1951 Chevrolet Panel Delivery

Description

Is it time for the sedan delivery to make a comeback? Practical, stylish, and fun to drive, this 1951 Chevy panel truck is a great combination of classic street rod looks, a reliable crate motor, and great carrying capacity, even if it is just too pretty to work for a living anymore.

Imagine rolling around in this with your company's logo on the side; nothing would attract more attention. With bright red paint and that classic rounded early '50s look, it's really appealing. Nothing has been radically altered, although a lot of the traditional street rod tricks are there, including frenched headlights (which are HIDs, by the way), shaved door handles, and a nosed and decked hood. Bodywork was extremely well done and there's a lot of it on a panel truck, so you know there was a considerable investment in getting it to this point. They kept enough of the stock brightwork to give it some character and remind us that it was built in the fabulous fifties, including the beautifully re-chromed grille, smooth bumpers, and stainless trim that encircles the beltline. Bullet-shaped taillights recessed into the tail panel are a lot sleeker looking than the tacked-on factory pieces and it's important to take a look at how well that rear door fits, which is no easy task. Overall, it's clean and sleek without erasing the original design's character. Nice!

The interior is extremely well finished for two, offering supportive bucket seats from a late-model that have been re-covered in tweed fabric and include integrated seat belts, a great feature for safety. Striped door panels are having a little bit of fun (which is what it's about, right?) and a custom-built center console adds a lot of features that would have looked tacked-on otherwise. Note the integrated speakers on the sides, the wood shifter handle, and A/C vents, power windows, and AM/FM stereo system, which also includes a remote. The original dash was just too cool to cut up, so they restored it even using correct-looking gray paint then filled the original holes with attractive gauges from Classic Instruments. The rear cargo area probably isn't going to be hauling anything these days, thanks to a beautifully finished wood floor, matching upholstery on the side panels, and halo lighting overhead. There's also a small storage compartment underneath where you can stash a spare tire.

A 350 cubic inch V8 crate motor with about 300 horsepower provides plenty of reliable motivation for this cool hauler. Topped by a 4-barrel carburetor and using long-tube headers, it doesn't break any new ground, but what you want in a rod like this is good performance and unbeatable reliability, and this engine delivers. The engine bay was refinished to the same standards as the rest of the body, so bright red paint frames an engine with plenty of chrome on it to look good at the local cruise nights and service access remains very good. A giant aluminum radiator keeps it cool and a Fat Man Fabrications independent front end upgrades it to rack-and-pinion steering with disc brakes, so it feels modern on the road. The transmission is a 700R4 4-speed automatic, so it just loafs along on the highway with the dual Flowmasters purring away out back, just ahead of the 10-bolt rear end. Chrome smoothie wheels with sensibly-sized 205/75/15 blackwall radials means it's got great ride quality, too.

A very neat truck that's nicely built and full of features that make it a great long-distance cruiser. At this price, there's no way something this cool will last very long. Call today!