A friend of mine bought this last night. 1948 Pontiac 2 Door Sedan Silver Streak. All the other pics I am finding are either 4 door with this body, or 2 door Streamline. Could this be a Canadian model? Also it has a straight 6, not a straight 8, but that could have been swapped out any number of years ago... Cool car though. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Just an aluminum data tag with serial number. I don't have it in front of me. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
That's a Torpedo two door sedan. The Torpedo model came in either a two door or four door version. Unless things have been swapped around over the years, the six bolt wheels indicate it's a Canadian version - is the engine a flathead or overhead valve? A Canadian car would have the Chevy OHV six, while a US car would have a Pontiac flathead six.
2 door streamliner ( MY fil said they were not popular like the torpedo 2 door or 4 door 's ) , torpedo was the fastback model .. and see if it had a 8 in it originally , as that whats the silverstreak meant . it wasn't a model .
The fastback was a Streamliner, the sedan was a Torpedo. You can see the different models in the factory brochure: http://oldcarbrochures.com/new/021110/1948 Pontiac Foldout/dirindex.html
I believe the Canadian model will have the flathead six but everything else like Chev. That is how my 51 Pontiac was.
Cool info. It does have the 6 lug wheels. It has an inline 6 flathead in it with the starter on the driver side. It has Silver Streak badging but I know that doesn't mean a whole lot. I heard somewhere that the Canadian Pontiac was a Chevy badged and dressed like a Pontiac, to make it more affordable up here. So people could have a Pontiac that was nicer than a Chevy, but cheaper than a real Pontiac... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I also had a 50 Silver Streak with the flathead 8 - it was a full blown Pontiac. My 51 was an easy swap to a 235 initially, found a different bellhousing and flywheel, engine mounts under the engine and a little bit of wiring to move the starter, I would assume the 48 would be similar even though it is the older body style.
Had a friend of mine in Clinton sc just sale one, I think it was an earlier model to a guy in Italy for a nice chunk of chage. Great car good find. I got H.A.M.B apps for that!
Canadian Pontiacs in the 1940s and up to 1955 are a hodge-podge mix of US model cars and Canada only cars based on Chevrolet chassis - some of them look like Chevys with a Pontiac grille and badges put on them. But they'll also have a Pontiac six. That car appears to me to be the latter, which means parts should be easy except for the trim. It's better for you if you want to upgrade, because the Chevy chassis the front suspension just unbolts from the frame making a change to one of the many IFS kits, or a home brew swap with a Jaguar XJ front end, relatively easy. Motor mounts can be had as a kit, too. Being the Pontiac motor, I believe there's a head and 2-carb intake for them, but they're scarce, even changing it to a 235 would be relatively simple and give you more options for performance upgrades.
I believe he has a fresh 283 and 700r4 waiting to get put into something. He will be keeping the stock IFS for now with the 6 lug, and he has sourced out a Toyota rear for it, (same 6 bolt pattern), so he can still run those rims.
Also, all the trim came with the car, (was in the trunk) all in descent shape, and usable! Even window cranks and door handles...The only trim piece missing is the Indian...
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