Filling Station customer David Denemark from Wisconsin sent us this photo of his 1940 Deluxe Sport Sedan. Here's what David had to say about the restoration of this beautiful car.

"This is my 1940 Chevrolet Special Deluxe Sport Sedan. I have been refinishing and replacing as many parts that need attention as the budget will allow. All of the chrome and stainless trim are in original condition. I have replaced most of the glass and have refurbished the inner doors and mechanicals. The engine, brakes and transmission have been rebuilt. Last year I repainted the rims and installed new Coker radial wide white wall tires. The car drives like a dream now and I continue enjoy every minute I spend working to make it better. Thanks to The Filling Station for providing many of the parts to finish this wonderful project. Note the magnetic bullet holes that are covering scratches in the 45-year-old paint. Its fun to talk about at car shows."

Thank you for sharing your vehicle David! Keep up the great work. 

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Universal Engine Dolly 

This dolly will hold any engine or engine/transmission combo - up to 1,000 lbs. The arms adjust side to side and lock into position. It features heavy gauge steel tube construction and is protected by an epoxy power coat finish. It's high quality casters make rolling a breeze.

Heavy item - special freight charges apply. 

Order FS-280

High quality classic 1953-65 Chevrolet passenger car original interiors. These are beautiful reproductions of Chevrolet seat covers, foam, door panels, headliners, arm rests, dash pads, package trays, convertible tops, floor mats, trim and sun visors.

Call us to check availability and pricing for
your Chevy passenger car interior. 

1-800-841-6622

Driving our vintage cars is becoming more popular these days.  Special car tours like the VCCA 4-cylinder, 6-cylinder & V-8 tours, have increased interest in touring with our old cars.  Local clubs and regions are having 100-200 mile weekend tours.  Add to that safety items like turn signals, LED tail lights, and seat belts all of which have made driving the old cars safer and more enjoyable.  Overdrives or higher geared differentials are allowing our old cars to keep up with traffic on today's modern roads.

Clubs now are giving recognition to those of us that take our vintage cars out and drive them.  They are not just for car shows anymore!  Touring is a great way to have fun with the old cars.  No trophies here, but plenty of fun, good times and fellowship with other club members.  It is also a great way to create interest in our hobby and recruit new members.  Seeing our beautiful countryside is also a nice side benefit of driving the old cars.

What does it take to get your old car ready for touring?  It depends on the age of your car.  Older cars take much more preparation to drive on long tours than your daily driver.  Early cars, prior to 1937, require more maintenance to be driven long distances than later cars.  Preparing a 1931 Coupe for touring is more involved than a 1956 pickup.  Be aware that the early cars were designed to be driven on roads that were much different than what we have today.  Early water pumps, generators, distributors and starters have to be lubricated on a regular basis.  In addition, early water pumps require adjustment to the packing nut to prevent leaking and possible overheating of the water system. 

Prior to driving your old car on a long tour, there are a number of items that need to be checked.  This will be an outline checklist of long distance tour necessities.  Customize this list for your own individual car or truck.  Keep in mind that most of the maintenance items are things you should be doing whether you are driving your car on long distance tours or just down to the grocery store.  Of course, the frequency must be increased on longer tours.

1927 & 1928 4-cylinder engines came with an oil filter but all other early Chevy engines were made without oil filters.  Add-on oil filters were available but they filtered only a small amount of the total oil flow going through the engine.  These filters were an attempt to protect the engine from contaminants.  However, they are not nearly as effective when compared to the later full-flow oil filters.  Instead, it is recommended to simply change oil more often - every 500 to 1,000 miles, or a minimum of once per year.  In addition, we recommend an oil additive such as Lucas each time you change oil.  This is especially helpful on vintage cars that sit idle for months at a time. The oil additive will help protect engine bearings on startup and give a little boost to the oil pressure when running.

Once again, this list will consist of many items that should be part of your regular periodic maintenance schedule for your old car.  When going on a long trip, these items are especially important to check: engine oil, water level (don't overfill), transmission fluid, differential gear oil, u-joint gear oil (all closed driveline cars & trucks), wheel bearings - grease and check adjustment.  Each time you drive an early car with a bushing-type water pump, be sure to put a few drops of oil on the front bushing of the water pump.  Carry a squirt can of oil for this purpose and keep it handy.  Lubricate this bushing every 50 to 100 miles.  Also, turn in the grease cup on the water pump (take extra water pump grease & packing along too).  Less often, turn in the grease cup on the distributor and put a drop of oil in the generator oil cups & starter oil cup.  Lubricate the chassis, including shackles, spring bolts, tie rod ends, drag link ends, king pins and steering box.  Consult your shop manual for a complete lubrication list for your car.  In addition, check tire pressure and tire condition and also check the spare tire(s).

Mechanical brake vehicles (prior to 1936) should have a brake adjustment to insure optimum performance.  This should be done by a qualified mechanic as it is vital to have the brake system operating properly.

Tune up the engine.  Check the ignition point gap and adjust the points as necessary.  Check the spark plug gap and condition of the plugs.  Set the timing and carburetor idle mixture.  Check & adjust the engine valves.  Out of adjustment valves can cause poor operation and damage to the valve system.  All of the time spent on tuning the engine will help your gas mileage too!

Check for non operating light bulbs - headlights, tail lights, turn signals, dash lights, etc.  Corrosion occurs when moisture gets between metal surfaces.  Bulbs may be in good condition and corrosion will prevent good contact, thus causing the bulb to malfunction.

Check your wiper motor and wiper blades to be sure they are functional and effective.  Many early cars with vacuum wiper motors are less than wonderful when it comes to seeing clearly with windshield wipers.  Rain-x is a great temporary substitute and will help your vision in an unexpected downpour.  Other alternatives would include changing your wiper motor to an electric (when available) or having your vacuum motor rebuilt.

Spare parts are very important for cars going on long tours.  Make up a small box of new or good used spare parts to include: Ignition parts - coil, spark plugs & wires, points, condenser, rotor & distributor cap.  Carry spare wheel bearings (one inner and one outer front and one rear) and wheel bearing grease, even consider a spare rear axle (with bearing) on early cars.  Cleaning supplies such as window cleaner, Rain-x, car washing supplies, paper towels and hand cleaner will come in handy.