Classic Cars : Classic Nation

Fleetline in the Wintertime

Yep, sometimes wintertime in northeast Washington can be an obstacle to custom car building. Case in point: Here’s a picture of my barely discernible 50 Fleetline buried in mid-winter snow. Left out because my 3-bay shop is already jammed with classics, the old chevy will get my full attention once the snow recedes.

As the snow piles up, all I can do is busy myself planning how to proceed in the Spring. Cozied up to the woodstove, I’ve spent many nights pouring through aftermarket catalogues, car mags, and car show pictures I’ve collected, trying to flesh-out a vision of how I want this car to look and be. The truth is, I’m getting really antsy, wanting to get out there and start in on it. Probably a lot of car guys in the northern climates can relate to these wintertime doldrums.

One dilemma I’ve been struggling with is whether to replace the original 216 babbitt-rod stovebolt with a built 235 or 261, or to drop in a small-block chevy. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a believer in small-block chevy power. I’ve already got a 327 powered Impala, a hot-shot 350 ZZ-4 crate-powered Corvette, and an 73 Chevy 4×4 pickup, powered by a venerable 350. But you know what…when I was growing up, early 50’s Chevy street rods were all six cylinder, and almost always had Fenton split-manifolds and dual exhaust. The look and sound of those early low-rider Chevys is indelibly etched in my car consciousness.

I’m wanting to do this Fleetline in the early 50’s custom street rod style: lowered, chopped, nosed, decked, etc. and those six-bangers with their distinctive bark remain part of that image to me.

On the other hand, I know I’d enjoy the power and growl of a V-8; yet, to swap engines around is like dominos: to do so means everything from the steering, to the driveline and rear-end will need to be changed out, which is all fine, good stuff, good improvements, but it will take me quite a while to do all that, which, in turn, means the car will just be sitting. But what I want is to get this car on the road and drive it! Over the years I’ve owned more than a dozen Chevy 235-powered cars and trucks, (I still have a nice rebuilt 1961 235 motor in my 51 flatbed, which is sitting out back, languishing) and I learned to like them a lot. Plus, I’ve talked to a lot of guys who have seriously hot-rodded in-line sixes, and they swear by them.

I still haven’t made up my mind, and in the meantime, it’s snowing again…I reckon I’ll deliberate some more…If I was really smart, I probably ought to be planning on building on to the shop, so I can get this rig out of the weather next year, but that puts the car project off even longer.