Chevrolet Suburban cars for sale in Monticello, Indiana

Chevrolet : Suburban Carryall Suburban 3116 1952 chevrolet suburban clam shell doors model 3116 carryall from st louis

$7,500

Monticello, Indiana

Just in from the barn, a low production 1952 Chevy Carryall Suburban Model 3116 clamshell wagon. Pretty much an unmolested original. Located currently an hour or so south of Chicago. If you cannot afford a full blown woody wagon, this is the next best thing. Good Indiana title. 3KPC**** vehicle serial number with the data plate on the door matching the title. The 3 indicates it was assembled in St. Louis, in March 1952. Still wearing most of its original Forester Green paint, with quite a bit of patina. As far as I can tell, this body style was the less-produced of the two rear door styles, with around 8,000 barn door trucks built nationally in 1952 and probably around 5,000 of the clamshell. Evidently production breakouts have been lost to time, but for 1953 there were only 3,000 built. Mostly these years were still being used for depot hacks, picking people up at train stations to take them to hotels, lodges, and dude ranches. Other times Chevy sold them to businesses who needed crew cars. Some were also used for school busses in rural areas, and you will frequently find the telltale yellow paint on those. Government and military purchased a good many of them, particularly to transport aircraft crews. There was a long history of Chevrolet providing military equipment from the St. Louis facility. As the public desired all steel bodies and started buying car-bodied station wagons, carryalls fell into disfavor. Airports replaced train stations and motels replaced lodges and big traditional hotels. Now we have plastic bodied airport busses. Just the same reasons that cause the old outmoded stuff to be desired collectibles now some 60 years later. Automobile production was pretty much shut down from 1942 through 1945 as the nation converted to war production. However, no so truck factories, which kept the lines rolling for the military. It is said that because it was quicker to re-tool the existing truck lines after the war than to get auto production back going again, Chevrolet decided to overhaul its light truck offering, starting in 1947 with the "Advance Design." While the Suburban was redesigned cowl-forward, it kept most of the rearward elements, including the wood floor. Some Carryall Suburban chassis were still shipped out of the factory (most from Tarrytown) to have woody "aftermarket" bodies installed, but the closest you could get to a factory woody remained the full bodied Carryall Suburban. (Re-styled automobiles followed later, in a couple more years). Production of cars and trucks was just getting caught up to demand, when steel shortages once again curtailed US automakers during the Korean conflict. This 1952 was the first year of the Advance Design suburban to come with push button door locks. Because of the Korean war, most trucks this year came with painted grills. Whether or not there is any chrome at all on the dashboard depended on material availability. Some radio grills were chrome, others were painted. We do have an extra chrome grill in this deal but it would need to be repaired and replated. The Chevrolet Truck and Bus Assembly Plant on Natural Bridge Blvd. in St. Louis was the very same location where all Corvette's were built up through the 1981 model. The assembly plant had made trucks since the 1920's, and most of the deuce and a half's produced during World War II came from there, along with a lot of other war related products, such as amphibious "ducks." Trucks were the bread and butter of the facility as well as at several other GM plants scattered around the country. St. Louis refused to match tax incentives offered by the state of Kentucky, and the Corvette line moved to Bowling Green in 1981. In the 70's and 80's, large cars such as Caprices and Impala's were also assembled here, but eventually there was only the truck production line, producing both Chevrolet and GMC. The last trucks rolled off the St. Louis line in August 1987, and parts of the old factory buildings were knocked down shortly thereafter. The last two trucks, one GMC, and one Chevrolet, were raffled off and given to lucky employees. While I say lucky employees, this is an oxymoron, because over 2000 people had their lives turned upside down, and either lost their jobs or had to make a sudden relocation to other plants. While a new GM plant was being built in Missouri, at the time the truck plant was shutting down, it was not entirely ready. A substantial number of employees were given only 7 days to report for work in Kentucky or be laid off. Most light truck assembly eventually moved to Ft. Wayne, Indiana after International shut down there, although a mid-sized truck line went to a "new" plant near Shreveport, Louisiana for a while. Coincidentally, Missouri taxpayers finally helped General Motors build a new van assembly plant at Wentzville, just west of St. Louis. Eventually the "Colorado" pickup truck line moved back to Missouri from Shreveport, and now there are three shifts in Missouri building Colorado's (Truck of the Year for 2015) and GMC Canyon trucks at Wentzville! The Carryall Suburban nameplate is almost as old as the Chevrolet brand itself, first produced in 1935. Interestingly, Chevy did not own the trademark to "Suburban" until other auto manufacturers finally gave it up in the 1980's. Several other manufacturers such as Dodge Brothers produced vehicles called "Suburban's" over the decades. But Chevrolet now owns the exclusive rights to the name. We will be posting more photos when time allows. After some initial inspection, this is an opinion of what we have found about the '52 Carryall Suburban. Please understand this represents a lay persons analysis, and closer inspection is encouraged before you press any buttons. Email for any questions, but personal look see is recommended. My plan was originally to use this vehicle for some parts, but I believe it is worthy of at least a basic restoration, so I am not taking any parts off of it at this time. Later, we may part it out if somebody does not want the whole package. Some items were removed before we got it. There are NO seats. There is no rear bumper or rear bumper brackets. Most of the glass is there, except for the rear clam window, but other than the vent windows and perhaps two pieces of the sliders, most of it is cracked. There is some rust in the sliding window channels, but there is enough support left there to get by. The clam doors are pretty good, with some rust along the bottom, particularly on the lower. The cables and retractors are present and working. The gas tank was pulled and found to have previous patches and new holes. Unlike pickup trucks of the Advance Design, that had the gas tank behind the seat, Carryall tanks were located between frame members, under the floor. The tank will need to be replaced or seriously resealed. The engine can run now with gravity gas feed. The battery cradle is eaten away, which is normal for vehicles of this age. Replacements are available. The radiator is holding good antifreeze and does not appear to have any leaks. There is a new starter and fuel pump. The brakes appear to be OK at least for yard driving. The condition of the electrical system is unknown, with most wiring seeminly original and frayed. It is still a 6 volt system as was true of most General Motors vehicles produced prior to the shift to 12 volt in 1955. Gauges and speedo are in the truck, cracked lens on one, and operating condition not known at this time. The drive train is all present...condition unknown. There are four period wheels with older tires that still will hold air if coaxed. Unknown if they are the original rims but easily could be. Rust is pretty much everywhere in the lower body. Floorboards on driver and passenger sides are both gone. Firewall mostly looks OK. Front seat support (toolbox) probably can be used, with a patch in the bottom of the toolbox. A floorboard with a slight toe riser should do for the front. Kick panels are rusted out on both sides and need replaced. From what I can tell of the roof, body side walls, and frame, things look decent except for a few areas. Driver and passenger doors have been replaced from a donor truck and are pretty good. Window raising mechanisms are present in both doors as are the venti panes. Truck frame does not indicate any structural problems from previous accidents, as these seem to be the original fenders on all four corners. All of the fenders do have some rust issues. One running board is missing...the other running board has rust issues. The support brackets for the running boards seem to be sound. I have not seen much of the bad parts that you cannot get ready made patch panels or replacements for. Interior-wise, the glove box and door is missing. The cardboard roof panels are long gone. The wooden floor in the back of the wagon is original, with the seat supports still in place. The wood seems to be in pretty decent condition. Underneath supports are present and solid. The factory linoleum was cracking and peeling as most of them do, so unfortunately we had to clean that up and get rid of it. None of it could be saved. The side cardboard is long gone as well. Exterior lights were cracked or broken out so we removed the broken glass for safety. The parking light boxes and headlight hardware are present without the glass or bulbs. Exterior outboard tail lights were installed, but the lenses are missing. The inner body has one wheel well with more rust damage than the other. This would require some cosmetic repair but does not seem to be structural. If you are at all interested, we encourage you to come see in person. All reasonable offers will be considered. I believe this would make somebody a nice winter project.