1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster

1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster 2 Door Town Sedan The story began in the fall of 1934: With the automobile industry exploding, representatives from the Chevrolet Motor Company, a division of GM, came to town to put shovels in the dirt alongside then Mayor Howard Jackson for the groundbreaking of a massive assembly and body plant at Broening Highway. A dozen years earlier, there had been one automobile on the road for every 11.5 Americans. By the time the plant opened, there was already one car for every four people. To keep pace, Chevrolet said the factory would be operational in record time, produce 80,000 vehicles a year, and, with the nation in the throes of the Great Depression, deliver 1,500-2,000 jobs.  Baltimoremagazine.com  For consignment, a 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster 2 door town sedan showing 5,832 miles, but the true miles are unknown. This is one of those cars built at the Baltimore plant and represents a time when Fleetmasters and Stylemasters roamed the street with more than 500,000 per year being produced by 1948. Exterior This car wears a coat of Steel Green Metallic in two stage application that is so deep, it can appear as different shades depending on the light, a stunning upgrade from the lacquer that would have been original. The high hooded car has flat front fenders that extend beyond the body, and matched in girth by the rear fenders, all sweeping back, creating a harmonious, flowing shape under the tall and long rounded cab. Chrome rocker trim maintains the low accenting started by the bumpers themselves and 15-inch cream colored wheels also have a spark of flash in their polished hubcaps. A sizable visor shades the windshield behind the leading hood ornament, a simple, torpedo shaped affair. The grille and headlight accents and callouts present in excellent condition and the only imperfection we find is a touched up scratch in a body seam.  Interior The inside is consistent with the exterior condition and evidence of that begins on the doors, a handsome pattern of tan and camel panels with ivory knobbed hardware. Both colors jump over to the split bench seat where soft, light green inserts tie in the exterior, and a camel shell brings in the doors in a well coordinated and nicely crafted design. It's mirrored in the rear bench and it's all in excellent condition. It's also enhanced by the tan matching headliner that spills over the pillars and meets the body colored window frames. Up front, the three spoke steering wheel is perched on a cream colored column and fronts an art deco dash with modern Dolphin vintage style gauges in a polished face plate embedded in the body colored dashboard. The juke box-like center has lots of chrome over the AM/FM radio, and the carpet wears green carpet under a vintage Arvin heater in the footwell. The cavernous trunk has a rubber mat to protect the floor and a spare tire in the designated well.  Drivetrain For our third act, we raise the curtain on the engine bay. Cue the applause because here's a clean and already rebuilt 216.5ci inline six cylinder with a 1-barrel carburetor and a horsepower rating of 90. A 3-speed manual transmission is behind it and routes power to 4.11 gears in the back. The engine also features a stainless steel header. The car now runs on a 12 volt system.   Undercarriage Polished exhaust tips and a bright, polished gas tank starts our tour of the clean underside. Even with a drop or two of oil and some residual drift, we have no complaints down here, it's about as clean as you can get. The dual exhaust runs through glasspack style mufflers before heading back and drum brakes are at all four wheels. Suspension consists of coil springs up front and leaf springs in back.  Drive-Ability Will this near flawless Stylemaster run as well as it looks? Yes! In fact, we have no complaints in this department either. The car runs smoothly and tracks straight and that well coordinated interior is a nice place to spend time. But