Photo Contest: 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster

Darrell Riding of Burleson, Texas, sent photos of his 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster 2-door custom sedan.

Originally purchased as a "rust bucket," the car underwent a complete, frame-off restoration, and many components and systems were either replaced or upgraded.

Darrell recounted the 6-year project with lots of detail...

"We had to remove about 18 inches from the lower doors, quarter panels and front fenders. Both rocker panels had to be replaced along with about 6 inches of all 3 cross supports. The body was removed from the frame and the frame was sand blasted. A Mustang II front-end, with power steering and disk brakes, was installed. A 1976 Nova rear end with a 2:73 ratio replaced the original.

All rust areas were cut out and new metal was installed. No fiberglass or bondo. After all body work was complete, the underside and interior of the body was sprayed with undercoating. I installed a painless 18-circuit wiring harness, insulation on ceiling, doors, behind the rear seat, on firewall and floor.

Also installed were antique gold VDO gauges. The '48 original rear seat was used and I installed bucket seats from a 2000 Ford Focus, and built a console between them. A modern AM/FM/tape/radio was mounted in the console. Plus, an Airtique A/C, defroster/heater takes care of cabin comfort.

Another grille had to be installed since the orginal was completely rusted out. Outsourced interior. Paint is PPG GM Dark Cherry Red, but it looks black on a cloudy day. The engine was a new crate engine from a local Chevrolet Dealer. Door and glass handles and hardware all original from Chevys of the '40s.

It took around 6 years from the time I bought the car to have it completed. I do not trailer it and drive it to shows. It's been to several out of state NSRA shows and a bunch of shows in Texas. It will cruise easily at 70-80 mph on the highway. The only limitation is the exterior sunvisor. I originally had a Fulton, but it was not strong enough for highway speeds, so I installee and aftermarket steel visor and it works well."

We love the car, and one of the photos was selected to be featured—appropriately enough—along with the 1942-1948 Chevrolet Passenger Cars, 1942-1946 Trucks Factory Shop Manual in The Motor Bookstore.