1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup — Big Block Pro Street Custom Why This Car Is Special The 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup is one of the most recognized silhouettes in the hobby. Chevrolet introduced its all-new 'Advance Design' truck line in 1947, and by 1949 the platform had hit its stride as a proven, refined product that American buyers trusted. The 5-Window cab — named for its five panes of glass, including the two rear corner windows that give the cab its distinctive wide-open look — has always been the more desirable configuration compared to its 3-window counterpart.

Those rear quarter windows added light, visibility, and a design detail that makes the cab feel less like a utility vehicle and more like something worth preserving. What you are looking at here is not a truck that someone decided to restore back to factory spec. This is a ground-up pro street custom build on a 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup body, built to be driven hard and shown with confidence.

The builder chose the 1949 Advance Design body as the canvas — a wise choice — and then replaced virtually every mechanical system underneath it with modern hardware. The result is a 75-year-old body wearing PPG two-tone paint over a chassis loaded with late-model running gear. Chevelle rear end, Mustang II front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, power disc brakes, and a big block 454 V8 up front.

This truck was built to perform, not sit in a garage. The Advance Design trucks of 1947 through 1955 are genuinely significant in American automotive history. They outsold Ford trucks for most of the run, and the 5-Window cab variant has been a staple of the custom truck world since the 1970s.

Builders have gravitated toward these trucks for decades because the body lines are clean and the proportions are correct — wide enough to fill a set of wide rear tires without looking stretched, short enough to feel purposeful, and simple enough that custom work integrates naturally rather than fighting the original design. Features List - Big Block 454 V8 engine with Edelbrock valve covers and air cleaner - K&N-style high-flow air filter - Ceramic-coated headers with Flowmaster mufflers - Dual exhaust with rear exit tips - Automatic transmission - Mustang II rack-and-pinion front steering - Power steering and power disc brakes - Chevelle rear end - Walker aluminum radiator - LOKAR dipsticks - Vintage air conditioning - Power windows - LMC wooden bed kit - Gas tank relocation kit - Full custom leather interior in tan - Dual leather power bucket seats - Banjo leather steering wheel - Aftermarket gauges - Aftermarket stereo - Custom door panels with upgraded carpet - Billet aluminum wheels - Billet rearview mirror - Billet door handles - Billet shifter - Billet pedals - LED tail lights - Dual sport exterior mirrors - Smooth firewall - Chrome bumpers - PPG two-tone white and red paint - Lowered stance Mechanical The drivetrain in this 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window is built around Chevrolet's 454 cubic inch big block V8, the largest displacement engine in the classic Mark IV big block family. Chevy produced the 454 from 1970 through 1976 in passenger cars and continued using it in trucks well into the 1990s, making it one of the most well-supported big block engines available for a build like this.

Parts are everywhere, knowledge is widespread, and a properly built 454 in a truck this size makes for a combination that is as reliable as it is capable. The engine is dressed with Edelbrock valve covers and an Edelbrock air cleaner, which is a detail worth noting beyond aesthetics. Edelbrock components are engineered to work together, and the presence of their induction hardware suggests the builder paid attention to how the engine was set up, not just how it looked.

The high-flow K&N-style filter element feeds clean air into the carbureted setup, while ceramic-coated headers manage heat efficiently before routing exhaust into Flowmaster mufflers and out through dual r