The 1954 Chevrolet was offered in the 150, 210, and Bel Air models and featured numerous exterior trim changes. The Del Ray trim package was introduced, basically a 210 with an upgraded interior.
While the sheetmetal and interior refinements were high on the list for '54 the mechanical changes to the powertrain and chassis were still a year away. Other optional equipment that came about this year included power brakes, power seat, power front windows.
By model year end Chevy was still outselling Ford but the numbers game was very close. Chevy was competing against Ford who had introduced its overhead valve V-8 while Chevy was still a year away.
To get you into the 1949-54 Chevy tent as we have with our STREET RODDER Road Tour '52 Chevy, ye ol' editor Brian thought a trip down What-if Lane might get your juices flowing. I've taken a diverse approach from fairly straightforward to fairly involved--obviously the direction you choose is based on a combination of ability, money, and time. You need at least two of the above, and bless you if you do for it's hard to come up with even one these days. Our contribution is to give you that push by showing these dudes in ways you may not have thought about. These post-war Chevys are the best starting rod material as they are plentiful, inexpensive (as 50-plus year old cars go), and have a ton of reproduction and aftermarket parts available. So look through this issue for what's available in those departments and combined with the series of articles on STREET RODDER's project and these sketches you'll hopefully get some seat time sooner and in something cooler than you think!
1949 Sedan Gasser
The reason you didn't see more of these cool sedans in the Gasser classes back in the 1960s was they cost more than the Willys and Anglias most racers used, and were a bit heavier. We don't need to worry about that now. They sure do make great Gassers, and our period perfect example includes front-halving the frame for a nice big-block or injected small-block Chevy, tube push bar, cut off front valance, aluminum scoop, radiused rear wheel openings, phony parachute--all for go, and tinted Plexiglas side windows and metalflake silver top for show. The 16-inch rear and 15x4 front fivee's the-spokes are going to hit your wallet hard, but rumors persist that these are going to be available in aluminum at some point soon--keep scanning those ads, kids!
1951 Sport Wagon
I sketched one of these years ago based on a '51 Ford, and think they work just as well on their Chevy counterpart. The 1953-54 Chevy side trim has been used, reversed front to back, and ties into a large decorative shield on the front fenders, repeated at the base of the B-pillars for a sort of 1950s production look. The top steps down at the B-pillars--about at the point you start fabbing the top extension off of the original hardtop. The original top is not chopped--going with the slimmer rear top helps to give that illusion. Luckily the side and rear windows would be flat as all of these early 1950s cars were. 18-inch billet wheels that mimic 1953-54 Chevy wheel covers look just right. Keep the stock handles, bumpers and grille to add to the confusion as to whether Chevy actually made these or not.
AutoRad, LLC, has a combination radiator and core support '50-54 Chevys. The assembly includes the aluminum radiator, core support, dual 14-inch fans, overflow tank, and side and bottom panels.
(Info: 770-983-1345; www.autoradradiators.com)