Thought I would start a thread on this one. Car is a bit of a Frankenstein, but the net result is a 1938 LaSalle 2 door sedan. Power train is a Cadillac 390 with a tri-power backed up by a 4l80e. Camaro sub framed with a Ford 9 inch. A lot of the hard work is done, but still trying to figure out where to go from here. I had been thinking a 2 door phaeton and have a convertible windshield frame and a convertible top frame from a 37/38 Ford convertible sedan. However, the mild custom look is good also and the old lady would probably prefer a roof with A/C. Only issue I see on a mild custom, is that a lot of the customs relied on Cadillac/Buick styling cues and this one looks pretty good the way the factory designed it.
I really can't see losing the top. But, with its stretched wheelbase, the SoCal Plating 1935 Ford does come to mind!
Those are rare cars,check over at the Cadillac-Lasalle clubs website for production amounts.The tag on the firewall will tell you the body style and other options,looks to be in nice shape,the lasalle is very similar to the 60 series cadillac if you are looking for some body parts,the larger series caddys are a lot different then the small ones. Harvey
That's interesting. Frank Curtis (and George DuVall) was also responsible for designing the SoCal Plating truck pictured in the earlier post.
Hmmmm.....I'm guessing this is a local car. I recognize the Toyopet truck next to the Lasalle...I know the lady who bought that truck new in 1979.
Kurtis must have had good "vision" to see what something could look like... Here is what he built the speedster from: I tried to take the coupe pic from the same view a few days ago..just to compare. To This: So, something cool "could" be made from the OP's 1938 LaSalle 2 door.... ..
well, if you think it looks good the way it is and don't know what to change, just lower it!! It is a cool car.
Thanks for the responses. The input and the photos are very helpful. Yes, the bodystyle is quite rare. LaSalle built 700 2 p***enger sedans in 1938. Compare this with the convertible coupe at 855 and the convertible sedan at 265. 10,065 4 door sedans were also built. Frankly, I have never seen a 2 door sedan for sale and have only found a couple of pictures of them, so I decided to build one. This one combined the body shell from a 1937 Olds with a 1938 LaSalle 4 door. Have to figure out some belt line trim issues due to different mounting systems between the years, but the only other major difference was the hood hinge mounting. Probably will keep it mild for now. Wide whites, LaSalle dog dish center caps, lower it a bit, more in the back with skirts. After that, I'll see how it looks and go from there. Squirrel, checked your profile, yes it's local.
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