Man had a ‘filthy’ abandoned 1952 Chevy Sedan sitting in a barn for almost 50 years – I had to go ‘see it for myself’

A MAN parked his 1952 Chevy Sedan and left it sitting for nearly 50 years before having it detailed and washed by a professional detailer.

The team had to use construction equipment to free the vehicle for cleaning.

Detail Dane, an esteemed YouTuber (@DetailDane) who made a name for himself detailing vehicles in critical condition and bringing them back to showroom condition, uploaded a recent video showing the shocking transformation done on a dilapidated car.

Jerry contacted Dane from Maple City, Michigan about a 1952 Chevy Sedan Deluxe he got from his father.

His father sold his house and didn't want the car, making Jerry the new owner.

The vehicle was last driven in 1976 - nearly 50 years prior.

"I hooked it up to a trailer with a winch, brought it here, fired it up, drove it around the block, and it's been parked ever since," he said.

The barn it was parked in was filled with tools, a boat, and fencing equipment that the team needed a tractor to move.

Parked in the very back corner of the barn was the teal Chevy Sedan.

Almost 50 years of collecting dust rendered the car nearly unrecognizable, with only small portions of the original paint showing in places dust couldn't cover.

Otherwise, the tires were flat and most of the undercarriage was rusted away, leaving the metal gas tank hanging by a thread.

"Yeah, that gas tank is definitely no longer functional," Dane said after the Sedan was pulled onto the trailer.

After the car was towed to Dane's garage, he used another vehicle to pull the Sedan off the trailer thanks to a locked wheel that made it impossible to roll.

Lifting the hood, Dane pointed out a feature that's since been refined and perfected into standard equipment for modern cars.

"What's pretty cool is right here there's a channel that comes right down into the cab, and from the inside, there's a lever that you can pull and it blows the air that's coming into the car right into the cab," he said.

"This was air conditioning back in the day."

Dane lifted the trunk looking for a spare tire in perfect condition but was shocked by what he saw right under the latch.

"Holy s***," he exclaimed.

"That is the biggest rat's nest I have ever seen in my entire life. That's just a huge pile of stuff."

The interior had definitely seen better days, with white mold covering the bottoms of the bench seats and a thick layer of rust and dust covering the floorboards.

"The seats aren't even technically attached," he said.

The exterior didn't shock Dane with 48 years of dirt and drive covering the entire outside of the car.

He did notice that the vehicle was once a different color.

"This car must have been in an accident at least once because some paint is peeling, and it looks like this car was blue at one point," he said.

The detailing started with a vacuum to get rid of the dirt, dust, debris, and bits of hay that collected on the surface before pressure washing the paint and windows.

Dane carefully sprayed a cleaner onto the wet surface and lightly washed away the remaining grime.

After pressure washing the outside to clear the soap away, Dane paid special attention to the hubcaps and tires before detailing the engine bay.

He then polished the paint and chrome to bring some vibrancy back into the car but decided to leave the interior of the car for another day.

Towards the end of the video, he said that ended up buying the car from Jerry and had no clear plans on what to do with the vehicle.

"I might just take the body and put it on top of a mud truck with some 40s because that's just who I am," he said.