Vehicle Description
1951 Chevrolet Fleetline Wagon
Back in 1951, station wagons were still made for folks that needed
room to carry stuff, and Chevrolets showed nicely in their
exuberant proportions. Quite soon, these load haulers would fall
prey to Harley Earl's relentless quest for "longer, lower, wider"
cars, too, and while certainly gaining showroom appeal, they would
lose a lot of their practicality. Nobody mourned, though: style
over substance became the trend of the times, and buyers happily
adapted their aspirations to the grand scheme of automotive
fashion.
For consignment a low production number made Fleetline Station
Wagon from Chevrolet right out of 1951. This beauty has undergone a
complete frame off restoration and is in beautiful overall
condition. A new engine and transmission, we could refer to this as
slightly rodded, slightly the original design, totally cool overall
grocery getter, getaway classic with very cool 1950s styling and
chrome adornments.
Exterior
From the very front tip of the rocket jet hood ornament atop the
bulbous hood, central trim running from front to back to the split
windscreen, and flanking integrated rounded fenders with visor
bezels over a single round headlight, this car is 1951 and then
some. A straight triple wide horizontal rib grille with fog
lighting, and horizontal arrow turn signals at either side, and a
gracefully curved bumper below, it's that good that you could style
your hair and get dressed in front of it, and you will not miss a
beat. Looking at the steel side slabs which are painfully straight
and have well minded gaps all bathed in green and adorned with a
side trim spear, which ends at the rear bulbous fender with front
protector chromed plate, and a fender skirt for that extra low and
slow look. A "tin" woody faux but very convincing wood grain is
painted on to the front door uppers, and starts its downward swoop
through the rear doors, and widening at the rear quarter,
eventually taking over the entire rear tailgate. 17-inch American
Racing polished 5 spoke wheels are wrapped by somewhat low-profile
rubber and its looking like new all around on this skeuomorph.
Interior
The full restoration continues inside for the door panels which
consist of a "tin" painted upper in maple, then a true mahogany
panel with billet handles and power window toggles in an aluminum
oval panel, and a leather covered door pull/armrest. Turning our
body to the inside we slip in and feel the warmth of the leather
benches in a saddle brown that show virtually no wear and have near
perfect padding and filling. This holds true for a second row which
is another shorter bench allowing access from the passenger side
and sitting on a raised "stage" with metal armrests. Yet a third
row of leather seating is way back and stretches from side panel to
side panel. All these benches do not have nary a mark upon them. A
beautifully restored to original dash is painted a beautiful
neutral gray, which compliments the seats and shows off the chrome
ribbing and bezels for the dash. New gauges for the dash, a Lecara
steering wheel fronting it, and on the back carpeted flopper, a
boot in matching leather to the seats covers the lower portion of a
Lokar shifter, A/C, and a great stereo have been added for comfort
and entertainment. Fine mohair is on the headliner and is looking
good with all the interior wood and leather trimmings, as well as
the wood separators for each headliner panel.
Drivetrain
Popping the massive hood, we are greeted with a WOW on the engine
bay with a like new bay with green paint, all new wiring and a ZZ3
350ci crate engine courtesy of Chevrolet. It is topped with a
4-barrel carburetor, and on back a new 700 R4 4-speed automatic
transmission. A Ford 9-inch rear axle is on, and there is plenty of
bling bolted on to the engine to keep your eyes memorized for a
while under the hood.
Undercarriage
Using the words "frame off" yields always impressive surfaces
seldom seen out of a showroom if you were to crawl underneath while
it's there...but who does that? So now you won't have to as well is
totally like new, rust free, and showing structurally sound with
big black frame with Mustang II front suspension now on, and leaf
springs for the rear. Power disc brakes are upfront thanks to
Wilwood, and power drums are on the back. Even attention has been
paid to the floorpans and side rocker hangers which are as nice as
the topside green. A Flowmaster exhaust snakes rearward from the
headers that are attached to the mill upfront.
Drive-Ability
All hands-on deck as everyone wanted a ride in this beauty, so we
took the gang to the test track where it performed beautifully,
handled very well, and accelerated like a champ. Braking was good
and all functions were working as they should. All piling out after
our ride had a smile so I assume all good!
Consigner stated over 125K was spent on this total restoration and
looking at this car one can believe this in spades. Just a beauty
of a ride, and still retains its 1951 charm with some tasteful
rodding. A strong engine, smooth transmission and beautiful
interior are just a few of the many highlights one can associate
with this wonderful ride with a stated few hundred miles since the
redux.
VIN DECODE
14JKC54247
14-Baltimore, MD Assy Plant
J-1951
K-Fleetline Deluxe
C-March Build
54247-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
