1948 Chevy Chevrolet Coupe 2 Door Stylemaster

1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster 2dr sport coupe Description

This auction is for a 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster 2 dr Coupe. This vehicle is one that I inherited from my father at his passing. It was in a body shop that was too far from my home so we brought it to Michigan and had it completed by a body man whom I knew. I built the engine for my Dad and gave it to him for a gift, and then after he passed away and I ended up with the car I sent it to an upholstery shop to have the interior done. My Michigan body shop did a fantastic job with the body. I have some new parts and some hot rod parts that go with this vehicle so that whoever buys it can either work with what is there or go a more modern route with the drivetrain. I have an S-10 rear end with 3.23 or 3.42 gears, and a T-5 trans 5 speed with overdrive that will work with the addition of an adapter that is available, or you can chose to have the automatic trans adapter minus the trans, the choice is the winning bidders.
The engine started out as a 261 stovebolt. It has been bored and stroked to 302 cubic inches. It has H beam rods and custom pistons for a 9 to 1 compression ratio. The head has been ported and has a rebuilt rocker arm assembly. A custom Comp Cams camshaft designed for max torque was also degreed and installed. The engine also has been converted from a 10% oil filter to a 100% filtering system with a remote filter. The crankshaft has been stroked from 3 and 15/16 to 4.220 stroke with a max overbore of 3.900 for a final cubic inch of 301.9.
The engine is topped with a trio of Rochester carbs on an aluminum intake with 3 chrome air cleaners complemented by a Fenton dual exhaust header/manifold. The exhaust has not been completed, but the hardest to make pipes, the ones from the headers to the area below the frame, have been fabricated. The engine also sports an aluminum valve cover and an aluminum pushrod cover. The engine is finished off with an HEI distributor and Taylor red wires. The generator has been rebuilt and is upgraded to 12 volts along with a new voltage regulator. The last incredible thing as far as the engine is concerned is the tri-power carb linkage: the engine runs off the center carb with a progressive linkage opening the end carbs at 2/3 throttle. The engine was dynoed in 2010 and made 229 hp with 450 ft. lbs of torque at 2400 rpm. The funny thing is we never thought to pull it lower than 2400 rpm and that was the area of max torque, but the curve was higher at a point lower than we recorded.
The rear end that is in the car is the original and has 4:11 gears, fine by 1948 standards but not what you would want to cruise with today. That is why we are offering the other S-10 rear end to go with the vehicle.
The car was on display at the Detroit Autorama in the lower Auto Extreme area.
The car does need some of the mechanicals and electrical as well as other small items addressed, and I will make the list here:the brakes are marginal, I will include a new dual port master cylinder along with a 7" vacuum booster and the mounting brackets (it all came in a kit form) so that the new owner can bring it up to more current standards.The wiring must be redone. I have a new 12 circuit new wiring system to go with the car. The wiring to the tail lights has been run and the rear tail lights are new, but must be wired. All the wiring for the headlights (new 12 volt halogen) will need to be wired to a relay. All the bulbs in the car will need to be replaced with 12 volt units. The wiring that is in the car is original, and the new owner can either work with that or install the new wiring harness. The clutch operates as it should. The linkage for the trans will need to be modified to clear the Fenton header if the new owner decides to run the 3 speed trans, but I have it on good info that the original 3 speed trans will not stand up to the torque of the new engine. The gas tank is new. The intake manifold pushrod cover and rocker arm / valve cover are all Offenhauser.The headlights are halogen.
The car has been lowered 3 inches front and rear. It still has drum brakes on all 4 wheels. The tires are for show only: they are weather-cracked and will need to be replaced. The rear rims have no hubcaps because they can not be seen with the fender skirts. The chrome on the hood badges says Fleetmaster but the car is a Stylemaster. We could not find the correct badges so bought the Fleetmaster ones. We have the originals. The door handles and wiper transmission towers are pitted but we could not find replacements. The front turn signal chrome has been covered, but they are pitted. The hood latch needs attention: it is not latching properly. The truck latch works but needs adjustment. The remote oil filter setup has one fitting that is leaking because of a defective or incorrect fitting. It may or may not need a new water pump. It was leaking when we first put water in it, but does not seem to be leaking now, but since we did not diagnose the problem we assume it could still leak again. It has an adapter plate behind the water pump to use the original 216 water pump and keep the 5/8 wide belt. The belt is a few inches longer than it needs to be so there is an extension on the upper bracket. The doors need weather stripping in areas. The brackets for the front and rear bumper need straightening. The pretty bumpers showing in the photos were borrowed for the show only and will need to be returned to their owner. I am not sure if I have both bumpers with the car but I will check. I have not tested the wipers so I will say they are what they are. It has a spare underseat heater that goes with it which is untested, as well as an in-dash heater unit. I have no knowledge as to if they work and will not guarantee that they do. The interior will need some new door handles, and the shift knob has long since been lost. The seat needs to be lubricated to function properly. A new driver-side release handle is needed, as the existing one was damaged. The interior is all new from headliner to carpet. It will need the 2 arm rests for the doors. It will need new door sills to secure the carpet. The car is not a show winner, it is simply a representation of a mid 50's hot rod. While the body work is great there are places in the floor pan that have been repaired using less than show car quality, done by the other body shop in Maine. My body shop here really worked hard to fix issues that the other shop manufactured and I believe that if you are looking for a car with this style and good looks this car is a great representation. With the mechanical things fixed it should be a great cruiser.
The reason for parting with this car is it is not my style andI have way too many projects and don't have room to store one more car.
All info here is fully accurate to the best of my knowledge and there are no warranties expressed or implied. The car is sold as is, where is, no guarantee. Pick up in Roseville, Michigan or we can deliver for a fee after full payment. I will update this auction as I find time with any other info I find.
Please ask any questions you may have before bidding.