Every car guy on this planet has heard about barn finds and amazing discoveries of true survivors. This 1957 Chevy Bel Air isn’t one of those cars—it lived most of its life outdoors, in the Southeast, so you know where this is headed. It didn’t take long for the top to start leaking, which led to the demise of the floorpan, trunkpan, and most of the other panels. After years of neglect, the car was dragged out of the field and taken to Automotive Sandblasting & Restoration (ASR) in Friendsville, Tennessee, for a much-needed makeover.
Alcoa, Tennessee, resident, Robert Carter is the owner of the car and also operates ASR, so building a car of this condition wasn’t new territory. Rusty cars are the norm in Tennessee, but this convertible…