Now this car is the very definition of the barn find, a 1941 Chevrolet two-door sedan that’s been sitting “in dry storage” since 1970. The car is in Martin, Georgia, and vendor Paul says it’s “all there,” “solid,” and would “make a nice rat ride.” The asking price is $6,500 and you can find it here on Facebook Marketplace.
That’s about all the information we get, other than that it’s a straight-six. But the photos are good and tell the story of an unmolested, complete and as far as can be seen, rust-free example of the handsome breed. There aren’t any undercarriage photos, but the car does indeed look very solid. It was stored in an old garage full of junk, but not one dripping with damp. And it’s a southern Chevy. Martin is a tiny town (population 381) in northern Georgia.
I’m only seeing two pedals. That means the car has GM’s “Vacuum-Power” semi-automatic. It was a three-on-the-tree, which shifted via vacuum when the column lever was pressed. The all-new post-war models introduced in 1949 had a true Powerglide two-speed automatic available (Deluxe and Bel Air only).
Other modern touches on the ’41 Chevy included headlights integrated into the fenders, disappearing running boards and a cool wood-grained dash (but not on this car). I’m not sure which model this is, but it’s not top-of-the-line. Of course, 1941 sales were interrupted by Pearl Harbor on December 7. The 90-horsepower engine became the “Victory Six,” and production ended in 1942 for war work. The ’46 to ’48 models were only slightly improved versions of the 1941—so this is a fairly rare bird.
A car that’s been sitting for 50 years needs to be woken up carefully. The gas tank will probably have to be replaced, or else thoroughly cleaned. The lines need renewing, and Marvel Mystery Oil needs to go down those cylinders so the bores aren’t completely dry when a startup is attempted. The brakes are going to need everything. And although the tires hold air, would you trust your life to them? The interior isn’t bad, though reupholstery is essential, especially with big holes in the back seat and very grotty door panels. The horn center/emblem is missing, but maybe around somewhere. All the glass looks good. The engine has plenty of surface rust, but everything is present and accounted for, including the air filter.
My guess is that it could be revived fairly easily if it’s not seized up. If you’re going to make a rat rod out of this thing, the old flathead six is going in the dumpster anyway. But this could make a really nice restored classic, too, with the six offering plenty of power for Sunday drives. What would you do to this sleeping beauty?
It has a clutch pedal.
It’s not a flat head six, it’s an OHV six and it needs to be restored/upgraded back to as near original as possible in my mind, there are plenty of rat rods out there already but very few 1941 Chevy two door sedans!
It’s cool, but overpriced. This is not a car that’s in high demand.
The pictures don’t give enough detai and because it has been sitting since 1970 it’s going to take significant work to make it reliable. With the recent disruptions to the economy, the seller will likely be sitting on this car for a long time. This is the sort of car value shoppers tend to buy, it’s rather generic, price and condition are all important. One aspect of that equation is out of line, the other is unknown.
Steve R
They are only original once. Get it running make it road ready and wash it and drive it every day.
Did they make fuel filters like that in 1970?
1941 last pre-war cars manufactured.
It is clear once again that the author knows little about which he writes.
“I’m only seeing two pedals.” Correct, because the accelerator pedal is obscured.
“That means the car has GM’s “Vacuum-Power” semi-automatic.” Ignorant statement. Chevrolet (or GM for that matter) never had a semi-automatic transmission. All Chevrolet cars in that era had the VACUUM-ASSIST shifting mechanism. YOU STILL NEEDED THE CLUTCH TO SHIFT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB9hgWwoP-U
Where does Barn Finds find these writers?
Is the accelerator pedal hidden by the handbrake lever? Coming from a RH drive country I didn’t realise that the accelerator pedal would ever be on the left side of the clutch/brake pedal. I have owned lots of LHD American cars and none of them have been on the LH side. Was this Chevy different in 1941?
What you see under the hand brake activater is the dimmer switch for the headlights.
God bless America
I blew this picture up and put it on my 60 inch TV. It looks to me like the accelerator pedal is completely missing.
No need to be crass. We are all learning or should be, even the authors.
Kindly pointing out the errors is helpful. Berating people is not.
Yeah, if you think you can do better why not apply for the job next time they are looking for help?
I bought this ’41 Special Deluxe 4 Dr in 1999. Last licensed in 1964. I got it running by the usual tricks, ATF soaking the cylinders for a few days, cranked it over several minutes with no plugs, new spark plugs and overhauling the carb. I run an 8 volt tractor battery, cranked the voltage regulator to charge up to 9.6 volts. Found some 6 volt halogen sealed beams for headlights, rest of bulbs and accessories work great on 8 volts. I fabricated a mount to put in a dual reservoir master cylinder, rest of the brakes are rebuilt originals (next upgrade will be to go to ’53 style self servo brakes). I put ’39-’47 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup wheels on, they are 15″, 6 lug artillery style, bolt right on and have 235/70/15 radial blackwall tires. A friend found some NOS Pure Oil boxed seat covers, box listed ’46-’48 Pontiac 4 door, but they fit perfectly. All in all, looks very original, maybe day two circa WWII. People are drawn to it like a magnet at the local car shows, they love seeing them as they used to be.
@Johnmloghry. Yeah, I can see the dimmer switch but I still don’t see an accelerator pedal.
If you look to the right of the brake pedal you will see a very small piece of angled metal coming from the firewall. That is where the top of the gas pedal mounts to. The bottom mount is a two hole piece that connects to the floor. That peddle part is not installed. Over time the hinge portion of the gas pedal would rot crack and break. They are made out of rubber and a thin piece of metal. Go to your parts provider and look up the part to see what I mean. This is a 3 peddle car. That part is not hard to replace. If I had a place to put it I would love to own this car.
Thank you Pete. Now I see it.
1950 was the first year for the Powerglide transmission.