Projects Rebuilding an older build of a 37 Chevy Master Deluxe

I do too, but I also like the polished ones. Decisions decisions.

 

I love 37s! Good luck with the build, i'll be watching how it comes out

 

I'm watching your build too.

 

If you're considering going back to the stock pedals, a couple of things for your consideration. The motor may need to set a little farther ahead, the brake pedal gets a little close to the bellhousing area (if in the stock pedal position). Is any part of the original crossmember there? Original master cylinder (with pedals) mounted to this crossmember. Here's a couple of pictures of the 37 my father and I built for him back in the 80's. On my 2 39's I just ran a rod through the original master cylinder like mentioned before, on the 37 we built the mounting bracket to be a little cleaner looking but it is an exact duplicate of how the original master cylinder mounted and pedal position. Also on my coupe I used a chain for the clutch linkage too except all I did was run it straight to the original 39 clutch fork in my ****tershield. Works great and sure generates a lot of questions, lol.

 

I had a look under there tonight to confirm, and no, there's none of the original cross member, pedals, or MC. So I'm starting from scratch. There's not a lot of room around there now, so I'm thinking a set of pedals mounted under the dash might be easier to fit than trying to get a set of original pedals down there.

Moving the motor forward would be difficult. There's not much clearance now to the radiator, and I'm hoping to fit a mechanical fan in there still.

 

So, the season is over, and it's time to get winter projects underway. I've been looking at the. There are two problem areas I'd like some advice on.

First, the front:

This clearly isn't right, but doesn't seem to have any adjustments either. How do I move the right hood side in to close up this gap?

Second, at the back:

The rear edge of the hood on the left side is bowed up, away from the cowl. Any tips on getting it down to where it belongs?

 

The first one is the hinge on the hood is bent (the piece that is riveted to the hood itself). The bow in the second pic is because the hood is bent and will need to be re-shaped. I am not an expert body guy so I can not tell you the best way to fix them.

 

Not a bad start you have there. I agree with the recommendation to lower it down, needs about 2-3 inches. The rear tires need to be bigger, and it appears the rearend is too far forward? You could adjust that during the lowering, by offsetting the lowering block pin location. A 255/70R15 will fit in the back with the right offset on 8 inch wheels, even stock wheelwells although it is tight.

As for brake master cyl, under the floor is better. Although the clearance for power booster gets tight, you need one of the small 7-inch dual diaphragm ones. Or go with non-power, I think too many people believe it has to have power brakes when it really is not bad if you use correct geometry.

Interior can be changed once you get the mechanical fixes done. That fuse panel in engine compartment is bad location and ugly. Rewiring and putting it under the dash is good idea. Forget those turn signal lights on front bumper brackets. I would not get too carried away with rear back-up light, unless you really have to have it.

Just for another comparison, here is my namesake 38 Chevy. Kind of hard to see the stance, but it is similar to the flamed 37 earlier. I run 185/75R14 front tires with 14x6 wheels, and 255/70R15 on 15x8 for rear. The wheels are TT II's because I needed custom offset for rear and the straight spokes are cast one-piece. Wish I could have the straight spoke versions. My front turn signal lights are actually repro Indian motorcycle front fender running lights, but mounted on the underside of the headlight buckets.

 

David, regarding the brake booster, you can use a remote booster mounted on the frame. I did that on a 37 Chevy coupe build.

 

ON my 38 Chevy I run early VW backup lights mounted under the trunk pan . Work really good and are not noticeable being low and behind the bumper

 

I think the hinge is straight. The gap is good right up to where the hinge ends. That's where the hood turns away from the centre and the gap opens up.

 

Looking at the front, it looks like if I lower it any further, the tires are going to hit the fender edges. There isn't much of a gap now to allow for the suspension to move. I suspect that's why the rubber raising blocks are stuck in the springs. Maybe a slightly narrower front wheel / tire combination will help there. If I can gain 1/2" or so of clearance, then it can be lower without hitting.

On the rear, I measured it and the wheel centre is exactly in the middle of the opening. It doesn't look like it in the picture for some reason. I think going with about 1" wider tire in the back will fill out the fender better, though. Right now there's too much fender hanging out over the wheel, making it look like the rear axle is too narrow.

I'm still considering what to do with the brakes. I've talked to a few people running non power brakes and they've said pretty much the same thing, that it's fine and power isn't needed. So I'm leaning that way. ***uming I can still stop ok, I'd prefer non-power, on he principal that simpler is better, and it's one less thing that can go wrong. Maybe on the firewall, maybe under the floor, I don't know yet. For this year, new pads, new shoes, and either turned or new drums and rotors are on the list.

Wiring is first though. I'm already tired of chasing the electrical gremlins hiding under the dash. Wiggle this wire, the turn signal starts working again. Wiggle that wire, and the temperature gauge starts working, but the turn signal stops. That kind of thing. I know it's just bad connections and ****py connectors. So a wiring kit and a good quality crimper are on order. I've crimped enough connectors to know the value of good tools. I'll lose the turn signals up front, going with Chevs of the 40s lights with integrated turn signals.

I'm still thinking about some kind of backup lights. Haven't seen anything I really like yet, though some of the motorcycle accessory lights have nice shapes and might work.

Interior, yeah, that's a ways off still. After some time spent in them, I'm less than thrilled with the front seats. I need to go seat shopping. I want something that looks good and is comfortable. So that'll probably happen sooner than the rest of the interior.

Your '38 is nice looking. Saved for future inspiration.

 

Like these?



Can you post a picture?

 

First over haul the brakes
Second Check on A Arms and try to pull the front tires in a little and drop the front end.
Third Order the bumpers
Fourth Install a Cooling Concept Cooling Fan Shroud setup
Fifth The wiring looks bad and needs to be moved under dash
Sixth Install polished financed valve covers and air cleaner
Seventh Install polished torque truss wheels with spinners
Eighth Drive it a while