Dave Iggulden realized from a young age he’d have to be independent when it came to cars. He was 12 when his grandfather gave him a 1978 Chevy Malibu to restore. Iggulden says while it wasn’t a very cool car, it offered him a valuable learning experience. “If I wanted something done, I knew I’d have to learn how to do it for myself.”
Now 33, the Calgarian is an auto body painter and a millwright by trade. He has earned a serious set of skills, and Iggulden let them loose on his latest custom build – a 1951 Chevrolet Fleetline. “The Fleetline isn’t really a common car,” he said, “but I’ve always liked the lines of them – much more than sedans or coupes. On those cars the body line is too choppy between the rear window and the trunk.”
Mike Siewert’s 1951 Chevrolet Fleetline.
Mike Siewert, for Driving
The Chevy Fleetline was introduced in 1949, and it followed some of the design architecture that Chevrolet debuted in 1942 with the Aerosedan. Most notably, the Fleetline carried on the fastback roofline, but was even further smoothed out with fenders that flowed into the doors, a new grille and low-profile hood.
The Fleetline was available in both sedan and coupe body styles, until the sedan was dropped in 1951. The last year for the coupe was 1952. Powering the early cars was Chevy’s 216.5 cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine. In 1950 the Fleetline DeLuxe model with the two-speed Powerglide transmission was offered with a 235 cubic-inch straight-six engine.
Iggulden found his project Fleetline about seven years ago. While it was mostly complete and original, the car was riddled with rust. Not a concern for Iggulden, as he replaced the rotten rocker panels and the floorboards with new metal. Working with a friend who had an English wheel and a planishing hammer, Iggulden formed quarter panel extensions that he TIG-welded to the back end of the car. Overall, he added five-inches to the length of the body. “I really wanted to accentuate the sweeping body line, and the extensions helped meet that goal,” he said.
Mike Siewert’s 1951 Chevrolet Fleetline.
Mike Siewert, for Driving
For running gear, Iggulden installed a 235 cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine that originally powered a 1955 Chevrolet station wagon. He’s gone through the power plant and checked critical tolerances, which were all within spec, and installed a rebuilt head he had from another project. A five-speed transmission from a Chevy S10 truck backs up the straight six, and the rear end was sourced from a four-wheel drive S10. For rear suspension, Iggulden fabricated a triangulated four-link system with coil over shock absorbers.
The front end is stock, but Iggulden pocketed the A-arms and shortened the springs to decrease the ride height by 2.5-inches, and the rear sits some five-inches lower than stock. Retained was the manual steering and the non-power assisted four-wheel drum brakes. “The car stops very well with the drums,” Iggulden said. “In fact, I’ve had newer cars with disc brakes stop worse than the ‘51.”
Custom touches include shaved exterior door and trunk handles. Iggulden fabricated cable releases for both doors and the trunk lid. A narrowed rear bumper features a one-piece licence plate holder with bumperettes that incorporate taillights from a 1954 Chevy. Up front, the grille is stock but the bumper has been flipped end-for-end and tucked in tighter to the car.
Mike Siewert’s 1951 Chevrolet Fleetline.
Mike Siewert, for Driving
Alberta Plating in Calgary handled all of the chrome work, while Iggulden mixed the custom ‘Pistachio Pearl’ paint colour himself. However, all of the body prep work and the paint job itself was handled by Iggulden’s friend Chad Bailey. Iggulden helped his girlfriend Lauren McKenzie stitch together the interior, with the exception of the headliner and door cards.
“I’ve always been fascinated by custom cars of the mid-1950s, and I built this trying to make it look like it was a feature car in a magazine of that era,” Iggulden said, but concluded, “It’s not a show car, though, because I built it to drive.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Aug. 15: 26 th annual Northern Mopars Club show and shine at Capitol Hill Community Centre — corner of 14th St. and 20th Ave. N.W. All Chrysler and AMC products welcome. Registration from 9 a.m. to noon, $20 judged, $10 non-comp. Show runs until 4 p.m., when awards are handed out. Special guest Troy Simonsen of Chrysler product development and drag racing fame. No charge for spectators, but donations to Veteran’s Food Bank accepted. Contact Larry Gammon at 403-243-4703 or email him at llgammon@telusplanet.net.
Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067, gregwilliams@shaw.ca, or visit gregwilliams.ca.
