The seller says this 1950 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery is wearing satin paint; it isn’t just gray primer. I may have chosen another color just so I didn’t have to explain that every time I was at a gas station or car show, but that’s just me. It’s a blank slate for the next owner to modify, put back to original spec, or really go nuts on it. It’s now posted here on craigslist in Frankfort, Illinois, and they’re asking $11,750. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Zappenduster for the tip!
The sedan delivery body style has to be one of the coolest and most unique, and one of the rarest to see today, as they were typically used hard without thought for their now collector status. They were just delivery vehicles and were often driven by people who didn’t own them – think of how you drive a rental car!
A reported 1,455 Sedan Delivery models were made for the 1950 model year, and they came in 1500 Series. I love the single door in the back, which is said to have been easier to open for delivery drivers with their hands full. One and done, they didn’t have two doors to open. This car appears in really nice condition, and the seller talks about the bodywork.
With “virtually no bondo” in the body and mostly what I’m assuming is welded in “patch panels”, it really looks sharp. I can do without the white wall tires. I would repaint this car in a period-correct color, along with the steel rims, and put a nice set of blackwall tires on it so it looked original, but that’s just me. The seats have been changed out to much more comfortable bucket seats as you can see, and the three-speed column shifter was moved to the floor, a nice touch and I’d leave that. The back looks as nice as everything else does.
The engine is said to be a 1969 six-cylinder, but we don’t know what size it is, unfortunately. The seller gives hardly any information at all and none about the operating condition, but I have to believe that it runs and drives at least. Would you make any modifications to this Chevy Sedan Delivery?
Sweet. Really looks tight, down to the wiring. Great price. I recently bought a 53 F 100 from an estate. It was entirely upgraded. Although, I wish the departed owner left a list in the glove box of all the different parts he used… Pain in the arse trying to order parts when you don’t know what you have. I since learned it has a 69 RS 302 block, Plymouth front disc breaks, etc, etc… PS you can’t find a manufactured gas tank for a panel truck, gotta have one made.
I had a 53 F-100 panel delivery that I sold 5 years ago for the more comfortable 66 F-100 pickup. You are correct about the gas tank being special to the panel truck and almost impossible to find. Mine only seeped a little when full. The sedan delivery is like a station wagon with rear door instead of tail gate and no rear windows, rarer than the panel delivery truck. This Chevy probably has the same tank as the wagon. By the way I have some body parts for you for the 53 F-100, etc.
Body is tight on my 53, everything else has been upgraded. Thank you for your offer of body parts. Will keep you in mind, just in case… Lol
Finding a real “car person” at a car parts place is getting more and more difficult. They hire people that know computers, not cars. Unless you know make and model of the part you need, they are lost! Walked into an Advance the other day with a heat riser for a big block 402 Chevrolet. Handed it to the kid behind the counter & said I needed 2 gaskets for it. He asked what car. I said it was a Chevrolet big block but it was going into a 55 Packard. He came back and said I was crazy, big block Chevrolets never came with fuel injection! He thought it was a throttle body!
I can top that. I needed a thermostat for a Chevy 350, so he asks, What year, make, and model… I get to the part of model, and tell him it’s an El Camino… He says, What’s that?!?
Bet there are many horror stories of going into auto parts stores staffed with fast food workers. Mine involved trying to get a locking gas cap for my pickup. You’d think I was asking for a wiring harness for a Ford Retractable.
Bet there are many horror stories of going into auto parts stores staffed with fast food workers. Mine involved trying to get a locking gas cap for my pickup. You’d think I was asking for a wiring harness for a Ford Retractable.
Wouldn’t change a thing about it mechanically. But we very well be dealing with a ’51 SD instead of a ’50–
unless someone swapped out the the
’50 dash at some point as this one is equipped with a ’51 unit. Other than that, I too would paint it up in a dark red and then put some Door Dash signage on it and call it done until I could save up some cash to take it to
the next level. If it’s drivable, I’d fly up
with a friend and drive it back home just like Mortsky on Vice Grip Garage.
But if I was gonna do that, I’d be tuning up the 6, (Our little friend parked under the hood is a 250 cube
version mostly found in Chevelle’s and Novas) and servicing the stopalatiators. The 6 is mated to either
the original tranny in the truck, or the
one it left the plant with. And with no
underside pics, you’re gonna be guessing which one you have until you replace the clutch or the throwout
bearing. For now I’m gonna say that the tranny’s original to the truck and not the engine. In order to do an engine swap on one of these, you’re
gonna have to change out the whole
rear end too as these models still have torque tubes and didn’t get an open drive shaft til ’55. Sounds like a
really nice truck for what you’re gonna pay for it. Too bad I don’t have the cash or time for it.
wow I’m slipping your rt it’s a 51 or 52 dash had to go back and look
Dump the six, needs an LS with a truck super charger on top.
Jerry, the “it’s only original once” people are going to hate the LS idea. Not that an LS conversion is bad, but that amount of power is a problem with 1950 steering, brakes and rear end. Not to mention the changing the torque tube rear and to an open driveshaft. Now you’re into resto-mod territory to make it right.
I have a 1943 Ford GPW Jeep that my cousin built years ago. It has a hopped up 283 Chevy, 6″ lift and 36″ Desert Dog sand tires. It’s cute, but top heavy with tires that have very little grip on asphalt.
The steering is marginal at best and the brakes were designed to stop the 70 HP 134 CI “Go Devil” four cylinder powered Jeep from 30 MPH at best. Slowing it down is more effective downshifting than standing on the brakes.
I used to be capable of fixing it, but I’m over 70 and not able to do a lot of what needs done. I just drive it around the ‘hood on the days when I can get into the stupid thing. I wasn’t drinking when I decided to buy it from my cousin’s widow, so I don’t have that excuse for being dumb enough to buy it.
I might be nit picking here, but I don’t think the sedan delivery came as a 1500, 3100, or 3800 which I think meant 1/2 3/4 or 1 ton. I think that was the panel truck that was based on the pickups. The sedan delivery was car based. Seeing how this one is already modified, if it were mine I would just go that route. The original seats I think were buckets, the passenger seat may have even been an option. Good luck finding a set of those, if you were to restore it.
This looks like a lot of vehicle for the money. Solid body, decent interior, 12V conversion looks like a good job, and its a runner. You could drive this and make changes as you go. 11 grand isn’t going to get you much more in the way of solid, vintage car these days. Or as they say a nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.
You know, I think you’re absolutely right, sir. Thanks for catching that!
Sweet!!! Another drive and have fun vehicle!
292 six, but painted & stickered to look like a stovebolt. Not sure what I’d do gearbox wise, though I like the idea of a 3 speed & an overdrive.
That would mean the torque tube would have to go.
Look at that engine bay and wiring system, Lot’s of room to work. So simple. Ah the good old days!
The body is one of GM’s best designs, to look at, anyway. The engine swap is necessary if you are going to drive it on an Interstate, the 216 Chevy, splash lubrication, without overdrive, was good for 55 all day, but not much more. The 235, came with PowerGlides in ’51, and everything thereafter, was much better for “high speed”, think 65 mph all day, driving. It’s a mongrel as it sits, no problem making it a better mongrel. A lot easier than the Citroen.
lot of red wire
great write up until part about white wall tired it should have pieord correct ww the full white wall the thin ww on it did not come out till 1961 seeing I was 5 years old when this car was new I remember seeing them on the road and knowing I get some negative feedback I would love to see ww tires come back I miss them
Al, I don’t know if a Sedan Delivery from 1950 or any era would have had white wall tires. This wasn’t a fancy car with whitewall tires, in general, most of them had regular black wall tires as they were working utility vehicles, as those shown in this eBay link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/326200701287
you hàve a point there like having à pick up truck with white wall tires which a lot of ranchero did and some upper end pick ups did but in general they would have been black walls
Men and there LS they want to stick into everthing!
For some reason, an accident maybe, the front clip has been changed. Definitely a 1951/1952 dash….easier to change front clip versus a dash change…. Nice looking panel, needs some TLC.
This is a sedan delivery like a station wagon, not a panel delivery truck. When some say “panel wagon” meaning “panel truck” that makes it even more confusing. I know because I owned an F-100 panel delivery 1/2 ton for 30 years. I have heard all variations. This Chevy looks really nice as is. If I was interested, I would fix the light that may be the left front turn signal, make sure the brakes were okay and drive as is. It is rarer than a truck, though used commercially.
This is a sedan delivery like a station wagon, not a panel delivery truck. When some say “panel wagon” meaning “panel truck” that makes it even more confusing. I know because I owned an F-100 panel delivery 1/2 ton for 30 years. I have heard all variations. This Chevy looks really nice as is. If I was interested, I would fix the light that may be the left front turn signal, make sure the brakes were okay and drive as is. It is rarer than a truck, though used commercially.
Best painter’s truck of all time.
That statement just sparked some memories, I believe my Dad had one like this he used for his side job being he was full time Fire Department. I smelled the paint, could see the rags and buckets with a ladder thrown in the back as soon as I read it.
When I was a kid, my dad drove a ’49 “panel wagon” to work every day. He actually painted it Battleship Gray with a paintbrush over the weekend in our garage when he first bought it. He sold it a few years later, and I saw it all over the place for several years. The paintjob was unmistakable.
I own an almost unmodified 1950 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery and I have all literature form the period that I am aware of, so I have a few corrections to some comments. The Sedan Delivery is part of their least expensive series with a series number of 1500. The Deluxe is series is 2100. The Sedan Delivery is a 1508. The sales brochure lists white sidewall tires as an option. Two more general comments: The dash is welded in so change it would quite an undertaking, so my guess is this is not a 1950. The taillights are not the original style.
There’s a pretty nice 51 that just showed up on Hemmings. Just glanced of the pictures, $21,000.