Looking for my gpa’s 52 Chevy Styeline

[Adam Kovar]

Hey friends!

 

I’ve got this dream to find and restore my late grandpa’s 1952 Chevy Styeline Deluxe. I don’t have a lot of info on specific options he went with, but I do have the VIN and license plate along with pictures of when he bought it off the lot here in Nebraska. (Even the complimentary matching hat)

 

The last I/my family knows is that my gpa sold the car to my great uncle in Louisiana, and that my great uncle has since sold it, but doesn’t remember who he sold it to.

 

I have a police buddy that worked at the DMV and he was able to look up the VIN, but unfortunately the last documented owner is my great uncle. So he must have sold it off the books. 

 

Is there any hope left in finding this thing? Any help would be much appreciated! 

[John_S_in_Penna]

The pictures show 1980's cars, so just the fact that

the Chevy survived that long means it survived into

collector status.  It wasn't just driven for 10 or 15 years and

junked.  So there is hope for you that it is still out there

somewhere!

 

Having access to registration information is a rare privilege

these days, so that would be your best help.  Could the fact that

there are no records beyond your great uncle's mean that the

car has gone out of state and is now in another state's records?

 

Let's let others give suggestions on how to advertise

or publicize your quest.

Edited July 25, 2019 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[auburnseeker]

It could also be off the radar if the next owner never registered it and just squirreled it away thinking he was going to drive it or fix or whatever and never got around to it.  Often guys don't register stuff until they are ready to actually put it on the road.  Even if it was road ready when they bought it,  time takes over and things get put off.  Even a minor fix can sideline a car for an entire ownership because the owner just never got to it.  

As said there is a good chance it lived on though if it was that nice at that point in it's life.  Hopefully it didn't fall into the hands of a street rodder. 

Good luck. 

[DLynskey]

Adam,

 

I was typing while John was posting his response. He has a good point that it survived into the 1980's in very good condition so it's survival is much more likely than the average '52 Chevrolet. My first car was a 1951 Chevy styleline 2-door and my grandfather had a '52 4-door exactly like your grandfather's  except 2-tone green in color. I've always had a soft spot for them.

 

In most states even if the DMV had the information today's privacy concerns wouldn't allow them to release it to you. A couple of suggestions:

 

Try posting on the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America chat room,   https://vccachat.org/  It is a very active forum with lots of Chevy collectors. In the  unlikely case that it still exists a VCCA member might know about it.

 

Take a few days out and visit the Louisiana town where the car was last seen. It was probably sold locally and, particularly if it is a small town, someone will know about it. Visit on a weekend when you can go to a cruise-in and ask around.  Ask at the local parts stores. Also contact the nearest AACA chapter. Regions and chapters are listed elsewhere  on this AACA website with contact information. Maybe even time your visit to allow you to attend a local AACA meeting.

 

Good luck on your quest. I've been seriously thinking about visiting my home town to see if I can find an antique car I sold in 1970. 

 

Don

 

 

[Bloo]

You should also post this over on VCCA.

 

https://vccachat.org/

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

9 hours ago, DLynskey said:

...its survival is much more likely than the average '52 Chevrolet....

In the  unlikely case that it still exists a VCCA member might know about it....

 

Don, I think you meant "likely" instead of "unlikely" in that 2nd sentence!

Your suggestions are good, and Adam can have some hope.

[mercer09]

If you are serious Adam, I would head on down to Lousiana with a really nice buttercream cake in tow- go into the local dmv and sweet talk one of the older ladies behind the desk...........

 

things are done a little differently in the south- esp Louisiana.

[Uptowndodge]

On 7/25/2019 at 4:50 AM, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

Don, I think you meant "likely" instead of "unlikely" in that 2nd sentence!

Your suggestions are good, and Adam can have some hope.

John I think you better read that second sentence again before correcting people.

[John_S_in_Penna]

I stand by what I said.  I don't think I misread anything.

The original poster should have the proper hope that

his car can be found--and how happy his family may be

if that momentous event comes to pass!

[1950panhead]

The last I/my family knows is that my gpa sold the car to my great uncle in Louisiana, and that my great uncle has since sold it, but doesn’t remember who he sold it to.

What year did your father sell ?

What year did uncle sell ?

What town does uncle live ?

 

 

[Carolina Chevrolet]

You should post this over on Chevytalk,  under sub forum 1949-1954 Chevys .  It'll get lots of looks there. 

[DLynskey]

Interesting.

 

The original post was July 24. The poster joined the forum July 24 and the last time he visited was July 24.  So he never even checked back to see all of the helpful information he was offered.  Must not have wanted to locate the car that badly!

 

(Added later -- I might have been too quick to judge. He could have checked back anonymously without logging in. Adam, if you see this we'd like to hear if you had any luck with any of our suggestions.)

 

Don

Edited September 10, 2019 by DLynskey
Added language (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

Where in Louisiana does/did your great uncle live?

We have a very active AACA Region with several chapters around the state.

If he sold it to another collector, it may still be here.

 

I've served as predsident over chapter and Region over the years,

and could put out your request to the individual chapters, or you could simply write to the chapter presidents yourself. Their contact info is listed in AACA's excellent Antique Automobile bi-monthly publication.

 

My friendly former contacts within Louisiana's Office of Motor Vehicles have all since retired,

and the replacement folk at OMV seem to have neither the legal ability, nor the personal inclination to assist in these efforts.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Marty Roth
typo (see edit history)

[The 55er]

I wish you well but.......I think that actually finding a certain relatively common car after all this time several states away would be a minor miracle. And if found has anyone ever considered the possibility that, after a long and exhausting search for a car, that the current owner has no intentions of selling? What do you do then? Adam, are you still out there?.......Adam?

[John_S_in_Penna]

The original poster hasn't checked back--

or been anywhere on our forum--since the

day he posed the question almost 2 months ago.

So most of the answers he hasn't even seen.

 

Adam, we wish you success, but you're not

taking best advantage of the knowledge on this forum!

[Cannataclan4]

This looks exactly like the one my father found in a garage for sale and had restored. He found the original color in one area and had it painted exactly like the one you have posted