VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 '51 DeLuxe 2-door sedan on the way...

Greetings.

I am kinda new here. Joined many years ago to ask a work related question, then promptly forgot about it.

The reason for my renewed interest it this:



I am from an Oldsmobile family, but in 1951 my great-grandfather bought this '51 Chevy. A relative has decided to put it up for sale, and I bought it. I can't bring it home for a number of weeks due to scheduling conflicts.

It was last driven in 2005. The inspection sticker is from 1982, which is most likely when the antique plates were applied for. Prior to that, it was mostly off the road going back to 1971 (or 1961 depending who in the family you ask...). 41k miles, engine is free, repainted once many years ago.

Equipped with manual transmission, turn signals, backup lights, pushbutton radio, cheapie heater and trim rings.

Trophy Blue, hence my ID.

Just thought I'd check in and say Hi.

Paul

Looks like a decent car,good luck with it.

I have a '51 2-door sedan that is basically still original. Has Powerglide, heater, radio, clock. Has been on many VCCA tours and functions well despite wrist pin noise and an occasional lifter collapse. These cars even though over 60 years old are perfectly roadable today. I hope you enjoy yours as much as we and our relatives (who borrow it occasionally) do.

Paul,

You have one great looking car there. Work should be at a minimum. Not many that clean and that complete, still around.

I own two 1951's .... one is black and unrestored, the second one is trophy blue and restored.

Enjoy the car, treat her well.

Paul,

Even though its been repainted, it looks like it has been well taken car of. I hope you enjoy the car.

Charlie

Thanks. That makes me pretty feel good, because I probably paid more for it than I should have...

Purchase price is important, if you're going to resell the car soon.

If you're keeping the car, the "higher" price you paid will make more sense, when you realize you won't be patching, repairing, fixing, etc., ........ all the jobs that make the investment go sky high.

Better to pay a little more for a nice car, if you don't have to spend BIG $$$$$ to fix every piece and part on the car.

Still a very nice car!

check out the rear view mirror in this picture. Doesn't this 51 have the style of mirror someone submitted a post about? I haven't seen one like it before.

Although it is difficult to see in the picture I was thinking the same thing.

You know, I've been wondering about that mirror. It doesn't seem to match the ones shows in the accessory catalog. I'm sure it's been on there for quite some time.

Can you post a close-up picture of it?

Not right now. I won't have the car in my possession for about a month. I'll be glad to take close-ups then. In the meantime, here is a link to a larger picture...

http://forums.aaca.org/attachments/...-need-opinions-value-20141212_104221.jpg

I don't know what you paid , however the car looks to be in great shape and as has been pointed out making repairs can be expensive. For example I am restoring a poor condition 51 hardtop and have over $5000.00 in it so far and that only covers welding in some lower panels, floor boards, inner and outer rockers and braces. I still have the interior and finish body work and painting to go. That I expect to run at least another $5000.00 and it will still need assembly.

Looks like a common after market mirror from the '60's.

There are so many nice original 1949-1954 Chevrolets out there I can see why any one would restore a rough one unless it is part of the family history.

Very nice 51 i'm sure you will enjoy it for years to come.

It's really very simple Gene. The wife like's the car and said go ahead and fix it. Of course she also said don't spend a lot of money on it so I am going slowly and breaking it down into a little at a time. I know she can add but time has a way of lessening the pain. When I first started with restoring a car her attitude was I don't want any "junk" hanging around for the neighbors to see. So I had to build a garage. Now her comments are more like " if you don't work on the 51 it will never get done". She looks forward to the Six Cylinder meets and has been very active in our local region. This car is not the best candidate for restoration but we have had it for 15 years and have enjoyed its use and the only maintenance other than oil and grease and tune up parts has been tires and exhaust. It doesn't have a long family history yet-but it will.

If "logic" was the single measuring stick for doing a restoration, there would not be many classics in existence.

There are as many reasons for doing a restoration, as there are restorations.

A different, unique story behind each and every car.

Still in the family all this time, awesome!! Great looking car!

I look forward to seeing the photos when you get it home. It's cheaper in the long run to spend more on a nice clean car like yours than less on one that needs work. Besides, how do you put a value on sentimentality?

Very nice 51, Paul. Congrats and thank YOU for saving and preserving another awesome Chevy. Some day I hope to bring my 51 back to her original Trophy Blue color. It's a great color.

Right now I'm enduring a miserable brown repaint as found on the car as I bought it (it was maroon when applied).

Right on!!

The "spears" on the rear fenders denote this car as being an earlier production '51 as the spears were discontinued (I believe) in March of 1951 because of Korean War restrictions.

Ahhh, but yours still looks darn good, parked at the drive in movies.

The more I look at the pics of this Trophy Blue '51, the more I see that it is so very complete.

It looks like the time frame is still in the '50's and it was just parked in the garage, for its overnight rest.

A great family heirloom.

You're not too far off, Bob. My mother says that her grandfather had a public sale in August of '61. One of her uncles bought the car at the sale, and it went into storage, being run periodically.

But - mom has a cousin who was only born in '62 and she says she remembers riding in that car with their grandfather when she was about 4 years old, which puts a hole in my mother's story.

He died in '71, so the car may have been bought from the estate then. I'd go by the date on the title, but it was changed to an antique title in '82.

Here's an interior pic:


Horrible blue carpet - the original mat and carpet are gone!

The original front mat was a dark gray rubber with fine ribbs. There were simulated carpet rubber inserts on the horizontal areas. The rear had a dark gray cut pile carpet.