The car: 1951 Chevy Fleetline Every summer I would visit my grandparents on their farm. Being a city brat myself it was always a treat exploring around the farm. The abandoned Fleetline parked under a lone pecan tree out in the pasture was no exception. Parked just the way its owner (my father) left it ten years before I was even just a thought, the white-faded-into-patina Chevy would play a backdrop to countless child-induced imaginations as I tug on the steering wheel whittling away hours. "One day I'll rescue it from its sad & lonely predicament and get it running again. That's a promise!" Well... fast forward 25-plus years... nothing happened except for life itself... During those years, the Fleetline has sustained some further insults to its injury: somebody jumped off a branch or one of branches fell and created a fist-sized dent in the roof oh well... I'll just pop the dent back up and hammer it smooth... the 51 can wait a cousin with sadistic tendencies thought it would be amusing to attempt to lift the vehicle with the hay bale forks rigged on a John Deere 4020 ugh! don't see any damages... at least nothing on the body but can't say the same about the underfloor/frame... the 51 can wait a uncle mowing hay around the tree misjudged the distance between the huge mower and the Chevy, resulting in a minor fender bender damn... I'll just readjust the fender, or find another one if necessary... the 51 can wait Each time those happened... I would feel sick in the stomach but would just brush it off... "Just extra work for me... It's ok..." However, the final straw was the fire... Last week I dropped by my parents' place and my mother causally mentioned that there was a fire in the pasture but they got it all under control... Good... Whew!!! But... what of the Chevy? Wasn't able to scope the damage myself but the report is that there are reddish oxidation around and windows are all distorted... That's it! No more! No more putting off... I've always picturing myself finding or building a shop where I could park all my vehicles while working on them. Part of my personality is the tendency to wait until a better time... Nope... it's either do it NOW or never... The fire was an eye-opener... there will never be a "best time" for me to start so I'm gonna head over there asap and get it out of there before the ground opens up and swallow the car or a meteoroid lands on it! Who knows!?! I'm sorry, I do not have photos of the Chevy with me but when I find a couple of copies that I took ages ago I will have them scanned and posted. Now, for those who bothered to read this far (thank you), I have questions I hope you could help me with. From my research, I see that it is possible to mount P205/70R15 (or 195/75R15) on the original rims. I am hoping to be able to remove the wheels on site and bring them over to a local tire shop to have used tires mounted on the rims. Am I correct on the size(s)? I intend on finding or renting a flatbed trailer to haul it. With newer tires on, I am hoping that I would be able to roll it up on the trailer. However, I understand I would have to be prepared to deal with a seized wheel. In that case, what should I do that would minimize any damages to the axle? I surfed a bit on ebay and saw that there are ample numbers of window set that I could obtain to replace the fire-damaged windows. I have yet to decide about the motor and drive train set up. That will come later after I get it back at my garage. I'm toying with the idea of rebuilding the original engine. I'm not looking forward to dealing with the powerglide transmission. I had done an automatic to manual conversion on my Ford Ranger so I am prepared to do the same, if that's the route I decide to take. Thank you and it's very inspiring looking at some of members' project here on HAMB. Hopefully I will get started soon enough and make some contributions of my own! Jon
Perhaps photos might bring more attention & replies... So here are some photos... The Chevy circa 1995 After the fire... So far, the result isn't as bad as expected. Still more work to do... Still awaiting answers/advice re: the tire size... Will 205/70R15 or 195/75R15 work? Depending on the budget, I will either rebuild the engine and transmission or perhaps shoehorn a 5.0 HO and T-5 (I just happen to have those, plus a Mustang diff., lying around waiting for a project) into the Chevy.
enjoy the hamb were those rims used tubeless?? if not move up to 54 rims or something am sure they are 6 bolt , old chev pickup rims may fit too a neat car and good luck on it a newer style chev 6 engine could work out well too
I learnt early on not to be partial to a certain brand. I like them all and even more when I'm able to combine them together. Sure, some might yell "hearsay" at what I'm proposing but yet, some will appreciate the benefit of using best feature of certain brands (Chevy's style and Ford's power and vice versa).
Thanks! My father mentioned something about having tubes in those tires... Does that mean modern tires cannot be mounted on those rims? If that's the case, would mid-80's Chevrolet Silverado rim fit ok? Or what options do I have if I'm stuck with those tube rims? Yes, that's an option I'm willing to consider, upgrading to a bigger inline 6. I'm concerned about the Powerglide transmission. I understand it has only 2 speeds... which isn't an attractive feature especially when driving on a speedy freeway/highway we have today.
Just remembered that mid-80's Chevrolet Silverado rim has 5-bolt pattern and wouldn't fit if the 51 uses 6-bolt pattern... According to this old copy of specifications (please see the link) 5-bolt 4-3/4" pattern is the standard on 51 model. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/chevyresto/51037.htm
I bought 4 used wheels and tires a few years ago at the local junk yard. $60 dollars for them, just good enough to hold air. Might be an option, many years of chevy use that pattern.
welcome your car originally came with 6.70-15's - you could buy them, coz they'll fit! Now, any fire affected car is likely to have.......... ummmm, ..... issues. Good luck with yours - don't go spending too many bucks on it, even if it is an old family heirloom, but have a bunch of fun playing with it. I hope you have good luck with your car and enjoy it hugely. Cheers.
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