VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 Finishing up the 48 4 door

Hey everyone, stumbled across the forum here and have really enjoyed the wealth of knowledge so far. Figured I'd toss my name in the hat so I can contribute and ask specifics. I just picked up a 48 Stylemaster 4 door...still needs a few things to be road worthy but I'm working on it. I won't go into a lot of details since this forum seems to be geared more towards the original design and feel of the car and this one has a few modern creature comforts. lol

I do have a question on hood springs. As of right now it doesn't have any and I keep hearing different opinions on whether they are worth it or not. Some say they work wonderful, some have nightmares getting things adjusted after installing them, some say it puts too much stress on the thin hood metal, some say just fab a hood prop. What do ya'll say?

Hi Chris, Following is a SELECTION of past posts on the topic. Lots of others are available by doing a SEARCH of our past posts.

The best advice is always in the manual. If you do not have one please order one. There are also on-line manuals. Check this site out for also part info. Chevy Old Car Manual Project

The opinions you have are not ones shared in this chat site. First, the manual tells you not to reinstall your springs until all hood adjustments have been completed. It is near impossible to adjust a hood to fit well with the springs attached. Good springs will lift a hood about 70 to 80% which is plenty of room for most work. I use a wood dowel to raise mine all the way open. I do it because I am tall (6'2"), and hit my head on the hood latch. Lastly, I have never seen a bent hood caused by a hood latch.

I am currently finishing a frame off restoration and I will not reinstall the springs until I have put a couple hundred miles on my car. They're just to much aggravation to deal with until I know all my mechanical problems have been worked out.


Hood Spring Removal

48 Hood Springs

48 Hood Spring Part#2

Hood Spring Tool

Here is a good source for hood springs and other Chevy parts Hood Springs from Chevs of the 40's

Best wishes to you and your project. We are all more than willing to help you with your questions. A lot of us get our advice from our buddies, but it should be balanced with what is best for our hobby (preserving and enjoying these unique cars), and your long term goals.

Thanks, Mike

Thank you for the response Mike. I've found the springs you mentioned at chevsofthe40's, I've got a wish list going from there. I've also done lots of reading up on the whole installation of them when I get them. The information on installing after all issues are resolved and hood is perfectly aligned is worth gold and talking to people like you that have long term real world experience with these vehicles and you telling me there is no issue is exactly what I came here for. I don't know many people personally that are into the classics and all of the hotrod forums seem to skew information like this to fit more towards that style...not so much if it would actually damage the hood over time (which is what I was told but had a hard time believing). Again, thanks for the help!

What I'm working with by the way...

So what do you have in store for the 48???Are you planning on taking it to a VCCA event??Do YOU enjoy stock vehicles???

This one isn't stock, it's had a lot of work done by th previous owner...drivetrain and suspension has all been upgraded. My plan is to finish the car as a mild custom with enough modern conviniences I can be comfortable driving a few hundred miles for a long weekend or daily drive around town. I love the history behind the stock vehicles but very little that I have ever owned has not had some twist on it to make it mine. I mentioned in my first post that I didn't think this car really fit with what this club was about but there is still a wealth of knowledge here I feel like I could pull from....hood springs for example...or when I try to get the factory 6volt clock working or figuring out what needs to be done to make the wipers reliable. I live in Arkansas and I'm not sure what events VCCA hold near me but I am definitely not opposed to hanging around and admiring the hard work and dedication everyone puts into these spectacular vehicles. Pure stock rebuild, custom, hotrod, I love them all for what they are.

Wiper and clock should not be too big of a chore...Do you still have a 6 volt system??

Converted to 12 volt. I know I'll need a 6v converter for the clock and I'm hoping that will fix it. Wipers are still stock and aren't working at all...trying to decide on a trying to fix them or upgrade.

Car has a whole new wiring harness, 305/700R4 engine and trans. Camaro rear end, chassis engineering mustang 2 front and rear suspension, vintage air AC, and power disc brakes.

Hi Chris,

The clock I think is a mechanical windup. The original wipers were run off of vacuum so it is probably best to update them to a 12 volt system.

Your car is real eye candy. Would be great for weddings and proms.

Good luck, Mike

I've got another question. My car is due to be delivered Saturday and I just found out that he has lost the VIN plate. The car does have a title with it...Is it an issue to not have the VIN palate on a car this old? It's my understanding they didn't even have vin numbers and just used the engine number but it doesn't have the original engine. The VIN number on the title starts with GM and has 7 numbers after.

Hi Chris,

It is quite common that the VIN Plate is missing. You can purchase a new plate and stamp it with the # on your registration. My 41 plate was located on the front passenger floor by the door pillar, an area prone to a lot of moisture and rust damage.

Put this on your "to do" list once you know its correct position for your year and whether the generic looking plate is reasonably correct. A local trophy shop should be able to stamp the number.

All our vintage era cars would have come from the factory with a VIN Plate. You are correct that lost plates/titles were typically reissued with the serial number off of the engine block. I would not attempt to have the car re-titled to another number. You could be opening up a can of worms that a lawyer might have to unravel.

Vin Plate

Good luck, Mike
P.S. Please start a new post heading for each question you have so that readers can easily recognize the topic of your interest. You limit responses when folks think your question was already answered and don't followup on a new post to it.

P.S. #2 Since yours is a new purchase try to get the previous owner to provide a mechanical history of the car as well as who were its previous owners, and stories of its many past lives???

That's good to know on the vin...I wasn't sure if just having a new one stamped was legal or not with it being such an old vehicle. I know you couldn't do that on a newer one.

As for the history, the guy I'm getting it from bought it in 2011 and had a stack of 4 or 5 bills of sale. When he went to register it in Mississippi the revenue office took the bills of sale and issued the car a title and vin number. He didn't have another record of the owners so I guess that's lost in time. He went through a divorce and ended up selling the car to his grandfather up in Illinois. His grandfather did the majority of work on the car but didn't get it finished and he recently inherited the car back.

Chris I have Newport Engineering wiper in my, 41 it bolts the factory position and uses the factory linkage.

I'll look into that, thanks!

I assume this is electric ? 6 or 12 Volt ?

12 volt conversion

Yes ite 12 volt you they are 2 speed are there is an option for pulse.