s largest manufacturer and supplier of 55, 56 and 57 Chevy parts, that made the choice easy.... convertible was the way to go.

I once had the good fortune to view a 1957 built by Mike Graham in Fresno California and also read an article about his vehicle in Super Rod Magazine. The car had a custom tube chassis built by Dave May, owner of Genesis Fabrication in Gault California. I contacted Dave May and had him build me the same round tube chassis he had made for Mike Graham. It included all new C-4 corvette front & rear suspension. I looked at narrowing the rear end but decided against it since I would rather have it ride and handle like a corvette.

In July of 2004 I picked up the chassis and moved the car into the shop to start. My team went to work and we cut the floor out and added support bars throughout the door jam to keep it square. Later we cut out the fire wall and rockers and removed the doors and fenders. Next off came the rear quarter panels inside & out. By the time we finished trimming, all we had left of the upper cowl of the original car were the wiper mounts and the two posts that the door hinges swung from. We then cut the roof off and the top of the windshield frame to install the convertible one. We made use of a wheel barrel bought at Home Depot for the firewall around the motor and then custom built the floor, transmission tunnel, wheel wells and trunk. We installed custom hand made rockers and new quarter panels.

Once the body work was completed all the dash and interior were fitted. The body came off for paint and the chassis was disassembled and sent for powder coating.

The assembly started with installing all the suspension then motor & Transmission, exhaust system.

The body was lowered on, then the doors and fenders installed, all inner fenders and radiator supports were fitted. Then followed an eight month work schedule of installing brake lines, fuel lines, electrical, dash, computer, air-conditioning, motor, air induction, heater.!!!!

Once up and running, Lee Baxter started on the upholstery and custom door panels to fit the dash. We shortened the seats, installed seat heaters, covered the inside of the trunk, two toned the steering wheel, shifter boot and installed the interior lights.

The last task was building the convertible tonno cover. Chris Stacy hand built the plug, the mold and we then added the water fall between the seats.

It was a long and bumpy road turning this Chevy from a stripped-out derelict to a classic luxury cruiser but well worth the effort and time. I want to give special thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. Enjoy the pictures. To view the whole story and a slide show follow this link www.ak57chevy.com/

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 February 2010 18:42 )