For Sale 1948 Chrysler Windsor Sedan

[Guest markrush]

[sorry if this is a bit elementary for this forum; this is what I wrote up for local postings.]

This is a 1948 Chrysler Windsor 4-door Sedan with rear suicide doors. The body is a C-38. Chrysler produced this model unchanged from 1946 to early 1949. In mid-1949 they went to the “derby” style that was common in the early ‘50’s. This was the actual “Chrysler” line, the luxury cars of the Chrysler Corporation’s various divisions. It was a well above the entry-level Plymouth and the Dodge and even the DeSoto lines. Within this Chrysler division the Windsor was the top seller, accounting for most of the production in the post-war years. The Windsor was above the Royal in price, but below the strait 8 Saratoga, the New Yorker and certainly the wood body Town and Country. Interestingly, many of the parts on these various early Mopar cars are the same, and some of the Town and Country’s even used the same C-38 body and six-cylinder engine as on this Windsor.

This car was out of the reach of most workingmen. This would have been a successful businessman’s or a professional’s car in the day. I believe it is all original except for a repaint that is at least 25 years old. It has been well-maintained, but never restored.

It has the original inline six cylinder flathead engine that was standard in all Chrysler cars from the twenties until the hemi came along in the 1950’sThey just kept improving it. It is an extremely reliable engine. They continued to produce them into the ‘70’s for certain industrial applications, so parts are available. This one has 250 cubic inches. It also has the “Fluid Drive” which is a hydraulic coupling between the engine and the transmission. There is no mechanical link between the engine and the drive train! That is one reason these cars drive so smoothly and have lasted so long. The Fluid Drive is bullet proof. The transmission is also unique on these cars. It went by many names on various Chrysler car lines, but in the Chryslers for these years they were called hydraulically operated transmissions (the M-5). They have electrically-operated solenoids that shift the car at the appropriate speed. Once you put it in gear you drove the car like it was an automatic. It is not at all a manual, but not exactly like a modern automatic. It is, however, very easy to operate and they were reliable. Chrysler’s first cars after the war emphasized thrift, reliability, and durability. It took a few years before the car industry realized the post-war trend was toward power and something new every year.

I purchased the car in 2011 from its third owner. The car has been in Northern California its whole life. Before I bought it the car’s prior existence was in the wine country around St. Helena. I think the car has been garaged its whole life. It is in very good condition. It is 68 years old, though, so it drives like an old car. It is not a hot rod, and it is not a concourse show car. It was re-sprayed before the early ‘90’s in original black, and it presents well from 20 feet, but has many flaws. The biggest is a section on the roof that obviously cracked soon after application. It is not easy to see because the car sits so high.

I don’t think this car shows any evidence of being in a major accident, and the undercarriage has only very slight surface rust. The man who redid the wiring said he didn’t think the engine had ever been out of the car. There is one bubble near the base of the trunk door, but no cancer anywhere. There is some rust on the chrome surrounding the wing windows. You will be hard pressed to find a car of this age with as few rust issues as this one.

The biggest issue with the car when I bought it was the old cloth-covered wiring, which was badly frayed, so I bought a complete wiring harness from Y-N-Z ($1,100) and had it professionally installed in 2014. [by countrytraveler at Dodge City, a frequent contributor to this forum]. Every wire is modern, but clad to look like the original cloth-covered wiring. Everything electrical works except the clock and the radio (which powers up, but does not play). It is still a six-volt positive-ground system. The rear axle and differential was removed at the time and rebuilt. The engine was tuned at that time; you can barely hear it at idle. I sandblasted all five rims and had them powder-coated in gloss black before putting on five Coker bias-ply wide-whitewall tires. I recently put in a new fuel pump. The massive amount of chrome is in very good condition for its age. I don’t believe there is a part missing on the entire car. I also have extra parts and hundreds of dollars in literature and manuals.

The dash is beautiful, but the soft interior shows its age. There are two areas on the front and rear bench seats with torn upholstery. You can buy headliner, seats, and a carpet kit of high quality for around $1200 (not counting installation) if you were of a mind to replace it. Right now I have Army blankets on the front and rear, and it is very usable; it is a neat old car that gets a lot of attention. A new interior would take it to a whole new level.

If this was a Ford or a Chevy, you could not touch a rusted hulk for this money. Because the shifting of these transmissions was slow, they were never hot-rodded or collected. This has just been a well-cared for car. If you are able to tinker on a 68 year old car, this is one that is registered and ready to enjoy while you do so.

I am near Angels Camp, California, less than two hours SE of Sacramento.

$8,000 OBO.

Mark @ (209) 602-2167 Please text or leave a voice mail message and I will get back to you. Say you saw it on AACA, as I am ignoring long-distance requests from Craig's List.

Edited February 29, 2016 by markrush (see edit history)

[countrytravler]

This car is a very nice example of a 48 Chry. If you have any questions about this car, feel free to call. I have worked on this car for about a year installing many new parts. Put the key in and drive away. Pictures below was taken at our shop.

Thanks

Dave 

209-613-1199

Edited March 1, 2016 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[Guest markrush]

SOLD 3-15-16