1929 Chevrolet

Coupe

6 - Cyl.

Manual

Clear

Gasoline

This nicely restored Chevrolet Series AC coupe is a great running and driving American classic. The 1929 Chevrolet Series AC International was proclaimed in advertising as "A Six in the price range of the Four." True enough, for the sensational 1929 Chevrolet Six, as it was known, cost only $10 more than the four-cylinder 1928 Chevrolet. And at $595 for the best-selling Coach model, the 1929 Chevy Six undercut its closest six-cylinder competitors by a significant $100. The 1929 Chevrolet Series AC International offered 10 body types, at prices ranging from $525 for the open models to $725 for a sophisticated Imperial Landau, which featured a convertible rear quarter. Styled by young Harley Earl, head of GM's newly organized Art and Colour Section, the 1929 Chevy six was clearly inspired by Earl's sensational LaSalle and looked far more expensive than it cost.The new engine, developed by the Chevrolet engineering department under the leadership of Ormond E. Hunt and, later, James M. Crawford, developed 46 horsepower from 196 cubic inches, giving it a 15-percent advantage over the four-cylinder Ford Model A. Significant advances included the use of a mechanical fuel pump to replace the time-honored but troublesome vacuum tank, and foot-controlled, twin-beam headlamps.To build a six-cylinder engine was not, in itself, a particularly difficult assignment. But this one had to have overhead valves, in the Chevrolet tradition, and costs had to be kept down to approximately the same level as the earlier four.Accomplishing that objective required cutting some corners, such as employing splash lubrication for the connecting rod bearings and cast iron pistons in lieu of 1928's aluminum pistons. The latter prompted the sobriquet "Cast Iron Wonder." Applied in derision initially, that name would eventually be looked upon as a term of endearment. So would the nickname "Stovebolt Six," which referred to the engine's slotted quarter-inch head bolts.A backlog of orders for the Model A enabled Ford to recapture first place in the sales race for the time being, but more than 600,000 six-cylinder Chevrolets were sold during the first five months following their introduction.