1952 Chevy Fleetline - Advice please!

[jeeves1275]

Hi All,

I recently bought a new house and for whatever reason the previous owners decided to give us their old car, a 1952 Chevy Fleetline!

It has been SORN for over a year and not run, the previous owner told me that it didn't have any issues but took a while to get going as he didn't really use it much and that the brakes would need checking over as it hadn't moved for a while. It's in fantastic condition both interior and exterior, with a stack of supporting paperwork, old invoices, tax receipts, brochures, manuals etc

Unfortunately we have decided not to keep it; it's massive and takes up space I need for other things, it's impractical to say the least and we could use the cash!

Question is should I have it looked at by someone to get it up and running or should I just pass it on as it is? Any idea what i might be worth? What would be the best platform for sale?

Cheers

Mark

[Sinnlover]

Are you sure you don’t want to keep it???

All I got with my house was a minging fridge and a some dodgy carpets.

To be honest if you are going to shift it on I would do as found, any buyer will more than likely give the car a service and thorough going over prior to returning it to the road. Cars like this can be money pits, you start off as a light refurb and then get sucked in.

Re sale you might get some interest here. There is only one for sale in the uk currently (after a very quick google) in Lancashire and the owner wants £17k however it has been hot rodded and turned in to a low rider. In the US they look to be going for around $15k in stock condition.
Their are specialist forums/ clubs that can help shift it. Plus there are a few speciality sales sites.

[petethegeek]

These people provide an online valuation service if you fill in the form and attach the photos.

https://www.brightwells.com/classic-motoring/

[notnowkato]

I would suggest getting it running nicely and approach one , or two, classic car auction sites. Anglia Car Auctions and CCA deal in this sort of thing and might give you a steer as to value. What a nice gift to leave you tho'. Oh yes, Brightwells are decent people to deal with, as mentioned above.

[jeeves1275]

Are you sure you don’t want to keep it???

Part of me would love to keep it but just can't justify it, got two young kids and could do with a more practical second car. I'm more into bikes so need the space in the garage for that. Might even be able to persuade the wife that a classic bike could take it's place ;)

All I got with my house was a minging fridge and a some dodgy carpets.

They also left a Pool table, Bar and 2 Chaise Longue - awesome sellers!

To be honest if you are going to shift it on I would do as found, any buyer will more than likely give the car a service and thorough going over prior to returning it to the road.

I would rather move it on as it is, I've got a million other things on my to do list, could do with one less thing on it!

Cheers!

[jeeves1275]

These people provide an online valuation service if you fill in the form and attach the photos.

https://www.brightwells.com/classic-motoring/

Cheers will give that a go....

I would suggest getting it running nicely and approach one , or two, classic car auction sites. Anglia Car Auctions and CCA deal in this sort of thing and might give you a steer as to value. What a nice gift to leave you tho'. Oh yes, Brightwells are decent people to deal with, as mentioned above.

Thanks, will have a good think about what to do and fire off some emails....

[DMC102]

Amazing! From the pics it looks to be in very good condition. What's the mileage?

I'd put the registration number into WBAC for a laugh.

[benny.c]

Try asking for a bit of advice here too:

https://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/

[Maysie]

What a nice dilemma to have!

My sellers left me with a broken load of white goods and barn full of rubbish and old tyres.

[Spencer Lee]

What a great looking car! I think you'd get a lot more for it if it's running and moving and the cost of doing that may not be as large as you'd expect. At the end of the day it's your basic engine with no computers or ECU's to complicate matters. A reasonable mechanic should be able to work on it and get it moving as long as spare parts are not needed. As an earlier poster mention, what a great problem to have!

[kevkojak]

I would do the bare minimum to get it running then advertise it as a good condition barn find - it's only one step up from one to be fair.
I guarantee there will be interest from all over the country.

[RichS]

What a beauty. I would get it running and rolling if possible and simple. I assume the biggest issue would be with the brakes. If drums all around, they can fuse the shoe to the drum when left standing.
You really need Menno to see this thread and come with advice.

[thieuster]

Yup, I've just spotted the thread.

First: what a wonderful find. Nothing like that happens (happened) to me.

My first reaction is: keep it! My second is perhaps the one you have: sell it. The car has the size of the QEII and when you're moving into a new home, you don't want to start with a lack of space because of this behemoth. I am not really into US cars from the 50s. All I know is that these were built to last. Simple engineering, easy to maintain, stress-free engines. Roads in the US weren't as good as today's roads, Hence the soft ride, the armchair like seats etc. Chevrolet used 90% or so of its parts in various models, so I reckon that it's pretty easy to find parts in the US.

This is most likely an LHD car. If you want to sell the car, your chances of selling it are larger on the Continent. Especially in Sweden or Scandinavia in general. People there love classic Americana. It's important to know if the car has EU import papers. If that's the case, you're halfway. Next, try to get the car running (not roadworthy!!!) A running car is -obviously- of greater value than simply a non-functioning iron whale! Don't bother about roadworthiness. That implies a lot of work on brakes, hoses etc. That's time-consuming, hence more expensive and most likely not been seen again in the ultimate sales price.

So, step by step:

- EU papers?
- Find a garage for basic 'get it running again' work, including fresh oil.
- Forget the MoT
- Advertise on eBay or Blocket.se (Swedish online market)
- Tell the story of how you found it.
- Find out what the weight of the car is (towing on a trailer)
- Emphasise on the advantages of buying a US car in the UK (no shipping in a container, easy to come and check for yourself, one boat trip and you're in business - that sort of things).
- Emphasise on the fact that the engine is running - all other work needs to be sorted (Scandinavians love doing that during the long winter evenings)
- Show a lot of pics of the quality of the car and how complete it still is: seating, headlining etc.

If that fails, I can provide you with some addresses of people who're in the US car import business over here. But they won't pay 'top dollar' for the car!

[Backward point]

Cover it with dust, and refer to it as a "barn find".

Double whatever price you were thinking of asking for it.

[Neil.C]

All I can say is...........you lucky sod!

What a beauty.

[UKMike]

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/ would be the place to sell it once you have a value in mind.

Or pick up a copy of one of the glossy classic car magazines and look for classic car traders near your home. My advice would be to avoid anyone who uses the words "Hot Rod" or derivatives in their advertising - the car looks much too nice to suffer the fate of "customising" which wouldn't be in the spirit of the previous owner. With all the paperwork and history it should appeal instantly.

[jeeves1275]

Wow! Thanks for all of the input and great advice. Seems the general consensus is to get it running so I have arranged for a local mechanic to come round and have a look. Assuming he can get it going will get it up for sale one way or another. Hadn't thought of the European appeal with it being LHD, so will definitely check that out.

Not sure of mileage or import papers, will check both when I get home this evening.

Appreciate how lucky we are to have been given it and would love to be able to keep it but, like Menno says, it is MASSIVE, it's a big garage and it fills it! Being a new house to us we've got a long list of expenses that this could help with.

Thanks again!!

[thieuster]

Local mechanic is good! Try to get a quote of the costs before you agree. He will try to find out if the engine turns over (easy test, done by hand!) and if the brakes are free. That way he can move it around. Normally, it will not break the bank to get it running.

The EU papers are your main concern. Try to find a custom's certificate, something from a shipment company, 'clean title' etc. Looking at the pics, I can see that there's a license plate on the car and given the amount of paperwork you showed as well, I think that there is a fair chance that it's all okay.

Menno

[5avvy]

What a beauty. Classic American Magazine should be one of your first ports of call. It has a very active classifieds section and a knowledgeable readership.

[thieuster]

What a beauty. Classic American Magazine should be one of your first ports of call. It has a very active classifieds section and a knowledgeable readership.

I didn't know of its existence in the UK. But I think that 5avvy is on to something! After all, the story itself is great: Buy a house, get a Fleetline. I mentioned the LHD issue, but I realise that all Classic American Magazine readers have to deal with that detail. Perhaps this is a better option than Scandinavia.

M

[GOAT]

Looks nice enough!
Mechanical bits are probably bulletproof too

[meridian]

Well done Jeeves,got em all going there mate! Nice car though,have you had it long? Good drills and I wish you well with the sale.

[jeeves1275]

Mileage is around 113500, not bad for a 66 year old!

Was registered in the UK in 1991, can't find any import papers but assuming that it's fine after all this time. Previous owner bought it in 2005. Including myself there have been 3 registered owners in the UK.

Here's a pic from 2005:

I didn't know of its existence in the UK. But I think that 5avvy is on to something! After all, the story itself is great: Buy a house, get a Fleetline. I mentioned the LHD issue, but I realise that all Classic American Magazine readers have to deal with that detail. Perhaps this is a better option than Scandinavia.

M

That's an interesting idea, might drop them an email....

Well done Jeeves,got em all going there mate! Nice car though,have you had it long? Good drills and I wish you well with the sale.

?

[Craizeehair]

That is very, very, nice... always fancied something like that.


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[jeeves1275]

Well that's annoying, mechanic showed up and started working through it, got to the point of checking for spark and for some bizarre reason couldn't get the key to turn in the ignition, despite working fine the few times I've tried it. Looks like the key is very worn....

Had to take the barrel off and get it looked it....will be back tomorrow.....

[walkerwek1958]

Get the engine running, check the transmission works, and sell it as it is, that would be my advice. It'll probably need some re-commissioning work but that's for the new owner to sort out. If you can show that the engine and transmission are working that's a big step forward and takes the car out of the 'non-runner' category. The transmission can be checked with one rear wheel jacked up provided the car is secure on stands, any mechanic should be able to do this.

I like these 50s American cars and it's something I`d be happy to own if I had the space. Provided there's no corrosion in this car it should sell easily, there's definitely demand for these cars in Scandinavian countries besides GB.

I`ll have to stick to my MGB.....at least it fits in my small garage, this beast definitely wouldn't!

[Xantiagib]

....and get that chrome polished up - running and you should be able to at least ebay it or sales corner it

I understand the timing of this nice 'gift' is bad and you cannot keep it - similar happened to me - i was given the chance of a 'free' classic a while ago that needed little work to get going, I was unemployed at the time and struggling to keep my current classic...
when things got better the offered car had been scrapped...