Elite Dealer

1952 Chevrolet Styleline

Indiana

$74,900

Vehicle Details

Make

Chevrolet

Model

Styleline

Year

1952

VIN

KMR4408CR

Body Type

Hardtop

Transmission

Automatic

Engine

392

Description

1952 Ford Custom A true SHOW car! 58 Chrysler 392/360 hp HEMI engine Rare dual 4s with batwing air cleaner 58 Torque flight 3 speed auto trans push button gear select 9' Ford rear end Rack and Pinion steering 4 Rambler reclining bucket seats Shaved doors and trunk 60 Chrysler tail lights Old school diamond truck upholstery power trunk 56 Olds Fiesta wheel covers Beautiful body with excellent fit Finished in GM Synergy green metallic Custom made 'oil bath' style breather, over $5k ALONE
Body Style: Hardtop
Doors: 2

Classic Chevrolet Styleline Buyer's Guide (1949–1952)

Full guide

Mike Sullivan

Muscle Cars

1949–1952

~5 min read

Updated Apr 2026

The 1949–1952 Chevrolet Styleline was the first all-new postwar Chevy — lower, sleeker, and finally leaving the prewar look behind. These cars are the forgotten bridge between the Master Deluxe era and the iconic Tri-Five generation, and they're undervalued because of it.

This guide covers

✓ 12-point inspection checklist

✓ Common issues & what to avoid

✓ In-person inspection guide

✓ Market pricing by year & condition

✓ 5 FAQs answered

✓ History & fun facts

Read the Full Styleline Buyer's Guide

Chevrolet Styleline Market Overview

Based on 39 Chevrolet Styleline listings currently on ClassicCarsArena.com

Listed Now

$30,134

Avg. Asking Price

1948–1952

Year Range

Price Position on Our Site — Above Average

This car: $74,900

Low: $4,995 High: $87,500

Transmission Distribution

Automatic 56% ◄

Manual 21%

Condition Distribution

Excellent 8%

Good 13%

Fair 13%

Poor 5%

Data from ClassicCarsArena.com listings Browse all 39 listings →

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Classic Chevrolet Styleline Buyer's Guide (1949–1952)

People chase the Tri-Fives and ignore the cars that set them up. The 1949–1952 Chevrolet Styleline was Chevrolet's first clean-sheet postwar design — a genuine step forward in styling and engineering that outsold everything Ford put up against it. They're not as flashy as a '55 Bel Air or as iconic as a '57, but they're real driving cars, mechanically straightforward, and — for now — priced where ordinary people can still afford to play. I've built a few of these over the years and I've come to respect how well-engineered they are for their era. Here's what to look for.

What to Check Before Buying

✓

Frame rails — Probe front and rear kick-up sections with screwdriver for structural rust

✓

Rocker panels — Check from below and exterior — these trap moisture against the frame

✓

Cowl channel — Open hood and inspect along windshield base for rust and water accumulation

✓

Rear quarters / trunk lip — Inspect lower rear quarter panels and trunk opening perimeter for rust

✓

Floor pans — Assess from underneath — note extent of rust and quality of previous repairs

✓

Engine cold start — Should start easily and clear any startup smoke within 1 minute of warmup

✓

Engine oil leaks — Check valve cover and front crank seal for seepage — common, inexpensive to fix

✓

Trim level verification — Confirm Deluxe vs. Special trim against documentation and visual details

✓

Powerglide engagement — If automatic: verify smooth, prompt Drive and Low engagement from cold and hot

✓

Windshield condition — Check for cracks — on '49–'50 split glass; on '51–'52 one-piece curved glass

✓

Dashboard cracks — Inspect plastic dashboard for cracks — correct replacements exist but are expensive

✓

Firewall alignment — Check firewall for creasing or push-back indicating prior front-end collision

Common Issues

Cowl rust is the most problematic body issue on Stylelines — water enters the cowl vent and accumulates in the channel between the firewall and the base of the windshield, causing extensive rust that is expensive to repair correctly because it involves the structural cowl panel. Rear quarter panel rust at the lower edges and around the trunk is common and more straightforward to address with reproduction panels. The Stovebolt six's main mechanical issue is valve guide wear causing blue smoke at startup — a routine head rebuild addresses this completely. The original 6-volt electrical system is prone to corrosion at connections; some owners have converted to 12-volt negative ground for reliability, which is a practical upgrade but reduces originality points. The Powerglide transmission is generally robust but can develop a delayed Drive engagement after years of service — a rebuild restores smooth operation. Rubber seals and weatherstripping on doors and the convertible top have a finite life and are often deteriorated on unrestored cars.

What to Look For

Probe frame rails at front and rear kick-up sections with a screwdriver — rust here is structural. Check rocker panels from below and from the exterior; these sit on the frame and trap moisture. Inspect the cowl channel from under the hood — open the hood and look along the base of the windshield for rust and water staining. Lower rear quarters and the trunk opening perimeter are common rust initiators. Look at the floor pans from underneath; repair panels are available and floor rust is manageable, but assess extent carefully before pricing. Check the firewall for accident repair signs — a pushed firewall indicates the car took a significant front impact. Verify trim level (Deluxe vs. Special) against any documentation; Deluxe trim is worth meaningfully more and should be confirmed. On Powerglide cars, verify smooth engagement in Drive and Low. Test the heater — the original Chevrolet heater/defroster system is simple but often non-functional due to clogged cores.

Price Guide

Driver-quality Styleline sedans and coupes trade at $10,000–$16,000; show-quality restorations on Deluxe trims reach $28,000–$38,000 for the best-documented examples. Convertibles carry a 25–40% premium across all conditions: driver convertibles at $15,000–$22,000, show quality at $38,000–$52,000. The 1951–1952 models with the larger 235 engine typically carry a 10–15% premium over equivalent 1949–1950 cars due to better driveability. Project cars — complete, not cut up, with solid frames — are available at $4,000–$8,000, making them genuinely accessible entry points. Powerglide-equipped cars are generally priced 5–10% less than manual-transmission equivalents among buyers who prioritize performance and originality.

Did You Know?

The 1949 Chevrolet was the first all-new Chevrolet since 1941, and GM delayed its introduction until the full supply chain could support proper production quality — a lesson learned from the early postwar rush that produced poorly-built cars across the industry. The Stovebolt inline-six earned its nickname from the flathead stove bolts used to assemble it; the design was so successful that a variant remained in production until 1990 in various GM trucks. The Styleline outsold the contemporary Ford by nearly 100,000 units in 1949 alone. These cars were daily transportation for millions of American families throughout the early 1950s — finding one that survived unmodified is rarer than it looks.

Elite Dealer

$74,900

1952 Chevrolet Styleline

Indiana

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