Subtle but Sexy 1955 Chevy Bel Air by Kindig It Design

When Gary Holyoak brought his father’s 1955 Bel Air to Kindig-It Designs, he knew exactly what he wanted: a clean and classic show car that could also serve as a daily-driver.

The 11-man build team began work on Holyoak’s Shoebox and was impressed with the car’s original condition.

Dave Kindig, owner of the Salt-Lake-City-based shop, is known for churning out eye-popping custom cars but was happy to adhere to his customer’s request to give the car a classic-looking exterior and a warm interior.
“In its original state, it was the cleanest 1955 we had ever seen at Kindig-It Design,” Kindig said.
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Using the car’s stock body and Art Morrison Enterprises’ Tri-Five Chevy chassis, Kindig and his crew added subtle custom touches to the project along the way, including shaving the trunk lid and creating one-piece bumpers for the car’s front and rear that were shaved and tucked and then chromed by Ogden Chrome Plating of Ogden, Utah. The car was lowered to give it a more aggressive stance and the grille was blacked out with flat-black powdercoat.
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In addition, the car was given Kindig-It Design’s flush-mounted, patented Smooth Door Handles, which the shop hand-crafts in-house. The handles provided a simple but finished look to the doors.

Under the hood sits a 435-horsepower LS3 engine from GM Performance, along with a Tru Trac Serpentine System and custom hood hinges from Billet Specialties, and fuel rail and injection covers that were built for the car. The Offenhauser small-block Chevy valve covers sit over the Taylor Wire valve cover adapters. The powertrain also includes a GM Performance TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission and a radiator from Be Cool.

Kindig-It Designs created a custom PPG paint color for the car’s exterior. The gray color, known as “Kindig-It Classic Clay,” turned out so well that PPG is now offering it in its color catalog. “Toyota Camry White” was used to complement the gray.

“The exterior color is understated yet completely captivating and complementary to the lines of the car,” Kindig says. “I love the classic lines and the color combination with the Kindig-It Design custom color.”




The Kindig-It crew designed the car’s interior to complement the exterior, and then sent the car off to JS Customs, also of Salt Lake City, to bring the designs to life. The interior was upholstered in tan Ferrari leather, and Dakota Digital’s VHX-55C analog instruments and VLK-55C clock were added to the dashboard. Other interior touches include a Vintage Air air-conditioning unit, a 15-inch Koch replica steering wheel and Kindig-It Design’s custom interior door handles.

When the car was completed, Holyoak entered it into a small local car show in Cedar City, Utah, and took his unsuspecting father to the show. Holyoak’s father was totally shocked and thrilled when he saw that his son had his faithful Bel Air completely restored for him.

Holyoak’s father wasn’t the only one that was thrilled with how the Bel Air turned out. The car has been a fan favorite since it made its first “official” debut at the Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals in August, Kindig says.

This show-stopper ’55 Chevy has been shown at the Las Vegas Super Chevy Show where it took home the “Best of Class” and “Best of Show” awards.
“We had great sponsors on the project and the owners were a complete pleasure to work with,” Kindig says.
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