It all began when Dick Spring fell in love with a black ‘55 Chevy Nomad owned by one of his customers. The car was once owned by the legendary Joe Bailon, inventor of candy apple automotive paint (I verified this with Joe himself). In 1967, the guy finally agreed to sell it to Dick, asking only $600. That was an excellent deal and Dick agreed. Then the owner changed his mind, saying the radiator was leaking and the radio had problems, so the price was $500. Dick protested that that was too cheap. The owner said it was $500 or no deal. Dick took it. It had a 283 CID bored to 301 and a Powerglide auto trans and, in spite of already having a new Chevy station wagon, it became the family car. In 1977 the transmission started slipping, so Dick parked it in the garage and got another car. Fast forward to 2007 and Dick, now a Roamin Angel, decided to get the Nomad back on the road. First he got it stripped and painted. Then he had a 350 CID crate engine dropped in, but with Edelbrock heads, cam, intake and carb added for more oomph. For a trans, he chose a 700R O/D auto. For better control, he had a Jim Meyer Racing rack and pinion steering with disc brakes installed. All the chrome has been replated and the stainless trim polished, which is a major endeavor for a Nomad. Even all the wiring and all the glass in the car are new. The interior is done in gold leather (picked by wife Rosemary), with Vintage Air to cool inside and Auto Meter gauges to keep tabs on how it’s running. Although Dick began to despair of ever completing the redo when he was about six months into the project, it is pretty much finished and Dick has put about 300 miles on it so far. Dick and Rosemary have no intention of selling, so don’t ask. After over forty years, it’s a part of the family.

The Nomad is now a custom burnt orange over Cadillac Diamond White. When the painter stripped it down before painting, he found the original turquoise and white paint covered by Joe Bailon’s candy-apple red and finally a coat of black paint.

Dick’s engine is a study in chrome and polished aluminum. The block-hugger headers help the engine breathe better and the ARC aluminum radiator keeps it cool.

Dick changed to an Ididit tilt steering column and wheel. The only thing missing is the radio, which will be installed soon.

2009 © Ron Cherry