1956 Chevy 210 Sedan - Super Chevy Magazine

When it comes to automotive fitness, there are a lot of areas to consider. Sure, you want your car's engine to be running strong and its driveline to be in good shape, but visual health is also important-especially on Tri-five Chevys. After all, it's those infamous lines that made these cars classics in the first place, right?

For most Tri-five owners, an important element in their car's visual appeal is the abundance of chrome and stainless steel brightwork. These trim parts can really make or break a nice Tri-five, so it's important that they're in good condition and properly installed. That's a lesson that wasn't lost on Dale Kirk when he got his '56 210 sedan back from the paint shop. In fact, he wanted to make it look better than ever by adding some optional brightwork that the car never had-parts like the rocker panel moldings, gravel guards, door handle guards and other shiny accessories. He also needed to replace a few missing and damaged trim pieces, and he needed all the fasteners to hold everything together.

The Bel Air-style two-tone paint looked nice, but Dale Kirk's '56 Chevy 210 was sure lacking something without all the brightwork in place. Polished and replated original trim-combined with many new trim pieces and a host of fasteners from Danchuk-helped whip it into shape.

The Bel Air-style two-tone paint looked nice, but Dale Kirk's '56 Chevy 210 was sure lacki

Finding the needed parts was easy enough-a search through the Danchuk catalog found him the new parts he needed. And a trip to the chrome plating shop was all that was necessary to recondition the plated parts that Dale already had on hand. Now it was just a matter of putting everything together, a task that Dale handed over to Dominic Conti at Conti Automotive Developments.

The following photos and captions chronicle the re-trimming of Dale's '56 Chevy. For the most part, installing the trim pieces was pretty straightforward, but it's always important to take your time and use caution when working with a freshly painted car. Dominic also pointed out a few tips regarding trim fasteners and installation. So take a look and see what you can learn.

Here's a handful of the parts that Dale got from Danchuk. As you see, rocker moldings, gravel shields, hood and decklid emblems, parking lights and lenses, door handles and guards, "Chevrolet" scripts and lots of fasteners were included. Not shown are a handful of other miscellaneous parts, like taillight lenses and such.
Here's a handful of the parts that Dale got from Danchuk. As you see, rocker moldings, gra
Dominic began the re-trimming up front by installing the chrome parking light base, which ties together the fender and lower pan.
Dominic began the re-trimming up front by installing the chrome parking light base, which
Finishing off the corner can be a little tricky. The easiest approach is to loosely install the hood bar extension, then loosely install the fender extension (remembering to put the support in place first), and then install the bumper bracket (which uses fasteners that also tie into the fender extension). Once everything is in place, all the fasteners can tightened.
Finishing off the corner can be a little tricky. The easiest approach is to loosely instal

After the corner trim pieces were aligned and secured, the reproduction parking light bezel and lens could be installed, finishing this front corner off.
After the corner trim pieces were aligned and secured, the reproduction parking light beze
Installing the reproduction hood emblem was simple-merely a matter of setting it in place and bolting on the thread-cutting nut.
Installing the reproduction hood emblem was simple-merely a matter of setting it in place
The rechromed grille and bumper also went on in straightforward fashion. The bumper installation went easier thanks to new hardware from Danchuk.
The rechromed grille and bumper also went on in straightforward fashion. The bumper instal

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.
It's easy to see the difference between the old, pitted wiper escutcheon and the new, repr
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 new driver's side mirror also came from Danchuk. Look close and you'll notice that the
The reproduction door handles were also fitted with new gaskets before being secured to the sheetmetal.
The reproduction door handles were also fitted with new gaskets before being secured to th

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.
Dale wanted door handle guards for his Chevy, so Dominic installed them. A mounting hole h
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.
The door locks are retained with clips that slide behind tabs on the lock cylinder. Since
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.
Moving toward the rear, the new Chevrolet scripts were installed. To do this, the mounting

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.
Further back, the rechromed taillight housings were fitted with new taillight and backup l
The new trunk emblem and license plate frame also came from Danchuk.
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.
Finally, it came time to mount that distinctive '56 Chevy side trim. The rear spear uses t

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.
Narrower lengths of trim (fender and door pieces, and the front portion of the rear spear)
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.
With all the clips in place, Dominic mounted the rear side spear to the body and secured i
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.
In an effort to add a little flash to the 210, Dale had Dominic install gravel shields and

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.
Ditto for the rocker moldings, although it's imperative that all of the rocker molding cli
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.
What a difference a day's work can make! With a combination of new and original trim piece