Detailing West Lowe’s “Restomod”

By John Buchanan

Just in case not all Norfolk Now readers happen to be fluent in auto arcana, let’s start with a vocab lesson. Restomod (n.): a classic vehicle that has been restored with modern modifications. Granted, avid “Rod & Custom” and “Motor Trend” readers endlessly debate just how much mod is permissible in the resto before it morphs from restomod to hot rod. Let’s not go there. Instead, let’s see what Norfolk’s own West Lowe did with that shiny 1955 Chevrolet Nomad station wagon many have spotted cruising through Station Place.

As it happens, Lowe’s Nomad was, in a prior life, the hottest species of hot rods: a dragster. Lowe explains that these mid-50s station wagons were once favored for the “super-stock” drag classes because their rear-biased weight facilitated faster times off the line—not to mention wheelies. But when Lowe found the Nomad in early 2000, its glory days were past. Mostly barn-bound, it provided luxury housing for a family of rodents. Lowe left the seller the super-sized drag-racing engine then rusting under its hood; trailered the remains to former Norfolk resident Bill Kelsey’s garage; evicted the resident rodents; and then, with Kelsey, installed a rebuilt 1974 Chevy pickup engine and other necessary mechanicals. Together, they got the car back up and running, if still a bit musty and rusty.

That was the first workover. The next was way more extensive. Working alongside the crew at Time Was Garage in New Hartford, Lowe lifted body from frame, stripped both to bare metal, replaced rotten pieces and generally restored the Nomad to its original glory.

Lowe explains that the legendary auto designer Harley Earl conceived the two-door Nomad station wagon, first as a “dream car” in 1954, then as this high-end production “sport wagon” in 1955. Its roof featured distinctive sloping “B-pillars,” a wraparound rear window and Streamline Moderne-inspired grooves in the upper sheet metal. Its tailgate featured seven chrome “strakes” to complete the Streamliner theme.

Lowe’s workover faithfully preserved this automotive art, with the chromed bits revived and a shiny new cranberry-colored paint job. His modifications were subtle: he lowered the suspension two inches, added chrome wheels and cleaned up distracting appendages like the old AM radio antenna (now hidden inside the roof). But his crowning touch is the chrome roof rack he fabricated from yacht railing parts. Not only does the rack carry his kayaks, it also ingeniously incorporates turn blinkers and brake lights at its front and rear tips.

Open the hood to reveal an immaculate engine. Its transmission—recently a sore subject, after it conked out and left the Nomad stranded by the roadside—is newly rebuilt. Peek underneath to find a similarly immaculate chassis with modern disc brakes, a ’72 Camaro rear axle and an oversized drive shaft from the car’s drag-racing days.

What’s it sound like? In its prior incarnation, the Nomad no doubt flaunted a rowdy, politically incorrect roar. No longer. Instead, Lowe has tuned its exhaust note for the genteel Norfolk listening audience: at idle, the car now purrs contentedly, rising to a powerful but still discrete rumble with a little gas. Ever the gentleman.

But in case you may think this restomod job was more resto than mod, just look inside. In the Nomad’s latest workover, Lowe transitioned from grease-monkey to artist, creating his pièce de résistance: an interior that pays tribute to the Grand Canyon.

The first things you notice are the unique doorhandles and armrests: driftwood fished from the Colorado River during one of Lowe’s four kayak trips through the canyon. Inside, the bucket seats are clad in rich brown leather, stitched in a design depicting the steep Grand Canyon walls. The rear bench seat carries the same design, but with less steep walls—reflecting the scenery’s transition as Lowe kayaks downstream. On the dash, you find the canyon rim sculpted in mahogany, with an opal disk inserted to depict “moonrise over the Grand Canyon.” Lining the doors and the rear cargo area floor is a striking blanket fabric discovered in a Mexican market. More mahogany canyon sculptures line the rear wheel wells. In sum, this interior is a work of art worth exhibiting in the annual Norfolk residents’ show—if only the Nomad could fit through the Art Barn’s door.

And don’t think those interior mods are all art and no function. Behind the sculpted dash lurk fully modern electronics, with Apple CarPlay displaying on a computer monitor and a music playlist stocked with Lyle Lovett and ZZ Top. Your brand-new car has nothing on the Nomad when it comes to mod cons.

So there you have it. Have you been looking for a conveyance with room for five passengers and all their stuff—a Ford Expedition, say, or (for the posh) a BMW X5? Yet…do you still yearn for something unique, something that brings joy to both owner and beholders? If so, talk to West Lowe. A big old restomod sport wagon may be just the ticket for your next ride.