1956 Bel Air Roadster Project “Open Air” Unveiling SEMA 2012 – Hot Rod Magazine Blog.
On almost every season of Chop Cut Rebuild, Classic Industries builds an awesome project and 2012 SEMA’s project is no exception. Project “Open Air” is an LSA-powered ’56 Bel Air Roadster (that’s not a misprint, it’s a roadster not a convertible). The entire build will air on Chop Cut Rebuild’s 9th season. The first episode will air mid January.
It started from a ’56 Bel Air found in a backyard in Compton, California. They got it back to Classic Industries’ shop in Huntington Beach, CA, only to realize that the entire car had started to bow in the middle because of rust. They called upon Art Morrison for a chassis and Real Deal Steel Bodies for a convertible body. Chevrolet Performance supplied the LSA crate engine and 4L85E transmission. Dakota
Digital helped out with the gauges and C.A.R.S. Inc. stepped in with the interior.
The project was finished only hours before loading it on a trailer to be unveiled at the 2012 SEMA show. The build coincided with Classic Industries’ new tri-five catalog that was introduced April, 2012. Check back later as we will have build photos of project “Open Air.”
This one of a kind 1956 Bel Air was featured on Season 1, Episode 106 of the popular TV Show Overhaulin with Chip Foose. Arguably one of the most significant Overhaulin project ever completed during the 5-year TV run. This classic Chevy roadster was designed and overhauled by Chip Foose in collaboration with 33 top builders at famed automotive academy WyoTech. These pros turned this once four-door sedan into a two-door Speedster. The team leaders of this build are a “who’s who” list including Troy Trepanier, (Rad Rides by Troy), Levi Green (Ace Fabricator) and Bryan Fuller, (Fuller Hot Rods). In the published book, The Cars of Overhaulin (pg. 7), this is the first car cited by Chip himself as his favorite and it is later referred to in the book as the ‘A-Team’s finest hour’. The over the top collaboration of the mentioned famed builders and the aggressive transformation to a two-door speedster is what makes the final result so special. It has since been back to Chip Foose in Huntington Beach, CA where it underwent a two more months of further customization and upgrades by Chip himself. Unlike other Overhaulin builds Chip had even more time to get this classic car into the exact shape and look he wanted and as you can see, the results were phenomenal. This car is an absolute show-stopper and this is a very rare opportunity to own a vehicle that cannot be duplicated ever again. Please call us at 1-800-730-MOTOR to learn more about this car for sale.