Photography by The Author
Photography by The Authorhen scanning classified ads, seasoned hot rodders can usually sniff out untruths, like “ready to paint” or “90 percent complete” or, the old standby, “Corvette engine.” It’s almost always a red flag when these statements are presented in the ad, but sometimes curiosity gets the best of us. Such is the case with Todd Nelson, a longtime car guy from Land O’ Lakes, Florida. He’s bought and sold quite a few cars and trucks through the years, and that list of previously owned vehicles includes a ’58 Chevy Biscayne. He sold that car to his brother-in-law, Doug Peterson, and that car created a new appreciation for the one-year-only body design for both Todd and Peterson.
Finally, in 2019, the green flag waved on the project, and Todd rolled it into his garage where he mocked up the engine and drivetrain. At that point he called upon help from Peterson who started disassembling the car and finishing prepwork that was still needed on the body. Although Peterson was naturally skeptical of the previous owner’s description of “ready for paint,” he was pleasantly surprised by the quality of work that had already taken place. The body was extremely solid, with no replacement panels added, and no extensive damage to the original sheetmetal. He put the finishing touches on the body and then painted it in his two-car garage. Peterson used Spies Hecker materials in a beautiful color called Deep Formal Blue. The metallic color dances in the sun and turns a true blue in the shade beneath clearcoat that has been sanded and buffed to perfection.
Underneath the beautiful body is the original frame, which has been upgraded extensively to accept a Ridetech air suspension, complete with AirPod management system. The air suspension allows for comfortable cruising and a super-low stance when the car is stationary. Ridetech upper and lower control arms, along with ShockWaves are used up front, as well as a Ridetech splined sway bar. The rear suspension also features tubular control arms with airbags in place of the coil springs. A Ford 9-inch rearend housing features custom brackets for the tubular arms as well as brackets for the Ridetech adjustable shocks.
Wilwood disc brakes with drilled-and-slotted rotors and four-piston calipers ride on all four corners, and the system is fed by a Wilwood aluminum master cylinder. Rolling stock consists of Schott Octane EXL wheels, measuring 19×8 up front and 20×10 out back, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport tires, sized at 225/45R19 and 275/40R20 respectively. The wheels feature polished details and a bronze inset color for a cool contrast of finishes, while the tire sidewalls have been smoothed for an extra custom touch.
For the past two years, Todd and Peterson have reassembled the Bel Air and worked out the bugs along the way. As with any project, Todd wanted to keep perfecting it, and he finally rolled it out for the public to see in September 2022. The debut show for the car was the final Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup, where the car took home a highly coveted Top 25 award and got a tremendous amount of positive feedback. The one-year body style grabbed a lot of attention, as did the color and the healthy big-block. It’s a combination that is seldom seen, but it’s the eye for detail that took this showstopping ’58 Bel Air to the next level.
