Post-War Project: 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster

Along with other U.S. automobile manufacturers, Chevrolet’s post-war models (1946 to 1948) were largely warmed-over pre-war products. Due to World War II, all U.S. auto production ceased in 1942 and didn’t return until 1946. The first redesign didn’t come until 1949. The seller has a nice 1948 Fleetmaster which looks better than the “fair condition” rating he/she has applied to it. Located in Pueblo, Colorado, this white-over-blue Bow-Tie is available here on craigslist for $6,500 OBO. Thumbs up to Mike F. for another neat tip.

Though the cars were the same, Chevrolet had mixed up the names of the models. Fleetmaster replaced the Special Deluxe (Chevy’s naming conventions were rather dull until the late 1950s). It was the top series, flanked by the Stylemaster and Fleetline, which was a subset of the Fleetmaster. All of the cars were powered by a 216 cubic inch inline-6 (V8s didn’t return until 1955), paired with a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission. This is a running car with some new parts.

The body and paint on this Chevy look sharp, but the black painted thin bumpers fore and aft suggest they replaced chrome ones or maybe this is a sub-series Fleetline. The seller says the interior is a work-in-progress, as blankets from Walmart are covering up both bench seats. So, this is a “fixer-upper” with the finish line perhaps in sight.

New goodies include the tires, gas tank, and a conversion from six to 12 volts for the electrical system. The odometer has turned over, but we don’t know how far, so the car has at least 100,000 miles. We’re told that trades would be considered, and they fall along the lines of a Chevy Camaro or Pontiac Firebird (from 1967 until?) or a Chevy C10 pickup.