History of the Chevrolet Model 150
The Chevrolet Model 150 was Chevrolet's low-cost entry-level offering for 1953 and 1954. Conceived as a economical fleet model, little effort was spent on marketing. The 150 was popular with police departments, state governments, small businesses, economy-minded consumers. The 150 had limited options, stark trim, solid colors, plain heavy duty upholstery and rubberized flooring. Small things like ashtrays, cigarette lighters and even mirrors were extra cost options. Five body style choices were available: the 2-door club coupe, the four-door sedan, the Handyman wagon, the sedan delivery (a 2-door wagon without rear windows or a rear seat) and the business sedan - a 2-door sedan with fixed rear windows and no back seat. Chevrolet sold substantially fewer 150's than the mid-level 210 or up-scale Bel Aire models.
The 150 sedan was popular for fleet service
The 235 Cubic Inch Inline-6
Features & Performance
The base model 150 had a simple interior
The base model 150 had a simple interior
The target market for the Chevrolet Model 150 was for fleet service and as basic transportation for the frugal. It had very few features and little performance. The 150 had a 235 cubic inch "Thrift-King" inline-6 rated at 108 HP. The engine was mated to a three-speed Synchromesh transmission with the shift lever on the steering column. The 150 offered no power windows, no power door locks, only standard brakes, and no air conditioning. The 150 had a 6 volt electrical system. Our 150 had an AM-only tube radio. It took FOREVER to warm up and start playing. That may have been due in part to the low power of the 6 volt system. Regardless, 1954 was the last year for Chevrolet to use a 6-volt system.
Our Chevrolet Model 150
Moon hubcaps are convex discs that cover the entire inner wheel. "Baby Moon" hubcaps cover only the center hub of the wheel
My father bought his Model 150 from a fellow in Alabama. He gave a bargain $700 for it. The entire car was in excellent original condition, no broken glass, no major body damage. The front left chrome piece had some damage and there was quite a bit of rust in the trunk area but other than that, it was a sound, running car. The interior was a different story. The headliner hung in pieces from the roof over seats of bare foam. The first thing my dad did was have the engine rebuilt and painted. Then he took it for new upholstery. He had new carpet, a new headliner, new door panels and seats installed. Next, we took a trip to the junk yard to pick up some missing trim and "Baby Moon" hubcaps. We also bought chrome window shades for the top channel of the front windows.
I never did own this car. But I did get to drive it quite frequently to class in my early college years. The car ran great. It never broke down, but sometimes it would stick in first gear. The remedy was to lift the hood and manipulate the shift linkage to manually disengage the transmission, then get back in and shift into first. The problem was caused by a broken shift linkage bracket and could have been easily fixed. The Chevrolet had tall, 15" wheels, which I felt made the car feel unstable when cornering. The car came with 15" tires originally.
Where Is It Now?
After owning the car for many years and not really driving it much, my dad sold it.
