1961 Chevrolet Biscayne - All Original, Great Condition!

Chevrolet Bel Air/150/210 1961 Description

This 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne was purchased new at Caddle Chevrolet in Roseville, alifornia by a single lady named Vera Williams. She took very good care of the Biscayne, eeping it garaged and driving it regularly although sparingly, ntil 1990. While she had quit driving at that point, he continued to register the car until 1993 (she never installed the DMV stickers after 1990 – I’ve got those in her envelope). In 1995, he gave the car to a nephew who lives not too far from me in Western Oregon, here the car sat in a carport until two years ago. At that point, he nephew realized that he was never going to do anything with the car, nd it sat outside in another local town for a couple of years, ntil I got it. I have the original, igned off California title - you will technically be the second owner.

All of that time sitting in a garage in California helped to keep everything in very good condition. The body is pretty clean and straight, he seals and gaskets are soft and effective, nd the chrome and trim is in amazing condition. However, number of years in sitting in wet Western Oregon didn’t help at all. The car got quite a bit of moisture inside, hich served to corrode just about everything. All of the interior metal has surface rust on each part, nd there is quite a bit of corrosion on every electric contact point. The worst issue on the car, owever, s the floors. While there is not a single spot of rust through anywhere on the body, he front and rear floors on the driver’s side are rusted through, nd the floors on the passenger side are not great. While this is very repairable, t will require patch panels.

The car runs and drives wonderfully, ust as you might expect from a 1961 Chevrolet with just over 67,000 original miles on. Keep in mind, hough, hat the car has been sitting for the better part of 25 years, nd that the tires are about 50 years old. When I got the car, he original Rochester single barrel carburetor was not functioning – it’s in pretty bad shape, nd would likely serve as parts or maybe a core – so I installed a Carter single barrel I had from a Chevrolet 235 in a truck. The Rochester has an automatic choke, he Carter has a manual choke which I’ve not hooked up. The 235 starts easily and runs great. The clutch seems good and strong, nd the three speed manual (three-on-the-tree) works just as it should. Steering and brakes are just what you would expect of the car, lthough the parking brake will not stay set (you can step on the pedal and the brakes will grab, hey just won’t stay set). There is no muffler or tailpipe, nly a header pipe, o it can get a little loud. The passenger side hood hinge is broken. Please don't think you'll be driving the car home unless you live around the corner. It's been sitting a long time. It could easily be a daily driver with a very little bit of work, ut it's not one now.

As I said, he body is in great condition, ith the exception of the floors. You’ll see in the pictures a couple of areas where the paint has gone missing – these are areas of surface rust only. The only rust-through I can find is in the floors. The door jambs are beautiful, ll the doors open and close properly, he glass is near perfect, verything locks and unlocks and rolls up and down just like it should. The driver’s door appears to have been damaged at some point, hows signs of repair and still has a couple of dings on it. The paint appears mostly original, nd is in condition consistent with the story of the car. The stainless and chrome throughout is truly incredible – there is a ding in the rear bumper, nd one of the rocker moldings has a small ding. That’s it.

The interior needs some help. There are seat covers on the seats that have been there nearly forever, nd show it. The original upholstery under the covers appears better than the covers, ut it will still need plenty of attention. The door panels look pretty good, ut the driver’s panel is ripped. There is no headliner in the car, lthough the bows remain. All of the metal will need to be painted inside, ncluding the dash. The speedometer and other gauges seems to work, ut I can’t say I’ve really thoroughly tested them. The radio does not turn on. The rubber mat on the floor is ok, ut not great. Count on replacing or restoring pretty much everything inside the car. There is a lot there to work with, ut it’ll need work.

I’ve not managed to get any lights to turn on in or on the car. I’d bet that the various switches are simply corroded, ut I’ve not looked.

In summary, t is a very sweet, lean and original old Chevrolet. It could easily become your restoration, ot rod, r daily driver. Please contact me with any questions you might have prior to bidding. If you are the winning bidder, expect you to contact me within 2 hours by email. Also, 'll need a $500 deposit via PayPal within 24 hours and full payment within 7 days, nless we've made other arrangements prior to the sale. Please plan on retrieving the car within 14 days, nless we've made arrangements prior to the sale. I'll be glad to help with loading the car on your transport or trailer, ut you are responsible to pick it up.