It's 1968 and I'm in high school. A neighbors grandfather dies and leaves him a '48 Pontiac 4 door silver streak. I fall in love with the car and the neighbor gives it to me. It's 20 years old but the 20 year changes in styling made it look much older. We had great fun in that car! The one I had, had the starter button on the floor just above the gas pedal. You had to use your toe on the button and heel on the gas pedal to start it. The glove compartment could hold two six packs of beer. Today I own a 1948 Oldsmobile 4 door 78 series. Yes, similar in styling. The dash has tons of chrome and the steering wheel... omg! The details, the quality of materials and fluid styling makes these cars works of art that will never be seen again.
Beautiful automobile! Funny how a car built & sold as a practical family auto in 1948, now has a classic, almost Rolls, look to it! As if you owned it now you should be chauffeured around in it. Definitely has room in the back seat for it! Loved it!! Great job again! So encouraging to see a person young as yourself have such enthusiasm about these awesome old cars & appreciate their quality, workmanship, and artistic flair!!!
My father bought one of these, a 4-d sedan Silver Streak with Hydramatic. Never had any problems with the trans but of course Hydramatics were battle tested in WWII tanks and in Oldsmobiles since 1938. As for the heater, many Pontiacs had an underseat heater-- an actual hot-water radiator with a fan that worked really well and this '48 may have one. The Pontiac flathead 8 was the sickest engine GM ever produced and the Hydro soaked up so much power from that weak engine, it had trouble in the mountains out of LA. He later sold it for a stick shift 1951 fastback which put more power to the pavement and that car ran pretty good for a while until the piston pins came loose and destroyed all 8 cylinders of that flathead boat anchor. I later found that the Olds and Pontiac V-8's fit nicely under the hood where the flat-8 once resided and then you were good to go. Our next car was a 1955 Catalina HT with the super new V-8; Pontiac had been redeemed.
I don't remember whether the Pontiac 8 had a timing gearset or a timing chain,if it had a timing chain the power would be down if the chain were "stretched" or installed a tooth off. The engine in the 1950 Pontiac that my grandfather had was not "weak" at all for its time,ran away from the Chrysler products with their flathead Sixes and climbed hills in high gear that would require a downshift or two in the Pathfinder I had (although the Pathfinder was a lot more versatile with its 5 gears to the Pontiac's 3) I sometimes think I might be exaggerating in memory the power that that car had but then I go look at a couple of the hills that are still there,it was real. The car did develop oil consumption excess as it got old,probably due to lack of having an oil filter (there was a Fram bypass oil filter system that could have been installed by dealers when the car was new) and road in that day were often dusty in summer sending abrasive dust for the cars to ingest into their primitive oil bath air filters that no body liked to service properly. Admittedly the Pontiac was a far cry below the performance of the new Police Interceptor '59 Ford that my father's brother got issued and the Pontiac V8 series (not the watered down 301 mutant with its lightened bulkheads) was one of the great American engine designs that lasted through the late 1950s all the way until about 1980 also the 1950 used a straight through muffler from the factory,if someone put a "quiet" muffler on it would probably have cut the performance,I remember a Buick owner's manual from around 1950 said that only straight through mufflers were suitable replacements on Buicks (which came with either a small or a large Straight 8 with "valve in head" as for the "51 the engine must have been defective from assembly almost all of those old fashioned engines did not like high RPM and were subject to "throwing a rod" if ran too long/fast in the lower gears would be interesting to see what performance a circa 1950 Packard with the performance rear end and the 3 speed plus overdrive could do with Packard's 327 or 356 Straignt Eight,those were probably the most elite straight eights out there,especially the Nine main bearing models. Packard automatics however made the cars slow. My vote for GM's sickest engine would be the early Chevrolet stovebolt with only 3 main bearings or their early attempt at an air cooled engine "copper cooled" (not to mention the recent Vega engine)
I think the Pontiac straight 8s had a flathead screw that locked the piston pins in place, rather than a press fit pin or retainer clips on each end of the pin. I always wondered what would happen if those screws backed themselves out...
What a magnificent specimen of that era. I 100% agree with you about GM (and others) who did nothing more than sheet metal smoke and mirrors for model year change. And BTW that is why it is easy to quickly identify cars from that era.
They are rare indeed. My father had a 1947 yellow Pontiac convertible he bought new upon being discharged from the US Navy following WW II. He kept it 10 years.
I own a 47 olds 76 2 door fastback. Basically the same car with trim differences and IMO a MUCH cooler dash design in patina rod condition. That non-symmetrical rear light is a reverse light (it appears to be optional equipment based on switch mounting and the lone wire outside the body running along the frame feeding it on mine). Mine has locks on both sides as has every 40's car I've seen in person. Remember LOTS of people had homes with driveways back then. That car has both the park lamps and optional fog lamps. These cars (except the Buick version) didn't yet offer factory turn signals back then. I added a 3 relay logical XOR circuit to make my front park lamps do double duty as both turn-signals and park lamps when I added a turnsignal switch. There's actually a hidden Park feature on those Hydramatics...If you shift into reverse with the engine off (or shut it off in reverse and hold the brake till transmission fluid pressure drops off) it locks the drive shaft with what is essentially a parking pawl. Interesting Hydramatic side note the first year Hydramatics didn't have a neutral safety switch on the starter so you could start it in ANY gear and as soon as the trans built pressure you'd move if you weren't in neutral. (Had to bypass that switch once and on a stop on the way home from where it acted up forgot about it while dealing with carb vapor lock and it almost got away from me.)
Hey Jay, this Post War Pontiac is absolutely gorgeous!!! I love the detailed hood ornament & the two tone paint really sets it off. You really out did yourself with this beauty!!! 👍👍🙂
Glad you dig this episode, I got it in the comment section from some guy that said GM updated their cars more than a facelift and I was like I don’t think we’re looking at the same car. I get it the war happened studebaker I think was the first company after the war to come up with a new design in 47.. the independents most of them came up with new designs before 49.. but the big three just wanted to use what they had before the war
@@What.its.like. G M did introduce a new C body in 48 for Cadillac and the Futuramic Oldsmobile 98. Buick refused to use the new C body for thier Super and Roadmaster in 48 and waited until revisions were made to the hood and trunk for 49. The 49 Buick Special retained its prewar body style! The postwar style 1950 Buick Special was introduced in the summer of 1949, about three months before the rebodied 1950 senior Buicks! Confusing times at the Buick dealership.
That’s what the argument was the big three didn’t see the need to make anything new with the buying public that’s all they wanted was something new it took them until 1948 1949 to come up with a new design. That’s why Kaiser when it came out sold as many cars as they did because they were like the only company that was making something new.
It’s a pretty sweet car I think that one got sold a while ago but I haven’t seen one with a rear wiper like that.. I went to a prewar show over the weekend and I really want to buy prewar car there’s just something about those.. But honestly if I had the money to buy anything within reason I want to 36 or 37 airflow four-door they’re totally different than anything else out there and I will share it with everybody
@@What.its.like. I'll look into that one. Im a pretty big car guy, but I lack a lot of pre-war car knolwedge. Ive only owned one prewar car. a 31' Chevy Tudor. Thanks for the reply.
@@What.its.like. Im looking at the Imerial Airflow now....very sweet cars. I like how they have similar body shape as the ole split window Beetles!! Yet its still very much not a beetle, hahaha.
I want to cover one before the year is over.. they are different than anything else it was the first car built in America designed in a wind tunnel it is also the first car built in America built on a unit body construction i’ve heard lots of things about them but that is definitely a car that I really want to drive because there’s a car that I would wanna own This is way more than a car channel this is a car community and I’m part of the community I try to answer as many comments as I possibly can. Because I want you guys to know that I’m part of the community a real person =)
The coat hooks are incorporated into the grab handle brackets. You forgot to mention the sliding rear quarter windows. Fun fact, even though the entire car was redesigned, the 49 Pontiac retained the box pleat and button upholstery style for the seats and door panels.
I mentioned the sliding rear quarter windows but I couldn’t get them open so I wasn’t sure if that was even a thing. I ended up cutting that part of the video out thank you so much for mentioning it =)
@@What.its.like. oh youngun, let this old man explain it to you. There is a locking mechanism so that no one can slide the window open from the outside. You have to pull straight up on the little tab and then you can slide it back. Easy when you know how, but then I was around when these cars were still fairly new. LOL.
Jay, you mentioned the indian on the hood ornament looked like Crazy Horse. In point of fact it's Chief Pontiac. ( General Motors appropriated the name Pontiac itself from a Native American. Pontiac was an Odawa (Ottawa) chief famous for leading an attack against British forces at Fort Detroit in 1763.) that was a great 48 - - The factory installed rear wiper ran on vacuum. in reality it didn't work very well as the hose ran the full length of the body. Also, on the heater? In 48 the heater was located under the front seat, sent air to front and back.fed by a 9 ft hose.
Those GM products utilized an under-seat heater, and they blew WARM. It's the same system I have in my '54 Pontiac Star Chief, and it works beautifully. And, that rope on the back of the front seat was a "grab handle" for back seat passengers to hold onto as they exit the vehicle. I grew up in cars like this. Good profile!
The 1950 Pontiac had good heat that could achieve shirtsleeve comfort while the temperature outside was subfreezing and some of the heated air was blown out from under the front seat.
Awesome Pontiac! My great uncle always drove mid-level Pontiacs. The first one I can remember was a green 59 Star Chief, but there are family vids from before then that show him proudly standing beside an early 50's Silver Streak! ( He was born in 1907 and was a WWII vet, so I'm sure he had a few before that) His last car was a 78 Catalina! Personally, I like the dash of the 42 better than the 48.
My favourite cars are from 1939 to 1948 . Had lot’s in the 50’s and 60’s , and still do , one of these days , i’m gonna get me ???? In the 40’s . This car is stunning ! I would take that in my stable lol well done !
I love the lines of these I can’t wait to find a two door the goal is to do all the lost and forgotten classic cars and different body styles =) I want this to be the go to classic car channel to know what the car is like
You chose a really nice example of this car, Jay. Well done. Also, I think you're right -- I don't know of another that featured a rear window wiper as an accessory. I know it was offered on '49 Lincolns, which I previously thought was the first car to have this feature.
Jay Found your site thanks to your Hudson videos. Beyond the information and nostalgia aspect, though, I think they offer another solid value, viz. relaxation. This very old man finds them calming and even reassuring amidst all the clamorous violence that's poisoning our world at this moment. I honestly believe that they have a strong therapeutic effect, that they offer relief from stress. At least that's the case for old guys like me. I'd like to see what others think of this, especially those younger than I.
It is one beautiful automobile!🤩 It looks without a doubt like a really incredible quality built auto, with beautiful lines and details, love everything about it!
I can see this on the designers board, the way you show the body. It really is an American Silver Streak of the time. Thanks for everything, Jay. Including the singing at the end.
Of course you are correct that these are basically facelifted 1942 models. Even GM at the time admitted that in advertising the 1949 models as "all-new postwar designs." The 1948 Oldsmobile Futuramic 98 previewed the way as a completely new body.
When I was a pre - teen in the late 50's, one of my friends' fathers owned a 1948 Pontiac with a straight 8 engine and a Hydra - Matic transmission just like one of those in your story. This was the oldest car that I had seen then with an automatic but I thought that it was pretty neat.
The original Hydra Matic GM would sell the transmission of anybody that would buy it it was built completely out of cast-iron and it was the heaviest transmission ever manufactured for used in civilian cars Great story thank you so much for sharing those really cool memories with us =)
2:10 I would remind you that the later '42 models would not have had exposed chrome trim inside or out. Unsold cars were modified by painting over exterior brightwork. Chromium was a strategic metal for the defense industry. Cars were even sold without spare tires to conserve rubber and other tire materials, all for defense.
This has the 1st generation Hydra-Matic, with a single drive position. The 2nd generation had a dual drive position. This version is the one which Rolls-Royce licensed to build their own version through the 1967 model year. The 3rd and last 4-speed Hydra-Matic was introduced in 1956 known as the Jetaway or 315. It used controlled couplings, changing gear ratios by filling and draining the fluid couplings. At this time, it also gained a legitimate "Park" gearshift position. This version of the Hydra-Matic was used in the "Senior" GM cars through 1964, all except Cadillac which used Buick's S.T. 400 and was the first Cadillac to only have one drive position since the first gen Hydra-Matic and when it used the Buick Dynaflow for a short time after the Hydra-Matic plant fire of 1953.
Early hydramatics only had an ability to hold 2nd gear for downhill engine braking,later ones could hold 3rd gear for engine braking so were more versatile in mountain driving if my information is right. Old cars could get brake fade or even lose their brakes on prolonged mountain descents if the driver rode the brakes too much. (4th gear was the high/1:1 cruising gear)
@@What.its.like. I think the early Hydramatic shifted up too early to allow the engine to use its power band effectively unless the transmission was modified,as I understand that was sometimes done by "hot rodders"
My grandfather had a pea green '47 Silver Streak that I remember riding in and getting quite car sick on a trip when I was 4-5 years old. My uncle won a new red '48 Silver Streak through a contest with the American Legion. It was originally red but he told me it faded badly and he had it repainted dark blue, which is how I remember it. In 1954, he traded it for a new '54 Chevy Bel Air which he only kept for a year when he traded for a '54 Pontiac Chieftain because the Chevy was "too light."
Great car Jay. The low sloping back is so cool. I never realised how handsome the Pontiacs were compared to the other manufacturers. I can’t stand Fords from this era and Cadillac was over stated. The returning servicemen must have thought what the hell. No wonder the independents did well. Cars in Europe and Britain were hopeless for obvious reasons. Repairing the war economies took decades and the threat of Soviet aggression dominated the purse strings of government. The car took me straight back to the movie Grease and the whole nostalgia for a new confidence in the USA.
The automatic that came with this car was innovative for its time for it had four speeds. The transmission was so sophisticated and superior that GM sold it to other automotive manufacturers, I think that included Rolls Royce. Unfortunately a catastrophic fire destroyed the plant in 1953 causing GM to manufacture 100,000 cars less that year. As to the styling, I liked the somewhat cleaner chrome of the 1942 model on the outside and the round dials of the 1942 dash as well.
My grandfather drove his 1948 Silver Steak until 1961; he bought a 1961 Tempest. His Silver Streak straight 8 with a hydromatic had 39,000 miles and mechanical issues; the Pontiac dealer in Libertyville, Illinois gave him a $50 trade in allowance!
The guy that said you don't know what your talking about, doesn't know what he's talking about! 😅 lol. You probably get a lot of that. We love your shows Jay, that clown can watch something else....😊 Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
I had another guy yesterday say that for somebody that has made subscribers as you you don’t know what you’re talking about.. tons of research but it’s only good research if the research is correct what you found out in the Jeepster episode isn’t always the case there’s numbers were 12 inches apart that’s a foot lol Glad you did the channel it means a lot to me man it really does
I googled what was the first car to offer rear wiper and they said it was a 60 Volvo and I was like this one’s got a rear window wiper and it’s 20 years before the 60s.. unfortunately I couldn’t find any advertisement pieces with the windshield wiper in it that’s why I didn’t elaborate on it more because I couldn’t find any information.
@@What.its.like. could it be that the owner might have customized the car to fit a wiper on the rear window? I never heard of cars that old having wipers on the rear windows?
The 1942, I like better in exterior design, but, this beauty of a car IS a beauty design by designers as well as those who had put them together. Fantastic room! The engines back then were designed to not set speed records...just give nice and easy starts. The "mystery tune" : The Association's "Never My Love" (1967)...which always brings me to my sophomore year in L.C.H.S in Indy and memories of Mary Murdock who graduated that year...what a beauty she was to me!
What a classy and roomy car. I wonder whether it was one of the first with a rear wiper? Doesn't seem too common considering the range of vehicles offered by various manufacturers.
Could possibly be when researching this topic I couldn’t find any advertisements explaining the rear wiper. I also Google searched what was the first car to be offered with a rear window wiper in a 60s Volvo came up.. so it’s very interesting if anybody else has any information about this topic please fill us in =)
I was shocked to see it as well I couldn’t find any information on it though. Advertising for this car sucked frankly, as in there wasn’t that much I could find and I’m good at finding ads
For the Canadian market, I got done writing the whole script and everything and then I saw a picture of that and I was like oh crap but then I researched it they offered more body styles in Canada
Most of those cars had a push button to operate the starter and it would work even if the ignition was not turned on with the key. The starter motor could drag the car along if in first gear with the brake released.
Hey Jay! Think about the year this is (1948) look how difficult it would be to keep a car like this looking new. Now think of the products they had back then to keep your car looking new. Polishing all that chrome and metal and wide white wall tires and Glass area with products from yesteryear would be so timely.
Thanks, Jay‼Unraveling more Pontiac badging for us. Great car. One could get SO much more car for the money in the GM line up by going Pontiac, all the way. 👏Wait, what are you doing at the end of your video? 👀Singing? Stop that⁉👎😂
Haha I sing at the end of most of them, I like to have fun so a little character, This car was sweet I’m going to try and do a 2 door fastback this year hopefully
Personally, I think I'm more partial to the post war design elements of this car as opposed to the 1942 model. GM, like many auto makers at that time, didn't really undertake a full scale stylistic update of their cars until 1949 or 1950. Case in point is the 1949 Ford. That said, this Pontiac is actually very nicely appointed with what looks like a super comfy interior.
Thanks for this, interesting car and a good overview. I don't know of any regulation or law prohibiting entry or exit from the driver's side of cars. I know that people generally liked using the passenger side door in cities for convenience and safety. For years cars had bench seats and plenty of room to slide over from the driver's side to the passenger side. Ford may have started the trend of using the passenger side door as early Ford cars only had a keyed lock on the passenger side door. I wanted to say that I have a 1948 Chrysler Windsor sedan and it has all of the design and styling manufacture that you showed on this Pontiac. It's remarkable how similar these two brands are but that tends to be so for cars of each decade. The rear window wiper is new to me. It looks factory. I've often wanted that on various sedans I've owned. Did anyone notice the high-bean indicator light is a stylized side view of Chief Pontiac's head? Look right above the mount for the speedometer needle, in the stainless section of the speedometer. The coat hook appears to be built into the top of the assist strap. An identifier to tell that you were looking at a Pontiac from a distance, are the stainless strips running over the hood and picking up again to running down over the trunk. Those strips were on Pontiac's for years lasting into the 1950s. Over the years I've met a lot of guys that think a Pontiac is just another version of a Chevrolet and by the 2000s they were, as well as other GM makes. But prior to the 2000s Pontiac was a step up in the line of GM makes ascending in price. If anyone viewed a Chevrolet and Pontiac of a given year, the differences are remarkable. The Pontiac is a much nicer car and got you a more powerful base engine. However, there was a long-time difference in Canadian Pontiac's though they looked like an American Pontiac, the Canadian market Pontiac's were Chevrolet based. Even the frames and wheel bases were Chevrolet as well as actual Chevrolet pieces such as steering wheels could be seen throughout.
Thank you so much for sharing all that information insight and stories =) this is my favorite era of Pontiac 1942-1954 silver streak I plan on covering all the body styles especially the sedenettes
What a gem!! Can I have BOTH??? I noticed that the car had a central Va AAA sticker?? Is in central Va and if so where? I'm in GUM Springs. Is it for sale? Great video!!!!
The only think I can say about the post war Pontiacs is that the straight 8 cars had an illuninated head that came on with the headlights.The six cylinder cars did not. My parents only new car was a 53 Pontiac with the straight 8. I like the 65 El Camino next to the Pontiac!
Yeah I can’t get the content out fast enough. I was talking to one of the guys there and they move a lot of cars a month I’m planning on going back maybe in a week I’m not entirely sure though another opportunity presented itself and I’m trying to set that up if it all works out there’s going to be some killer cars coming. =)
I don't remember ever seeing a rear wiper back in the old days. This is a 1948 car ... and I don't ever remember seeing electric wipers back then, either--they were all vacuum powered. The earliest electric wipers I remember were late '50s Chrysler products (and I'm not saying electric wipers didn't otherwise exist). SO, it makes me wonder if a) was that rear wiper powered by vacuum? or b) is that some kind of cool retro-mod ? Or, was that really a stock item?
I couldn’t find any literature about it that’s why I didn’t elaborate more is super intriguing if you look at the video footage closely it has the rotating part inside the body somebody else commented and said that it might’ve been an aftermarket thing but it’s done so well that it looks factory.
The deluxe model was not called Silver Streak. Deluxe was called Deluxe. Pontiac never had a car model called Silver Streak. Silver Streak was the name of Pontiac's inline engines, the 6-cylinder Silver Streak and the 8-cylinder Silver Streak 8. Silver Streak could also rerfer to the iconic Pontiac chrome trim appearing on the cars from 1935 through 1956.
My question of this time period is, what was the Pontiac brand identity? I know in the last generations of Pontiac, it was more sporty, what is it here?
This was my favorite era of Pontiac the silver streak era the air in which they made straight eights, and Indian heads that lit up... they went full blown Indian in this era.. lots of chrome super smooth performance.
Pontiac in the late 1940s and up to the mid 1950s was considered a somewhat frumpy librarian's car. Nicer than a Chevrolet, which were truly cheap back then, but kind of slow and sluggish.. In 1956, GM put Bunkie Knudsen and John Z. DeLorean in charge of Pontiac, and they decided to make Pontiac the macho powerhouse performer that those of us that were around in the 1960s still remember today. Their first breakthrough car was the first ever Bonneville in 1957. It had performance that challenged the mighty Chrysler 300 of that era, with tri power or fuel injected 347 cubic inch Strato-Streak V8 . They cost more than the less expensive Cadillacs, and the only options were AC and a conti kit. All were convertibles, all were either white or black. Only 630 were built, enough for every Pontiac dealer to get one. The Bonneville’s $5,782 list price included, in addition to the fuel injection unit, a long list of standard equipment. Among these were Strato-Flight Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering, power brakes, dual exhausts, eight-way power seat, electric wipers and washers, underseat heater and defroster, deluxe Wonderbar radio, electric antenna, custom latex foam front seat cushions, oil bath air cleaner, full flow oil filter, external mirror, non-glare interior mirror, passenger side visor vanity, deluxe steering wheel, padded dash, deluxe floor carpets, parking brake warning light, back-up lights, plus lights for the trunk, ashtray, glovebox and parking light.
There was a redesigned body for these cars for the 1949 year,the 8 cylinder engine got a displacement increase to about 270 cubic inches for 1950,despite a low horsepower rating of 108 the much heavier than a certain Ford Falcon of years later Pontiac was much faster and quicker although the weak small 6 in the Falcon had almost the same horsepower rating. Must have been larger horses in the Pontiac or the rating was deliberately understated to favor the higher ratings of the more expensive Buicks and Oldsmobiles (although Oldsmobile did have an advanced overhead valve V8 which was a novelty for 1950) The hydramatic in these cars was sort of a mark of distinction,shared with Cadillac and Oldsmobile and much much better than the cheap one or two speeds in some other GM cars,however the 3 speed manual with its heavy clutch made the car quicker,I think the shift scheduling in the hydramatic upshifted at too low rpm for the engine to use its power curve during acceleration. The performance figures sound much much slower than real world,a fully broken in 1950 Silver Streak with an 8 could turn the speedometer all of the way to indicate 100 mph although it was common for speedos to read about 5 mph. optimistic so I would credit the car for 95 top speed which undoubtedly was putting the engine rpm in top gear dangerously high. The 1950 Eight did indeed have a two barrel carburetor. Also by 1950 these cars had heaters mounted under the front seat where copious heat could be thrown out both to the front and to the back seat footwell area. You had to change to light oil such as SAE 10w (or even 5w in arctic) in winter or the car could become impossible to start,at least for the Straight 8. Often when the cars got some mileage on them they would start burning oil and smoking although I think there was an optional Fram oil filter system that could be installed by the new car dealer which would have greatly helped to delay the onset of such problems. Also air filters weren't very efficient on most of those cars and people didn't like to service the messy oil bath air filter systems. And remember the dusty unpaved roads in those days that did much to put abrasive wear particles into the air for the cars to ingest. The workmanship and quality of those cars was quite good and I think the Pontiac used heavier gauge sheetmetal in the body than did the cheap Chevrolet. Also at least by 1950 there was an optional lighted Chief Pontiac hood ornament although the car my grandfather and later my father had did not have it. A good comparison car with the Pontiacs would be same year Packards or Packard Clippers,preferably with their 327 cubic inch straignt 8s and manual transmission or manual transmission plus overdrive (don't think Pontiac offered overdrive),Packard didn't have a very good automatic transmission (at least for performance) and in 1955 Packard's automatic transmission woes helped seal the fate of the once storied brand.
Well Now, pull up a chair and sit right down, let me tell you about the 1947 Pontiac Four-door Silver Steak Deluxe that I owned. It had a flat head eight with a 3-speed transmission. The exterior was finished in a two-toned blue paint theme, being dark blue fenders and a lighter brighter blue body. The interior was a tan pin-striped mohair cloth with deep brown wool carpeting. The dash was fake wood finish as were the door window surrounds and the back and front glass surrounds. Together, it looked rather business-like. The Pontiac had a clock, a radio, a lighter, ashtray, a heater, and a defroster. Mounted on the dash was a rubber blade two-speed fan. With the cowl vent open and that little fan going, and the windows rolled down, you could manage to keep the interior temperatures down to a survivable level during the summertime. It also had a large glove box and double sun visors with a Pontiac mirror on the passenger side. My car had aftermarket dual spotlights that were interior operated, side windows rain deflectors, anti-whistle shields on the vent windows, dual mirrors, curb finders, front GUIDE fog lights, and bumperette override guards, Over the Windshield was a large sun visor. Whoever owned that Pontiac before me had every conceivable option you could buy for it. Most of it was probably from J.C. Whitney Co. The tires were 3-inch wide white wall types on 16-inch rims sporting the original full hubcaps. I had roof carriers for it, and a large 1940s picnic woven basket with melamine dishes, and tableware. Plus, I had vintage coolers and thermos bottles. The trunk held a full-sized spare tire with a jack lift. That Pontiac could touch a little over 100 mph and that was fast for that year's automobile. It was a smooth comfortable riding vehicle. I received lots of cars honking horns with drivers waving as I passed by. At filling stations, it always drew admirers and the curious with questions. Then I began to realize lots of Hispanics loved looking it over and asking me if I wanted to sell it - thus after 3 years of ownership, I sold it for $5,900 in 1989. The new owner was indeed the happiest Latino man I had ever encountered. That car is somewhere in Los Angeles, California. At that time I lived in Huntington Beach. The car came from Texas. Somewhere, someplace, a family of Latinos is riding low-rider proud in that Pontiac Silver Steak all decked out and bedazzled in her finest jewelry.
The "Indian Chief's' head on the hood ornament, was meant to represent Chief Pontiac, an Odawa Native American leader who led a rebellion against the British and American colonists in the 18th century in a war named for him. The city of Pontiac, Michigan and the automobile were also named for him. Pontiac kept the chief hood ornament until into the '50s and I think some of the later ones lit up when the lights were on. Strongly agree that the high beam switch should definitely be on the floor.
You do realize that this car wears a non factory custom two tone paint job, don't you? Factory two tone is shown on the thumbnail picture and the brochures.
The Indian war chief doesn't look like Crazy Horse, it is suppose to resemble Pontiac or Obwaandi'eyaag (c. 1714/20 - April 20, 1769) an Odawa war chief, hence the name of the car.
Hi Jay, I often wonder on the relatively poor performance of the post-war engines, especially after all that was learned following WWII in aircraft and tank engines. I suspect that GM were the least likely initially to provide any upgraded features in their new car line up? Now I could be losing it here, yet I recall the Allison division of GM and their engines, even if they copied the RR Merlin, it used tech that is still current today, with even more advanced features in some respects, like sodium filled valve stems.
Those old style L head engines had reasonably good torque and smoothness,I think they ran quieter than more modern overhead valve designs. Might have actually had more torque at really low rpm like trying to pull from 400 or 500 rpm which is not a good practice with most car engines. Although as I recall the factory muffler on the 1950 Pontiac was straight through which gave the car a bit of a bark when on the gas. I think factory mufflers on pickup trucks continued as straight through "glasspack" well into the late 1950s when most cars used quieter (reverse flow?) designs or even multiple mufflers as on some Chryslers
I recently encountered an article (about Studebaker's V8?) that asserted that with the low octane gasoline that used to be sold there was little advantage to the overhead valve technology over the old flathead technology but that as higher octane gas became available the overhead valve engines began to have a big advantage at being able to make more power on the high octane gas and being able to run much higher compression than was practical for the old flatheads.
I like the 48 better with the exception that the two tone execution just doesn't thrill me. The speedometer gauge combination and the radio set on the dash look to me like jewelry craftsmanship. This is the second time I watched this. I love the 42 to 48 GM's.
Grandfather bought a new 40, Silver streak 8, on advice from my uncle who was in the navy at the time. “Best you buy a new automobile dad, we’re going to war with Japan soon “. Unfortunately uncle spent 4 years as Japanese prisoner of war. Grandad drove that car 20 years till his death.
@@What.its.like. I learned to drive that car at 11 years old. Grandfathers words.”Take your time, stay on your side of the road and keep her out of the ditch.”
What great memories your uncle is a true war hero, so many forget how lucky we are. If he is still here thank him for his service for me =) Driving that car at 11 you must’ve felt like you were driving the titanic I was a little scrawny kid at 11 and picturing me at 11 and that car that would’ve been really impressive I don’t know if I’d be able to reach the pedals I was just a little kid lol I didn’t get tall until after I was 16. That was a great story thank you so much for sharing that awesome memory.
I am guessing, because no cars were produced for three and a half years, car manufacturers thought they could get away without much change to their products. People wanted new cars. I've noticed, for 1948 there was no change at all for a lot of cars...I can't tell the difference between a '47 and '48 Ford, for instance. At any rate, I prefer the '42 to the '48. Although I like this car.
Yeah that was the point I was making, 😁 the buying public went without anything new for three years in the us, they wanted something fresh and that’s why the independents and start ups like kaiser did really well. As soon as big three made new products it was the beginning of the end for the independents
@@What.its.like. I think Packard usually didn't do annual model year style changes (VW famously didn't in the era of the Bug and seemed to get away with it)
@@scottymoondogjakubin4766 I also agree that cars these days are mostly lame.. Best years for design were 1947 - 1970 or so. Before engines were choked off with pollution conrols.
@@MarinCipollina most cars built in 1946 were carry over models from 1941 so thats 5 years of innovation lost from ww2 alone ! It had to have some effect !
Toyota should've bought Pontiac from G.M. Unfortunately my old 2003 Suzuki Aerio SX Hatchback started to have mechanical problems, so I had to get rid of it and buy a 2016 Scion TC the Scion TC is way more cooler and better then the Suzuki I had.
I had a friend that had a TC they were cool I owned a veloster r spec turbo 2014 and raced my friends gti and beat him.. GTI is really over rated just saying
California Dreaming , Mama Papas , mid 1960's , probably 1968. Beautiful car , poor fuel ⛽️ mileage get a 1948 Chevy fleet line, alittle lighter in weight , 20 MPG. Hy. Kevin Phoenix ✝️
Yeah bro, it's no mystery that car manufacturers paused their design dept during the war and didn't pick up until 1949, and it's fine! Cool channel still, these are some almost "autistic" level details you're schooling us over, it would be cool if you did an episode on the kustom car legends of the 50s and 60s, such as Winfield, Barris, Watson and them all. No? Edit: it just crossed my mind I might get misunderstood, everything I said was meant as a compliment, no criticism from my side 👍🏻🖤🏴☠️
One day I’m waiting for the bass to grow a little bit bigger I’d love to hit all of the major designers I try to episode like that in the past and a totally bombed it was perhaps the best episode I’ve ever done but nobody watched it.. but yeah totally I wanna do Virgil exner Harley earl, alex tribulus, Raymond Lowry, George barris all of them maybe do a special once a week but like I said I’d like the base to get a little bit bigger before I do that lots of research goes into each of those episodes not saying that a lot of research doesn’t go into these it’s harder with people.. In the reason I compared the 42 to the 48 was because somebody in the comment section was really ripped me a new one on the 49 Chevy episode saying that more changes were made to the models that came before it then just a minor facelift and I was like I don’t think we’re looking at the same car.
yes those are fog lights on the front. yes thats a back up light. no door locks are common going back throughout the 40s as were locking gas caps as an option. Floor heaters were a thing and even a device you would fill with ice then place in your driver side window as air conditioning or electric windows on a Cadillac. I suggest more research before making these videos.
Tons of research goes into these just pointing out what is there because people who are just getting into this hobby don’t know.. Plus this is an old video I don’t get spoon fed information like new car reviewers do I have to search for it
Every time you ask a question stop yourself and add it to a list. Heres some info on the 48 Chrysler vid- the reason for 3 front bumper guards - looks like a crown, that was Chryslers thing - royalty thus car names like Windsor and Royal the idea was opulence @@What.its.like.
They were such beautiful bathtubs. 🛁 🚿 😊I like the 42' better looking from the front, the 48' has a cooler two toned side look. Far Side cartoon cars. 🔬
The Association, Never My Love
Yeah buddy you got it congratulations.. I was going to do cherish and changed it at the last moment sorry about this whole debacle
Well done man, I got my head locked into The Mamas And The Papas "Twelve Thirty" & couldn't dig my way out!
Wendy
It's 1968 and I'm in high school. A neighbors grandfather dies and leaves him a '48 Pontiac 4 door silver streak. I fall in love with the car and the neighbor gives it to me. It's 20 years old but the 20 year changes in styling made it look much older. We had great fun in that car! The one I had, had the starter button on the floor just above the gas pedal. You had to use your toe on the button and heel on the gas pedal to start it. The glove compartment could hold two six packs of beer. Today I own a 1948 Oldsmobile 4 door 78 series. Yes, similar in styling. The dash has tons of chrome and the steering wheel... omg! The details, the quality of materials and fluid styling makes these cars works of art that will never be seen again.
Awesome story thank you for sharing that awesome memory =) what happened to the Pontiac
Beautiful automobile! Funny how a car built & sold as a practical family auto in 1948, now has a classic, almost Rolls, look to it! As if you owned it now you should be chauffeured around in it. Definitely has room in the back seat for it! Loved it!! Great job again! So encouraging to see a person young as yourself have such enthusiasm about these awesome old cars & appreciate their quality, workmanship, and artistic flair!!!
So much space in this car would be perfect fit for a family who likes going to car shows
My father bought one of these, a 4-d sedan Silver Streak with Hydramatic. Never had any problems with the trans but of course Hydramatics were battle tested in WWII tanks and in Oldsmobiles since 1938. As for the heater, many Pontiacs had an underseat heater-- an actual hot-water radiator with a fan that worked really well and this '48 may have one. The Pontiac flathead 8 was the sickest engine GM ever produced and the Hydro soaked up so much power from that weak engine, it had trouble in the mountains out of LA. He later sold it for a stick shift 1951 fastback which put more power to the pavement and that car ran pretty good for a while until the piston pins came loose and destroyed all 8 cylinders of that flathead boat anchor. I later found that the Olds and Pontiac V-8's fit nicely under the hood where the flat-8 once resided and then you were good to go.
Our next car was a 1955 Catalina HT with the super new V-8; Pontiac had been redeemed.
Thank you so much for sharing those stories and insight what great memories. =)
Pontiac Strato-Streak V8 was a huge improvement.
I don't remember whether the Pontiac 8 had a timing gearset or a timing chain,if it had a timing chain the power would be down if the chain were "stretched" or installed a tooth off.
The engine in the 1950 Pontiac that my grandfather had was not "weak" at all for its time,ran away from the Chrysler products with their flathead Sixes and climbed hills in high gear that would require a downshift or two in the Pathfinder I had (although the Pathfinder was a lot more versatile with its 5 gears to the Pontiac's 3)
I sometimes think I might be exaggerating in memory the power that that car had but then I go look at a couple of the hills that are still there,it was real. The car did develop oil consumption excess as it got old,probably due to lack of having an oil filter (there was a Fram bypass oil filter system that could have been installed by dealers when the car was new) and road in that day were often dusty in summer sending abrasive dust for the cars to ingest into their primitive oil bath air filters that no body liked to service properly.
Admittedly the Pontiac was a far cry below the performance of the new Police Interceptor '59 Ford that my father's brother got issued and the Pontiac V8 series (not the watered down 301 mutant with its lightened bulkheads) was one of the great American engine designs that lasted through the late 1950s all the way until about 1980
also the 1950 used a straight through muffler from the factory,if someone put a "quiet" muffler on it would probably have cut the performance,I remember a Buick owner's manual from around 1950 said that only straight through mufflers were suitable replacements on Buicks (which came with either a small or a large Straight 8 with "valve in head"
as for the "51 the engine must have been defective from assembly
almost all of those old fashioned engines did not like high RPM and were subject to "throwing a rod" if ran too long/fast in the lower gears
would be interesting to see what performance a circa 1950 Packard with the performance rear end and the 3 speed plus overdrive could do with Packard's 327 or 356 Straignt Eight,those were probably the most elite straight eights out there,especially the Nine main bearing models. Packard automatics however made the cars slow.
My vote for GM's sickest engine would be the early Chevrolet stovebolt with only 3 main bearings or their early attempt at an air cooled engine "copper cooled" (not to mention the recent Vega engine)
I think the Pontiac straight 8s had a flathead screw that locked the piston pins in place, rather than a press fit pin or retainer clips on each end of the pin. I always wondered what would happen if those screws backed themselves out...
What a magnificent specimen of that era.
I 100% agree with you about GM (and others) who did nothing more than sheet metal smoke and mirrors for model year change. And BTW that is why it is easy to quickly identify cars from that era.
=) I just think it was super interesting..
I love all the 40s GM streamliners. Wish more people were into them bc you don’t see them at shows too often
Me too but because you don’t see them as often it’s even more special when you see one in the wild =)
I love these cars, and I'm 36. But sadly I can't afford it.
They are rare indeed. My father had a 1947 yellow Pontiac convertible he bought new upon being discharged from the US Navy following WW II. He kept it 10 years.
I own a 47 olds 76 2 door fastback. Basically the same car with trim differences and IMO a MUCH cooler dash design in patina rod condition. That non-symmetrical rear light is a reverse light (it appears to be optional equipment based on switch mounting and the lone wire outside the body running along the frame feeding it on mine). Mine has locks on both sides as has every 40's car I've seen in person. Remember LOTS of people had homes with driveways back then. That car has both the park lamps and optional fog lamps. These cars (except the Buick version) didn't yet offer factory turn signals back then. I added a 3 relay logical XOR circuit to make my front park lamps do double duty as both turn-signals and park lamps when I added a turnsignal switch. There's actually a hidden Park feature on those Hydramatics...If you shift into reverse with the engine off (or shut it off in reverse and hold the brake till transmission fluid pressure drops off) it locks the drive shaft with what is essentially a parking pawl. Interesting Hydramatic side note the first year Hydramatics didn't have a neutral safety switch on the starter so you could start it in ANY gear and as soon as the trans built pressure you'd move if you weren't in neutral. (Had to bypass that switch once and on a stop on the way home from where it acted up forgot about it while dealing with carb vapor lock and it almost got away from me.)
Thank you so much for sharing all of that insight as well as information =)
Hey Jay, this Post War Pontiac is absolutely gorgeous!!! I love the detailed hood ornament & the two tone paint really sets it off. You really out did yourself with this beauty!!! 👍👍🙂
Thank you =)
Agreed. Looks like one of this century’s ‘refresh the old stuff’ stuff. Lol. Thanks for great, as always, vid.
Glad you dig this episode, I got it in the comment section from some guy that said GM updated their cars more than a facelift and I was like I don’t think we’re looking at the same car. I get it the war happened studebaker I think was the first company after the war to come up with a new design in 47.. the independents most of them came up with new designs before 49.. but the big three just wanted to use what they had before the war
@@What.its.like. G M did introduce a new C body in 48 for Cadillac and the Futuramic Oldsmobile 98. Buick refused to use the new C body for thier Super and Roadmaster in 48 and waited until revisions were made to the hood and trunk for 49. The 49 Buick Special retained its prewar body style! The postwar style 1950 Buick Special was introduced in the summer of 1949, about three months before the rebodied 1950 senior Buicks! Confusing times at the Buick dealership.
That’s what the argument was the big three didn’t see the need to make anything new with the buying public that’s all they wanted was something new it took them until 1948 1949 to come up with a new design. That’s why Kaiser when it came out sold as many cars as they did because they were like the only company that was making something new.
This is now on my list of must have cars.
It’s a pretty sweet car I think that one got sold a while ago but I haven’t seen one with a rear wiper like that..
I went to a prewar show over the weekend and I really want to buy prewar car there’s just something about those.. But honestly if I had the money to buy anything within reason I want to 36 or 37 airflow four-door they’re totally different than anything else out there and I will share it with everybody
@@What.its.like. I'll look into that one. Im a pretty big car guy, but I lack a lot of pre-war car knolwedge. Ive only owned one prewar car. a 31' Chevy Tudor. Thanks for the reply.
@@What.its.like. Im looking at the Imerial Airflow now....very sweet cars. I like how they have similar body shape as the ole split window Beetles!! Yet its still very much not a beetle, hahaha.
I want to cover one before the year is over.. they are different than anything else it was the first car built in America designed in a wind tunnel it is also the first car built in America built on a unit body construction i’ve heard lots of things about them but that is definitely a car that I really want to drive because there’s a car that I would wanna own
This is way more than a car channel this is a car community and I’m part of the community I try to answer as many comments as I possibly can. Because I want you guys to know that I’m part of the community a real person =)
The coat hooks are incorporated into the grab handle brackets. You forgot to mention the sliding rear quarter windows. Fun fact, even though the entire car was redesigned, the 49 Pontiac retained the box pleat and button upholstery style for the seats and door panels.
I mentioned the sliding rear quarter windows but I couldn’t get them open so I wasn’t sure if that was even a thing. I ended up cutting that part of the video out thank you so much for mentioning it =)
@@What.its.like. oh youngun, let this old man explain it to you. There is a locking mechanism so that no one can slide the window open from the outside. You have to pull straight up on the little tab and then you can slide it back. Easy when you know how, but then I was around when these cars were still fairly new. LOL.
I tried messing with it for a little while and I was afraid I was gonna break it so I moved on to something else. Lol
@@What.its.like. probably safer that way. I do really enjoy your videos, brings back old memories.
Glad you dig this channel =)
Jay, you mentioned the indian on the hood ornament looked like Crazy Horse. In point of fact it's Chief Pontiac. ( General Motors appropriated the name Pontiac itself from a Native American. Pontiac was an Odawa (Ottawa) chief famous for leading an attack against British forces at Fort Detroit in 1763.) that was a great 48 - - The factory installed rear wiper ran on vacuum. in reality it didn't work very well as the hose ran the full length of the body. Also, on the heater? In 48 the heater was located under the front seat, sent air to front and back.fed by a 9 ft hose.
Thank you so much I wasn’t sure if Pontiac had their own mascot.
Those GM products utilized an under-seat heater, and they blew WARM. It's the same system I have in my '54 Pontiac Star Chief, and it works beautifully. And, that rope on the back of the front seat was a "grab handle" for back seat passengers to hold onto as they exit the vehicle. I grew up in cars like this. Good profile!
Chevy had a really good heating system I have a heater in my Chevy truck and it works great. 52 Chevy 1 ton
The 1950 Pontiac had good heat that could achieve shirtsleeve comfort while the temperature outside was subfreezing and some of the heated air was blown out from under the front seat.
Actually, the rope was for a blanket.. The grab handles to facilitate exit are the straps on the C pillars.
Awesome Pontiac! My great uncle always drove mid-level Pontiacs. The first one I can remember was a green 59 Star Chief, but there are family vids from before then that show him proudly standing beside an early 50's Silver Streak! ( He was born in 1907 and was a WWII vet, so I'm sure he had a few before that) His last car was a 78 Catalina! Personally, I like the dash of the 42 better than the 48.
Thank you so much for sharing those memories =)
My favourite cars are from 1939 to 1948 . Had lot’s in the 50’s and 60’s , and still do , one of these days , i’m gonna get me ???? In the 40’s . This car is stunning ! I would take that in my stable lol well done !
That’s awesome I’d love to own one of these one day 2 door
Association. Never my love (1967)
Thanks for featuring this car. It was one of the first cars that got me into the hobby. I always thought it was really attractive.
I love the lines of these I can’t wait to find a two door the goal is to do all the lost and forgotten classic cars and different body styles =) I want this to be the go to classic car channel to know what the car is like
You chose a really nice example of this car, Jay. Well done. Also, I think you're right -- I don't know of another that featured a rear window wiper as an accessory. I know it was offered on '49 Lincolns, which I previously thought was the first car to have this feature.
Thank you for digging this episode
Jay
Found your site thanks to your Hudson videos. Beyond the information and nostalgia aspect, though, I think they offer another solid value, viz. relaxation. This very old man finds them calming and even reassuring amidst all the clamorous violence that's poisoning our world at this moment. I honestly believe that they have a strong therapeutic effect, that they offer relief from stress. At least that's the case for old guys like me. I'd like to see what others think of this, especially those younger than I.
Welcome to the channel I’m glad you dig, it makes me so happy to be able to produce content that people 😊
It is one beautiful automobile!🤩 It looks without a doubt like a really incredible quality built auto, with beautiful lines and details, love everything about it!
Totally agree =)
I can see this on the designers board, the way you show the body.
It really is an American Silver Streak of the time.
Thanks for everything, Jay. Including the singing at the end.
Glad you liked that, I like having fun and showing character, that I’m a real person =)
How have you been missed seeing you in the comments
Thanks and thanks for asking.
Sometimes I only have time to like them.
Life interrupts.
I love old cars that had coats of arms!
Of course you are correct that these are basically facelifted 1942 models. Even GM at the time admitted that in advertising the 1949 models as "all-new postwar designs." The 1948 Oldsmobile Futuramic 98 previewed the way as a completely new body.
I’ll have to check out the Oldsmobile futuramic 98 =)
When I was a pre - teen in the late 50's, one of my friends' fathers owned a 1948 Pontiac with a straight 8 engine and a Hydra - Matic transmission just like one of those in your story. This was the oldest car that I had seen then with an automatic but I thought that it was pretty neat.
The original Hydra Matic GM would sell the transmission of anybody that would buy it it was built completely out of cast-iron and it was the heaviest transmission ever manufactured for used in civilian cars
Great story thank you so much for sharing those really cool memories with us =)
2:10 I would remind you that the later '42 models would not have had exposed chrome trim inside or out.
Unsold cars were modified by painting over exterior brightwork. Chromium was a strategic metal for the defense industry. Cars were even sold without spare tires to conserve rubber and other tire materials, all for defense.
Gorgeous choice, Jay! This old girl looks like she would have fit in well in a scene in "The Godfather"
Yeah totally agree I love the 2 doors can’t wait to find one
Great vid, really enjoyed!!!
Glad you dig this episode =)
This has the 1st generation Hydra-Matic, with a single drive position. The 2nd generation had a dual drive position. This version is the one which Rolls-Royce licensed to build their own version through the 1967 model year. The 3rd and last 4-speed Hydra-Matic was introduced in 1956 known as the Jetaway or 315. It used controlled couplings, changing gear ratios by filling and draining the fluid couplings. At this time, it also gained a legitimate "Park" gearshift position. This version of the Hydra-Matic was used in the "Senior" GM cars through 1964, all except Cadillac which used Buick's S.T. 400 and was the first Cadillac to only have one drive position since the first gen Hydra-Matic and when it used the Buick Dynaflow for a short time after the Hydra-Matic plant fire of 1953.
Thank you so much for sharing all of that information and insight =) highly appreciate it
Early hydramatics only had an ability to hold 2nd gear for downhill engine braking,later ones could hold 3rd gear for engine braking so were more versatile in mountain driving if my information is right. Old cars could get brake fade or even lose their brakes on prolonged mountain descents if the driver rode the brakes too much.
(4th gear was the high/1:1 cruising gear)
The 6 cyl hydramatic was like watching paint dry 0-60 🤕. Dad had a 51 I believe
Yeah they wasn’t fast
@@What.its.like. I think the early Hydramatic shifted up too early to allow the engine to use its power band effectively unless the transmission was modified,as I understand that was sometimes done by "hot rodders"
I Like The Grill On The 48 😊
I ❤ the Old Pontiac Emblem 😊
Me too =)
My grandfather had a pea green '47 Silver Streak that I remember riding in and getting quite car sick on a trip when I was 4-5 years old. My uncle won a new red '48 Silver Streak through a contest with the American Legion. It was originally red but he told me it faded badly and he had it repainted dark blue, which is how I remember it. In 1954, he traded it for a new '54 Chevy Bel Air which he only kept for a year when he traded for a '54 Pontiac Chieftain because the Chevy was "too light."
Thank you so much for sharing those memories =)
Stellar review of this car!
Thank you =) happy you dig this episode
Great car Jay. The low sloping back is so cool. I never realised how handsome the Pontiacs were compared to the other manufacturers. I can’t stand Fords from this era and Cadillac was over stated. The returning servicemen must have thought what the hell. No wonder the independents did well. Cars in Europe and Britain were hopeless for obvious reasons. Repairing the war economies took decades and the threat of Soviet aggression dominated the purse strings of government. The car took me straight back to the movie Grease and the whole nostalgia for a new confidence in the USA.
This is my favorite era of Pontiac
great vid, actually the robe is for the coats to hang on👌🏼
The "Indian" face is of Chief Pontiac himself. Look up his history in wiki sometime. 😀
Great I didn’t know that.
The automatic that came with this car was innovative for its time for it had four speeds. The transmission was so sophisticated and superior that GM sold it to other automotive manufacturers, I think that included Rolls Royce. Unfortunately a catastrophic fire destroyed the plant in 1953 causing GM to manufacture 100,000 cars less that year.
As to the styling, I liked the somewhat cleaner chrome of the 1942 model on the outside and the round dials of the 1942 dash as well.
Awesome information I saw that gm sold the hydra matic to anyone that would buy it =)
@@What.its.like. Did Hudson use the GM hydramatic?
Go under history section and gives a list of the cars that gm sold the hydra matic to
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydramatic
@@What.its.like. Thanks. It truly was a great transmission, ahead of the other options in efficiency.
My grandfather drove his 1948 Silver Steak until 1961; he bought a 1961 Tempest. His Silver Streak straight 8 with a hydromatic had 39,000 miles and mechanical issues; the Pontiac dealer in Libertyville, Illinois gave him a $50 trade in allowance!
Thank you so much for sharing your grandpa car
Love the two colours combination.
Those colors worked well together
Love your channel
More 40s fastbacks please
Glad you dig this channel =) I want to hit more 40s and early 50s fastbacks
Cooooooooo!
I liked what you did with the 1942 and 1948 comparisons. You should do that again on other car makes, like the 1942 Ford and 1948.
I totally will great idea!
@@What.its.like. Also the Oldsmobile since I think they are quite different in the front end.
6:40 My dad said the old Pontiac Indian Head hood ornaments lit up at night.
Alas, I'm a little too young to offer first hand confirmation.
It was an option in 1950 and I think through 1954
They are so classy especially on silver streaks 1953 Pontiac tin Woody is one of my favorite all-time wagons
The guy that said you don't know what your talking about, doesn't know what he's talking about! 😅 lol. You probably get a lot of that. We love your shows Jay, that clown can watch something else....😊 Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
I had another guy yesterday say that for somebody that has made subscribers as you you don’t know what you’re talking about.. tons of research but it’s only good research if the research is correct what you found out in the Jeepster episode isn’t always the case there’s numbers were 12 inches apart that’s a foot lol
Glad you did the channel it means a lot to me man it really does
Great old Pontiac! Wow, it they had a rear wiper why didn’t they continue offering it?
I googled what was the first car to offer rear wiper and they said it was a 60 Volvo and I was like this one’s got a rear window wiper and it’s 20 years before the 60s.. unfortunately I couldn’t find any advertisement pieces with the windshield wiper in it that’s why I didn’t elaborate on it more because I couldn’t find any information.
@@What.its.like. could it be that the owner might have customized the car to fit a wiper on the rear window? I never heard of cars that old having wipers on the rear windows?
That would be hard to do
The 1942, I like better in exterior design, but, this beauty of a car IS a beauty design by designers as well as those who had put them together.
Fantastic room! The engines back then were designed to not set speed records...just give nice and easy starts.
The "mystery tune" : The Association's "Never My Love" (1967)...which always brings me to my sophomore year in L.C.H.S in Indy and memories of Mary Murdock who graduated that year...what a beauty she was to me!
Thank you for sharing
Thank you for watching =)
Yeah Jay , put those trolls in check ! Lol !
Haha I was like I don’t think we are looking at the same car I’m going to do that with big three after war cars.
I believe the song is Never My Love by the Association. I googled the words and that’s the name that came up!
That’s the song and band =)
What a classy and roomy car. I wonder whether it was one of the first with a rear wiper? Doesn't seem too common considering the range of vehicles offered by various manufacturers.
Could possibly be when researching this topic I couldn’t find any advertisements explaining the rear wiper. I also Google searched what was the first car to be offered with a rear window wiper in a 60s Volvo came up.. so it’s very interesting if anybody else has any information about this topic please fill us in =)
COOL CAR! GM was WAY ahead of the pack when it comes to offering automatic transmission. I'm shocked
rear window washers were around then.
I was shocked to see it as well I couldn’t find any information on it though. Advertising for this car sucked frankly, as in there wasn’t that much I could find and I’m good at finding ads
@@What.its.like. Ok.
Buttons Switches and knobs O My! 😮
I love the dash in this car.. another interesting tidbit the convertible was on the shorter wheelbase chassis which is weird
@@What.its.like. Did they have a sedan design that was not a fast back roof? I think Chevy did in 48. But how about Pontiac?
For the Canadian market, I got done writing the whole script and everything and then I saw a picture of that and I was like oh crap but then I researched it they offered more body styles in Canada
Most of those cars had a push button to operate the starter and it would work even if the ignition was not turned on with the key. The starter motor could drag the car along if in first gear with the brake released.
Great information thank you so much =) for sharing that
Hey Jay! Think about the year this is (1948) look how difficult it would be to keep a car like this looking new. Now think of the products they had back then to keep your car looking new. Polishing all that chrome and metal and wide white wall tires and Glass area with products from yesteryear would be so timely.
Yeah but people cared about what they had..
Thanks, Jay‼Unraveling more Pontiac badging for us. Great car. One could get SO much more car for the money in the GM line up by going Pontiac, all the way. 👏Wait, what are you doing at the end of your video? 👀Singing? Stop that⁉👎😂
Haha I sing at the end of most of them, I like to have fun so a little character,
This car was sweet I’m going to try and do a 2 door fastback this year hopefully
Personally, I think I'm more partial to the post war design elements of this car as opposed to the 1942 model. GM, like many auto makers at that time, didn't really undertake a full scale stylistic update of their cars until 1949 or 1950. Case in point is the 1949 Ford. That said, this Pontiac is actually very nicely appointed with what looks like a super comfy interior.
Tons of space in the car.. I wanna find a two door torpedo to feature try to do some more 40s fastbacks this year =)
@@What.its.like. Sounds great!
You gotta do that 1953 Ford truck sitting behind this car.
That one is coming =)
@@What.its.like. Nice. I have the model kit in a few versions.
Thanks for this, interesting car and a good overview. I don't know of any regulation or law prohibiting entry or exit from the driver's side of cars. I know that people generally liked using the passenger side door in cities for convenience and safety. For years cars had bench seats and plenty of room to slide over from the driver's side to the passenger side. Ford may have started the trend of using the passenger side door as early Ford cars only had a keyed lock on the passenger side door.
I wanted to say that I have a 1948 Chrysler Windsor sedan and it has all of the design and styling manufacture that you showed on this Pontiac. It's remarkable how similar these two brands are but that tends to be so for cars of each decade. The rear window wiper is new to me. It looks factory. I've often wanted that on various sedans I've owned. Did anyone notice the high-bean indicator light is a stylized side view of Chief Pontiac's head? Look right above the mount for the speedometer needle, in the stainless section of the speedometer. The coat hook appears to be built into the top of the assist strap.
An identifier to tell that you were looking at a Pontiac from a distance, are the stainless strips running over the hood and picking up again to running down over the trunk. Those strips were on Pontiac's for years lasting into the 1950s.
Over the years I've met a lot of guys that think a Pontiac is just another version of a Chevrolet and by the 2000s they were, as well as other GM makes. But prior to the 2000s Pontiac was a step up in the line of GM makes ascending in price. If anyone viewed a Chevrolet and Pontiac of a given year, the differences are remarkable. The Pontiac is a much nicer car and got you a more powerful base engine. However, there was a long-time difference in Canadian Pontiac's though they looked like an American Pontiac, the Canadian market Pontiac's were Chevrolet based. Even the frames and wheel bases were Chevrolet as well as actual Chevrolet pieces such as steering wheels could be seen throughout.
Thank you so much for sharing all that information insight and stories =) this is my favorite era of Pontiac 1942-1954 silver streak I plan on covering all the body styles especially the sedenettes
The Pontiac Chief head as high beam indicator lasted through 1970.
My father had a 1946 Dodge that had a rear backlight wiper, but it may have been an aftermarket accessory.
It was crazy seeing it there =)
Who the hell decided a rear window is a 'back light' ?
What a gem!! Can I have BOTH??? I noticed that the car had a central Va AAA sticker?? Is in central Va and if so where? I'm in GUM Springs. Is it for sale? Great video!!!!
This car was for sale but it’s sold before I could get the video posted so that’s why I didn’t do the whole intro..
It was a super nice car =)
The only think I can say about the post war Pontiacs is that the straight 8 cars had an illuninated head that came on with the headlights.The six cylinder cars did not. My parents only new car was a 53 Pontiac with the straight 8. I like the 65 El Camino next to the Pontiac!
That’s my favorite era of Pontiac 1953 Pontiac tin woodie is the cats meow =)
I was going to check it out but it already sold. Are these old Pontiacs gaining in popularity? I want one with the hydramatic trans.
Yeah I can’t get the content out fast enough. I was talking to one of the guys there and they move a lot of cars a month
I’m planning on going back maybe in a week I’m not entirely sure though another opportunity presented itself and I’m trying to set that up if it all works out there’s going to be some killer cars coming. =)
I don't remember ever seeing a rear wiper back in the old days.
This is a 1948 car ... and I don't ever remember seeing electric wipers back then, either--they were all vacuum powered. The earliest electric wipers I remember were late '50s Chrysler products (and I'm not saying electric wipers didn't otherwise exist).
SO, it makes me wonder if a) was that rear wiper powered by vacuum? or b) is that some kind of cool retro-mod ? Or, was that really a stock item?
I couldn’t find any literature about it that’s why I didn’t elaborate more is super intriguing if you look at the video footage closely it has the rotating part inside the body somebody else commented and said that it might’ve been an aftermarket thing but it’s done so well that it looks factory.
excelente, parabéns.
Glad you dig =)
Was the in-line 8 the same engine used in the Buicks of the time?
No Buick had ohv
@@What.its.like. thanks
The deluxe model was not called Silver Streak. Deluxe was called Deluxe. Pontiac never had a car model called Silver Streak. Silver Streak was the name of Pontiac's inline engines, the 6-cylinder Silver Streak and the 8-cylinder Silver Streak 8. Silver Streak could also rerfer to the iconic Pontiac chrome trim appearing on the cars from 1935 through 1956.
Thank you so much for that correction =)
Newer pickup trucks have protruding hood centers. Dodge trucks were the first in about 1995 and GM and Ford followed suit.
My question of this time period is, what was the Pontiac brand identity? I know in the last generations of Pontiac, it was more sporty, what is it here?
This was my favorite era of Pontiac the silver streak era the air in which they made straight eights, and Indian heads that lit up... they went full blown Indian in this era.. lots of chrome super smooth performance.
Pontiac in the late 1940s and up to the mid 1950s was considered a somewhat frumpy librarian's car. Nicer than a Chevrolet, which were truly cheap back then, but kind of slow and sluggish.. In 1956, GM put Bunkie Knudsen and John Z. DeLorean in charge of Pontiac, and they decided to make Pontiac the macho powerhouse performer that those of us that were around in the 1960s still remember today.
Their first breakthrough car was the first ever Bonneville in 1957. It had performance that challenged the mighty Chrysler 300 of that era, with tri power or fuel injected 347 cubic inch Strato-Streak V8 . They cost more than the less expensive Cadillacs, and the only options were AC and a conti kit. All were convertibles, all were either white or black. Only 630 were built, enough for every Pontiac dealer to get one.
The Bonneville’s $5,782 list price included, in addition to the fuel injection unit, a long list of standard equipment. Among these were Strato-Flight Hydra-Matic transmission, power steering, power brakes, dual exhausts, eight-way power seat, electric wipers and washers, underseat heater and defroster, deluxe Wonderbar radio, electric antenna, custom latex foam front seat cushions, oil bath air cleaner, full flow oil filter, external mirror, non-glare interior mirror, passenger side visor vanity, deluxe steering wheel, padded dash, deluxe floor carpets, parking brake warning light, back-up lights, plus lights for the trunk, ashtray, glovebox and parking light.
Adjust speed to 0.75 to maximize learning and enjoyment.
There was a redesigned body for these cars for the 1949 year,the 8 cylinder engine got a displacement increase to about 270 cubic inches for 1950,despite a low horsepower rating of 108 the much heavier than a certain Ford Falcon of years later Pontiac was much faster and quicker although the weak small 6 in the Falcon had almost the same horsepower rating. Must have been larger horses in the Pontiac or the rating was deliberately understated to favor the higher ratings of the more expensive Buicks and Oldsmobiles (although Oldsmobile did have an advanced overhead valve V8 which was a novelty for 1950)
The hydramatic in these cars was sort of a mark of distinction,shared with Cadillac and Oldsmobile and much much better than the cheap one or two speeds in some other GM cars,however the 3 speed manual with its heavy clutch made the car quicker,I think the shift scheduling in the hydramatic upshifted at too low rpm for the engine to use its power curve during acceleration.
The performance figures sound much much slower than real world,a fully broken in 1950 Silver Streak with an 8 could turn the speedometer all of the way to indicate 100 mph although it was common for speedos to read about 5 mph. optimistic so I would credit the car for 95 top speed which undoubtedly was putting the engine rpm in top gear dangerously high. The 1950 Eight did indeed have a two barrel carburetor. Also by 1950 these cars had heaters mounted under the front seat where copious heat could be thrown out both to the front and to the back seat footwell area.
You had to change to light oil such as SAE 10w (or even 5w in arctic) in winter or the car could become impossible to start,at least for the Straight 8. Often when the cars got some mileage on them they would start burning oil and smoking although I think there was an optional Fram oil filter system that could be installed by the new car dealer which would have greatly helped to delay the onset of such problems. Also air filters weren't very efficient on most of those cars and people didn't like to service the messy oil bath air filter systems. And remember the dusty unpaved roads in those days that did much to put abrasive wear particles into the air for the cars to ingest.
The workmanship and quality of those cars was quite good and I think the Pontiac used heavier gauge sheetmetal in the body than did the cheap Chevrolet. Also at least by 1950 there was an optional lighted Chief Pontiac hood ornament although the car my grandfather and later my father had did not have it.
A good comparison car with the Pontiacs would be same year Packards or Packard Clippers,preferably with their 327 cubic inch straignt 8s and manual transmission or manual transmission plus overdrive (don't think Pontiac offered overdrive),Packard didn't have a very good automatic transmission (at least for performance) and in 1955 Packard's automatic transmission woes helped seal the fate of the once storied brand.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share all this information =) very much appreciated
Well Now, pull up a chair and sit right down, let me tell you about the 1947 Pontiac Four-door Silver Steak Deluxe that I owned.
It had a flat head eight with a 3-speed transmission. The exterior was finished in a two-toned blue paint theme, being dark blue fenders and a lighter brighter blue body. The interior was a tan pin-striped mohair cloth with deep brown wool carpeting. The dash was fake wood finish as were the door window surrounds and the back and front glass surrounds. Together, it looked rather business-like. The Pontiac had a clock, a radio, a lighter, ashtray, a heater, and a defroster. Mounted on the dash was a rubber blade two-speed fan. With the cowl vent open and that little fan going, and the windows rolled down, you could manage to keep the interior temperatures down to a survivable level during the summertime. It also had a large glove box and double sun visors with a Pontiac mirror on the passenger side. My car had aftermarket dual spotlights that were interior operated, side windows rain deflectors, anti-whistle shields on the vent windows, dual mirrors, curb finders, front GUIDE fog lights, and bumperette override guards, Over the Windshield was a large sun visor. Whoever owned that Pontiac before me had every conceivable option you could buy for it. Most of it was probably from J.C. Whitney Co. The tires were 3-inch wide white wall types on 16-inch rims sporting the original full hubcaps. I had roof carriers for it, and a large 1940s picnic woven basket with melamine dishes, and tableware. Plus, I had vintage coolers and thermos bottles. The trunk held a full-sized spare tire with a jack lift.
That Pontiac could touch a little over 100 mph and that was fast for that year's automobile. It was a smooth comfortable riding vehicle. I received lots of cars honking horns with drivers waving as I passed by. At filling stations, it always drew admirers and the curious with questions. Then I began to realize lots of Hispanics loved looking it over and asking me if I wanted to sell it - thus after 3 years of ownership, I sold it for $5,900 in 1989. The new owner was indeed the happiest Latino man I had ever encountered. That car is somewhere in Los Angeles, California. At that time I lived in Huntington Beach. The car came from Texas.
Somewhere, someplace, a family of Latinos is riding low-rider proud in that Pontiac Silver Steak all decked out and bedazzled in her finest jewelry.
Awesome story thank you so much for taking the time to share all of that =) what a great memory
The "Indian Chief's' head on the hood ornament, was meant to represent Chief Pontiac, an Odawa Native American leader who led a rebellion against the British and American colonists in the 18th century in a war named for him. The city of Pontiac, Michigan and the automobile were also named for him. Pontiac kept the chief hood ornament until into the '50s and I think some of the later ones lit up when the lights were on.
Strongly agree that the high beam switch should definitely be on the floor.
You do realize that this car wears a non factory custom two tone paint job, don't you? Factory two tone is shown on the thumbnail picture and the brochures.
I want the DeSoto……plain fact. In goes a hemi….Disc brakes…..tech suspension ! A sleeper.
It still is illegal to enter or exit from the driver side
That’s crazy I wonder if it’s different state to state I never heard of that until getting into classic cars
The Indian war chief doesn't look like Crazy Horse, it is suppose to resemble Pontiac or Obwaandi'eyaag (c. 1714/20 - April 20, 1769) an Odawa war chief, hence the name of the car.
Hi Jay, I often wonder on the relatively poor performance of the post-war engines, especially after all that was learned following WWII in aircraft and tank engines. I suspect that GM were the least likely initially to provide any upgraded features in their new car line up? Now I could be losing it here, yet I recall the Allison division of GM and their engines, even if they copied the RR Merlin, it used tech that is still current today, with even more advanced features in some respects, like sodium filled valve stems.
Yeah it’s super weird why they didn’t implement the knowledge they learned during the war maybe it cost to much who knows
Those old style L head engines had reasonably good torque and smoothness,I think they ran quieter than more modern overhead valve designs. Might have actually had more torque at really low rpm like trying to pull from 400 or 500 rpm which is not a good practice with most car engines.
Although as I recall the factory muffler on the 1950 Pontiac was straight through which gave the car a bit of a bark when on the gas. I think factory mufflers on pickup trucks continued as straight through "glasspack" well into the late 1950s when most cars used quieter (reverse flow?) designs or even multiple mufflers as on some Chryslers
I recently encountered an article (about Studebaker's V8?) that asserted that with the low octane gasoline that used to be sold there was little advantage to the overhead valve technology over the old flathead technology but that as higher octane gas became available the overhead valve engines began to have a big advantage at being able to make more power on the high octane gas and being able to run much higher compression than was practical for the old flatheads.
I like the 48 better with the exception that the two tone execution just doesn't thrill me. The speedometer gauge combination and the radio set on the dash look to me like jewelry craftsmanship. This is the second time I watched this. I love the 42 to 48 GM's.
Thank you so much for sharing that insight I want to hit the sedanettes for sure =)
That black and silver two tone paint job makes it look like a North Carolina Highway Patrol car.
It is illegal to enter or exit the drivers side
How long was that in effect for or to?
Cherish/Association.
You just missed it by literally a minute
But you got the song in the title congratulations
Grandfather bought a new 40, Silver streak 8, on advice from my uncle who was in the navy at the time. “Best you buy a new automobile dad, we’re going to war with Japan soon “. Unfortunately uncle spent 4 years as Japanese prisoner of war. Grandad drove that car 20 years till his death.
Wow crazy story thank you so much fir sharing those memories did your uncle make it home?
@@What.its.like. Yes, he was liberated by the Russian military in Manchuria, 1945, returned to states in 46.
@@What.its.like. I learned to drive that car at 11 years old. Grandfathers words.”Take your time, stay on your side of the road and keep her out of the ditch.”
What great memories your uncle is a true war hero, so many forget how lucky we are. If he is still here thank him for his service for me =)
Driving that car at 11 you must’ve felt like you were driving the titanic I was a little scrawny kid at 11 and picturing me at 11 and that car that would’ve been really impressive I don’t know if I’d be able to reach the pedals I was just a little kid lol I didn’t get tall until after I was 16. That was a great story thank you so much for sharing that awesome memory.
@@What.its.like. He passed in 83 at 83. Don’t recall having any problem with clutch ,break or shifting gears.
Jay in The Series Happy Days Howard Cunningham is Teased For driving A 49 Desoto
I am guessing, because no cars were produced for three and a half years, car manufacturers thought they could get away without much change to their products. People wanted new cars.
I've noticed, for 1948 there was no change at all for a lot of cars...I can't tell the difference between a '47 and '48 Ford, for instance.
At any rate, I prefer the '42 to the '48. Although I like this car.
Yeah that was the point I was making, 😁 the buying public went without anything new for three years in the us, they wanted something fresh and that’s why the independents and start ups like kaiser did really well. As soon as big three made new products it was the beginning of the end for the independents
@@What.its.like. I think Packard usually didn't do annual model year style changes (VW famously didn't in the era of the Bug and seemed to get away with it)
I have a 1948 torpedo
Sweet
What do you like the most about it what do you like the least about it
@@What.its.like. there not any thing I don't really like about it . Currently still building it . I had it almost two years
the steering wheel is alabaster
What would automobiles be today if it weren't for wars? Makes me wonder !
Probably not too much
@@MarinCipollina i have to differ but cars today suck !
I meant to say that I don’t think they would be too much different now, without intervening wars.
@@scottymoondogjakubin4766 I also agree that cars these days are mostly lame.. Best years for design were 1947 - 1970 or so. Before engines were choked off with pollution conrols.
@@MarinCipollina most cars built in 1946 were carry over models from 1941 so thats 5 years of innovation lost from ww2 alone ! It had to have some effect !
Toyota should've bought Pontiac from G.M. Unfortunately my old 2003 Suzuki Aerio SX Hatchback started to have mechanical problems, so I had to get rid of it and buy a 2016 Scion TC the Scion TC is way more cooler and better then the Suzuki I had.
I had a friend that had a TC they were cool I owned a veloster r spec turbo 2014 and raced my friends gti and beat him.. GTI is really over rated just saying
The '42 looks nicer
California Dreaming , Mama Papas , mid 1960's ,
probably 1968. Beautiful car , poor fuel ⛽️ mileage
get a 1948 Chevy fleet line,
alittle lighter in weight , 20
MPG. Hy.
Kevin Phoenix ✝️
Cherish the Association
I jumped the gun cherish was going to be the song but changed it sorry for that
Pretty sure it is Never My Love by The Association
Your right I was going to use cherish and changed it thank you
It won’t let me pin comment to the top sorry for this whole Debacle
Actually I prefer the 42
Yeah bro, it's no mystery that car manufacturers paused their design dept during the war and didn't pick up until 1949, and it's fine! Cool channel still, these are some almost "autistic" level details you're schooling us over, it would be cool if you did an episode on the kustom car legends of the 50s and 60s, such as Winfield, Barris, Watson and them all. No?
Edit: it just crossed my mind I might get misunderstood, everything I said was meant as a compliment, no criticism from my side 👍🏻🖤🏴☠️
One day I’m waiting for the bass to grow a little bit bigger I’d love to hit all of the major designers I try to episode like that in the past and a totally bombed it was perhaps the best episode I’ve ever done but nobody watched it..
but yeah totally I wanna do Virgil exner Harley earl, alex tribulus, Raymond Lowry, George barris all of them maybe do a special once a week but like I said I’d like the base to get a little bit bigger before I do that lots of research goes into each of those episodes not saying that a lot of research doesn’t go into these it’s harder with people..
In the reason I compared the 42 to the 48 was because somebody in the comment section was really ripped me a new one on the 49 Chevy episode saying that more changes were made to the models that came before it then just a minor facelift and I was like I don’t think we’re looking at the same car.
Never my love by the Association
Yep =)
yes those are fog lights on the front. yes thats a back up light. no door locks are common going back throughout the 40s as were locking gas caps as an option. Floor heaters were a thing and even a device you would fill with ice then place in your driver side window as air conditioning or electric windows on a Cadillac. I suggest more research before making these videos.
Tons of research goes into these just pointing out what is there because people who are just getting into this hobby don’t know..
Plus this is an old video
I don’t get spoon fed information like new car reviewers do I have to search for it
Every time you ask a question stop yourself and add it to a list. Heres some info on the 48 Chrysler vid- the reason for 3 front bumper guards - looks like a crown, that was Chryslers thing - royalty thus car names like Windsor and Royal the idea was opulence @@What.its.like.
Never my love by the Association.
The '42 is better-looking.
They were such beautiful bathtubs. 🛁 🚿 😊I like the 42' better looking from the front, the 48' has a cooler two toned side look. Far Side cartoon cars. 🔬
=)
..... ??? .... "Looks like Crazyhorse"......what ??? .......no, I would say it looks like Chief Pontiac ! are you on drugs ??