The window frames on 1948 Chevrolets were metal painted to look like wood 🪵. I know , because I had one in 1979. I drove it to work everday. Like your videos ! Kevin Phoenix ✝️ 😊
A very nice looking car. Thanks for the presentation. The 216 cid engine was used through 1950 on standard shift cars. The 235 cid was used on the Power Glide cars in 1950 and all cars starting in 1951. Also... The rear wheel coverings are called fender skirts.
My father had a 1948 Stylemaster Sports Sedan in Cuba in the mid fifties, I learned how to drive in that car, the vaccum assist was not working and it would grind gears sometimes. I loved that car back then, great memories watching your video.
That’s awesome thank you so much for sharing that story, the vacuum assist seemed to be problematic another viewer said they had trouble with theirs as well... that car was sold and weather has been kind of eh here but looking forward to spring and getting to drive some of these cars.
I love seeing young men fascinated with older vehicles. The rope behind the front seat is used to store a blanket because heaters were weak in the day. I use to think it was to hang on to also. Great Job
My mom owned this [4 door] in a 2-tone: Grey with a Charcoal roofline with a Grey interior and wood-colored dashboard. This was an "expensive" model --- ours had a clock, AM radio, and burled-grained wood on the dash and upper door panels. I'll never forget this car. She owned it for 13 years and it was already a 9-year old used car in perfect body and interior condition.
@@What.its.like. For me, it was like some kind of heirloom, it was in our family for so long (my childhood). My mom sold it to her step-son (my step-brother through a re-marriage) for the same $50 that she paid for it when she bought it "originally." I was upset that she sold it to him without even asking me if I wanted it. So I put it out of my mind after that and moved on with my numerous other cars I had bought/owned [including an incredibly rare '57 Chevy Nomad -- 2-tone Burnt Sienna with a Ivory roofline and options no other Nomad had]. Back then, it was easier to just "move on."
My uncle had a '48 just like this but gray, without the fender skirts. He kept it until the mid '70's and had people chasing him down wanting to buy it. I remember eight of us riding around in the mountains of North Carolina one day. It had a feeling of luxury that my father's '50 Chevy did not have.
Stunning color and dazzling chrome. All that off-white and amber interior trim around window cranks and control knobs is a newfangled (for then) material called "Bakelite." Plastic. All the rage for decades and even made into jewelry. By the way, that comparison involved fender skirts. I agree with you wholeheartedly that they improce the wheel arch considerably, especially with all that shiny chrome. Enjoyed this very much!
Thank you so much I shot this weeks ago and got to busy to post it.. felt bad I lost footage of dash board but figured I’ll go over it with the areocoupe not sure if they share the same dash board but I’ll find out lol... I thought that was bake light but didn’t want to get called out if I was wrong.. I got raked over the coals for EV6 review I posted yesterday, on Facebook, but try not to let it bother me it’s impossible to know everything about every car I do a lot of research just don’t want to misrepresent anything... but thank you it means a lot =)
@@What.its.like. The trap for trivia in this universe lies between my two ears, and I hope you perceive my comments as they are intended: part of a friendly conversation between car guys. You make an honest effort, and a good one, so it's a shame some people can't add information, correct, or clarify without belittling that. Hey, at least you're getting interaction!
Yeah that’s true any reaction is better than no reaction... I have a Facebook page I’ll link it here one day I joined a bunch of group and try to grow that way because RUclips algorithm is a bit slow case in point it took the Hudson cross country rambler wagon for months to get into the algorithm... i’d like to see results a little faster than that... but it’s not on here for the most part there’s people on Facebook =)
In the early 70’s I was flipping interesting cars. An acquaintance had a two door, green and cream. He was not a car guy and it needed a motor mount and radiator repair. The car was named “Dolly Mae”. I don’t name cars but it came that way and left that way. I sold it up the collector ladder and presume it got a good home. A Chevy dealer mechanic bought it almost brand new, freshly totalled after a horrific wreck, and rebuilt it. He drove it until he did not drive any more. The left front fender was not a perfect gap but it drove beautifully. It had every Chevy accessory available. A visor and a prism to see traffic lights. A tall but well proportioned center bumper guard in back that folded down for access to the trunk. Backup lights. It showed 98,000 miles but the Magic Mirror paint was doing its GM magic. Everything worked including the clock. The radio sounded great but of course had to warm up, being a vacuum tube radio (note to Back To The Future fans: Biff’s Ford radio would not have come on immediately either…) As far as I know it still had the babbit engine and had a slight rumble when revved up in neutral. Story: The kid that owned it had driven it 90 mph a long way in a fit of teen angst. The old story of the stovebolt six was it would run all day at 69 and one mile at 70 because the little oil splashers on the rods just cavitated in the oil. But this one only had a faint rumble. Did the old guy put truck babbit in the big ends? Marine babbit? Are there such things? A mystery. Anyway if its current caretaker reads this say hi to Dolly Mae for me.
I had a '48 Fleetline 'fastback' when I lived in South Africa. GM, Ford and Chrysler had assembly plants there, and they were assembled with a right hand drive steering column. I seriously considered shipping the car to the US when I moved here in 1985, but ultimately decided against it. Had I done so, It would probably have been a unique vehicle in this country - a Chevy with a right hand drive!
A couple things the wood grain trim is not real wood. I'm restoring my 48 fleetline and it's just painted on steel. Also the stainless steel trim on the driver's side floorboard that you said looks like a handle is designed to be a foot scraper. So if you had mud or something on your shoes you would discard it on that scraper
In the early 50’s I would lie on the front seat and listen to the radio in my parent’s 48. The Lone Ranger was my favorite show. If I forgot to turn the radio off, the battery would be drained the next morning when my father went to work. No problem. My father would let the car roll down the driveway and pop the clutch. Of course, I heard about it later.
The 235 c.i. was not put into cars until 1953, and then only in Powerglide models. The 1953 manual transmission cars still used the 216 c.i. "splash oiler" Babbitt rod bearing engine. Incredible that Chevrolet waited so long, as other engines had gone to full pressure oiling in the 1930s.
Well, actually the 235’s were introduced in 1950 on Powerglide equipped Chevrolets. 1953 Chevys with manual transmissions had 235 splash oiler engines. The last year for the 216 was 1952 manual transmission cars. By 1954 they were all full pressure lubrication. Actually the old Babbitt systems weren’t all that bad. They needed to have proper oil levels and they didn’t like sustained high RPM’s
I know right.., cars were a thing of beauty, art ,jewelry, now they still make some good looking cars now but they’re few and far between everything looks the same... like I said on here before if I ever make it in life I will have a Packard Twin 6 1934. They just don’t make cars like that anymore..
Well, no robots but they were mass produced. Wood parts were unusual in American cars by then. I'm surprised that a Chevy would have so much. Are the window frames really wood? I don't think so. The dashboard is definitely grained stamped steel, very common then. They can be fairly convincing. I don't know what process they used to put the woodgrain on complex curved steel, but they did. I'm sure it wasn't done by guys with paintbrushes and several colors of paint.
Some other fun facts on the Blue Flame Six: Although the 235 ci version did debut in 1950, it was not offered as standard in Chevrolet's regular line of cars until 1953, by which time it gave out 115 HP with the Powerglide automatic. Then there was the modified, 150 HP version that appeared in the first Corvettes from '53-'55, with a higher-lift camshaft and three single-barrel carburetors. That said, I'd be curious to know how many of these early postwar Chevy's exist that originally came with the 216, and have since been upgraded by their respective owners to the 235.
The second family car I remember was a 48 Chevy Stylemaster four door in light green. Dad traded in his 40 Pontiac coupe on it at Thomas Motors on City Road in Saint John, and later said of the Chevy, "I don't deserve a car this good." My opinion differs- I think he deserved the best Cadillac and a Rolls Royce or two.I was surprised to notice the grille T bar on the 40? 41? 42? model. That feature, and the trim below the tail lights, were the distinguishing marks to identify the 48 from the 47 models.
The first car I remember was a 1948 Chevy. It was crème color as I recall.One bad thing is that the windshield wipers were vacuum operated, rather than electric.
Typical at the time. Chrysler products went to all electric wipers at least by the fifties but some vacuum wipers were still around like on AMC cars in the early sixties.
Yeah, back when American car manufacturers and designers had some imagination and a sense of style. The skirts always added a classy streamlined look to cars. Beautiful machines, rolling works of automotive art. 👍
I went to Carlisle a couple days ago to see I wanted to see cars that I don’t normally see on the side of the state and I was really disappointed I wanted to see packers and Studebaker Nash and Hudson do you spoke of a car corral but everybody had a 55 through 57 Chevy for sale I did something really cool that day to make the trip all worthwhile but I can’t talk about that yet i’m working on a video right now pertaining to people I’m hoping to get it uploaded today I’ve been working on this video for a couple days now it’s a little longer than most but it deals with three iconic automotive visionaries if everything goes all well and good today maybe today will be a double feature day I’m trying to get to a place where I can make between three and five videos a week I’m self-employed I have a cabinet business which will be featured on the channel when I have 4000 subscribers it’ll be a 4000 sub video. Sorry For the life story lol
Not really a classic car guy but J really enjoyed this in depth look at the 48 Chevy line. This car is a beauty. The rope in the back seat was great. I love the look with the fender skirts.
The rope across the back of the front seat was used to drape blankets that were used to keep passengers warm if the car was not equipped with a heater. Car heaters were optional equipment on most cars into the early 1960's!
I like the car better with no fender skirts. Less chance of rusting. Also easier to change a flat tire. I had a 1973 Chevy Caprice that I bought used that had fender skirts. But the trunk area of the car rusted out thanks to the skirts so I threw them away. Plus it was a headache if you had to fix a flat tire.
I likethe30's deco look a lot! Even Though it was 1948. My family had a 49 Chevy Deluxe till 1965. The shape changed. Anyway , thanks . Tootaloo to you too.
The stovebolt 6 lasted untill 1936. It was called that because the valve cover bolts etc where 1/4 inch bolts like those commonly used on stoves. It had only 3 main bearings. The 216 came out in 1937 with 4 main bearings and troughs for the connecting rod dippers to pick up oil. Had a low pressure oil pump to supply them. The engine in this car must be a later 235 (up to the end of 1962) S the oil fill cap is in the middle of the valve cover. That was for hood clearance. The earlier 235 from the 50s had it at the front.
Ok,I subscribed.I know you’re trying hard to grow your channel and provide good content so I’ll be gentle. First of all you neglected to mention that they also offered Station. Wagons and convertables. The “real wood” in the interior that you talked about is actually painted metal and not wood. Most of the exterior “chrome”that you talked about is actually stainless steel and not chrome plated metal. The 235’s came out in 1950 ONLY on Powerglide models. They STILL had the old Babbitt bearings. On 1954 models, they ALL had 235’s BUT the stick shifts still had the low old pressure Babbitt bearings. In 1954 they all had the full pressure lubrication system. The 1948 you have featured has a newer 235 engine. I’m guessing a 1957 or newer. This is a nice car but it looks like a non original color done Mt Maaco. The turn signals that you talk about are actully parking lights, no turn signals in 1948 unless dealer added aftermarket. Lastly, the “wheel covers” that you mentioned are actually fender skirts. I don’t like them but others do. You might want to your research beyond that one book! y
For sure Craig thank you so much for those corrections I really appreciate it.. I meant to say fender skirts I know wheel covers are the center of the wheel they cover the hub... yeah I noticed later on after I started reviewing the video before I posted it that they offered convertibles and wagons as well that’s why I put it in text up on the sides then selves.. i’m trying to get better it’s storytelling and it’s how far down the rabbit hole do you wanna go.. I just really wanted to mention the three trim lines that Chevy offered but I didn’t really want to get into every single car that they offered even though I probably should have.. but thank you for the corrections =)
@ Craig Jergensen, I also recently stumbled onto his channel and subscribed. He truly is trying to research the cars and compile a video that presents these cars to younger folks who don’t know much about them. You can clearly see his perspective is young and fresh, no different than many others today. What is surprising to me is that the majority of comments are from folks like us, with decades of “experience”, and not so many younger people. Overall I think he does a good job and takes comments like ours with respect. He is sincere
Yes, no turn signal lever then no turn signals. If it had turn signals there would be a rounded case at the steering column end of the stalk that had the clicker inside it.
Perhaps in your next critique, omit the two sentence preamble, and phrase instead to say something like “hey, enjoyed the content. Here is more about these cars: “
There is no way that those Chevs were equivalent to $17,000. You've got to look at the comparison with the average wage at the time. Even then you can't really equate the economics of the time to now. Thanks for the post. I absolutely love these models and agree the Fleetline should be the fleetmaster!
This is the link to the conversion calculator www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1964?amount=4333 Yeah it doesn’t work for everything when I converted gas prices it came out to $3.50 per gallon equivalent which isn’t cheaper (well it is now) but that wouldn’t make gas cheap Thank you for watching and sharing =)
@@What.its.like. My dad’s 42 was an old beater that he used for going to work. My dad was a mechanic and he bought it for practically nothing and fixed it up in the backyard and drove it for several years before it went down.
@@What.its.like. often people who ride bikes have to use hand signals. Unless you have a real fancy bike. The electric turn signals might have been an option in those days. But not standard equipment until 1952 or 53.
My father had a 4 door Fleetline. He got rid of it before I was born, but he told me the reason was due to the problematic vacuum assist shift. He never elaborated what was the specifics of that.
I never got to drive one that car was sold he sells them fast he only had that one for a couple of days before it found a new home.. Chevy was way ahead of the curve so to speak in the 40s and early 50s with ohv engine and synchro mesh trans.. (didn’t have to double clutch or rev match to shift... some are worse than others I have a friend who has a Ford truck that is really hard to drive and it’s a either a 51, or 52 double clutch and rev match he makes it look so easy but I couldn’t do it.
I don't remember my 1950 Chevy having vacuum assist shifting, so maybe they dropped it by then. I had no problems shifting gears in 1930s/1940s cars and light trucks. You did have to be careful, as the early synchro's were not so good. But then I was a better than average shifter, and could drive without a clutch if needed because of mechanical failure. One step up in skill from double clutching.
hevy offered vacuum shift to make shifting easier. But it was problematic and not reliable. It was actuated by an electric switch and hydraulic servo. Often the mechanism would malfunction and you'd end up with no assist whatsoever. Quick shifting was impossible! The feature was dropped after WWII.
I was born in 1946 & my father had a used '35 Plymouth in 1948 ( a returning WWII Vet. & few post --War cars were available)! With very few exceptions, I don't feel that the American Car industry fully recovered from the War until the 1950 car models came out! Before then, a person was simply buying a replacement vehicle & not an advancement in styling! Also, these vehicles were outrageously expensive considering a person could still buy a brand new, entry-level car, e.g. Chevy Bel-Air, Plymouth Belvidere, Ford Fairlane, for $2,500 into the late 1960's, twenty years later!
Inflation wasn’t a problem then things stayed about the same for decades really there wasn’t a huge spike until mid to late 70s yes cars crept up in price leading up to that point Thank you so much for watching and thank you so much for sharing =)
I was born in 1948 so in my younger days I thought about looking for one and restoring it. So in a very short time I found one for sale. They only wanted $300 for it. It was complete and in original good shape. But unfortunately I decided not to buy it. That is a real bummer.
In California in the lowrider bomb world they nicknamed this model a German Helmet maybe how because of how the back of it look so if you go to a lowrider car show in California this model displayed and you say nice German Helmet they know you're talking about their car this this body style what is a from 41,42,46,47and48 one of my favorite body styles of the 40s
Definitely if I recall the glove box was huge I just did a review of a 48 Pontiac streamliner if I remember correctly it fit in that with flying colors. I started doing the glove box test because I wanted to showcase how big these glove boxes were and are. A lot of them could be mini refrigerators or ice boxes because they are just absolutely huge
hay hows it goen... what you called a handle like was for drainage of snow are ice off your rubber pull ons over your shoes ... you knock off the snow before you get in.. its for drainage...ya hoo dude
Sorry as it sounded like they didn't make any. I remember the red line wheels I stressed working at a junk yard after school it took me a while to find 4 used white walls. Vacuum shift also was terrible.@@What.its.like.
Believe me, on a hot day, opening the cowl vent wasn't all that much help. The windows HAD to be open, and the vent windows had to be opened all the way to scoop addition, oncoming air into the car.
I have cowl cent in my truck and it’s the best thing since sliced bread.. I had a 67 mustang which didn’t have one that car would get so hot in the summer time it would feel like my shoes were about to melt to the pedals, truck doesn’t feel that way
At 11:28 you are showing car without and with FENDER SKIRTS (not wheel covers)! Wheel covers are the round chrome discs covering the wheels. My opinion, I often like fender skirts, but not on this model. I'd eliminate the fender skirts.
Yeah I threw that part in to make sure people are paying attention those are fender skirts not wheel covers =) I do that from time to time for things in there as a bit of a curve to see if people are actually paying attention but it’s great to know that you are paying attention as are a lot of people
I had a couple of '51 Chevs. One was a poverty special- lowest trim level, but, the wheels had red stripes painted so they visible outside the dog dish hubcaps. These were excellent cars. I think Plymouth was a bit better, and Ford pretty tinny in comparison.
Chrysler products continued the pop up air intake until 1956, about the last. But there is a high pressure area there and the various slots and grilles that have been there on cars since the fifties work just as well.
Did people run out and buy a 1942 model on December 8th, to get theirs before the supply ran out? (like toilet paper in 2020) PS. I noticed that it had a 6V system. I believe that all American cars switched over to a 12 volt system in the 50's.
On Stovebolt and Blue Flame sixes, the Stovebolt was still in production through 1953, by which time I think it had been upped to 235. The Blue Flame was introduced in 1953, and was used on automatic cars initially, then totally superseded the Stovebolt for 1954. On the real wood in that car, I'm not sure - woodgrain painted steel dash, window trims, etc, were a thing in those days.
Thank you so much for sharing that.. ford was super conservative then 1955 1956 ford were parts bin cars lots of interchangeable parts across the board tail light dash board gauges etc
@@What.its.like. Back in 1973 when I was 12 my grandparents gave me their 1949 Chevy that had been parked in the their old turn of the century barn in Texas since the mid sixties, it was completely stock, I used to play in it when visiting. When my grandmother died in 74 and my grandfather had to be put in a nursing home my mother had to sell it, I seen the guy who bought it driving it around occasionally all thru my high school years. My mother bought me a 72 350 Camaro when I was 16 instead.
@@rayjames6096 I think you are getting a bit confused between the 48 and 49. The 48 is completely different to the 49. The 49,50,51,52, are all similar, may even be interchangable.
Those are NOT wheel covers. The wheel covers are the chrome things that attach to the wheel, also known as HUB CAPS. The blue covers you are talking about are called FENDER SKIRTS. Add that to your vocabulary.
The front door cards are not original. They should have the same pattern on them as the rear doors, not plain. If you are going more for an original as-new look and not preserving the tired original headliner, an upholstery shop can replace it exactly since they are cloth if the same material and color can be found.
So with “LoveIsAll’s” comment you might want to do an episode about the paint (lacquer) and colors of cars in the 40’s, 50’s and maybe early 60’s. The paint on cars and many other things was a limited spectrum of colors that we would now consider bland. So it’s an “ugly color” now but it wasn’t then. Same with interior materials and colors.
My friend. That silly war track with the rat-tat-tat KA boom noise is completely unnecessary. People know what a battle sounds like without your input. Stick to car sounds. VAROOOOOOM...SCREECH.....BEEEP BEEEP. Another thing. When you give a precise number like 200,861 units. That is NOT around. That is exactly.
I’m getting super excited watching this because I own a 1948 Fleetline
Awesome what body style is yours
The window frames on 1948 Chevrolets were metal painted to look
like wood 🪵.
I know , because I had one
in 1979. I drove it to work
everday. Like your videos !
Kevin Phoenix ✝️ 😊
This car is gorgeous.
It was still the nicest one I’ve seen all year
Love these old cars.
Me too =)
A very nice looking car. Thanks for the presentation. The 216 cid engine was used through 1950 on standard shift cars. The 235 cid was used on the Power Glide cars in 1950 and all cars starting in 1951. Also... The rear wheel coverings are called fender skirts.
What a beautiful machine!
My father had a 1948 Stylemaster Sports Sedan in Cuba in the mid fifties, I learned how to drive in that car, the vaccum assist was not working and it would grind gears sometimes. I loved that car back then, great memories watching your video.
That’s awesome thank you so much for sharing that story, the vacuum assist seemed to be problematic another viewer said they had trouble with theirs as well... that car was sold and weather has been kind of eh here but looking forward to spring and getting to drive some of these cars.
I love seeing young men fascinated with older vehicles. The rope behind the front seat is used to store a blanket because heaters were weak in the day. I use to think it was to hang on to also. Great Job
Awesome information than you for sharing =)
My mom owned this [4 door] in a 2-tone: Grey with a Charcoal roofline with a Grey interior and wood-colored dashboard. This was an "expensive" model --- ours had a clock, AM radio, and burled-grained wood on the dash and upper door panels. I'll never forget this car. She owned it for 13 years and it was already a 9-year old used car in perfect body and interior condition.
Thank you so much for sharing that awesome story what a great memory
Did you ever try looking for the car do you know whatever happened to it?
@@What.its.like. For me, it was like some kind of heirloom, it was in our family for so long (my childhood).
My mom sold it to her step-son (my step-brother through a re-marriage) for the same $50 that she paid for it when she bought it "originally." I was upset that she sold it to him without even asking me if I wanted it. So I put it out of my mind after that and moved on with my numerous other cars I had bought/owned [including an incredibly rare '57 Chevy Nomad -- 2-tone Burnt Sienna with a Ivory roofline and options no other Nomad had]. Back then, it was easier to just "move on."
Good looking Chevy 💙 The fender skirts look great!
Totally agree chevy had some awesome pre war designs
You can have the fender skirts.👎🤷♂️
Had a 47 Fleetline. Brings back memories. I bought it in the 90's. It was fairly common then. Don't know about now.
47 anything is rare.. glad to bring those memories flooding back with this episode
My uncle had a '48 just like this but gray, without the fender skirts. He kept it until the mid '70's and had people chasing him down wanting to buy it. I remember eight of us riding around in the mountains of North Carolina one day. It had a feeling of luxury that my father's '50 Chevy did not have.
I totally agree don’t get me wrong early 50 Chevys are cool but it’s like a step back as far as luxury
Stunning color and dazzling chrome. All that off-white and amber interior trim around window cranks and control knobs is a newfangled (for then) material called "Bakelite." Plastic. All the rage for decades and even made into jewelry. By the way, that comparison involved fender skirts. I agree with you wholeheartedly that they improce the wheel arch considerably, especially with all that shiny chrome. Enjoyed this very much!
Thank you so much I shot this weeks ago and got to busy to post it.. felt bad I lost footage of dash board but figured I’ll go over it with the areocoupe not sure if they share the same dash board but I’ll find out lol... I thought that was bake light but didn’t want to get called out if I was wrong.. I got raked over the coals for EV6 review I posted yesterday, on Facebook, but try not to let it bother me it’s impossible to know everything about every car I do a lot of research just don’t want to misrepresent anything... but thank you it means a lot =)
@@What.its.like. The trap for trivia in this universe lies between my two ears, and I hope you perceive my comments as they are intended: part of a friendly conversation between car guys. You make an honest effort, and a good one, so it's a shame some people can't add information, correct, or clarify without belittling that. Hey, at least you're getting interaction!
Yeah that’s true any reaction is better than no reaction... I have a Facebook page I’ll link it here one day I joined a bunch of group and try to grow that way because RUclips algorithm is a bit slow case in point it took the Hudson cross country rambler wagon for months to get into the algorithm... i’d like to see results a little faster than that... but it’s not on here for the most part there’s people on Facebook =)
In the early 70’s I was flipping interesting cars. An acquaintance had a two door, green and cream. He was not a car guy and it needed a motor mount and radiator repair.
The car was named “Dolly Mae”. I don’t name cars but it came that way and left that way. I sold it up the collector ladder and presume it got a good home.
A Chevy dealer mechanic bought it almost brand new, freshly totalled after a horrific wreck, and rebuilt it. He drove it until he did not drive any more. The left front fender was not a perfect gap but it drove beautifully. It had every Chevy accessory available. A visor and a prism to see traffic lights. A tall but well proportioned center bumper guard in back that folded down for access to the trunk. Backup lights. It showed 98,000 miles but the Magic Mirror paint was doing its GM magic. Everything worked including the clock. The radio sounded great but of course had to warm up, being a vacuum tube radio (note to Back To The Future fans: Biff’s Ford radio would not have come on immediately either…)
As far as I know it still had the babbit engine and had a slight rumble when revved up in neutral. Story:
The kid that owned it had driven it 90 mph a long way in a fit of teen angst. The old story of the stovebolt six was it would run all day at 69 and one mile at 70 because the little oil splashers on the rods just cavitated in the oil.
But this one only had a faint rumble. Did the old guy put truck babbit in the big ends? Marine babbit? Are there such things? A mystery. Anyway if its current caretaker reads this say hi to Dolly Mae for me.
What an awesome story thank you so much for sharing =)
I had a '48 Fleetline 'fastback' when I lived in South Africa. GM, Ford and Chrysler had assembly plants there, and they were assembled with a right hand drive steering column. I seriously considered shipping the car to the US when I moved here in 1985, but ultimately decided against it. Had I done so, It would probably have been a unique vehicle in this country - a Chevy with a right hand drive!
Awesome =)
A couple things the wood grain trim is not real wood. I'm restoring my 48 fleetline and it's just painted on steel. Also the stainless steel trim on the driver's side floorboard that you said looks like a handle is designed to be a foot scraper. So if you had mud or something on your shoes you would discard it on that scraper
Thank you so much for that added information as well as corrections =)
My late father had a 1947 Chevy Club coupe in the early 50’s when he and my Mom were dating. They both had very fond memories of the car.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing =) it’s amazing how a car or a song can take you back both very powerful
In the early 50’s I would lie on the front seat and listen to the radio in my parent’s 48. The Lone Ranger was my favorite show. If I forgot to turn the radio off, the battery would be drained the next morning when my father went to work. No problem. My father would let the car roll down the driveway and pop the clutch. Of course, I heard about it later.
Great story thank you so much for sharing that awesome memory =)
The 235 c.i. was not put into cars until 1953, and then only in Powerglide models. The 1953 manual transmission cars still used the 216 c.i. "splash oiler" Babbitt rod bearing engine. Incredible that Chevrolet waited so long, as other engines had gone to full pressure oiling in the 1930s.
Well, actually the 235’s were introduced in 1950 on Powerglide equipped Chevrolets. 1953 Chevys with manual transmissions had 235 splash oiler engines. The last year for the 216 was 1952 manual transmission cars. By 1954 they were all full pressure lubrication. Actually the old Babbitt systems weren’t all that bad. They needed to have proper oil levels and they didn’t like sustained high RPM’s
Those early 235 c.i.d motors were called 'Loadmasters' My dad put a new one in his bus and put the old one in our 1938 Master Deluxe
Low end Chevy sixes didn't have oil filters in 1958 except maybe as an extra cost option. Low end models then were really low end.
Love the aesthetics of the fender-skirts.
Me too gives a whole different look
Its mind-boggling on how labor-intensive it was in manufacturing cars in those days - all by hand, no robots or pre-assemblies.
I know right.., cars were a thing of beauty, art ,jewelry, now they still make some good looking cars now but they’re few and far between everything looks the same... like I said on here before if I ever make it in life I will have a Packard Twin 6 1934. They just don’t make cars like that anymore..
Well, no robots but they were mass produced. Wood parts were unusual in American cars by then. I'm surprised that a Chevy would have so much. Are the window frames really wood? I don't think so. The dashboard is definitely grained stamped steel, very common then. They can be fairly convincing. I don't know what process they used to put the woodgrain on complex curved steel, but they did. I'm sure it wasn't done by guys with paintbrushes and several colors of paint.
Some other fun facts on the Blue Flame Six: Although the 235 ci version did debut in 1950, it was not offered as standard in Chevrolet's regular line of cars until 1953, by which time it gave out 115 HP with the Powerglide automatic. Then there was the modified, 150 HP version that appeared in the first Corvettes from '53-'55, with a higher-lift camshaft and three single-barrel carburetors.
That said, I'd be curious to know how many of these early postwar Chevy's exist that originally came with the 216, and have since been upgraded by their respective owners to the 235.
Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing all that information and insight =)
The second family car I remember was a 48 Chevy Stylemaster four door in light green. Dad traded in his 40 Pontiac coupe on it at Thomas Motors on City Road in Saint John, and later said of the Chevy, "I don't deserve a car this good." My opinion differs- I think he deserved the best Cadillac and a Rolls Royce or two.I was surprised to notice the grille T bar on the 40? 41? 42? model. That feature, and the trim below the tail lights, were the distinguishing marks to identify the 48 from the 47 models.
Thank you so much for sharing those memories =)
I got a 47 coupe. Beautiful ride with skirts.
Awesome =)
The first car I remember was a 1948 Chevy. It was crème color as I recall.One bad thing is that the windshield wipers were vacuum operated, rather than electric.
Typical at the time. Chrysler products went to all electric wipers at least by the fifties but some vacuum wipers were still around like on AMC cars in the early sixties.
Yeah, back when American car manufacturers and designers had some imagination and a sense of style. The skirts always added a classy streamlined look to cars.
Beautiful machines, rolling works of automotive art. 👍
I went to Carlisle a couple days ago to see I wanted to see cars that I don’t normally see on the side of the state and I was really disappointed I wanted to see packers and Studebaker Nash and Hudson do you spoke of a car corral but everybody had a 55 through 57 Chevy for sale I did something really cool that day to make the trip all worthwhile but I can’t talk about that yet i’m working on a video right now pertaining to people I’m hoping to get it uploaded today I’ve been working on this video for a couple days now it’s a little longer than most but it deals with three iconic automotive visionaries if everything goes all well and good today maybe today will be a double feature day I’m trying to get to a place where I can make between three and five videos a week I’m self-employed I have a cabinet business which will be featured on the channel when I have 4000 subscribers it’ll be a 4000 sub video. Sorry For the life story lol
Not really a classic car guy but J really enjoyed this in depth look at the 48 Chevy line. This car is a beauty. The rope in the back seat was great. I love the look with the fender skirts.
The rope across the back of the front seat was used to drape blankets that were used to keep passengers warm if the car was not equipped with a heater. Car heaters were optional equipment on most cars into the early 1960's!
Beautiful car! That’s not real wood, though, it’s painted metal trim. That’s a foot scraper at the entry of the front doors.
Foot scraper that’s crazy
I like the car better with no fender skirts. Less chance of rusting. Also easier to change a flat tire. I had a 1973 Chevy Caprice that I bought used that had fender skirts. But the trunk area of the car rusted out thanks to the skirts so I threw them away. Plus it was a headache if you had to fix a flat tire.
The window frames and dash were metal just were given a faux wood paint I restored a 41 spect delux that all had the same drive plat form
Thank you for that correction
I likethe30's deco look a lot! Even
Though it was 1948.
My family had a 49 Chevy Deluxe till 1965. The shape changed.
Anyway , thanks .
Tootaloo to you too.
I love the 30s need to review some 30s cars real soon =)
@@What.its.like.
Sounds good to me.
Thanks
Just bought a 47 Chevy fleet line only 3 weeks ago.
Probably going to make it a bomber.
Awesome Car😍
It was =)
beautiful car. that grille guard is actually a 1947 guard. looks killer!
My dad owns the Aerosedan what I see from the difference beside the power I think is the fact the areosedan has a ash tray in the backseat
Awesome I want to cover the arrow sedan one day
The stovebolt 6 lasted untill 1936. It was called that because the valve cover bolts etc where 1/4 inch bolts like those commonly used on stoves. It had only 3 main bearings. The 216 came out in 1937 with 4 main bearings and troughs for the connecting rod dippers to pick up oil. Had a low pressure oil pump to supply them. The engine in this car must be a later 235 (up to the end of 1962) S the oil fill cap is in the middle of the valve cover. That was for hood clearance. The earlier 235 from the 50s had it at the front.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing =)
Ok,I subscribed.I know you’re trying hard to grow your channel and provide good content so I’ll be gentle. First of all you neglected to mention that they also offered Station. Wagons and convertables. The “real wood” in the interior that you talked about is actually painted metal and not wood. Most of the exterior “chrome”that you talked about is actually stainless steel and not chrome plated metal. The 235’s came out in 1950 ONLY on Powerglide models. They STILL had the old Babbitt bearings. On 1954 models, they ALL had 235’s BUT the stick shifts still had the low old pressure Babbitt bearings. In 1954 they all had the full pressure lubrication system. The 1948 you have featured has a newer 235 engine. I’m guessing a 1957 or newer. This is a nice car but it looks like a non original color done Mt Maaco. The turn signals that you talk about are actully parking lights, no turn signals in 1948 unless dealer added aftermarket. Lastly, the “wheel covers” that you mentioned are actually fender skirts. I don’t like them but others do. You might want to your research beyond that one book!
y
For sure Craig thank you so much for those corrections I really appreciate it.. I meant to say fender skirts I know wheel covers are the center of the wheel they cover the hub... yeah I noticed later on after I started reviewing the video before I posted it that they offered convertibles and wagons as well that’s why I put it in text up on the sides then selves.. i’m trying to get better it’s storytelling and it’s how far down the rabbit hole do you wanna go.. I just really wanted to mention the three trim lines that Chevy offered but I didn’t really want to get into every single car that they offered even though I probably should have.. but thank you for the corrections =)
@ Craig Jergensen, I also recently stumbled onto his channel and subscribed. He truly is trying to research the cars and compile a video that presents these cars to younger folks who don’t know much about them. You can clearly see his perspective is young and fresh, no different than many others today. What is surprising to me is that the majority of comments are from folks like us, with decades of “experience”, and not so many younger people. Overall I think he does a good job and takes comments like ours with respect. He is sincere
@@markw208 I totally agree with you.
Yes, no turn signal lever then no turn signals. If it had turn signals there would be a rounded case at the steering column end of the stalk that had the clicker inside it.
Perhaps in your next critique, omit the two sentence preamble, and phrase instead to say something like “hey, enjoyed the content. Here is more about these cars: “
There is no way that those Chevs were equivalent to $17,000. You've got to look at the comparison with the average wage at the time. Even then you can't really equate the economics of the time to now. Thanks for the post. I absolutely love these models and agree the Fleetline should be the fleetmaster!
This is the link to the conversion calculator
www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1964?amount=4333
Yeah it doesn’t work for everything when I converted gas prices it came out to $3.50 per gallon equivalent which isn’t cheaper (well it is now) but that wouldn’t make gas cheap
Thank you for watching and sharing =)
My dad had a 1942 Chevy fleet line with the fastback roof.
The fastback is where it’s at those cars are stunning they made a woodie version going to Carlisle in a few weeks maybe might see one fingers crossed
@@What.its.like. My dad’s 42 was an old beater that he used for going to work. My dad was a mechanic and he bought it for practically nothing and fixed it up in the backyard and drove it for several years before it went down.
My dads 48 Chevy did not have electric turn signals. You used your left hand to signal your turn.
My truck has turn signals the switch keeps getting messed up so I have to do that people don’t have a clue what it means tho
@@What.its.like. often people who ride bikes have to use hand signals. Unless you have a real fancy bike. The electric turn signals might have been an option in those days. But not standard equipment until 1952 or 53.
The “handle” down under the door is a boot scraper!
Awesome information =)
i had a 1951, 4 door 30,000 miles bought it for 200 from that little old lady every one hears about back in 1969...
Awesome thank you for sharing =)
My father had a 4 door Fleetline. He got rid of it before I was born, but he told me the reason was due to the problematic vacuum assist shift. He never elaborated what was the specifics of that.
I never got to drive one that car was sold he sells them fast he only had that one for a couple of days before it found a new home.. Chevy was way ahead of the curve so to speak in the 40s and early 50s with ohv engine and synchro mesh trans.. (didn’t have to double clutch or rev match to shift... some are worse than others I have a friend who has a Ford truck that is really hard to drive and it’s a either a 51, or 52 double clutch and rev match he makes it look so easy but I couldn’t do it.
I don't remember my 1950 Chevy having vacuum assist shifting, so maybe they dropped it by then. I had no problems shifting gears in 1930s/1940s cars and light trucks. You did have to be careful, as the early synchro's were not so good. But then I was a better than average shifter, and could drive without a clutch if needed because of mechanical failure. One step up in skill from double clutching.
hevy offered vacuum shift to make shifting easier. But it was problematic and not reliable. It was actuated by an electric switch and hydraulic servo. Often the mechanism would malfunction and you'd end up with no assist whatsoever. Quick shifting was impossible! The feature was dropped after WWII.
I was born in 1946 & my father had a used '35 Plymouth in 1948 ( a returning WWII Vet. & few post --War cars
were available)! With very few exceptions, I don't feel that the American Car industry fully recovered from
the War until the 1950 car models came out! Before then, a person was simply buying a replacement
vehicle & not an advancement in styling! Also, these vehicles were outrageously expensive considering
a person could still buy a brand new, entry-level car, e.g. Chevy Bel-Air, Plymouth Belvidere, Ford Fairlane,
for $2,500 into the late 1960's, twenty years later!
Inflation wasn’t a problem then things stayed about the same for decades really there wasn’t a huge spike until mid to late 70s yes cars crept up in price leading up to that point
Thank you so much for watching and thank you so much for sharing =)
I was born in 1948 so in my younger days I thought about looking for one and restoring it. So in a very short time I found one for sale. They only wanted $300 for it. It was complete and in original good shape. But unfortunately I decided not to buy it. That is a real bummer.
Yeah they are super sweet cars to look at I never drove one so idk what they drive like but they look amazing and have loads of space inside
In California in the lowrider bomb world they nicknamed this model a German Helmet maybe how because of how the back of it look so if you go to a lowrider car show in California this model displayed and you say nice German Helmet they know you're talking about their car this this body style what is a from 41,42,46,47and48 one of my favorite body styles of the 40s
How did it do on the camera in glovebox test??
That episode was before the glove box test.. I think that was an idea I had these episodes keep evolving and more stuff gets added as time goes on =)
@@What.its.like. Thanks for the reply! I suspect it would have passed because some of its relatives from the same era have done so.
Definitely if I recall the glove box was huge I just did a review of a 48 Pontiac streamliner if I remember correctly it fit in that with flying colors. I started doing the glove box test because I wanted to showcase how big these glove boxes were and are. A lot of them could be mini refrigerators or ice boxes because they are just absolutely huge
hay hows it goen... what you called a handle like was for drainage of snow are ice off your rubber pull ons over your shoes ... you knock off the snow before you get in.. its for drainage...ya hoo dude
I had a 1948 fleet line convertible so you didn't mention them .
Yeah I didn’t mention every car made in 1948
Sorry as it sounded like they didn't make any. I remember the red line wheels I stressed working at a junk yard after school it took me a while to find 4 used white walls. Vacuum shift also was terrible.@@What.its.like.
Oh that car got me in a mess taking 12 boys to the school from our vocational auto class. Good old times.
You mentioned 3rd gear is direct drive? what does that mean?
What ever the rear end ratio is that is the final drive gear.
Believe me, on a hot day, opening the cowl vent wasn't all that much help. The windows HAD to be open, and the vent windows had to be opened all the way to scoop addition, oncoming air into the car.
I have cowl cent in my truck and it’s the best thing since sliced bread.. I had a 67 mustang which didn’t have one that car would get so hot in the summer time it would feel like my shoes were about to melt to the pedals, truck doesn’t feel that way
Mine worked ok.
At 11:28 you are showing car without and with FENDER SKIRTS (not wheel covers)! Wheel covers are the round chrome discs covering the wheels. My opinion, I often like fender skirts, but not on this model. I'd eliminate the fender skirts.
Yeah I threw that part in to make sure people are paying attention those are fender skirts not wheel covers =) I do that from time to time for things in there as a bit of a curve to see if people are actually paying attention but it’s great to know that you are paying attention as are a lot of people
I had a couple of '51 Chevs. One was a poverty special- lowest trim level, but, the wheels had red stripes painted so they visible outside the dog dish hubcaps. These were excellent cars. I think Plymouth was a bit better, and Ford pretty tinny in comparison.
I love how you worded this poverty special some of chevys offerings were that I’ll have to find a base base poverty model for the channel
Chevrolet always had OHV design. Never had a flat head.
=)
@What's it like nice Fleetline , is it for sale ?
It was but sold fast
that handle on the floor line is for the mechanic. When he is on the creeper under the vehicle his greasey hands will not get onto the paint.
Awesome that’s even cool they thought of that thank you so much for sharing =)
Chrysler products continued the pop up air intake until 1956, about the last. But there is a high pressure area there and the various slots and grilles that have been there on cars since the fifties work just as well.
I always wondered when they stopped that feature thank you so much for sharing =)
Did people run out and buy a 1942 model on December 8th, to get theirs before the supply ran out? (like toilet paper in 2020)
PS. I noticed that it had a 6V system. I believe that all American cars switched over to a 12 volt system in the 50's.
I don’t know I wasn’t around but I won’t say they didn’t people had common sense back then which lacks in society now
On Stovebolt and Blue Flame sixes, the Stovebolt was still in production through 1953, by which time I think it had been upped to 235. The Blue Flame was introduced in 1953, and was used on automatic cars initially, then totally superseded the Stovebolt for 1954. On the real wood in that car, I'm not sure - woodgrain painted steel dash, window trims, etc, were a thing in those days.
Thank you so much for those corrections =)
Cold, not code.
Did you ever find out what the holes under the door were for?….water runoff perhaps??
That car was gone the last time I went back but I think that was for water drainage
@@What.its.like. it will remain a mystery:)
Fender skirts ...wheel covers are hub caps my man.
I threw that in there to make sure people are paying attention it’s good to see that people are paying attention =)
Garnish moldings were not real wood folks.
Thank you for that correction
The "rope" on the back of the front seat was for hanging your coat.
Awesome that you for that correction.. =)
First of all there is no wood in any of the 1948 chevy cars FYI the trim is painted wood just saying I have a 1948 and I know others too.
The 49 Chevy was basically the same as the 48 styling wise, compared to the 49 Ford it was old fashioned.
Thank you so much for sharing that.. ford was super conservative then 1955 1956 ford were parts bin cars lots of interchangeable parts across the board tail light dash board gauges etc
No, the 49 was different shape which went up to 1952. Basically the same drive train without vacuum shift and also different front suspension.
@@What.its.like. Back in 1973 when I was 12 my grandparents gave me their 1949 Chevy that had been parked in the their old turn of the century barn in Texas since the mid sixties, it was completely stock, I used to play in it when visiting. When my grandmother died in 74 and my grandfather had to be put in a nursing home my mother had to sell it, I seen the guy who bought it driving it around occasionally all thru my high school years. My mother bought me a 72 350 Camaro when I was 16 instead.
@@peterwiremuormsby9383 Look at the front fenders on the 48 and 49 Chevy and then on the totally new designed 49 Ford.
@@rayjames6096 I think you are getting a bit confused between the 48 and 49. The 48 is completely different to the 49. The 49,50,51,52, are all similar, may even be interchangable.
Those are NOT wheel covers. The wheel covers are the chrome things that attach to the wheel, also known as HUB CAPS. The blue covers you are talking about are called FENDER SKIRTS. Add that to your vocabulary.
Fender skirts great catch sometimes I add stuff to see if people pay attention =)
That slot is a shoe scraper. The trim around the doors and dash are metal painted wood grain not wood. Do your homework before filming!
I do on every episode this was an earlier episode =)
The front door cards are not original. They should have the same pattern on them as the rear doors, not plain. If you are going more for an original as-new look and not preserving the tired original headliner, an upholstery shop can replace it exactly since they are cloth if the same material and color can be found.
Thank you so much for that information. =)
Not "real wood" trim! It's steel with "wood grain" printed on! 6th
Who paints these beauties in such ugly colors?
I knew this was an after market color, I had a karman Ghia that was close to this color
So with “LoveIsAll’s” comment you might want to do an episode about the paint (lacquer) and colors of cars in the 40’s, 50’s and maybe early 60’s. The paint on cars and many other things was a limited spectrum of colors that we would now consider bland. So it’s an “ugly color” now but it wasn’t then. Same with interior materials and colors.
@@markw208 No. The vintage colors weren't ugly. Practice now is to paint these fine cars in colors and methods unsuitable.
My friend. That silly war track with the rat-tat-tat KA boom noise is completely unnecessary. People know what a battle sounds like without your input. Stick to car sounds. VAROOOOOOM...SCREECH.....BEEEP BEEEP. Another thing. When you give a precise number like 200,861 units. That is NOT around. That is exactly.