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1948 chevy woodie wagon question


firecars

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I'm a new owner of a 1948 Chevrolet Woodie, but I own a number of other 47/48 Chevrolet's. The Woodie I just bought has the original 216 engine in it, it is rebuild able. My question is should I leave original motor in car? is it worth it? I was going to replace the entire drive train with a 1970 250 cu motor., but now I'm having second thoughts. I thought the newer drive train would allow me to travel with the car.

 

thoughts?

 

One question, is the rear axle in the Woodie wagons 4:11 or did they use another ratio?

 

I do need a drivers side rear door if anyone has a spare door or parts?

 

 

230134446_525121338820050_3038586941115108899_n.jpg

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I'm going to step on some toes here but you asked for opinions. Here goes: If you want a car that performs like a 1970 Chevy why don't you restore a 1970 Chevy and add wood to it rather than altering a restorable 1948 car that does not meet your performance needs?

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On 9/9/2021 at 2:51 PM, firecars said:

I'm a new owner of a 1948 Chevrolet Woodie, but I own a number of other 47/48 Chevrolet's. The Woodie I just bought has the original 216 engine in it, it is rebuild able. My question is should I leave original motor in car? is it worth it? I was going to replace the entire drive train with a 1970 250 cu motor., but now I'm having second thoughts. I thought the newer drive train would allow me to travel with the car.

 

thoughts?

 

One question, is the rear axle in the Woodie wagons 4:11 or did they use another ratio?

 

I do need a drivers side rear door if anyone has a spare door or parts?

 

 

230134446_525121338820050_3038586941115108899_n.jpg

I have a '48 Chevrolet woody which I turned into a resto mod. I can drive it anywhere in the country and can drive it on the interstate or wherever without fear. I have disc brakes so I can stop and AC so I don't roast in the summer. 

 

MOST people who have straight original cars (I have a few of them) don't drive them very far. Or if they do, they avoid interstates and use secondary highways. 

 

It's YOUR CAR- you are not some curator of a museum who is pledges with preserving an original car- who cares? I am restoring a '41 International K3 right now. What am I doing? Restomod- double clutch shifting is a royal pain in the ass and drum brakes (in my opinion) are unsafe on modern highways. 

 

DRIVE YOUR CAR and have fun with it. Whatever YOU THINK would be the most fun- do it. 

Edited by blind pew (see edit history)
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Blind Pew,

Your points are very valid, we own 4 other 1940ish chevys all original and never go to a show that requires high way travel. so we are limited to what we go to and miss out on many nice shows. Maybe I update one of the other cars and keep the Woodie stock, We have a 1940 convertible that I don't think I'd touch maybe the Woodie is in the same group. we own 2 other 47's (business coupe and sedan delivery) maybe one of these becomes a candidate for updating drive line.

 

Sorry to sound so wishy-washy just don't want to street rod a car that is valuable as stock, but we do want to go places with a car that is hi-way usable. I like the idea of adding disk brakes as well. Thanks for the comments, I'm still thinking. Maybe its time for a trailer.

 

IMG_1515.jpg.a97f6c5d358f9c043b1eddba5d4ff28b.jpg

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Resto modding does not alter the value of a car that needs to be restored, as it is not "stock".
 

Woodies are one of the few types of cars in which resto-modding can actually increase the value of the car. A '48 Chevrolet (I really like mine) is not a rare car- there are lots and lots of them. Thus there are MANY stock examples out there for those who prefer that. 

 

Do what makes you ENJOY THE CAR. If you are going to drive it more and do things more in a resto-mod, then do it. 

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4 hours ago, blind pew said:

Resto modding does not alter the value of a car that needs to be restored, as it is not "stock".
 

Woodies are one of the few types of cars in which resto-modding can actually increase the value of the car.

To be sure it is all in how well it is done.

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Street rods have always provoked strong opinions in the hobby, much like MAGA vs. Woke has recently. I want to extend a little good will since my sarcastic post about adding wood to a 70 Chevy. Very rarely do I post something negative on these forums. While I still have opinions on the subject, I have to remind myself that modifying a vintage car is not illegal or immoral. All car guys like to work with their hands and I value that above their opinions about street rods. I hassled Blind Pew in the beginning about modifying his International woodie but I have also made good faith suggestions to him on where to find parts. 

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I have owned my 1946 Ford Station Wagon for over 20 years. I have attended dozens of Woodie specific car show's including the biggest such as Wavecrest and Woodies on the Wharf. Most members of the Woodie community don't have an issue with modern engines and other upgrades, we all seem to get along well. One long time Woodie restorer once told me "it's not about the drivetrain, it's all about the wood". If you feel that replacing your engine and drivetrain will allow you to use your car more often, then do so. Remember anything you do can be reversed at some point. I do not recommend however doing anything to the wood such as "chopping" or making it into a two door. As long as you keep the body close to stock, I have no problem with an up grade. My '46 Woodie has a  modern drivetrain but you cannot tell by looking at it, most people think that it is restored. I have found that life is way too short to not be able to use my cars. With my Station Wagon I can use it any time I want and travel safely at highway speeds. We drove our Woodie from Long Island to California 6600 miles for the Wavecrest show and had a ball. 

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Hi everyone,

thank you for the comments, My thoughts are to keep the wood as built no changes or chopping, but after all the comments, I think I'm going to upgrade the motor to a 250 and keep as much of drive line intact. I have found a 51 rear axle and will change out the differential and torque tube giving me a 3:55 rear instead of the 4:11. Between the motor and rear differential change It should give us what we are looking for, an original looking car, but one that can go the distance.

 

Thank you for all the help deciding what to do.

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10 hours ago, Tom Boehm said:

Street rods have always provoked strong opinions in the hobby, much like MAGA vs. Woke has recently. I want to extend a little good will since my sarcastic post about adding wood to a 70 Chevy. Very rarely do I post something negative on these forums. While I still have opinions on the subject, I have to remind myself that modifying a vintage car is not illegal or immoral. All car guys like to work with their hands and I value that above their opinions about street rods. I hassled Blind Pew in the beginning about modifying his International woodie but I have also made good faith suggestions to him on where to find parts. 

You are FAR, FAR from a negative guy and your comments are always good ones. 

 

I certainly did not perceive our discussion about putting a modern drive train on that International as being hassled. You had some very good, valid points which I pondered carefully. I simply found it very, very difficult to secure original parts for the K3, so the decision was much easier. 

 

Now there are TONS of reproduction or original parts for the '48 chevrolet, so a decision to keep it stock is much easier. 

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4 hours ago, firecars said:

Hi everyone,

thank you for the comments, My thoughts are to keep the wood as built no changes or chopping, but after all the comments, I think I'm going to upgrade the motor to a 250 and keep as much of drive line intact. I have found a 51 rear axle and will change out the differential and torque tube giving me a 3:55 rear instead of the 4:11. Between the motor and rear differential change It should give us what we are looking for, an original looking car, but one that can go the distance.

 

Thank you for all the help deciding what to do.

That is basically what I've done with my resto-mods. They look "stock" from the outside and on the interior. However, opening the hood or crawling underneath reveals a modern drive train. 

 

Doing the wood is fun. Just rely on pointers from the guys on the site who can do it well (Tom is one- the guy who did the Dodge Power Wagon did some amazing work). They are great resources. 

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