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Anyone heard of Pontiac Fleetliner?

3K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  BMM 
#1 ·
Hello. Locally, there is a '1948 Pontiac fleetliner' for sale. I know it's either a Pontiac, or a rebadged chev, but I can't find any info on the net, and was hoping someone on here can shine some light on this thing.

thank you.
 
#3 · (Edited)
1948 Chevy Fleetline

I know of a 1948 Fleetline Aero Sedan. It had the 216.5 cid "Stovebolt Six" which was in all '48 models i believe. There's the '48 Chevy fleetline coupe as well. http://www.1948chevy.com/support/eddies48.htm Here's the link to one. Streamliner and Torpedoes were the '48 Pontiac models. All these cars were basically '42 models with slight changes like the hydra-matic auto trans.
 
#4 ·
Fleetlines are a straight back or fast back depending on year. '46-'48 had a Fleetline Aerosedan or just a Sedan. the coupe was ither a stylemaster or a Fleetmaster.


the small pontiacs, all Chevys and some olds shared the same body, 1/4 panals and fenders changed
 
#6 · (Edited)
Okay, so its supposedly a Fleatleader, my bad. Here's a picture of the car. And on topic, would this be a decent project for a relative newbie who is planning on continuing with body and paintwork professionally? Advise on things to look out for?

p.s. Could anyone point me to where would be a great place to get lots of information on these cars, interms of body parts, mechanical and whatnot. Id like to consider this car, but It's a totally new style to me. Thank you.
 

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#7 ·
From the photo, the body looks like the 41-48 Chevies. Some non-Chevy GM cars from those years have "big" bodies and "small" body models. Not sure which lines had it. Assuming this is the small body, then it shares a lot of parts with 41-48 Chevies.

EMS makes body parts for 41-48 Chevies. http://www.emsautomotive.com/

I get mine from Chevs of the 40's. http://www.chevsofthe40s.com/

And I have bought a lot of parts off of ebay. My 41 has a NOS Buick trunk lid on it. It takes time. Still looking for a hood (that would be different from yours as the noses were where the bulk of the differences were). Had one bought off of ebay, but Greyhound lost it.

If you have the time and patience, I would go for it. Check my journal to see what I have done so far on my body to get an idea of what you are in for.
 
#8 ·
I think Poncho's right, it might be a Canadian model.. anyway, that car looks really solid. once you get past the fact that most everything is diffrent on cars like that, compared to cars of the late 50's- 60's, it could be a great candidate, just find a shop manual for it.
 
#9 ·
BMM said:
Okay, so its supposedly a Fleatleader, my bad. Here's a picture of the car. And on topic, would this be a decent project for a relative newbie who is planning on continuing with body and paintwork professionally? Advise on things to look out for?

p.s. Could anyone point me to where would be a great place to get lots of information on these cars, interms of body parts, mechanical and whatnot. Id like to consider this car, but It's a totally new style to me. Thank you.
I'm not real sure, but from your picture it looks like a Chevy. Pontiacs in those years have ribs in the rear fenders and on the doors. The grills were interchangeable, so I would run the VIN to be sure. Hope this helps.
 
#10 ·
Pontiac Fleetliner

Well, since you are in Kelowna and since you have the car, we'll assume it is a Canadian Pontiac. Canadian Pontiacs were essentially re-badged Chevys. There is virtually nothing in common with the US versions - the Canadian ones were smaller, lighter and used Chevy Drivelines etc. They SAY Pontiac on them, used a Pontiac dash, grille and trim, but (the good news) its actually a Chevy and parts are easier to find because of that. :thumbup:

By the way, Mopar played the same game - Canadian Dodges were re-badged Plymouths - In the USA the Dodge shared the chassis with Desoto, while Canadian Dodges shared most parts with Plymouth.

We Canadians were getting ripped off - the "bigger, heavier, more-upscale" Dodge was actually a "lowly" Plymouth, and the "upmarket" Pontiac was actually a "lowly" Chevy. :mad:

I inherited my Grandfather's '37 (Canadian) Dodge and I have to look for US Plymouth body & chassis parts, but Dodge trim pieces. The mechanicals (in THAT particular car) were unique to Canadian Dodges only. (There are times when I wish ol' Grandad had bought a Ford or a Chev!)

And yes, THAT one is the only thing in my barn that is staying stock - it's a family heirloom.
 
#11 ·
Well thank you for the information! And no, I dont have the car yet. Id love to, as the price is right, but I don't think I have the space and tools to do what I wish, let alone the skills. Id love to learn, but its hard to work with no proper place or no equipment :(
 
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