HIGH
PERFORMANCE & CUSTOM
EXHAUST SYSTEM SPECIALISTS
CHEVROLET
STYLEMASTER
Tucked away in a garage in Binda [near Crookwell]
i came across this 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster
ute, In the same family since new, this car was
in original condition 94000 miles [including the
dust] the only thing missing was the grill. before
i purchased the car i needed to find a grill,
thanks to ebay i found one in the U.S. in very
average condition but it gave me something to
start with. The grill arrived and that weekend
we went to pick up the car
The last time this car left this garage was back
in 1971 this is when the car was put on blocks,
luckily the owner removed the spark
plugs, lubricated the cylinders and cranked
the engine regularly [with crank handle]
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24-03-07
As soon as the car arrived at the workshop the
kids gave the car a good clean
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24-03-07
The inside was as dirty as the outside but with
a bit of a clean surprisingly all that was missing
is the glove box lock
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28-3-07
The first thing i wanted to do is to try and start
the old boy up. The fuel line was removed from
the tank, fuel pump, and carby were also removed
then only cleaned and reassembled, no gaskets
or parts required. The fuel line was also flushed
with clean fuel and the original fuel tank was
bi passed and now a container in the back is our
temporary fuel supply
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30-3-07
The next thing on the list was to fit the new
6 volt battery, give the points a bit of a clean
then the original plugs, leads and distributor
cap were refitted. The engine oil was changed
just in case the engine fired up
After winding over the engine for only a few seconds
the oil pressure gauge came to life, [so far so
good] then a bit of a cough and splutter but the
old boy still had a blocked primary jet in the
carby and refused to start, a can of "Start
ya Basted" soon fixed that and before i new
it the old boy came back to life to my amassment,
the blocked jet cleared itself so after a few
seconds the old boy was running like new [well
almost]
the engine had a knocking noise, after investigation
the no 5 cylinder inlet valve was seized this
bent the pushrod which was hitting the sideplate
cover. the pushrod was removed and straightened,
the sticky valve was fixed temporally until the
engine and gearbox is removed
During the rebuild i want to keep the car movable
as long as possible so the car can be easily moved
around the workshop so the bottom radiator hose
was changed and the radiator filled with water
which soon leaked out
20/2/08
very hard to find the time due to a heavy workload
but finally things are starting to get under way.
After many family discussions we have decided
to bring this car back to its factory original
condition, no modifications to any body work or
mechanicals, during the next few months the car
will be dismantled ready for soda blasting [more
pics soon]
