'57 Chevy Four Door Meets '57 Chevy Nomad

As a prop maker for the Hollywood make-believe business, Paul McNamara of Valley Village, California, has become accustomed to making things out of the ordinary. It’s his stock in trade. Yet stock is not how he wanted to rebuild his ’57 Chevy four-door. While trying to figure out what to do with the car, he stumbled upon a badly burned ’57 Nomad. The front was pretty well wasted but the rear survived in better shape. The make-something-out-of-nothing bulb lit up, and soon an unreal El Camino entered the stage.

The bodywork was turned over to Car Body Repair in Burbank, California, where the rear clip of the four-door took a hike and the Nomad rear took its place. The B-pillar was modified to accept a ’58 Chevy station wagon liftgate window for the rear glass, and the bed sheetmetal had to be custom-fabricated along with a stainless-trimmed wooden floor. Once the four-year-ordeal bodywork was prepped, the faux Camino was sprayed Ferrari Red, then turned over to Castor’s in Van Nuys, California, for upholstery. The Recaro seats were covered in red and black naugahyde along with the door panels. Paul finished off the wiring and added Auto Meter gauges and a Classic Sounds stereo.

Paul had been hot-rodding cars since he was 18, so the power for his one-off ’57 would be no exception. Although the suspension was rebuilt like stock, Paul slid a Chevy 454ci big-block between the framerails. Don’s Automotive worked its magic, preparing the heads and the block, fitting 10.0:1 Speed Pro pistons, and Sealed Power rings and bearings. An Isky cam with a 0.510-inch lift and 280-degree advertised duration were installed to work well with the open-chambered heads that were ported, polished, cc’d, and fitted with stainless steel valves and Isky springs. A Milodon timing chain would keep entrances and exits perfected. As they say in the movie business, timing is everything. After adding an Edelbrock Performer intake, a Holley 850 double-pumper, and a Mallory dual-point distributor with MSD wires, the 454 was finished with a set of Moroso valve covers and Hedman headers bolted to an aluminized exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers. The big-block is backed by a TH400 automatic with a TCI converter and shift kit transferring the power to a Chevy 10-bolt with 4.11 gears.

After nearly four years of blood, sweat, and maybe a few beers with friends Luke DeNitto and Joe Urbanovich who helped him on the project, Paul had his El Camino for real. Although it seemed to take longer than the longest road in California aptly named El Camino Real, the work and the wait were worth it. What was once a Nomad is still a nomad by the fact it can still pick up and go whenever it wants.