1956 Chevy 210 Sedan - Fit And Trim

It's easy to see the difference between the old, pitted wiper escutcheon and the new, reproduction version. Along with new stainless wiper arms, these really cleaned up the lower windshield area.

The new driver's side mirror also came from Danchuk. Look close and you'll notice that the rear screw head is left above the surface of the door so it can be slid into the mirror bracket. And if you want to protect your paint, it's important to use a gasket between the mirror and door.

The reproduction door handles were also fitted with new gaskets before being secured to the sheetmetal.

Dale wanted door handle guards for his Chevy, so Dominic installed them. A mounting hole had to be drilled on each door to accept the sheetmetal screws that hold the guards on.

The door locks are retained with clips that slide behind tabs on the lock cylinder. Since the clips have closed ends, they needed to first be slid partially into place. After the locks are installed, they can be fully engaged. New gaskets were also used on the lock assemblies.

Moving toward the rear, the new Chevrolet scripts were installed. To do this, the mounting pins on the scripts were simply pushed through the holes in the body and secured with push-on clips from behind.

Further back, the rechromed taillight housings were fitted with new taillight and backup light lenses from Danchuk. The plating shop must have used plenty of chrome, because the lenses were a tight fit.

Finally, it came time to mount that distinctive '56 Chevy side trim. The rear spear uses two different types of mounting hardware. Several of these rectangular retainers are used toward the rear of the trim, where it is widest. These retainers are cut to fit snugly within the trim at locations that coincide with the existing mounting holes in the body. These retainers were also used on the short vertical piece of side trim.

Narrower lengths of trim (fender and door pieces, and the front portion of the rear spear) use clips like this one. The correct way to install these is to slide the main body of the clip into the trim, then bend the tension arm up into place. That way, the tension arm will help keep the clip from sliding back and forth.

With all the clips in place, Dominic mounted the rear side spear to the body and secured it from the back side using nuts supplied with the trim clip kit. The remainder of the side trim went on in a similar fashion.

In an effort to add a little flash to the 210, Dale had Dominic install gravel shields and rocker moldings. Installing the driver-quality gravel shields was merely a matter of drilling the appropriate mounting holes at the rear of the front wheel opening, then attaching the shields with the supplied fasteners.

Ditto for the rocker moldings, although it's imperative that all of the rocker molding clips line up evenly and precisely. The clips are mounted at 16-inch intervals.

What a difference a day's work can make! With a combination of new and original trim pieces installed, Dale's '56 looks like it's ready for a night on the town.