SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE:
Cylinders: 6 Cylinders overhead valves
Bore/Stroke: 3 9/16 X 3 15/16
Displacement: 235 Cubic Inches (3.8 Liter)
Compression Ratio: 7.5: 1
Horsepower: 115 @ 3700 RPM
DRIVE LINE:
Transmission: 3 Speed Manual Floor Shift
Rear End Gear Ratio: 3.54: 1
Tire size: 6.70 x 15
BRAKES:
4-wheel Bendix Hydraulic
GASOLINE TANK CAPACITY:
14 Gallons
PRODUCTION:
Total Chevrolet Cars Built in 1952: 818,100
Chevrolet Style Line Deluxe 2 Door Sedans: 143,573
PRICE:
Sale Price in 1952 Dollars: $1,749
Sale Price in 2022 Pollars: $19,554
MILEAGE:
At Time of Purchase: 26,203
September 2022: 28,422
Miles Driven: 2,219
A FEW 1952 EVENTS
- Harry S. Truman is President of The United States, 1945 to 1953, having taken office after Franklin D. Roosevelts death in 1945.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President of The United States in November, 1952 to take office in 1953.
- 6 February: Elizabeth II becomes queen regnant of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms upon the death of her father, George VI. At the exact moment of Order of succession or succession, she was in a tree house at the Treetops Hotel in Kenya.
- 10 March: Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the “provisional president”.
- 20 March: he United States Senate ratifies a peace treaty with Japan.
- 8 April: U.S. President Harry Truman calls for the seizure of all domestic steel mills to prevent a nationwide Strike action.
- 15 April: The maiden flight of the B-52 Stratofortress
- 28 April: Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.
- 3 May: The Kentucky Derby is televised nationally for the first time, o3 May: The Kentucky Derby isn the CBS network.
- 7 May: The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer.
- 14 June: The keel is laid for the nuclear submarine USS Nautilus SSN-571 6.
- 14 October: Korean War: United Nations and South Korean forces launch Operation Showdown against Chinese strongholds at the Iron Triangle (Korea) or Iron Triangle. The resulting Battle of Triangle Hill is the biggest and bloodiest battle of 1952.
- 1 November: Operation Ivy: The United States successfully detonates the first large hydrogen bomb, codenamed “Mike” “M” for megaton, in the Eniwetok atoll, located in the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. The explosion had a yield of 10 megatons.
- 4 November: The United States Federal government of the United States or government establishes the National Security Agency, or NSA.
- 29 November: Korean War: President of the United States known as U.S. President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower fulfills a campaign promise by traveling to Korea to find out what can be done to end the conflict.
COMMENTS
Production of the Chevrolet Styleline began in 1949. It was considered to be among the best-looking GM products produced. Built with precision, the ’49 Chevy’s also received updated power with the arrival of Powerglide two-speed automatic. This gave the Chevy Six increased displacement along with 15 percent more horsepower.
Though Advertisements at the time indicated that the new Chevrolet Styleline and Fleetline models were ‘more beautiful than ever’, very few major changes were found between the 1951 and 1952 models. Previously a once smooth bar, a row of ‘teeth’ were found on a newly touched-up grille, along with wider parking lights.
The same as before, the vehicles continued with a 105-horsepower, 235.5-cubic-inch engine for those that came with Powerglide. For manual-shift models, a 92-horsepower, 216.5-cubic-inch rendition of the Stovebolt Six was utilized. Stick-shift drivers had to endure solid tappets, while the bigger engine models had hydraulic lifters.
For the last time, a Fleetline two-door fastback was on sale, only in Deluxe trim. The lineup was basically a duplicate of 1951, four Styleline Special body styles along with 6 Styleline Deluxe. Deluxe models were the only units to offer Powerglide, along with updated interiors that were harmonized with body colors.
MY HISTORY WITH THE CAR
Orpha and I had been talking about getting a more modern antique car that would be warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather. We had attempted that when we bought the 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air, but the accessories on the car precluded the installation of an add on air-conditioner. One afternoon in 2018 a friend sent me an ad for a 1952 Chevrolet Deluxe. It was showing a bit over 26,000 miles on the odometer and looked quite nice. I rather shrugged it off as it was likely to be a California or New York car making even looking at it out of the question. However; as long as David had gone to the bother to send it to me, I opened the ad and began studying the contents. The more I read the more interested I became, but the likely distance still bothered me.
Finally, at the end of the ad there was a single telephone number listed and to my interest, it was a Kansas area code. I decided to call the number and inquire about the location. To my utter amazement, the car was located less than ten miles from where we live! I made an appointment to look at the car and the next day Orpha and I went to take a look at this possibility. The car looked very good, no body work needed, although I could see that there would be some work needed but at that point it didn’t look to be excessive, so after some negotiating, we purchased the car. The owner said he would deliver it after he got the duplicate title as he had misplaced the original. In due course the car was sitting in my work shop.
As is my usual practice, I checked the fluid levels, brakes and shock absorbers. As a result, I replaced all the brakes, wheel cylinders and master cylinder as well as the shock absorbers. The engine was leaking oil rather badly, so I decided to pull it out of the car and do a complete gasket and seal replacement. To my dismay, there were signs of water in a couple of the cylinders, so I took the head to a machine shop to have it checked. Alas, all six cylinders had cracks. As I attempted to source a good cylinder head, I found that “Good” and “1952 Chevrolet Cylinder Heads” were mutually exclusive terms. If that weren’t enough bad news, the connecting rod Babbitt was worn past limits. Thus, I made the decision to purchase a rebuilt 235 engine, which is a direct fit into the ’52.
With the larger engine, I found a good deal on a power glide ring gear and pinion set, which would allow me to cruise at higher speeds than with the original 216 engine with the low-pressure oiling system. I also purchased a “Vintage Air” add on air conditioning system. That in turn required me to upgrade the electrical system to 12 volts instead of the original 6-volt system. After about a year of working on the car when time permitted between tours and shows, as well as other commitments, it was ready for some local driving prior to going on its first major tour. Minor adjustments proved to be all that was required to have a good smooth-running car that was very comfortable, regardless of the weather
TOURS AND SHOWS
Initially, we drove the car to church and other local events while building confidence after all the work had been completed.
October 1 to 5, 2018, we took the car on its first major tour in Dubuque, Iowa. We drove the car a bit over 252 miles (405 Kilometers) and it ran perfectly while keeping us warm and comfortable. I took some abuse for equipping it with an air conditioner, but I simply suggested they talk to me when the temperature was above 100 degrees and see how they felt about it then! One highlight of the VCCA tours is the good-natured ribbing we take AND GIVE during the tours.
April 1 to April 5, 2019, we trailered the car to the 22nd VCCA Southern Spring Tour in San Angelo, Texas. This was one of the shorter tours we have been on with a total of about 180 miles (290 Kilometers) but we had great weather and good roads for the entire tour. While I worked on a few other cars that had mechanical problems, we didn’t have to do any mechanical work on the ’52, it performed like a new car.
In October 2019, we drove the car to the VCCA Southern Fall tour in Camdenton, Missouri for the VCCA Southern Fall tour. We drove 330 miles on the tour as well as 552 miles to and from the tour, for a total of 882 miles (1410 Kilometers). Again, all trouble-free miles and a comfortable ride all the way.
One reply on “1952 Chevrolet Deluxe 2 Door Sedan”
Beautiful cars Ron. You have done a remarkable restoration job on them. Absolutely beautiful!
I must admit in our current cold weather I do enjoy plugging in my F250 and having it be warm right off the bat.
We hope to make it down to KS this spring.