1952 Chevy Data
1952 Chevy Description
Cosmetic changes for 1952 included the grille, which had five teeth added to the center bar and different side trim. The parking light lenses were bigger. A new two-tone color, Bittersweet made its debut. Convertibles came in 10 body colors with 5 different tops.
Chevrolet managed to squeeze up to 105 horsepower out of the "stovebolt" engine. A new carburetor improved acceleration.
The 1952 Chevrolet model-year assemblies slumped to 818,142 cars, but that had as much to do with government imposed production quotas related to the Korean War as it did with anything put out by the competition. Since materials were allocated to automakers in proportion to their 1951 sales performance, Chevy was guaranteed to hold its lead in 1952. Not only were there fewer Chevrolets made, there were also fewer of them from which to choose. The Styleline coupes, sedans, station wagon, convertible and Bel Air hardtop all were continued, but dwindling interest in fastbacks left just one Fleetline in the catalog, a two-door DeLuxe. It, too, would be gone after 1952. The Special trim package was now available only on the Styleline models.
The materials shortage manifested itself in two highly visible areas; whitewall tires and chromed trim. The Korean War gobbled up lots of rubber and with this the whitewall tire was a consumer victim in 1952. Blackwalls were the tire of the day. Detroit came up with a chrome process that featured the elimination of nickel. Chrome was applied over the copper. The resulting chrome was less durable and had a yellowish tint to it. To this there was a clear coat but it, also, wasn't durable. The one exception was the bumpers as they were handled via the traditional process.
Production Numbers
| Stylemaster | Production # |
|---|---|
| 4 Door Sport Sedan | 75,349 |
| 2 Door Town Sedan | 61,104 |
| Sport Coupe | 19,243 |
| Business Coupe | 14,267 |
| Fleetmaster | Production # |
| 4 Door Sport Sedan | 73,746 |
| 2 Door Town Sedan | 56,538 |
| Sport Coupe | 27,036 |
| Convertible Coupe | 4,508 |
| 4 Door Wagon, 8 Passenger | 804 |
| Fleetline | Production # |
| Sportmaster 4 Door Sedan | 7,501 |
| Aerosedan 2 Door | 57,932 |
Prices
| Styleline Special | Prices |
|---|---|
| 4 Door Sedan | $1,670 |
| 2 Door Sedan | $1,614 |
| Sport Coupe | $1,620 |
| Business Coupe | $1,530 |
| Styleline DeLuxe | Production # |
| 4 Door Sedan | $1,761 |
| 2 Door Sedan | $1,707 | 4 Door Wagon | $2,297 |
| Sport Coupe | $1,726 |
| Convertible Coupe | $2,128 |
| Bel Air Hardtop Coupe | $2,006 |
| Fleetline DeLuxe | Production # |
| 2 Door Sedan | $1,707 |
Engines
| Base Six Cylinder Manual Trans. |
|---|
| Overhead valve |
| Cast Iron block |
| 216.5 cubic inch displacement |
| Bore & Stroke: 3-1/2 x 3-3/4 | Compression ratio: 6.6:1 |
| Rochester/Stromberg one-barrel carburetor | Brake Horsepower: 92 @ 3400 RPM |
| Four main bearings |
| Solid lifters |
| Base Six Cylinder Auto. Trans. |
|---|
| Overhead valve |
| Cast Iron block |
| 235.5 cubic inch displacement |
| Bore & Stroke: 3-9/16 x 3-15/16 | Compression ratio: 6.7:1 |
| Rochester one-barrel carburetor | Brake Horsepower: 105 @ 3600 RPM |
| Four main bearings |
| Hydraulic lifters |
1952 Chevy Model Identification
Serial Number Tag and Cowl Tag Locations
Location:
Engine numbers: 6 cylinder on crankcase to rear of distributor. Engine numbers were GA-1001 to GA-1031807.
Serial numbers are on a plate on the drivers side, front door hinge pillar.
 |
Numerical prefix in serial indicates assembly plant as follows:
| # | Plant | # | Year | # | Series | # | Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flint, Michigan | G | 1949 | K | Fleetline/Styleline Deluxe | A | January |
| 2 | Tarrytown, New York | H | 1950 | J | Fleetline/Styleline Special | B | February |
| 3 | St. Louis, Missouri | J | 1951 | C | March | ||
| 5 | Kansas City, Missouri | K | 1952 | D | April | ||
| 6 | Oakland, California | E | May | ||||
| 8 | Atlanta, Georgia | F | June | ||||
| 9 | Norwood, Ohio | G | July | ||||
| 14 | Baltimore, Maryland | H | August | ||||
| 21 | Janesville, Wisconsin | I | September | ||||
| J | October | ||||||
| K | November | ||||||
| L | December |
The second symbol indicates model year: H=1950.
The third symbol indicates model and series: J=Special 1500 series, K=Deluxe 2100 series.
KJ Special (Styleline and Fleetline).
KK Deluxe (Styleline and Fleetline).
Sequence Numbers: All Assembly Plants Start With "1001".
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Style No.: Is a combination body style number. The first two digits represents the year. The next two digits (10) indicates the GM car division (Chevrolet). The next two digits is the style (Model) of the body.
Body No.: Is the sequence or production rotation in which the body was made. The prefix represents the plant in which it was made.
Trim No.: Is the combination number of the trim used in the body.
Paint No.: Is the paint or color combination used on the body.
Go to 49-54 Chevy Paint Charts