Why This Car Is Special

The 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup is one of the most recognized silhouettes in the hobby. Chevrolet introduced its all-new "Advance Design" truck line in 1947, and by 1949 the platform had hit its stride as a proven, refined product that American buyers trusted. The 5-Window cab — named for its five panes of glass, including the two rear corner windows that give the cab its distinctive wide-open look — has always been the more desirable configuration compared to its 3-window counterpart. Those rear quarter windows added light, visibility, and a design detail that makes the cab feel less like a utility vehicle and more like something worth preserving.

What you are looking at here is not a truck that someone decided to restore back to factory spec. This is a ground-up pro street custom build on a 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup body, built to be driven hard and shown with confidence. The builder chose the 1949 Advance Design body as the canvas — a wise choice — and then replaced virtually every mechanical system underneath it with modern hardware. The result is a 75-year-old body wearing PPG two-tone paint over a chassis loaded with late-model running gear. Chevelle rear end, Mustang II front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, power disc brakes, and a big block 454 V8 up front. This truck was built to perform, not sit in a garage.

The Advance Design trucks of 1947 through 1955 are genuinely significant in American automotive history. They outsold Ford trucks for most of the run, and the 5-Window cab variant has been a staple of the custom truck world since the 1970s. Builders have gravitated toward these trucks for decades because the body lines are clean and the proportions are correct — wide enough to fill a set of wide rear tires without looking stretched, short enough to feel purposeful, and simple enough that custom work integrates naturally rather than fighting the original design.

Features List

- Big Block 454 V8 engine with Edelbrock valve covers and air cleaner - K&N-style high-flow air filter - Ceramic-coated headers with Flowmaster mufflers - Dual exhaust with rear exit tips - Automatic transmission - Mustang II rack-and-pinion front steering - Power steering and power disc brakes - Chevelle rear end - Walker aluminum radiator - LOKAR dipsticks - Vintage air conditioning - Power windows - LMC wooden bed kit - Gas tank relocation kit - Full custom leather interior in tan - Dual leather power bucket seats - Banjo leather steering wheel - Aftermarket gauges - Aftermarket stereo - Custom door panels with upgraded carpet - Billet aluminum wheels - Billet rearview mirror - Billet door handles - Billet shifter - Billet pedals - LED tail lights - Dual sport exterior mirrors - Smooth firewall - Chrome bumpers - PPG two-tone white and red paint - Lowered stance

Mechanical

The drivetrain in this 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window is built around Chevrolet's 454 cubic inch big block V8, the largest displacement engine in the classic Mark IV big block family. Chevy produced the 454 from 1970 through 1976 in passenger cars and continued using it in trucks well into the 1990s, making it one of the most well-supported big block engines available for a build like this. Parts are everywhere, knowledge is widespread, and a properly built 454 in a truck this size makes for a combination that is as reliable as it is capable.

The engine is dressed with Edelbrock valve covers and an Edelbrock air cleaner, which is a detail worth noting beyond aesthetics. Edelbrock components are engineered to work together, and the presence of their induction hardware suggests the builder paid attention to how the engine was set up, not just how it looked. The high-flow K&N-style filter element feeds clean air into the carbureted setup, while ceramic-coated headers manage heat efficiently before routing exhaust into Flowmaster mufflers and out through dual rear exit tips. The ceramic coating on the headers serves a real purpose — it retains heat inside the pipe, improves exhaust flow, and protects the surrounding engine bay components from radiant heat. That is especially relevant in a tight 1949 Chevrolet cab where underhood temperatures can climb quickly.

Cooling is handled by a Walker aluminum radiator, which is a common choice in performance builds for its improved heat dissipation over stock steel units. The front suspension has been replaced with a Mustang II rack-and-pinion setup, which is one of the most widely used front end conversions in the custom truck world. The Mustang II geometry improves handling characteristics significantly over the original solid axle configuration, and the rack-and-pinion steering adds precision that the original recirculating ball setup could never match. Power steering is included, which is worth noting given the weight of a big block sitting ahead of the front axle. Out back, a Chevelle rear end provides the width needed to fill the custom stance and supports the lowered suspension that brings the truck down to its current ride height. Power disc brakes at the front provide stopping performance appropriate for the power the 454 can produce.

The gas tank has been relocated using an LMC kit, a modification common in custom truck builds to either improve weight distribution, free up bed space, or relocate the tank away from the original rear-mounted position. LOKAR dipsticks round out the underhood presentation.

Interior

The cab of this 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window has been fully custom-built from the floor up. The original interior was a spartan two-person bench seat arrangement with minimal instrumentation and no amenities — typical of a working truck from the late 1940s. What is inside now has nothing in common with that.

Dual leather power bucket seats in tan occupy the cab, replacing the factory bench entirely. The bucket seat conversion requires modification to the floor and often the transmission tunnel, which means this interior was planned and executed with some care rather than bolted together as an afterthought. The tan leather carries through to the custom door panels and upgraded carpet, giving the cab a consistent color story that works well against the white and red exterior. Power windows have been integrated into the doors, with the switches fitted into the custom panel work cleanly.

The driver faces a banjo-style leather-wrapped steering wheel mounted on what is now a power-assisted rack-and-pinion column. Aftermarket gauges replace the original factory cluster and provide accurate readings for the modern drivetrain — oil pressure, water temperature, voltage, and fuel level at minimum, which are the readings that matter in a truck with a transplanted powertrain. The aftermarket stereo is integrated into the dash area. Billet aluminum details appear throughout the cab — the rearview mirror, door handles, shifter, and pedals all carry the billet finish, which keeps the interior visually consistent. Vintage air conditioning has been installed, making this truck usable in Florida heat without the drama that comes with driving a non-air-conditioned vehicle in the summer.

Exterior

The body on this 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup wears a two-tone treatment in white below and red above the beltline, applied in PPG product. PPG is a professional-grade paint system used extensively in show and custom builds because of its color depth and durability. The firewall has been smoothed — meaning the factory stampings, brackets, and mounting points have been leaded or filled to create a clean, uninterrupted surface. This is a labor-intensive step that separates builds done properly from builds done quickly.

Chrome bumpers front and rear maintain the period-correct hardware look against the custom paint, while LED tail lights update the rear lighting without altering the tail light housing shape. Dual sport mirrors on the exterior complement the lowered stance and wider rear stance that comes with the Chevelle rear end swap. The billet aluminum wheels fill the wheel openings well, particularly at the rear where the Chevelle axle width pushes the tires out to a stance that the original 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup was never designed to carry — and it works.

The bed has been fitted with an LMC wooden bed kit, which restores the traditional wood plank floor look that these trucks originally wore from the factory. It is a detail that connects the custom build back to the truck's working origins while keeping the overall presentation clean. The dual exhaust tips exit at the rear below the bed, visible from behind as a reminder of what is sitting under the hood.

Conclusion

This 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup represents the pro street custom formula executed with a consistent vision. The builder chose a correct platform — the Advance Design 5-Window cab is one of the most desirable bodies in the custom truck hobby — and filled it with a parts list that prioritizes drivability and performance over show-only presentation. The 454 big block, rack-and-pinion front end, Chevelle rear, power disc brakes, and vintage air conditioning add up to a truck that can be driven regularly without the stress that comes with a stock-mechanical classic. The interior and exterior work reflect the same approach: quality materials and consistent execution throughout.

If this 1949 Chevrolet 5-Window Pickup is on your list, contact Skyway Classics directly to schedule a walkthrough. Call us at 941-254-6608.

Disclaimer Information found on the website is presented as given to us by the owner of the car, whether on consignment or from the owner we bought it from. Some Photos, materials for videos, descriptions and other information are provided by the consignor/seller and is deemed reliable, but Skyway Classics does not warranty or guarantee this information. Skyway Classics is not responsible for information that may incorrect or a publishing error. The decision to purchase should be based solely on the buyers personal inspection of the vehicle or by a professional inspection service prior to offer or purchase being made.