Jerry’s Understated 1963 Chevy Bel Air

Every year, Goodguys Nashville Nationals brings out all kinds of cool customs, classics, muscle cars, you name it - they have it! And their annual Hot Rod of the Year award attracts some of the best builders from around the nation. Luckily for us, we came across this gorgeous Bel Air that stopped us in our tracks.

If you’re a fan of the early ‘60s, like we are, then we have to talk about the big-body Chevys that everybody loves. Whether they’re rolling on 13-inch reverse wheels, Cragars, or 20-inch billets, the ’58 to ’64 X-frame cars have a flavor for everybody.

Aside from their universal appeal, the later ’61 through ’64 full-size Chevys have a distinct look. They’re boxier, low to ground, but also remember, tailfins were dropped in 1961. And if you were looking for a Jet Smooth Ride for the family in 1963, you had 13 total options. The Kennedy era was also cool because your individuality meant automakers were still stamping-out new sheet metal every year. That all changed by the 70s – unfortunately so did the music. If you’re a disco fan, I’m sorry.

By ‘63, Bel Air was no longer your top-shelf option either, instead a mid-level series tucked between the Impala and Biscayne. Bel Air or not, this was a non-issue when Jerry Patterson was on the hunt for his own early ‘60s cruiser. This particular Chevy kept falling through his fingertips though.

A Cincinnati kid, “I was into mini-trucks, I’m a GM guy, but I grew up building all kinds of lowered trucks,” Jerry tells us. He’s always tagging along with dad at car shows, but he wanted something to cruise with the entire family. With 2 daughters and a wife, there’s no question family takes priority, so finding something mostly done was a practical choice.

He was on the hunt when the car first popped up for sale online in 2018, but Jerry missed his opportunity to buy. It had struck a chord a year prior on the Hot Rod Power Tour. From there he watched it jump all over the place. It was custom painted, then sold, sold again, and went on to have the full works done by Street Machinery. Guess what – then it sold AGAIN. In 2020, it popped up on eBay in Portland, OR, and Jerry finally pulled out his wallet and made a deal happen.

This just doesn’t seem to happen often with cars. Somehow, through all the hands, and all of its travels, this thing kept falling into the right places. One of Jerry’s favorite touches is the paint color – it’s a custom Kindig It mix called Classic Clay that’s reminiscent of the factory adobe beige option in ‘63.

Street Machinery had their hands on it too, giving it a custom Air Ride suspension, 2-inch drop spindles, they got the engine bay in order, and one of their favorite X-frame touches, Corvette-style disc brakes all around.

The motor is solid. It’s powered by a crate 383 stroker running MSD Ignition, and a 750cfm Holley carb. It has Shorty-style headers with 2.5-inch Flowmaster exhaust. Behind that, a 700R4 overdrive transmission that's perfect for highway cruising. “It lays the exhaust and with the 20s in back it’s as low as it can go,” Jerry told us. It’s just simple, no power steering, no A/C, but it absolutely get’s the job done.

The interior plays from its subtle attitude too, retaining the stock bench seat, but it’s custom stitched with caramel leather. It also received custom door panels, fresh carpet, and custom-made center consul. The dash is fitted with a new Dakota Digital RTX gauge cluster.

One of the coolest parts – you could throw on whatever set of wheels you want (with respect) and it would still look great. It happens to be sitting on 18x7 front and 20x10 rear Billet Specialties SLD89 with spinner caps, helping make the stance… just right.

“Sometimes I’ll go to a show and somebody will ask me if it’s an SS… I just tell them – sure it is, it’s Simply Subtle,” Jerry laughed. This Bel Air doesn’t care about the grace and speed of an “Impala.” It just says, nah man – that’s cool, I’m good.