This 1956 Chevy 150 sedan, emblazoned with U.S. Government Ordnance Stock Number FSN 23103467561, arrived at the Sioux Army Depot in Sidney, NE, in August 1956. Its intended use was that of a staff car, a role that it dutifully served for eight years. In 1964, it was sold to a local farmer at an auction. That gentleman used the car, just as it was dressed, as his daily transportation. This duty was short lived, as the gentleman passed away the next year.
That farmer had a brother who was also a farmer. He stored the Chevy 150 in his barn, tucked away behind combines, tractors, shovels, rakes, and implements of destruction, forgotten and rotting. As the car was no longer being used for its intended purpose, the farmer found a new use for it: a chicken coup. He rolled down the windows of the military Chevy 150, and allowed his hens to roost inside. Of course, this made short work of the interior.
The Chevy 150 changed hands again in the late 1990s, being sold to a California Chevy maven. That owner decided to partially disassemble the car, repairing some of the damage that had been done. Efforts were made to preserve much of the original paint, only repairing damaged parts. It would be twenty years before the Chevy again changed hands.
In 2018, the Chevy 150 found a new home. The fourth owner jumper in with both feet. The car had not run since 1965, so a mechanical restoration of the 235 cubic-inch inline-six cylinder engine was in order. Wheel cylinders were rebuilt, brake hoses replaced, and new exhaust system fitted, the fuel system cleaned, and the chicken-destroyed interior was replaced (there are still some visible marks from the feathered egg dispensers). The bumpers had seen their day, and were replaced with NOS Chevrolet parts.
This Chevy 150 has been mostly returned to its “in service” condition. This bit of Cold War military equipment will be on offer at the Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas sale happening June 17th-19th. One hundred percent of the sale proceeds from this Chevy 150 will go to the Honor Flight Network, an organization which recognizes veterans with all-expense-paid trips to Washington D.C.
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Comments
Wouldn’t that be a 235 cu in? Since when are farm implements tools of destruction? Strange analogy. Nice car though. Glad to see it survived.
If you drive a Ford, a Chevy is a weapon of mass destruction.
It is indeed a 235. Thanks for noticing. The article has been updated.
235 NOT 216 which they quit putting in cars in 1953
You’re right, it is a 235. The article has been updated. Thanks for point this out.
That engine, me and millions of other kids learned how to maintain and repair an engine. On a good day it was 125HP but felt more like 75 HP.
Every 10K, new spark plugs and points. Oil bath air filter cleaned once a year. My dad’s 57 had an outboard oil filter, dealer installed Delco unit. A solid lifter engine so valve adjustments was required when needed. For young guys that don’t know, that is a vacuum operated wiper motor. About the worst invention ever on a vehicle used by everyone. If it had power steering, most likely not, it sat and bolted to behind the generator mounted below the air cleaner. To learn more about the engine; en.wikipedia.org (dot) wiki/Chevrolet_straight-6_engine#235
Deleted radio and clock.