VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 1948 Woody

Hey guys, I just joined this great forum and I was hoping for some help.

I just was put in charge of getting a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster Woody Wagon ready for Barrett Jackson this upcoming year. The owner is a close family friend, and since I work at a good size auto dealer, and have many friends in the car business, I took this project on. The problem is, I dont know exactly the best way to go about it....

A little background on the car. It was purchased by the current owner around 1998. From what I have learned, it was a frame off "resto mod". The wood was done by a couple out in San Diego, and still looks wonderful. It sits inside except when he takes it to local shows. The car has a little Chevy
350 connected to what I think is a 700R4.

The car needs a really good cleaning along with new carpet on the inside. Everything looks to be correct on the interior except for a few things. Underneath, I need to fix some leaks along with a good steam cleaning and some painting in certain areas. I don't like the exhaust as it comes out the back making it look kind of hot roddish.....I was thinking more OEM. The engine compartment needs to be cleaned up along with the wiring, new hoses, etc. The biggest problem I see is under the dash. It is a mess of wiring, along with a Vintage air setup that I need to cover up a little better.

I guess my question is........What do I spend the most time on? What is most important to the people who are in the market for this car? I don't have enough time to strip it down and spend 6 months on it and I also don't want to waste alot of money either. I have been trying to find pictures of new, complete cars, so I can see what is wrong in this one but they seem hard to find. Anyone have any resources?

I can send pictures or try and post them on here to anyone who might be able to help. I would also be willing to pay someone for their time if they can give me some guidance. Thanks for reading my ramble and I look forward to hearing some responses.

Erik

Welcome to Chit Chat.
I would get the wiring sorted out first. Don't chance a fire with messed up wiring under the dash. If I had looked under my 48's dash I never would have driven it the little bit I did. I used a Y n Z harness for 6 volt, but it will work for 12 volt also. It looks like the old cloth covered, but it is a plastic. I was apprehensive about doing the rewire, but the instructions made it not to bad. There are other vendors for wiring kits also.

Erik, welcome. You have come to a wonderful forum to get help and advice. However, you will find that most (though not all) on this forum lean pretty hard toward antique Chevys - not Chevy street rods. As a result, you may or may not get all of the advice you requested. Regretably for some, I like 'em both ways, if done tastefully.

Good luck,

Erik,get a shop manual if you do not already have one..The good news is that you may find the woody will sell quicker with modern engine and 12 volt system as long as it all looks and runs great.post some pics of your concerns of areas of the the woody you want to be correct for its year and you will receive alot of advice very quickly..Some of use love woodys

Like Keith Said, The 6volt Wiring will work great for 12v, but not the other way around. 6v requires twice the amperage of 12v, and thusly, 12v requires half the amperage of 6v. Nobody has ever said "Man, I wish I didn't have heavy duty wiring" The good news is, these cars don't carry much in the line of semi conductors or accessories. Majority of the works is in the category of On/Off Circuits. Factory used Body points as Ground. A good clean Body Ground ensures proper operation. Factory also used switches with one leg to ground for cost effective construction. A prime example is dome light, door light, dash lights, tail lights, head lights...When I rewired my 47, I didn't use a prefab Harness, I just bought a couple spools of Modern Wire cloaked in Cloth Covering from eBay. Looks great, works Great.

Thank you so much everyone. I appreciate the responses. I should have made myself a little more clear. The wiring is already switched over to a 12 volt, I believe a Painless kit that was made to work. Everything works fine, it is just messy. I come from the world of zip ties every 2inches and safety wire. It just needs to be routed better and out of sight.

I will post some pics Monday. Hopefully then you guys can point me in the direction that will be most important to future buyers.

Thanks again for taking the time....

Erik

Erik,
Since the Woody is a resto-mod it should look relatively stock from the outside. Tastefully installed wheels/tires, dual tail pipes and period correct exterior accessories can be pluses or minuses. Interior should also appear period correct with upgrades to seating, upholstery, radio okay. Modernization with moderately sized brake pedal, air conditioning controls and outlets that are not obvious on first glance will enhance the creature comforts and functionality but keep the old look.

The absolute key to a successful sale at Barrett-Jackson is quality of installation and workmanship. The more a non-authentic installation looks like it could have been factory the better. That includes location as well as well as appearance. Everything should look "brand new" and over restored. Paint finish "shaving" smooth, plating like a mirror are expected on the top vehicles. If the casual observer immediately gets the impression that the workmanship is first rate then the "approaching ridiculous" prices can be reached. Also remember that the bottom side needs to be over restored and as nice as the top of "restored" show cars. Good luck, it takes tons of hours to get all the details covered including no evidence of polish or cleaning residue. Get out the camel hair brushes.

This is what I was looking for! Thank you! A couple questions. When you say dual exhaust, I was actually thinking of bringing it back down to one to make it look like the original, am I wrong? Also, where can I find pictures of correct interiors of these cars? Should there be a lot of polish on the engine, or should I keep it tame?

Thanks again!!!!

Erik

In my opinion anyone knowing that the car has V-8 engine will expect a dual exhaust. One of the occasional visitors of this site has a father with a '46 Woodie. If he sees the post he might be able to supply pictures. Barrett-Jackson cars are over restored/prepared so, eat off it clean is the standard. Tasteful (not gaudy) engine chrome is okay.

I got (2) 48 woodies....had 'em for quite a time....do you need any specific info on interior? Other posters are correct....prep it like a military 'field day'.