Used 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster Ratrod for sale in Hubert, NC

This Ratrod / Project started as a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster (4-door Sport Sedan), which I purchased in 2015, and still has its original 216 cu in inline-6 engine. The original oil pan was replaced with an OEM new-old stock pan. It has a single-wire High Energy Ignition (HEI) distributor with built-in coil sending 65,000 volts through 8mm triple-insulated high performance plug wires. It has its original 6-volt starter which was taken apart to be cleaned thoroughly inside and is in great condition. It is receiving 12 volts currently; however, the Odyssey battery does not hold a charge due to not maintaining it by letting it sit for a while. The car does start and run when the battery is jumped from another vehicle continuously. It still uses the original push pedal to activate the starter switch and engage the solenoid. The flywheel / starter ring was also replaced. The 12-volt alternator has a single wire running to the battery and is custom mounted while using the original fan and pulley from the 6-volt generator. It has its original fuel pump with a glass dome. The original draft tube for crankcase gases was converted to a PCV setup using a vacuum from the Offenhauser intake manifold. The intake has dual re-manufactured single-barrel Rochester carburetors with individual manual chokes and modified throttle linkage. A custom heat plate to pre-heat the fuel mixture is installed on the bottom of the intake and plumbed to dual Fenton headers, which replaced the original exhaust manifold. The custom dual exhaust has Thrush Glasspack mufflers. It has the original oil canister with custom stainless steel braided oil lines. The original valve cover was replaced with a pure-cast aluminum, highly polished Offenhauser valve cover. An aftermarket radiator was installed behind the cab with custom plumbing running underneath the car from the engine. The radiator has 2 electric fans mounted front and back using push / pull for air flow. However, the efficiency is not great as the engine currently overheats. I recommend trying a larger radiator to see if that solves the problem.

The power-coated wheels and tube tires are from Coker Tire, including a fifth spare wheel with custom fabricated wheel rack, and all 5 have Chevy hub caps from Chevs of the 40s - I do have 4 old roller wheels (tires are not serviceable on old rims) that will be included in the sale. The front suspension is factory stock; however, it was rebuilt with a complete front-end rebuild kit, including engine and transmission mounts. The rear suspension received a set of coil-overs and the differential fluid was drained and re-filled. Although the pads were replaced, the brakes currently do not work; they need to be adjusted and bled again. The parking brake does work well though.

The body is in very rough condition given all the rust, but it is a ratrod and is holding together very well. The interior floor needs patching or replacement, depending on what you turn this project into next. The rear doors were removed. The roof was chopped and the center section of the roof is now the rear wall of the cab behind the "front" seat, which was re-upholstered and currently not bolted to the floor. The original rear window / roof section was moved forward to build the 2-door cab. The "3 on the tree" steering column has a retro-style turn indicator switch mounted, but not wired. Under the dash is a horn button that is wired and operates a Klaxon "awooga" horn. A wood flatbed was built behind the cab and has a rear truck bumper that is customized with smoked LED taillights (currently not wired). The radiator, battery, and ammo can "dry box" are mounted to the bed. The spare wheel rack is currently not mounted to the bed. A fuse box and aftermarket fuel tank are mounted underneath the bed.

Included with the sale will be the original front and rear fenders (minus the door caps), original hood, original headlights with bezels, original but modified front grill, and original engine fan. Additionally, I have a box of miscellaneous parts that were intended for the project, including front light bar, turn indicators, hood ornament, license plate bracket, switches, etc. I also have 3 bead seat covers, wooden windshield templates for replacing the custom glass, original windshield and rear side glass, and a box of various gaskets.

The odometer does not work and its last reading is 72,467.9 miles. Since the door fender caps/extensions were removed, you can see the original gray paint color, but overall the paint color is rust. This used to be a full-size sedan, but now it is half-size or truck-like :) I was able to drive the vehicle (in-between it overheating and only while doing figure 8s or donuts in a back yard). I recommend doing some adjustment to the column shifter, but it does go into all gears, including reverse.

I have a North Carolina *Inoperable Vehicle* Title (#606328152373123). I apologize for any inconvenience, but delivery is not available and I will only accept cash as payment ($11,000 OBO) if you are interested in making this your own project. I removed my phone number from the post due to scammers. Please use the "reply" button on Craigslist to send an email with any inquiries.