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Runs And Drives For $1,500: 1947 Chevrolet Town Sedan

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A basically solid car, this 1947 Chevrolet Town Sedan could be a great foundation for a restoration, or with less work, it could be a driver while you were waiting on exterior cosmetics. The car is located in a yard with a lot of other interesting machinery in Great Falls, Montana, and is up for sale here on eBay where the buy-it-now is only $1,500 but the seller invites you to make an offer!

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As you can see, this Chevrolet has it’s share of dents, rust and missing parts. It is, however, just plain ol’ cool looking, isn’t it? As anyone that sees some of my cars would know, I don’t think a car has to be perfect to be enjoyed. I have several long-term project cars that I or other family members drive, and I’m gradually improving their condition, but I doubt that they will ever be “restored.” I think this car could be just like those for someone else.

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One of the things you’ll have to replace is all of the glass apart from the rear window. As the seller notes, though, it’s all flat glass, so it’s a case of getting it cut to fit. You can even get all the weatherstripping here, although a whole car kit costs about what the buy-it-now is! I’m guessing you can come up with the missing bumper guards somewhere as well. I found a lot of parts available through these folks.

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The interior of the car needs some help, but the surprisingly the floors don’t look too bad. Obviously, the seats will need replacement. I’d be tempted to place a late model junkyard bench seat in on a temporary basis while I searched for an original seat. I love the art deco center of the dashboard!

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Here’s your surprise for the day! The car actually runs and drives, at least around the seller’s yard! So you have a running and driving project that needs some help for what might be a pretty low price! What do you think? What would you do with this project?

Comments

  1. Avatar DENIS

    Neat old car…seems like a fair buy as it’s running and fairly solid…may need a touch-up n seat cover

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  2. Avatar Joe Nose

    Runs and drives, as long as you don’t need to brake or fall through the seat framing.

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  3. Avatar Eric Dashman

    My Uncle (sort of) Ray, an old time mechanic in Brooklyn, used to have one of these Chevy’s in the fast-back (Fleetline?) version. It was a really nice ride, albeit slow…but very comfortable. I can still remember the smell of the cloth…a nice comforting smell, not moldy or anything like that. His daughters, Laura and JoAnn, both learned to drive a stick (3 on the tree, of course) with that car…in the city. To be on the safe side, Ray installed a lever on the steering column that attached by a rod to the brake pedal. The lever was parallel to the floor and in easy reach of the passenger so that Ray could attempt to forestall any adverse events while the girls were learning. As far as I know, he was successful. Ray is the one who taught me about engines, since my dad could have cared less. Pop was a tool & die maker, so when he came home, car maintenance wasn’t high priority. He’d change the oil when the breather cap would blow off from pressure and bang against the underside of the hood.

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  4. Avatar seth

    wow,
    throw a seat in and some brake drive it

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  5. Avatar Peregrine Lance

    I remember from my youth that these late ’40s Chevvies had what they called a “vacuum shift.”

    Can anyone enlighten me about its function? I used to run through the gears when my buddy and I were left alone in their car (a ’47 two-door), and the shift definitely had a drag to it, even while not running.

    Was the purpose merely to make gear-changing smoother?

    Thanks.

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  6. Avatar Peregrine Lance

    Thanks, Ed! /perry

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