Can’t you hear this car saying “save me?” This 1950 Chevy looks like it hasn’t moved in a few decades. Listed for sale in Aberdeen, South Dakota here on craigslist for only $850. A challenging project to say the least.
Not a lot of information to go on from the ad, but this car appears to have lived a long time outside. The dent on the driver’s door is unfortunate. Other than that, she appears to be fairly dent-free. Notice what appears to be a home-made hitch on the rear bumper. Some shade tree fabrication there! I can imagine this car pulling a small camper for a family trip in the mid 50’s.
This car definitely needs a full restoration (or at least, entire mechanical, structural and probably electrical work). The ad states the main positive note is the car rolls. That’s not much of an encouraging note, but at only $850, it is tempting. Perhaps dropping the body over a custom chassis with LS or crate power would be an “easier” option than a full restoration?
Would you be brave enough to tackle a project this big? It’s sad to say, but parting out the grill, sheet metal, trim and good interior bits would more than make a tidy profit for the purchaser of this one. It deserves to be saved and I hope someone is willing to take it on.
Is that a Tempest lurking by the tree???Wonder what shape it’s in??
I see what looks like an early 60’s Pontiac lurking by the tree in the top photo. It does not appear to be in any better shape than the Chevy. Years ago I had a big old 1970 Caddy 4-door named Elwood (as in Blues Brothers) in similar condition that my daughter who was just a little girl at the time called “Yucky Car”. To keep the peace, I ended up selling the car for scrap and gave up on old car restoration projects.
Posting deleted…..
When I was a kid I didn’t like the ‘jelly bean’ appearance of this style of GM cars. However after having a ’49 Styleline of my own I sort of grew into it. I really enjoy mine, 55 mph and all. This one should be restored and enjoyed. It will take you anywhere you want to go and bring you back—in style…
Can you hear Diana Shorr singing “see the USA in your Chevrolet”?
Note to Barn-Finder administrator: lately I have been getting these pop-up ads when I click on “learn more” on certain vehicles. What’s worse is no matter how often you decline, the ad keeps popping back! I think this is adware that may have infected your Barn-Finder software. I have not seen this ad anywhere else on the Internet.
Hi Marshall. We are trying out new ad providers in an attempt to find one that doesn’t push pop-up ads, but it’s a rather difficult task these days. Don’t worry, nothing is infected on our end. And we are already trying out a different provider in hopes of finding one that doesn’t allow annoying pop-ups and the like.
Hi Marshall, Dinah Shore came out later with those ads, but you’re right. That jingle surfaced in late ’49 for the new 1950 models, but was sung by Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy. Dinah Shore sang the song after 1952.
Also, I’ve found, becoming a member seems to eliminate those ads, and you help this great site.
Then Mary Healy must be the female voice that I remember from the early 1950s Chevrolet ads. Though I did not see them until years later, since that was a little before my time.I stand corrected. I just assumed that since I saw a YouTube video of Dinah Shore promoting 1959 Chevrolets, That maybe she was also the singing voice for Chevrolet in the early 50s as well.
If I had the time, space, and cash, I’d be all over this one! This car needs to be saved and enjoyed. Before you, I see a car with great bones and I can’t think of a much cheaper way to get into the old car hobby. These are very simple cars to restore and repair– all of which can be done with a basic tool kit and a little time
and patience. If you’re worried about parts, don’t sweat it! Companies like
Easteood, Steele, and Dancuck can provide you with almost whatever you’ll
need to get this beauty back on the road again. And you don’t need a honkin’ LS6
to move it down the road either. Just bolt
in a later model 6-cylinder and aitomatic,
and you’re good to go. I would also swap
out the rear axle for a ’56 or ’57 unit to get
the benefits of an open driveline, as the
original driveshaft spun inside a torque tube. And how do I know all this you might ask? My Dad and I did all this to a
’52 Chevy 4-door sedan that I bought for
the princely sum of $10.00! The car was
a barnfind that we actually drove home under its own power after cleaning the
points and plugs and adding fresh gas and coolant. And since the master cylinder was toast, we drove home very
carefully and using the E-brake to stop.
So yeah, you could say I have a soft spot
in my heart for these cars as they are a
whole lot of fun.
Looks like an interesting place
Fixed up they look pretty good.
Looks great, geomechs!!! I was hoping the car shown would get a response ( and a picture) My grandfather had a car just like that. It’s one of the 1st cars I remember riding in.
Over here in NJ that would be considered a very solid car. Looks like it sold pretty quick. I had one a couple years ago, nice cars, parts are easy to find and relatively cheap.
Talking about the hands of time
My dad had an old farmhouse and a patch of land out in the country where he would stash his old cars and parts. When he bought the property there was a 57 four door Bel Aire and a 52 fleetline both buried partway in the ground from sitting for years. The 52 had a tree growing through the floor board and out the windows. Didn’t stop thieves from stealing both though!
So how did the thieves make off with the ’52, did they use axes, or chainsaws?
And how did they dig them up out of the ground, did they use heavy duty tow trucks with a winch and a hemi, or Euclid earthmoving equipment?
Surely, they did not spend a long time using saws to hack the tree down, nor using shovels to dig the cars out. I am not doubting you. I am just curious as to how the thieves could’ve taken those cars, and yet make a (relatively) quick getaway. Or was your dad out of town, and somehow the thieves knew he was going to be gone awhile?