We’re no strangers to low-mileage claims at Barn Finds, and some stand scrutiny better than others. This 1949 Chevrolet Styleline Sedan may fall into that category. The seller states that its odometer shows 24,600 genuine miles. Since it has remained in the same family for an incredible seventy-five years, there may be documentation confirming the figure. It needs minor work, but the seller includes the parts required to ensure this Old Chevy is in excellent mechanical condition. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder T.J. for spotting the Styleline listed here on Craigslist in Visalia, California. The seller states that this classic is priced to sell at $18,500.
When hostilities ended in 1945, American manufacturers turned their focus to passenger car production following years of dedicating their facilities to the war effort. The first vehicles were little more than lightly rewarmed versions of their early models, but that changed in 1949, when almost every major manufacturer released its first new post-war models. Chevrolet was no exception, unveiling the Fleetline and Styleline in various body types to appeal to every taste and requirement. This first-year Styleline Sedan was ordered by its first female owner in Mayland Black. It has remained part of the same family ever since, with the seller indicating that this classic retains its original paint. The depth of color and shine is impressive if that is the case. The seller admits that there are areas of lacquer checking, but the car’s overall presentation is comfortably acceptable for a survivor-grade classic. The panels are laser-straight, the gaps are tight and consistent, and this garage-kept Chevy is rust-free. The trim sparkles against the dark paint shade, and the glass is clear.
This Styleline’s interior must have felt luxurious by the standards of the day. The first owner equipped it with a factory radio, a heater, and a passenger-side sunvisor, while the clock was standard equipment. Once again, the presentation is all that you would rightfully expect from a vehicle of this caliber. There is slight headliner deterioration in the rear passenger compartment, but that appears to be the only significant issue. The upholstered surfaces aren’t ripped or badly worn, the rubber mat is excellent, and the wheel is crack-free. The seller doesn’t mention any functional issues or shortcomings, suggesting that all features work as they should.
Powering this Chevy is the company’s 216.5ci six with quoted power and torque figures of 90hp and 174 ft/lbs. Chevrolet offered buyers a three-speed manual transmission in 1949, with the optional automatic unit released the following year. This Styleline is about as mechanically original as they come, even retaining its 6-volt electrical system. The seller recently had it serviced and tuned up, replacing the plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor, battery, and other items. The brakes require TLC to perform at their peak, but the trunk is full of new parts that will ensure that the system functions at its best. Otherwise, this Styleline is a turnkey proposition with a motor that runs like a Swiss watch.
There is almost certainly no classic that will appeal to everyone, although enthusiasts seeking an exceptionally tidy post-war survivor may be irresistibly drawn to this 1949 Chevrolet Styleline Sedan. The seller states that it isn’t perfect, but its presentation is above average for a survivor of this vintage. The car’s history won’t add to its potential value, although it would be an excellent conversation starter at any Cars & Coffee. This old Chevy has only been on the market for a short period, but how quickly do you feel it will find a new home?
Missing chrome on front fenders and doors as well as rear window makes me doubt original finish claim.
Also for $18,500 I’d expect the seller to have it registered in their name, but once that happens it’s no longer a 1 family owned car. The problem is it’s expensive to do in California with sales tax and registration fees, plus you have to have the VIN verified generally by the CHP which often requires some disassembly.
No matter how nice, how many people will be willing to pay nearly $20,000 for this car? For that amount of money and with the amount of competition in this segment if the market from various makes and models, unless a particular car is a potential buyers dream car, it’s competing on price with every other similar car.
Steve R
This isn’t a DeLuxe model, so it would not get the chrome trim. The other clue is that the trim around the rear window is not chrome, either. My dad had a ’51 DeLuxe, and it had the chrome trim. This is a base model, not the upper tier (for those well-heeled folks!). It does look clean, but the market will determine if someone will shell out the money for it.
Well, they’re still out there and still rarin’ to go. Mine only had 19K miles on it when we pulled it out of the shed some years back. It’s got 43K on it now and will still take you anywhere you want to go and bring you back.
Oh, it likes to mark its spot wherever you decide to park it but just pay attention to the levels and it will do you good service. Just don’t try to go anything faster than 55.
You need to pay attention to your tappet clearance and they can be unpredictable. Got the exhaust valves too tight and ended up doing a valve job. Not a serious thing but still needed to be done. Runs like a top ever since…
Geomechs, you never cease to amaze me in what you have, and what you’ve worked on !! Both yours and this one featured are absolutely beautiful. If this black one has its original lacquer paint, it’s in impressive condition, ecen if it does have some checking, thats normal with age with lacquer. Under the hood it looks like a color photo taken in 1951, looks very clean to me. I have always thought that these are a great body style ( especially the fast backs) but all of them look great. Once again, great find to the eagle eyed T.J. and a great write up too Adam. I’m really hoping this gets a good new home, in a heated garage and preserved, not too many low mileage, clean, original old Chevies like this out there anymore. And hope it gets driven and enjoyed some too of course. Old cars need exercise.
Am I the only one gawking at the carburetor?
Now I need to get over to the shop and look at my carburetor. Mine definitely is not the same although the air cleaner and everything else is…
Wow! What a sight for theses sore old eyes of mine! Had one almost like this one in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Mine was a top tier DeLuxe model with all the
chrome tid bits that made it look that way. And no, it wasn’t as nice as this one but it ran and drove when I got it and that’s all that really mattered back then. It
had a ’53 235 with a 3 on the tree,
but we enjoyed it all the same. Used it as my DD when my 1et wife and I were dating. Had good bones to start with even though the body and interior needed redoing to make it a decent looking car. And that’s the down
side of playing music over the road–I never had the time to finish the car! Wound up selling it in ’82 when the music business dried up and I lost my job playing.
This one, if memory serves, is a
base model. You know, the kind of car that was bought by the Government for fleet use. Looks like Aunt Ida ponied up some cash to get a radio, right hand visor, and just a dollop of chrome
trim. Other than that, it’s simply a
base spec ’49 sedan. And that Fulton sun visor, another add on done later. The reason I say that is because in the film The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951), a whole bunch of these base Chevies came tearing out of federal buildings when the flying
saucer landed in Washington DC.
In fact, I find it very refreshing to
see one of these that’s NOT dripping with chrome trim. And to the seller: you have a really nice car here but unless you have
all your docs in a row, I’m not buying that 26K mileage claim of
yours. Show me your docs and then I’ll believe you. Other than that, I give it an 8.
This car, the Styleline Special, did not have stainless molding on the side of the car or stainless reveal molding around the windshield or rear window. The rear fender guards were changed from rubber to stainless. Also, the air cleaner set up is wrong.
To clarify my post regarding the air cleaner….. it is wrong in the sense that Chevy engineers decided that the original 49 air cleaner was too close to the ground and was picking up excessive dirt so it was changed mid year to a different design. So yes it is the original 1949 factory air cleaner but it was decided early on that it wasn’t the right set up…Happy Thanksgiving to all!
The carb is a cast iron Carter W1,
I have one on my 41’ Chev Special Deluxe
To clarify my previous comment regarding the air cleaner.
Yes, it is correct for the 49 Chevy Passenger models.
But mid year Chevy engineers decided the cleaner element was situated too close to the ground and picked up excessive dirt and so the set up was re designed. Happy Thanksgiving.
.
look nice and a fair price for what it appears to be but i would want to see papers to prove it is what is been presented besides an old b/w pic of a bunch of old folks around a car
In Australia we only got the 4 door sedans. My grandfather had one and traded it for a new Holden in 1962. He went from 216cubes to 138cubes (the only engine available in Holdens at the time) he told me he drove the new car off the lot and after a mile almost turned back to get his old beast!
Seems like only “yesterday” that these cars were all over the place: how time flies! If I wantsd a 1949 car, however, a Chevrolet would not be the one I’d pick. A ’49 Buick might intrigue me, though…
Actually you wouldn’t be wandering too far off the reservation. Chevy shared a lot of sheet metal with Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. Even some Cadillacs…
I know. But the ’49 Buick was a pretty car! Someone right down the street from me drives a 1949 Pontiac, green with a cream top, all original, including upholstery coming apart at the seams on the driver’s side, an A.M. radio that still plays, and a clock that runs a little bit, whenever it feels like it. The laminated glass driver’s side window has a wonderful crack from the top to the bottom, all of the windows are yellowed and bubbly near their edges, and the car has springy little curb-feelers. It has a straight-eight, as far as I know, no seat belts, and original six-volt operation. The owner, who is 89, says that the odometer-reading has been around once, but not a second time — so, it has 167,000+ miles. He says that his father bought the car, new, then gave it to him when it was getting older and going to be traded-in, and he has had it ever since. It is wonderfully faded, but has no rust, and the paint is original. There are water-stains where the rear window has leaked (it still does — he tries not to have to drive when it’s raining). He says the car is a bit “tired” now, but it gets him wherever he needs to go around town. I have NO idea how old those tyres are, but they have the sort of cracking you get from dry-rot. Most of the time, the car sits in his garage, until he needs to go somewhere. But it won’t end up on Barn Finds — his grandson wants it.
My parents bought a 49 Chevy when I was about 6. It was our first 2nd car and the first car I loved! As soon as my dad got it home, he pulled the fender skirts and windshield shade. They still might be up in the attic of the garage today, although he house has sold at least twice since my parents moved out.