<![CDATA[Pontiac Chieftain Forums - 1949-1952 Pontiac Discussions]]> https://pontiacchieftain.com/forum/ Tue, 05 May 2026 14:38:48 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[1951 Pontiac 6 cyl 3spd]]> https://pontiacchieftain.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=16 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:32:34 -0800 jhudds]]> https://pontiacchieftain.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=16
Looking to get the paperwork done to get titled, but here in NJ its a monumental task.

I have some old door skin material I am going to use to patch floors and get her back to driving around town.

.jpg   Rusty 1.jpg (Size: 136.67 KB / Downloads: 3)

.jpg   Rusty 2.jpg (Size: 126.51 KB / Downloads: 4) ]]>
Looking to get the paperwork done to get titled, but here in NJ its a monumental task.

I have some old door skin material I am going to use to patch floors and get her back to driving around town.

.jpg   Rusty 1.jpg (Size: 136.67 KB / Downloads: 3)

.jpg   Rusty 2.jpg (Size: 126.51 KB / Downloads: 4) ]]> <![CDATA[1949-52 Pontiac Production Numbers]]> https://pontiacchieftain.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14 Sat, 21 Feb 2026 18:11:56 -0800 Dave]]> https://pontiacchieftain.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14 1949–1952 Pontiac Production Numbers

(Six & Eight Cylinder – Transmission Breakdown)


1949
Six Cylinder
Model: 49-25 
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: January 12, 1949 – November 10, 1949
  • Standard Transmission: 40,139
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 29,515
  • Total Produced: 69,654

Eight Cylinder
Model: 49-27
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: January 12, 1949 – November 10, 1949
  • Standard Transmission: 60,716
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 174,449
  • Total Produced: 235,165


1950
Six Cylinder
Model: 50-25
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 10, 1949 – November 17, 1950
  • Standard Transmission: 90,612
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 24,930
  • Total Produced: 115,542

Eight Cylinder
Model: 50-27
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 10, 1949 – November 17, 1950
  • Standard Transmission: 67,699
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 263,188
  • Total Produced: 330,887


1951
Six Cylinder
Model: 51-25
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 27, 1950 – November 19, 1951
  • Standard Transmission: 43,553
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 10,195
  • Total Produced: 53,748

Eight Cylinder
Model: 51-27
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 27, 1950 – November 19, 1951
  • Standard Transmission: 64,424
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 251,987
  • Total Produced: 316,411


1952
Six Cylinder
Model: 52-25
Name: Chieftain
Production Run: November 2, 1951 – November 7, 1952
  • Standard Transmission: 15,582
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 4,227
  • Total Produced: 19,809

Eight Cylinder
Model: 52-27
Name: Chieftain
Production Run: November 2, 1951 – November 7, 1952
  • Standard Transmission: 32,962
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 218,602
  • Total Produced: 251,564
]]> 1949–1952 Pontiac Production Numbers

(Six & Eight Cylinder – Transmission Breakdown)


1949
Six Cylinder
Model: 49-25 
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: January 12, 1949 – November 10, 1949
  • Standard Transmission: 40,139
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 29,515
  • Total Produced: 69,654

Eight Cylinder
Model: 49-27
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: January 12, 1949 – November 10, 1949
  • Standard Transmission: 60,716
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 174,449
  • Total Produced: 235,165


1950
Six Cylinder
Model: 50-25
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 10, 1949 – November 17, 1950
  • Standard Transmission: 90,612
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 24,930
  • Total Produced: 115,542

Eight Cylinder
Model: 50-27
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 10, 1949 – November 17, 1950
  • Standard Transmission: 67,699
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 263,188
  • Total Produced: 330,887


1951
Six Cylinder
Model: 51-25
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 27, 1950 – November 19, 1951
  • Standard Transmission: 43,553
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 10,195
  • Total Produced: 53,748

Eight Cylinder
Model: 51-27
Name: Chieftain and Streamliner
Production Run: November 27, 1950 – November 19, 1951
  • Standard Transmission: 64,424
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 251,987
  • Total Produced: 316,411


1952
Six Cylinder
Model: 52-25
Name: Chieftain
Production Run: November 2, 1951 – November 7, 1952
  • Standard Transmission: 15,582
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 4,227
  • Total Produced: 19,809

Eight Cylinder
Model: 52-27
Name: Chieftain
Production Run: November 2, 1951 – November 7, 1952
  • Standard Transmission: 32,962
  • Hydramatic Transmission: 218,602
  • Total Produced: 251,564
]]> <![CDATA[My 1952 Pontiac Chieftain]]> https://pontiacchieftain.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6 Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:04:48 -0800 Dave]]> https://pontiacchieftain.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6 1952 Pontiac Chieftain. I won’t dive too deeply into the backstory, but some of you may recognize this car.. it was originally the centerpiece of my old 1952Pontiac.com website.

I found the car in a local trading paper back in 2004 and bought it for $500. At the time, the front drums were buried about four inches into the dirt, the rear was sitting on jack stands, and while it wasn’t perfect, it was actually fairly solid overall. It had the usual floor rust along with some rocker and front fender rust, and it was missing quite a bit of trim. I was told it would run.. and it did.

The original straight-eight only needed minor work: a tune-up, carburetor rebuild, generator and distributor servicing.. nothing major. This car ended up being my only vehicle for several years, and I drove it year-round. In 2009, I replaced the original straight-eight with another rebuilt 1952 engine, while keeping the original Hydra-Matic transmission untouched.

Here are some pictures from the 2004-2012 period.


.jpg   52PontiacBefore.jpg (Size: 277.93 KB / Downloads: 1)
.jpg   1952_Pontiac.jpg (Size: 35.62 KB / Downloads: 2)
.jpg   SC025.jpg (Size: 85.28 KB / Downloads: 1)


.jpg   sc0266.jpg (Size: 56.27 KB / Downloads: 1)
.jpg   SS000170.jpg (Size: 28.27 KB / Downloads: 1)
.jpg   SS000180.jpg (Size: 72.62 KB / Downloads: 2)

By around 2018, after nearly 80,000 miles of driving, I finally parked the car. It was getting pretty rusty and was in serious need of rust repair, but it still ran great and I wouldn’t have hesitated to take it on a long trip.

Fast-forward to 2022: I pulled the car out of hibernation, got it into my garage, and started tearing it down for a full rebuild. That’s where this thread begins.

It’ll take me a bit of time to catch up to where I’m currently at, but I’ll start by sharing photos of the car as it came out of storage, along with some early shots of it in the garage as the disassembly began. I bought a mostly solid 1951 Pontiac out of Nebraska to chop up for patch panels. The 51 was mostly a roller/shell and was best used as a parts car anyhow.

Here's the 52 just pulled out of storage


.png   20211225_152221.png (Size: 1.41 MB / Downloads: 2)

And with the front clip removed as I start the rebuilding process.


.png   20220101_105458.png (Size: 1.19 MB / Downloads: 2) ]]> 1952 Pontiac Chieftain. I won’t dive too deeply into the backstory, but some of you may recognize this car.. it was originally the centerpiece of my old 1952Pontiac.com website.

I found the car in a local trading paper back in 2004 and bought it for $500. At the time, the front drums were buried about four inches into the dirt, the rear was sitting on jack stands, and while it wasn’t perfect, it was actually fairly solid overall. It had the usual floor rust along with some rocker and front fender rust, and it was missing quite a bit of trim. I was told it would run.. and it did.

The original straight-eight only needed minor work: a tune-up, carburetor rebuild, generator and distributor servicing.. nothing major. This car ended up being my only vehicle for several years, and I drove it year-round. In 2009, I replaced the original straight-eight with another rebuilt 1952 engine, while keeping the original Hydra-Matic transmission untouched.

Here are some pictures from the 2004-2012 period.


.jpg   52PontiacBefore.jpg (Size: 277.93 KB / Downloads: 1)
.jpg   1952_Pontiac.jpg (Size: 35.62 KB / Downloads: 2)
.jpg   SC025.jpg (Size: 85.28 KB / Downloads: 1)


.jpg   sc0266.jpg (Size: 56.27 KB / Downloads: 1)
.jpg   SS000170.jpg (Size: 28.27 KB / Downloads: 1)
.jpg   SS000180.jpg (Size: 72.62 KB / Downloads: 2)

By around 2018, after nearly 80,000 miles of driving, I finally parked the car. It was getting pretty rusty and was in serious need of rust repair, but it still ran great and I wouldn’t have hesitated to take it on a long trip.

Fast-forward to 2022: I pulled the car out of hibernation, got it into my garage, and started tearing it down for a full rebuild. That’s where this thread begins.

It’ll take me a bit of time to catch up to where I’m currently at, but I’ll start by sharing photos of the car as it came out of storage, along with some early shots of it in the garage as the disassembly began. I bought a mostly solid 1951 Pontiac out of Nebraska to chop up for patch panels. The 51 was mostly a roller/shell and was best used as a parts car anyhow.

Here's the 52 just pulled out of storage


.png   20211225_152221.png (Size: 1.41 MB / Downloads: 2)

And with the front clip removed as I start the rebuilding process.


.png   20220101_105458.png (Size: 1.19 MB / Downloads: 2) ]]>