This one has been in the family since 1960. Dad found it with under 25,000 miles, ran & drove as new. The Fleetline Special 4dr was a poor seller after '50, and was dropped from production in Jan. '51. after 3364 were built. This one was built in California Dec. '50 and is body # 74. Dad passed in '66, mom drove it 'til '71 when she bought a '65 Chevelle. She was going to sell it to her paperboy for $30, but just in time I found out & took it, around '74, I think. It got lowered, pipes, frenched the lights & shaved the doors, etc. The interior was still nice. Drove it for a couple years, then decided to do one of the long weekend "adjust the rods & put a rear main seal in it'' operations that never work out. It sat from '77 (?) until a few weeks ago. It's going to be a clean one ...
Best more-door ever made!!! What are your plans for it .... after you've adjusted the rods & put a rear main seal in it?
We’re Twins! Nearly. Nice project, and rare too! I definitely want to see where this leads. It’s almost funny how these 4 door Fleetlines that you couldn’t give away have come into their own.
'54 235, .060 over Jahns 8:1 pop-ups, McQuay - Norris CMR 118 cam, GMC full mechanical dist. with Dyna-flite dual plate, Nicson intake with Roch. "B"s .. split manifold. Just bought a '40 - '47 pickup bellhousing, will try to use a '42 GMC 3 speed if clutch linkage is easy to rework ... I still have a PG axle out in back yard, I hope. ( Edit ) Nicson turns out to be for something else, so it'll be an Offy.
These guys work far faster than I can pull or hunt down the parts. Friend Paul has rebuilt most of the inner & outer rockers with patches he made on his tools at home & a pair of Made-Rite outers I bought in the '70s. He said nothing has changed when it comes to patch panels - these 45 year old ones didn't fit any better than the stuff sold today. All the rubber around the front & rear vent glass is shrunken & cracked. Front vent frames rusty, too. Luckily we had saved one '49 4dr Fleetline parts car that has all the DeLuxe vent ass'ys intact with good glass & plating, nice soft rubber, and even has pretty nice door glasses. The rear vents didn't open on the cheap cars, so we're gaining a bit of circulation. Going to use '51 Pontiac gravel shields on the rear doors because that's what I have. Hood gets a bullnose strip still wrapped in a Cal Custom paper sleeve. License light, antenna hole, & skirt hardware still have to be filled; may use the '49 rear gravel pan since it's a little smoother with no ribs or sunken plate light to fill. The bumpers I have stashed were chromed by Ogden many years ago, going to use '49 front license guards on both ends. It even gets painted - pure white sealer ... Hell, it might get a headliner & door panels at the rate these guys are going !
Taken on Friday - discovered the '50 front fender shields have to go. The rears from the Pontiac may not work, either, unless the mount clips really allow a lot of shift. Taillight mounting location marked & drilled, hood is finished. Started stripping doors on '49. Found some usable threshold moldings in a '52. I had a nice pair of door spears. I'm guessing the dealer added the '50 2 door trim & some other accessories to get rid of it. The side trim, deluxe steering wheel, cheap radio, front rock guards, and skirts with '41 Buick wings were tempting enough, I guess.
More progress ... I'm gonna owe these guys big time .... I found a bunch of plated parts I harvested from a '51 Fleetline rollover in the late '60s ... they were in a box of '50 Olds parts ...
Minor setback - truck bellhousing won't work for several reasons, so we have to weld filler material to a pass. bell., surface, & re-drill. Anyone have a '50 Olds 88 - '51 88A stainless center filler clip for the upper w/s molding ? PM me ....
Great to see the progress on the car @302GMC . Hopefully there wont be too many more setbacks down the track. Do we see an upcoming tech article on how you solve the transmission issues??
I'll try - you know how these things go when you're finally making progress & flat forget to take any pics, or even bring a camera. I'll get the trans out of the basement tonight, lay it in the bell, & make Sharpie outline of what has to be added. Also, we're going to add '52 - '54 engine mounts - have to chisel the frame portions out of the '53 PG axle donor out back ...
Got the main mounts pulled this morning while it was still cool enough to work outside. Didn't attempt chiseling the press welded angle brackets off - might opt for 3'' of weld on top rail instead. Next item to pull is the axle, then anyone who wants that poor ol' '53 can come get it - dash, floor, roof good patch parts. Got a yard find '50 bell soaking in some chemical solution. I sure miss the hot tank I had free access to at the now closed machine shop. Been gathering up the items that'll be installed soon - had some of them over 50 yrs., & I'm plum tickled to finally use them ! My ol' buddy Hughie fixed me up with a pair of headers - they're the real thing, not repops. Mufflers are 26'' Hollywood Deeptones, weigh 14 lbs apiece. Please ignore the teflon tape - it'll be gone before lightoff ...
Well, the steering box seems to have 1/8'' worth of sideplay on the bushing, so it's getting the '53 box as soon as it's cleaned. The bellhousing is still at the welding shop for alteration with no estimate on completion. Firewall & frame will get painted while the box is out. On the plus side, the interior material is here, and the garnish rails are painted, dash will be shot while the wiring harness is out. Current health concerns limit work to a few hours a day ... Got pictures on the other comp., nothing interesting though.
I sympathize with your health concerns. I couldn’t convince myself to get behind the wheel of my ‘50 and drive a few miles to the local cruise in. I drove my OT Ranger. I may need to think about a Powerglide.
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