Vehicle Description
1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster
After nearly four war years in which no civilian passenger cars had
been produced, Detroit could have sold anything with wheels that
went round and round. Chevrolet, along with most of its
competitors, shrewdly elected to serve up existing models. After
all, the paid-for factory tooling was already in place, and the
demand for new cars was unprecedented.
For consignment, an owned from the mid 1950's car that was given to
the son in law, our consignor in 2000, and the addiction of classic
car ownership began. All was gone through to make the car drivable
and road ready. And we are off...
Exterior
Chevrolet was kicking some styling butt in 1948 and looking at the
sleek forward-facing lines of this car it could be moving, but it's
standing still. Even so it is still moving...our eyes visually,
from the swept forward "B" pillar to its voluptuous fenders and
nicely down curved "boot" this car just drips late 40's styling.
The tall standing knobby hood sits proudly above a chromed grille
and bumper assembly. A shout out to the hood ornament with its red
translucent insert, just fab. The back of the car just uses curved
lines to their max with not a straight line seen anywhere, even the
taillights. These bulbous steel panels are sprayed in a repaint of
the original Battleship Gray Metallic. The paint job is showing age
with cracking, crazing and areas of surface rust particularly on
the fenders.
Interior
A swing of the door and we are met with door panels making use of
beautiful grained wood for the interior window surrounds and cloth
for the center panels. Chromed door handles and cranks are framed
with cream bakelite bezels, and present very nicely. Looking at the
very utilitarian but functional dash, we see an alignment of
rectangular gauges to drivers left and a speedo on the right which
is attached to a wonderful horizontal chromed speaker frame and
ending on the other side in a clock. Cream Bakelite knobs are noted
and have a beautifully aged color which contrasts to the dark tan
metal paint sprayed dash. Seat covers have been installed over the
front split bench and rear couchlike bench seats, the condition is
unknown but we do spy some tearing and wear of the tan striped
cloth. The headliner is showing some staining (maybe from glue,
maybe water?). Steering wheel, and shift lever knob are in good
condition, but both show some wear.
Drivetrain
The 216ci inline 6-cylinder engine resides in the clean but patina
filled engine bay. A 1-barrel carburetor feeds the engine, and it
is attached to a 3-speed manual transmission. On the rear end is an
axle weighing in with a 4.11 ratio.
Undercarriage
Surface rust covers the frame, floor pans, body hangers and rocker
panels but there is no invasive rust to be seen. Independent coil
spring suspension is on the front while leaf springs bring up the
rear. 4-wheel drum brakes are noted as is a clean single piped
exhaust system. A shout out to the poly-plastic fuel tank in place
of the original.
Drivability
I slid behind the wheel and was transported back in time; things
were simpler then. A turn of the key and a push of the starter
pedal and she came to life. Performance was adequate, as was
braking and handling. A real pleasure to drive and save for a non
functional fuel gauge, non lighting reverse lights, and a
disconnected speedometer cable, (disconnected by our consignor due
to excessive noise), all was good.
A lovingly cared for recycled design from pre-WW2 carried over in
the post war years. Having stood the tests of time and residing in
the same family for almost 50 years, this icon of Chevrolet is now
residing in our West mallway at the Classic Auto Mall ready for you
to scoop her up and preserve the legacy.
VIN DECODE
14FKF32881
14-Baltimore, MD Assy Plant
FK-Fleetmaster
F-1948
32881-Sequential Unit Number
TRIM TAG
STYLE NO 48 1027-1948 Fleetmaster Sport Coupe
BODY NO M3310-Baltimore Body #
TRIM NO 151-Tan Striped Pile Fabric
PAINT NO 374-Battleship Gray Metallic
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.
