Hot Rod Wagon:  Classically Modified 1955 Chevy Nomad

It’s a dream of many hot rod enthusiasts: to have a wicked looking Nomad Wagon. It is the staple of rare but “cool” to modify vehicles and Brian Hill of Hill’s Rod and Custom used his expertise to create this beautiful utility rodder out of his own 1955 model.

If there was one show and actor that helped cement the Nomad for modern hot rodders it was Tim Allen and his show, Home Improvement. That car is even listed as the 19th of the top 50 TV cars by Rod Authority back in 2016. It was owned by Allen and the 1956 Nomad was tied to the main character, Tim Taylor, but canonically the car was the daily driver of his on-screen wife, Jill.

However, it would be the episode titled “Don’t Tell Momma” that would cause every Nomad and Bel Air enthusiasts’ hearts to collectively sink when the car was “crushed” on accident. Fortunately, the stunt car was a four-door Bel Air with a wagon roof added, rear doors welded and smoothed enough for the shot, and crushed on-screen while the real 1956 Nomad wasn’t harmed.

…it’s not a proper looking Nomad if the top isn’t its signature pristine white…

He even pulled the car on set to show it was still around to the live audience for that show’s taping. It would eventually be sold for Ebay’s “Auction for America” on October 4^th, 2001 to benefit victims of the September 11^th attacks just a few weeks earlier.

Fortunately for Hill’s Rod and Custom in Pleasant Hill, CA, this 1955 model wasn’t crushed or destroyed but was still put through a full, frame-off restoration before it was modified. Brian Hill pulled every piece and part off to strip, bang, straighten and finally repaint his in the Lamborghini Orange Pearl. However, it’s not a proper looking Nomad if the top isn’t its signature pristine white for that classic two-tone look.

All the glass was then replaced with new reproduction versions with modern weather-stripping for a noise-free ride. This was done to make sure the Vintage Air heating and air-conditioning system didn’t leak the cool interior air to the Bay Area’s hot atmosphere.

…a 1955 Nomad that’s worthy of television stardom.

That’s even as this Nomad makes its own atmosphere when it arrives. The interior is a fully-custom leather that carefully compliments that Lambo orange and chrome touches throughout. New, but classic gauges complete the classic looks of the Tri-Five dashboard.

Those new gauges are designed to work with the TurnKey Engine Supply LS1 crate engine, a 5.7-liter displacement that makes 410-horsepower and 420-torque to the crank with its 10.25:1 compression. Inside, the rotating assembly is lead by a set of Mahle forged pistons and squeeze fuel and air into cathedral port GM heads.

It’s designed to be installed and ran as it included everything, even the throttle pedal for the LS1 electronic throttle body but its ECM is calibrated with a TurnKey tune so it doesn’t need a GM PATS key. The only change was the addition of “Nomad” script emblems on the engine covers and painting the intake to match the Lambo orange of the body. Its power is then sent to a GM 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission.

We certainly wouldn’t mind being caught in it.

To control sway and pitch as Brian drives his Nomad, a modern set of coilovers were installed up front but the rear retains its leaf spring design. It’s not a race car and you’ll be able to haul more utilitarian loads thanks to the leafs if you desire or need it.

It’s fitted with a set of 17-inch American Racing VN508 Super Nova 5 in a mirror chrome finish and wrapped in Milestar MS932 Sport tires in 205/50R17 front and 225/60R17 rear.

Brian Hill and Hill’s Rod and Custom have certainly designed a 1955 Nomad that’s worthy of television stardom. Thankfully, it doesn’t come with the usual headaches fame brings but instead gives its driver the comforts of modern cars with the looks of a great classic Tri-Five. We certainly wouldn’t mind being caught in it.

Wanderlust: The 1956 Chevy Nomad

Finding A New Home For A 1956 Chevy Nomad

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of driving a Tri-Five (55-57) Chevy, you know how great the view is from behind the wheel. The wide curved glass windshield and the high seating position make the outside world into a panorama, like a widescreen TV that you can drive right through. A Bel Air or 250 is almost the world’s best road trip car. Almost? Enter the Chevy Nomad.  It’s got all the style and chrome of the famous Bel Air, but that station wagon rear makes you want to throw a surfboard on the roof, a friend or five in the back, and spend an entire summer, or maybe a lifetime just traveling the country watching the world over that chrome jet on the hood.

The Nomad name has been on a variety of Chevrolet models over the years, from its inception as a Corvette-based concept in 1954 to full-size Impala wagons, midsize Chevelles, and even on vans before returning to concept car status in 2004. The most famous carriers of the Nomad name though are definitely the Tri-Fives. Say “Nomad” to any car fan and they’ll instantly picture that groundbreaking—nearly hatchback—back end with its era-defining fins and vertical chrome stripes mated to long forward-slanted front fenders and of course, that broad, curving windshield.

Eric Samuels’ High-Line Motorsports two-tone 1956 Nomad is a perfect example of what makes these cars so appealing. First there’s the peachy-gold spear cutting through the midnight-black paint, all surrounded by the sun-catching brightwork that made the high-end, two-door Nomad such a stand-out from base model four-door wagons in the ‘50s. Inside is a tailor’s shop of tweed, covering the rear bench and front bucket seats. It’s the kind of interior that instantly makes you picture yourself, window down, arm on the door frame, heading out for an adventure.

The best part though is the underpinnings beneath all that sheetmetal and trim. Rather than the stock 265ci V8, Eric’s Nomad boasts a GM crate 350 small block backed by a 700R4 automatic transmission. Like any good hot rod, it sends the power back to a Ford 9-inch rear which redirects it to spin a set of aggressively designed billet wheels wrapped in Milestar StreetSteel rubber. “I’ve driven this car to a couple of shows and swap meets,” says Eric. “It drives like a new car because of the late model running gear but with the original look.”

Eric doesn’t plan to keep the Nomad. High-Line is a classic car dealership in Brea, California and if he fell in love with every car that came through his family business over the past 40 years he’d have a bit of a problem finding storage (and paying his bills), but he’s been especially fond of the Nomad and doesn’t think it will be hard to find it a loving home. “Tri-five Chevys are very popular,” he tells us. “People like everything from the Bel Air to the pickups, but especially the Nomad.”