Sweet Fleet De Luxe in a well worn tux

SWEET FLEET DE LUXE IN A WELL WORN TUX

There is no escaping the fact that the following pics were taken on a warm and beautiful summer day. I'm posting it today as a major winter storm is bearing down on the Northeast in hopes that it warms y'alls hearts. Regardless this sweet ride was roosting in Greenpoint last year:

This is a 1951 Chevrolet Fleetline De Luxe in Mayland Black. Where the name Mayland comes from is a mystery to me but I wanted to point out that it is not Maryland as Google kept insisting it might be. This era of Chevy was introduced in 1949 as the first wave of totally in new designs after WWII. The De Luxe was the mid-tier trim level between the lowly Special and the top of the heap Bel Aire.

I think this is one of the more handsome 4 door sedan designs as the rear doors are beautifully incorporated. Look how long and low the windows are at the rear. That, along with the chrome spear that runs back from under the windows to trail off on the sail panel makes this look like it's moving while sitting still. To be fair the gangster whitewalls, '70s Buick wheels, and the fact that the fender skirts have been removed makes this thing look deadly.

The Fleetline name denoted the fastback sub-series of the De Luxe line. More than just a fastback, the Fleetline is more of a factory chopped ride as the windshield and doors are too low to be interchangeable with the standard sedan. As a rare 4 door fastback this is a very collectible car today.

The end of the '40s/beginning of the '50s brought these awesome fastback bodies to all divisions of GM. While fastbacks have been produced in some form from the 1930s through today these were full-size formidable beasts laden with chrome which gives them serious stage presence.

It's 1951 and reverse lights are for suckers! A brake light combined with the turn signal is all you get. This was a new version for '51 called the Reflector-Guard. Their signature hallmark is the reflector button under the light that was marketed as protecting your car when it was parked.

From this angle it's easy to see the remnants of the detached fenders of the pre-WWII cars. It's not like one day cars had fenders separate from the body and the next day they didn't. There was an evolution. It's like Darwin's Tubercle people look it up!

Our hero today is a little ratty to be sure. The chrome has long left the bumpers, rust is munching its way through the edges of the body, and little dings and scrapes abound. However when you note that this thing is parked on a city street at the age of 66 you've got to admit it's pretty nice.

Here we can see the long and low roofline on display. The only missing trim I can see would be the continuation of that front fender spear that originally would have gone across the front door and half of the rear.

This large and impressive chrome fender guard was a feature of the 4 door cars only. All 2 door De Luxes had the chrome rocker molding end with the door which was still well in front of the rear fender.

The interior was all new for '51 and boasted some then new details we take for granted now like the dash overhanging the gauges a bit to reduce glare. This ride has the optional radio installed behind that massive chrome grill in the dash center. Above that is a handsome clock. The gearshift is that of the 3 on the tree manual. A Powerglide automatic transmission was optional but in this era if you knew how to drive at all you knew how to drive stick.

This trim would be tough to replace if missing!
Under this hood lies the famous 216 inline 6 cylinder "Valve-in-Head" engine that Chevy boasted had been in production in one sense or another since 1912! Imagine an automaker bragging that the engine in their new car was first designed 39 years earlier?! Their marketing angle was that they've had each year to improve upon this technology so that it is honed to perfection. A new larger 235 inline 6 was introduced as an option in 1950 but was only available with the Powerglide.

The jet-style hood ornament announced the beginnings of the Jet Age for Chevy.
It's easy to miss at first glance but if you look close the corners of the bumpers have a bolt on wrap around trim pieces that adds a little protection but mostly looks cool. These are rare period correct accessories that go for at least $200 today.

Well that's where we'll leave this sweet cruiser for now. Sitting up at an even ride height this sled gives the impression of being able to start up and drive immediately. Being that it is a rare Fleetline sub-series in modern Brooklyn with a California plate on it I'm sure this is somebody's baby. Hopefully I'll witness it cruising down the street some day when the warm weather returns.

Urban Suburban

ADVANCED DESIGN WITH ADVANCED PATINA

Greenpoint has one stretch of road with so many interesting old rides on it that there must be either a car club, shade tree mechanic, or just a nest of West Coast rockabilly billet proof punks with similarly brycreemed hair and Born to Lose tattoos. Regardless, look at the beast I found over that way!

Man you just don't see things like this in NYC at ALL! This is a 1951 Chevrolet panel van in what was once Seacrest Green. There would normally be a series number (3100, 3600, or 3800) denoting the load capacity, but on each side the emblem is missing.

The trend of leaving great patina well enough alone is one I applaud fully, especially when something has as much character as this. I mean, this truck was meant to earn its living through hard work and has achieved the age of 64 while remaining drivable, so let it look like it's been around!

Over the decades this has lived a few different lives I'm sure. Not only is there a small (probably crank-out) vent installed in the roof but there's this square patch panel riveted to the side. There is a small window on the opposite side so I guess they just went for a quick and dirty fix. The seats look to have been recovered tastefully. 

The above image cements this as a 1951 model; that was the first year for the vent windows in the doors and the last for the non-pushbutton door handles. The cut-out portion behind the lower-rear edge of the door is mimicked on the other side which I'm assuming is rust repair.

The original hubcaps are still there with that cool art deco font.

Depending on the year you would get either barn doors like this or clamshell where the hinges were at the top or bottom.

I had to look up that GUIDER17T designation on the bright metal trim topping this light. Turns out this is just the part name for the combo license plate holder and light for '46-56 Chevy & GMC panel vans and suburbans. The Cali plate explains why this beast is alive at all.

This ride was a part of the Advanced Design era of Chevy trucks that ran from 1947-1955. It was the first real redesign after WWII when all civilian production stopped for the war effort. After the war all the major car companies hurriedly rushed out whatever they could produce which consisted of cars that were being built back in 1942. Even those designs were tired by the time '42 rolled around so this was a big fist step.

I love this thing. Believe it or not there was only a 216 inline 6 cylinder powering this truck when new with a 3 or 4 speed manual on the column.

That lonely bolt hole on the lower fender tells a sad story of a piece of metal that was once there. The running board is getting an emergency assist from some clothesline.

Those two holes under CHEVROLET once held the emblem that announced the series for this rig.

This grill is iconic, with the original Lowrider movement of '60s and '70s SoCal transforming tons of these trucks.

That little lens is real glass. The magnification built into that glass is key to it being noticed at all since this truck was 6-volts when new. I know from experience that 6-volt lighting is dim.

Well we'll leave this cruiser to lay low amongst its motley crew of classics and oddities. Someone has a seriously cool truck on their hands and I was glad to have found it!