VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1916-1922 - Model 490 1916 490

I was looking at a few 490s for a friend, and got interested myself (a typical symptom of the old car disease that we suffer from!).

I am aware of a (supposedly) 1916 touring, but the owner is not really a car guy. If/when I go look at this, how do I tell if it is a 1916? He is telling me something about there was no serial number on 1916's, that started in 1917 ???? This does not sound logical to me.

But what are the key points to look for, to determine the year on an early 490?

Thanks!

No drivers door is the most noticeable. Early ones did not have a water pump.

No drivers door. Dash has: speedometer at far left, 4 push-pull knobs center, and ammeter to the right, no other gauges at all. Plus a "490" ID plaque at upper far right, which has no serial number on it.

Plaque says:

Chevrolet (inside Bowtie)
"Four-Ninety"
Chevrolet Motor Company
of New York
Tarrytown, New York U.S.A.


Windshield is straight vertical, no slope backwards. Trying to get engine "Mason" (or not) info, and casting date. Headlights mounted in half-circle yokes, a skinny tie-bar across between fenders. Can't see if there's a water pump. If there is not, what's on the front of the block? Looks like a radiator hose coming down low on drivers side to bottom of radiator. Upper radiator tank extends under the hood a ways. Front fender is a straight line from top of wheel arch down to front of running board, not a curve. Has an (incorrect) added rocker arm cover attached.

There is a four bladed fan with tips connected with wire circle on the front of the engine. Flat leather belt drives the fan off the crank pulley.

A 1916 490 also has NON demountable wheel rims.

There is no serial number on a 1916. The flywheel (luckily) has a number on the rim, and there is an engine number too to identify the year. My car has a body??? number on the wood at bottom of the fake right door. The 16 Touring has only 3 doors. There is no water pump, only thermo siphon system which has a big volume. I think the installed the water pump in late 1917, same with changeable rims.

Solan has a 5-bladed fan, but I had to change the flat belt and wheels to the V-shaped in August. When I was driving the flat belt got so slippery (of oil) that the fan could not do the cooling job good enough. Solan started to boil which I disliked. I want to drive, not cook.

http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac98/solan1916/0002/?action=view&current=seiltur-solan018.jpg

Don,
I hope you get that 490. Last year after the BOD meeting and thinking about the Sloan Museum and seeing the 1912 Classic Six, I started looking on line about the early Chevys. I came across an an ad for a 1914 Royal Mail Roadster. The more I looked, the more I became hooked. I called Ken Kaufman and picked his brain on a few things about the car. I ended up buying the '14 Roadster (sight unseen except for photos) and had it shipped (from Boston- I'm in California as you know). I have a million things going and I know I don't need another project, but such is life.
Back to your 490- I recently went to see Tom Meleo to see his 1914-15's and get some questions answered. We also looked at the early 490s. I was amazed at how cheaply these cars were produced and what it took to produce a less expensive car. Tom is very knowledgeable on the 490 as he is the TA. The tires/wheels are clinchers (less weight and materials). The front tires are a different size than the rears (smaller). You got no spare tire. The spare is the rubber tire only. If you got a flat you patched what you have or put on the spare skin. They used 1/4 elliptic springs (to save materials). There is no valve cover (less metal and less parts to make). The list goes on and on. The bottom line is that Chevrolet produced a car for $490. They undercut the Henry's Model T price and created the lowest priced car on the market. Quite a marketing stunt.
They are really cute cars with their rugged simplicity. They probably were designed to last 10 years. Its a wonder that nearly 100 years later they are still so cool and head turners.
Regards,
Dan

Thanks to all for their input! I am "Getting The Bug" pretty bad on this car. Liz is already rolling her eyes and sighing...

I have emailed several more specific questions to the seller now that I have more knowledge from these posts and some books I have looked through.

Erling had me laughing out load with wanting "to drive, not cook."

Does what I see on the dash sound right for a '16?

"Dash has: speedometer at far left, 4 push-pull knobs center, and ammeter to the right, no other gauges at all."

I believe the 1916 490 also had an oil sight gauge on the dash just to the left of the ammeter as does my 1917. The 1918 model came out with the oil pressure gauge.
The 1916 would also have the two-man top.

Gary

It has the two man top, and also the non-demountable tires. But there's no oil sight gauge (nor oil pressure gauge) - just speedo and ammeter. At this stage, I am just studying photos, but there is no obvious hole where any oil indicator used to be, just flat old dash, and the two gauges above. I also wondered about an oil sight gauge, but it ain't there...

The 1916 owners manual shows the dash as having : to the right of the steering shaft , Carburetor adjusting rod, Connecticut switch in the centre, to the right ammeter , upper right side of dash face Four Ninety dash plaque.

The speedometer was an optional extra for 1916.

The other thing to check is the steering gear should be gears mounted on the firewall, but early 1917 had these aswell.

There will be date casting numbers on the engine block should be something like 3 20 16 or even a 1915 year 11 20 15 to make it a 1916 model.

There is also a oil level checking rod just below the oil filler/ breather tube.

Look at the pictures and you will see: speedometer, choke regulation, ignition/light switch, ammeter. The oil gauge under the dash is extra (from 1918 model), and quite needed. I don't drive until the pressure is past 2 psi.

http://s889.photobucket.com/albums/ac98/solan1916/dashboard%20Solan/

The oil level checking rod just below the oil filler/ breather tube is not working properly and only spills oil from the sump, so I have blocked the hole. I use a homemade oil dip stick placed in the filler pipe instead.