Patrick Hill

Growing up in the US in the late 60's and early 70's, we nascent gearheads coveted the '55 and '57 Chevys (and later added the '56 to the fold) moreso than just about any other hot rod conversion. While T-Buckets were the hot rod of choice to an earlier generation, we that grew up during the pony car era wanted something a bit newer, something more streamlined and these years of the Chevy delivered in spades with up swept tails and plenty of chrome. Eventually the love of these models swept us into restoration instead of conversion - man do these still elicit an emotional response when seen on the road or even parked before a seedy diner.

I was excited to receive this Tri-Five Chevrolet Data and ID Guide as part of a LibraryThing Early Reviewer, as it held those years significant to me and in general I like these "pocket" guides - arguably you'd need a big pocket to carry something like this around but this particular size is a great trade-off from the convenience of a smaller guide to obtaining the full color detailed photos and charts therein. The book is well intentioned and is full of great content detailing fact, production numbers, option codes, you know the drill. I especially liked the side-by-side model comparisons that let you know at a glance whether the year was a Bell Air or variant rather than guessing and having to look for a missing badge. I also like the yearly color codes in swatch that can be used to tell if the paint is original or some compromise.

Can you tell I like this book? It has tons of detail in a small package. I'm not sure if you can do better than this one as a general guide for these three Chevys.… (meer)

This is the most informative book on the details and minutiae of tri-five Chevys. The book is divided into three chapters, one chapter for each year Chevy it covers. Each chapter contains background information on the creation of the car, available options, lots of great pictures, VIN information and decoding, paint colors and combinations, interior options, engine serial numbers and information, casting numbers, unique cars Chevy made in those years, and fun trivia.

This is not a coffee table book, despite the good pictures and interesting background history and trivia. It is an information manual first and foremost, and if it is purchased for any other reason then the buyer will likely be disappointed. That said, for an information manual it is laid out in a simple, easy-to-read, and even entertaining manner, and I highly recommend it. While I am not able to double-check much of the numbers and information it contains, and therefor cannot vouch for its accuracy, the author seems well informed and appears to have done his research. One of the only negative comments I have is that the book is advertised everywhere as pocket-sized, but it is too large to fit in most pockets. Four stars.… (meer)