History The "Natural Hot Rod"...1937-39 Chevrolet...

I Have Always Seen The 1937-39 Chevrolet As A Natural And Choose Your Power..

 

I agree, my first car was a '37 2 dr. sedan, which I bought for $5 out of a guys backyard. I have rodded
'39 Chevy coupes, '40, '41 and '46 Chevy coupes, but my favorite is still the '37, coupe or 2 dr. sedan.
They just look like that were made for hot rodding, straight from the factory. Here's a picture of my '40 after working on it for 5yrs. This was in 1968, Phx. AZ.

 

All Chevy...And The Distributor Clears.....

 

My first one was a 1940 Chev coupe, and always wished it was a '39! Tried for a long time to find a '39 front clip but no luck. Finally sold it after I got out of the military to a friend. He still owns it today; 45 years later!
I now have my '39 Chev coupe I'm building. A rotted out rust bucket when I bought it almost two years ago, but it's all solid now, and I'm driving it and loving it!

 

...37's are my all-time favorite Chevy...here's a coupe I had for over 33 years, sold it a few years back...went to Denver Colorado, anyone seen it?

 

I've always loved them but I've only owned 40s. 37-39s are as spendy here as 40 fords but for some reason 40 chevy coupes are affordable. Had a 2 door sedan in high school and a 40 Master 85 coupe 15 years ago. Love those coupes!!

 

I agree, but then I am biased.

 

They make nice hot rods... Better with a 302 GMC.. even 1940’s.

 

I like all the old chevy coupes but I'd love to have a 37. The grille in those cars are out standing.

 

I Always Liked The 1939 But They Are All Equal To My Eyes.. .

 

Don Nowell (RIP) had an extremely nice 37 "back in the day", Don was a very talented individual, in many different fields. View attachment 4982741

 

This picture was sometime prior to 1979, the rear wheels are still being used on this car.

 

Not a lot of these.
Anybody know where it is these days? I'd like to know more about it.
Done very well in my view.

 

Only one of these... chopped 5" and shortened 4". First on the road in 1980 I think. Won Best Engineered at Nats South AND at Nats East the same year... not bad to be built in 2 car, dirt floor shop. Mike Wiley of Roanoke Rapids, NC had the vision and the skills to make it happen. I still feel honored to be the custodian of such an unique and cool car. No SBC in a car known as the FAT RAT.

 

I like the 37-38’s the best.
Managed to pick one up a little over a year ago. Sure am glad I did. Love these cars


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

37 is the best

 

My first car, about 1972, 15 years old, before I had my driver's license, was a 1938 Chevy 4dr sedan. It was for sale kitty corner across the street from us for $300. I asked my dad if I could buy it. He said sure... if you've got the money. I don't think he thought I could swing it. I scraped up every penny from my paper route and whatever else I had... $237. Offered our neighbors what I had and they accepted. Cool! Had visions of working on it when I could take auto shop and having friends pile into it heading to football games and stuff.

Cleaned it, waxed it, sat in it. My dad took me out ONE time to drive it on a gravel road. After that, it got put in a friend's barn because "we didn't have the room for it". And my mother made an announcement that she wouldn't allow her children to start driving at 16 years of age. Not till we were 18.
Oh crap... low blow. Worse than the dreaded "You'll shoot your eye out".

I never did drive that Chevy. Later, my parent's friends sold the farm where my car was being stored. Dad said, "That old Chevy isn't a very good car anyway, and we don't really have the room for it, so you should probably sell it."
Sure... why not.

We seemed to have room for the stupid 64 Mercury Montclair my dad had me buy a little later from his best friend so I could drive to my new job.

Even though it was a 4-door, I really liked the front end of that car. I knew I'd love to have a 37 or 38 Coupe. Found and bought a pretty solid, complete and original 37 coupe years later... maybe 15 years ago. Couldn't believe it. I was flipping happy to have it. Adapted a later 235 to the original transmission. I'd hot rod it later. Had it running good, close to being on the road. But some stuff happened and I sold it. Pretty sure I won't be getting another one.


But I like 'em.
I like how GM retained the tall narrow grill and the headlights still not in the fenders into the late thirties. Still had the old art deco styling. And they now had full steel turrets, with strong built bodies with minimal wood and strong frames... no boxing needed.
Yeah... you're right.
Natural gassers.
Natural hot rods.

 

Kinda biased to these cars too - the avatar pic is my 'parts car' after I painted it with $3 mis-tint house paint (looked better than faded pink primer) and now it's being built. I've owned 4 of these cars (all parts cars)- and still trying to finish one after switching from a too far gone 2 dr sedan, and a coupe turned convertible - someone else did a really bad job at that, and the car I bought as a parts and instruction manual to put the 2 door back together after it was stripped and everything put into random pails. This parts car is now sitting in my garage and on it's way to being put back on the road - yes it's a 4 door, but the whole fam damily can enjoy it with me. This past summer I came across a 37, 38 and 39 Chev - all in one road trip - all perfect for future projects (now where's the $$ tree and unlimited time that I need??)

 

Ya Lucky Dog...I remember as a Teen seeing a Coupe very similar but I believe it was White in the 80s in Streetsville, Ontario possibly owned by Stan Toulton...any of you Ontario Hoodlums remember it and have pics or maybe the Coupe itself...​

 

...Stogy Likes...A LOT...

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https://www.hotrod.com/articles/1939-chevrolet-coupe-street-shaker/

...Oh the Thunder...Can You Imagine...

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More to get the juices flowing...
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One more of The Late Hamber Don Nowell and his 37

RIP Don

Such a Evil Wicked Mean N' Nasty Hotrod

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3 years ago I was looking for a 35-37 Chevy, when I found a 39 coupe 60 miles from me.
Still a ''work in progress.''

 

Here's a picture of a high school classmates 38 Chevy, he bought it in 1962 (after a breakup with a girlfriend, he drove it from Iowa to California (stopping to visit with me in Las Cruces NM) with a friend in 64 or 65 and worked there until he got his draft notice It's got a genuine Corvette split manifold on a 56 235 six banger. I think at one time he even put a dual carb manifold on it (not now though). He is not really a Hot Rodder though, he thought I ruined The owner is on the left. mine

 

Here's an observation I made years ago...why I think '37/'38 Chevys, psychologically, might be predestined to be race cars.

From an artists view, motion is implied by "speed lines" in a drawing.


Now look at that body reveal running from the front fender through the door...that says SPEED.