Last month I drove out to my brother's on Iowa, home of the 'Camp Courageous Pinhead Charity Panel Jam' and picked up this gem, in the rough.
It's a 1948 Chevy sedan delivery and plans are calling for a stock chevy engine and transmission, (for reliability), painted Viper blue, plenty of pinstriping and of course flames . After all, a street rod without flames is like a frenchkiss without tongue. In several years, I'll be driving this instead of my trusty Trooper to my remote job sites.
I liked the PT Cruiser, but it was too small. Besides, why not get what Chrysler borrowed the idea from to begin with ;-)
I'll keep you all informed as interesting changes happen.
[ December 10, 2001: Message edited by: Lee Hulick ]
Posted by Steve Barba (Member # 431) on :
Looks like a good start! What a BOAT!
GO TRIBE!, er......BROWNS!
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
all I see is an X....no pic Posted by utter (Member # 634) on :
[ December 11, 2001: Message edited by: utter ]
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
nice ride...i envy you...had a 67 chev p/u i coulda had for $200 let a freind of mine by it!!!! GO STEELERS.....(iam from pittsburgh)
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
OH YEA!!!!! lets see, Camaro subframe, 9" rear end, 350 hp crate motor... nah a hogged out 292 inline for that low rider bark with some oomph to go along with it, eight rows of louvers in a tapered pattern, deep, painted rally wheels with the tiny caps, 48 Olds grille, painted of course...OH YEA!!!!!
Posted by Arvil Shep' Shepherd (Member # 2030) on :
OH YEA ! And maybe a Woodgrain panel in the indented area........or........maybe make the whole thing a "California Woodie " complete with Surf Board on top rack...And maybe a Hemi with a 671 "huffer" through the hood..You could get from job to job really quick.... And of course you will have to "Tub it"...
Sorry I got a little carried away..you see Other than Signs to make a "living"... "Hot Rods" is my First Love..
Shep'
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Hey Lee
This will make one fine shop truck!! And all hat room on the side for something very special in the way of graphics.
Makes me want to dig my own mostly finished street rod out of storage....
sigh******* a little while more and I'll finally have my own shop to do such things.
Good luck and have fun with this great project!!
-dan
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
I agree! Why buy a turn-key PT cruiser when ya can slave ya life away and throw cash into your own money pit. After several years with forty or fifty grand, you'll be able to say " I did it myself " I know all too well what its like to change this and change that til ya feel you have changed enough to know that its yours. And after you have changed everything, ya then park it next to forty other chevies just like it only in different colors. Lee, ya know I like ya but remember that Chevies are like string, every YoYo gotta have one!
Posted by Mark Fair Signs (Member # 289) on :
yeah, what george said! LOL
mark
Posted by john randall (Member # 2450) on :
im thinkin a bonnie and clyde theme w/bullet holes and blood runnin out the door =)
Posted by Lee Hulick (Member # 1112) on :
George and Arvil are close. My wife came up with the idea to use a painted to match mag panel in the insert with my name on it, so I could go 'in-cog-neato' when we want.
George, Joey is on to something regarding the 'my car is like no one else's until I go to the NSRA Nats' theory. I plan on tracking down a 46-48 Pontiac nose, a '48 Roadmaster grille and doing enough kustom metal work to make it stand alone, even when surrounded by other 48 Chebbies.
Thanks for helping out with the pic Utter. Sometimes I hate Geocities.
Lee
Posted by Mike Lavallee (Member # 320) on :
Viper blue huh? hmm sounds good! BUT you need some realistic fire on that puppy! good luck with the new ride! Mike
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
Check the ID # off the block AND frame to the title. Looks like a '47 to me with the bolt-on fender extensions on the doors. I could be wrong, but.... No sense doing a $20k redo without being able to prove ownership.
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
Preston knows his old Chevies I'm a little confused, I thought sedan deliveries were car based and panel deliveries were truck based. Chevy cars of that period had that "lovely" knee action front end, this vehicle has parallel leafs, frame swap perhaps? I notice it's already got a later rear end in it too.
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
And another thing about this beauty, all the body hardware uses 'clutch-head' bolts and screws. Snap-on has the tools, if you can't find them elsewhere. Watch setting the front clip back on...They used about a hundred shims and it is a real bear. Better set it on for a tril fit, before you do the final paint! I put a '48 Chevy PU front clip back on the one I did about ten times before we had it where we needed it and it did scratch up the finish considerably.
BTW the grille is interchangeable with other Chevy 47 or 48 cars, I believe.
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
Well, I am humbled by George's expert eagle-eye of the front shackles! The knee action shocks were the only thing I ever knew about the suspension of late 40s and early 50s GMers. I never heard of knee action leaf springs, but I have lots yet to learn. I know later delivery sedans were based off of the stationwagen looking models. The '49 was definitely off the car chassis and body (with the ambulance door at the rear that opened sideways), but earlier? I did a '48 Delivery Sedan Chevy (with side windows all the way back and four doors) and it was definitely a truck. Some even called it a Suburban, but it had no such name plates and used all the truck parts. If I can find the picture, I could help maybe identify this one's vintage. hmmmm
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
Preston, I do better with the Fords as far as ID's, I remember for awhile the Chevies came with the knee action shock/coil spring combo on the Deluxe and the leafs on the Masters for a few years but I thought by 46 they were all knee action/coils. I've been around a bunch of pickups and cars from that era but I never fooled with a delivery. I guess usuing leafs for the delivery would have made sense though. The best I can remember the ride on both sucked bad. The leafs beat you to pieces and the knee action/coils floated all over the road. I've seen one of the "Suburbans" like you mentioned, based on a panel delivery.
Posted by Lee Hulick (Member # 1112) on :
Preston and George,
Let me help clear up some thing without ruffling anyone's feathers. I just got a 'restoration kit' from GM with contains about 30 pages of spec, more specs than anyone short of a hardcore restorer could ask for. The car, I repeat, car I have is all based on the Chevy sedan, hence the name sedan delivery. The Suburban is a truck based vehicle as are the panel trucks. The front suspension on the delivery is suppose to be a double a-arm setup. However, mine is the wosrt backyard mechanic's cob-job we've ever seen. The upper mounts on the front of these springs are acually othe leafs cut off, flipped over and welded, (poorly I might add) to the frame. On top of that, the axle is a six-lug, 3/4 ton unit.
As for checking numbers, the VIN plate is still intact on the right front door pilar where GM says it should be. The rear end in this is an oh-so rare '57 Olds axle. Any one wanting it, come and get for free. I don't need it or want it. There is no engine and I'm not restoring it, so that whole 'matching numbers' thing is irrelevant to me.
From what I can find from months of research, Olds, Pontiac and Chevy body parts are entirely interchangable from 1946 thru 1948. With that on my side, I should be ok finding part. I'm currently bidding on a front clip for a 48 Chevy on e-bay for about $100. Wish me luck.
Lee
Posted by Jim & Chris hetzler (Member # 1709) on :
Lee, How about having it done for the Camp Courageous Pinhead Jam in May!!!! I didn't say what year.....LOL!!!! looks like an awesome project and can't wait to see what your plans are. Hey, how about a rendering when you figure it out. Anyway if you need any help locating anything just let me know....
I'm a little confused, I thought sedan deliveries were car based and panel deliveries were truck based. Chevy cars of that period had that "lovely" knee action front end, this vehicle has parallel leafs, frame swap perhaps? I notice it's already got a later rear end in it too.
