Chevrolet Suburban - Gen 3 - 1947-1954



1947 Chevrolet Suburban Panel

The first significant redesign of the Chevrolet's truck line – including Suburban – since before the war. Torque from the inline-six engine was 174 lb.-ft. (217 Nm) at only 1,200 rpm, giving the Suburban excellent towing capability. NEW TECHNOLOGY: Flow-through ventilation improves driving comfort.



1948 Chevrolet Suburban Panel


1949 Chevrolet Suburban

1951 Chevrolet Suburban. The Chevrolet Suburban had already been on the market for 16 years in 1951 and continued to grow in popularity as a "crew" vehicle for transporting workers to construction and logging sites. 
The '51 Suburban carried the basic design that had been introduced on the Chevy truck line in 1948. It was a sleek design, with a sloping windshield and simple yet bold horizontal grille bars. Many promotional photos and catalogs from 1951 show the trucks with shiny chrome grilles, but material shortages due to the Korean War meant most Suburbans left the factory with painted grilles. 
As it had since its 1935 introduction, the 1951 Suburban offered seating for up to eight in a two-door body style. The rear cargo area was accessible by either a tailgate or a pair of side-opening "barn doors." The second- and third-row seats were removable and they were mounted on a linoleum-covered floor. "Double-acting" shock absorbers were touted as main contributors to the vehicle's "superb riding comfort."
Under the hood of the '51 Suburban was the "Thriftmaster" inline six-cylinder engine. It was the latest version of the cast iron workhorse commonly called the "Stovebolt" engine that dated from before the Suburban's 1935 introduction. With a 216.5-inch (3.8L) displacement, it produced 92 horsepower. More importantly, it delivered 176 lb.-ft. of torque between 1,000 and 2,000 rpm. That meant the engine's peak torque was available essentially off idle through the majority of the rpm range, giving the Suburban a strong feeling of acceleration and great towing capacity. 

1951 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN FACTS
Body style..............................................................................Two-door with tailgate or "barn doors"
Wheelbase.............................................................................116 inches
Engine....................................................................................216.5-cubic-inch (3.8L) I-6
Horsepower...........................................................................92 at 3,400 rpm
Torque...................................................................................176 lb.-ft. at 1,000-2,000 rpm
Transmission...........................................................................Three-speed manual
Curb weight (approx.).............................................................3,640pounds

THE BOTTOM LINE: 1951 INCOME AND PRICES (with 2010 inflation conversions) 
Chevrolet Suburban (base MSRP)...........................................$1,818 ($15,700)
Median household income........................................................$3,000 ($25,913)
Median house price..................................................................$7,500($64,784)
Cost of a gallon of regular gasoline............................................$0.16 ($1.38)
Cost of a loaf of bread.............................................................$0.16 ($1.38)
Cost of a movie ticket..............................................................$0.45($3.89)
Average Major League Baseball salary....................................$7,500 ($62,877)

1951 Chevrolet Suburban

1952 Chevrolet Suburban

1953 Chevrolet Suburban

1954 Chevrolet Suburban