page 12, 1947-1955 Sedan Delivery
taken from the Light Commercial Vehicle Association (LCVA) - Jan/Feb & Mar/Apr 1984

1949 Sedan Delivery

1947-48: As part of their total truck presentation, Chevrolet also has a Sedan Delivery, which was the 1500 series.  For the years 1947 and 1948 the Sedan Delivery shared much of its sheet metal styling with the passenger car line and its major styling change occurred in 1949 along with the passenger car so we will discuss the Sedan Delivery in detail when we cover the 1949 truck line.

1949: The major new introduction for 1949 was the all new Sedan Delivery based on the all new Chevrolet automobile styling.  The new styling gave the Sedan Delivery a low wide proportioned front emphasized by the new grille and wrap around front bumper.  Also featured was a lower, shorter and wider hood set lower between the front fenders. The lower overall height of the new Sedan Delivery was emphasized by the wider curved windshield.  It was first curved windshield in Chevy’s price class.

The Sedan Delivery was offered in four colors:  Mayland Black was the standard color, Monaco Blue, Grecian Gray, and Liveoak Green. The interior of the Sedan Delivery was also all new.  The load space was painted light gray and the headliner was light gray leather like fabric.  The driver’s compartment was brown instrument panel and garnish moldings were finished with brown deep luster metallic lacquer, while sidewalls and seats were brown leather like fabric.

Because the side doors were wider and the seats were lower the new Sedan Delivery was easier to enter.  Also, the sides of the seats were closer to the outside of the body so the driver could be seated directly without first stepping into the car.

Even though the new Sedan Delivery was lower in height it had more interior space because it was longer and wider.  The distance from back of the seat to rear door was 6% inches greater and the width between was increased by 1% inches.  The new body had a capacity of 92.5 cubic feet compared to 83 cubic feet in 1949, an increase of over eleven per cent.

The new Sedan Delivery was built on the Chevrolet car chassis so shared all the same frame, suspension and other mechanicals as the all new for 1949 Chevrolet cars.  The engine was the same 216.5 cu. In. unit as used in the light trucks and the car.  The Sedan Delivery’s engine differed in a couple of ways from the truck engine.  The Sedan Delivery used push-button starting and a new air cleaner was necessary because the hood line was so much lower than the hood of the trucks.

Some of the accessories were redesigned for 1949 to be compatible with the new Sedan Delivery styling A new heater system which drew air from the outside, as in the new Chevy care, the spotlight was made smaller and more attractive, the windshield washer was improved and two new radios were made available.  The higher priced set had push button tuning and a larger speaker. Most of the other accessories from 1948 were continued for 1949 in revised and improved form.  They included front fender shields, grille guard, locking gas cap clock, turn signals, fog lamps, hood ornament, parking brake alarm, outside sun visor and deluxe steering wheel.

Two regular production options were available for 1949.  An oil bath air cleaner and silencer assembly and the combination fuel and vacuum pump.

1950: The Sedan Delivery was continued with but slight cosmetic changes inside and out in keeping with the changes in the 1950 Chevrolet automobiles.  An external hood release was adopted during 1949.

Four new colors were added to the Sedan Delivery for 1950.  They were:  Falcon Gray, Windsor Blue, Mist Green, and Rodeo Beige.  The color Ice Green from 1949 was now called Crystal Green.  Crystal Green and Windsor Blue were deep-luster metallic lacquer.  Falcon Grey and Rodeo Beige were regular metallic lacquer. Following are the 1950 color combination for the Sedan Delivery.

1951: The Sedan Delivery was given a new front appearance making it consistent in styling with the 1951 Chevrolet automobiles.

Three new colors were introduced for the Sedan Delivery.  They were Trophy blue, Thistle Grey and Aspen Green.  Mayland Black was continued as the regular production color, but the other three could be ordered with no extra charge.  Trophy blue and Aspen Green were metallic lacquer.  Wheel stripes with Mayland Black and Trophy blue were Argent Silver and wheel stripes with Thistle Grey and Aspen Green were Mayland Black.

1952: The exterior changes to the Sedan Delivery were the same as the changes to the passenger cars.  The regular colors for the Sedan Delivery were Onyx Black, Birch Gray, Spring Green and Admiral Blue.  Also available on special order, but at no extra cost, were Sahara Beige, dusk Gray, Emerald Green and Regal Maroon.

1953: The 1953 Sedan Delivery was totally restyled again following the lead of Chevrolet passenger cars.  The new body with it’s smooth appearance due to it’s restyled grille, bumpers one-piece curved windshield and new parking and tail lights gave the impression that it was longer than the old style, but it was actually two inches shorter in over all length.

The 1953 drivers compartment was totally changed with a new instrument panel, new interior colors, new larger steering wheel and new fabrics.  The ventipane was now controlled by a small crank instead of the friction-type mechanism which had been used since 1949.  The new one-piece windshield also contributed to a new interior look.

1953 was a watershed year in Chevrolet accessory offerings in that this was the first year that directional signals were made available as a factory installed accessory.  The change was made because more and more states were requiring them on all new vehicles.

1954: The Sedan Delivery for 1954 featured some new styling changes as per the 1954 Chevrolet autos, in a new front-end styling and a rear improved by new bumper guards and tail lights.  The interior was complemented by a smart new color scheme of red, black and gray, new seal and sidewall trim, and a new two-tone instrument panel.

The Sedan Delivery also received the new 235 cu. In. engine coupled with lower numerical rear axle ratio and with a compression ratio of 7.5:1 gave the 1954 Sedan Delivery greatly improved performance and added fuel economy.  Other mechanical features included a new carburetor with automatic choke and a thirty inch muffler or new design. Powerglide automatic transmission was offered as an extra cost option for the first time in the Sedan Delivery.

Four colors were offered on the Sedan Delivery for 1954, four of them were new.  Three of these, Bermuda Green, Biscayne Blue, and Shadow Gray were dark metallic and the fourth, Romany Red was an intense red.  Carried over from 1953 were Onyx Black, Surf Green, Horizon Blue and India Ivory.

1955 brought major changes to the Sedan Delivery. The most significant mechanical change was the introduction of the small-block 265 V-8 engine. As with the 1955-2nd truck, a completely new body style was introduced in 1955 and the electrical system was 12v negative ground.

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