File this under "I never thought it could happen to me": I landed myself this all-original 1939 Master Deluxe last driven in 1983/84 when it was parked in a garage with a burned out bearing. The car was with the previous owner since 75, but he sadly passed last fall. I was offered the car by his son, a friend of mine who reached out since I was the only car guy he knew to talk to about it, and was quick to jump on the opportunity. I brought it home on the 17th and immediately started in on the revival and quickly discovered the engine failure was due to a disappearing oil dipper on the #6 rod. I've been working on modern cars for about 20 years now, and I'm excited for this new learning experience. I look forward to poking around the boards and asking a few questions should I not find my answers. ~Josh
That thing looks to be in good shape . post more pics !!!!! A newer 235 should just drop in , if bell housing pattern stayed the same Cool car
That's a great find!! Of course I'm partial to the '39 Chevys and think they're one of the best looking pre WWII cars Chevy built! Never seen anyone add turn signal lights horizontally in that location before? Normally they sit on top of the fender beside the headlights, or on top of the headlight housing. I added mine to the stock reflectors inside the headlights when I switched mine to LED headlights, and added 1157 sockets to the reflectors. Look forward to seeing what you do with this solid old sedan!
Weird. I have an older guy that comes into he shop on occasion. Last month he told me he has a 39 master deluxe coupe he's thinking about selling. He told me his brother bought the car in 1955, then was killed in an industrial accident in 1960. He's had the car ever since. Last driven in 1979, but still runs & drives. I went to look at it, & its covered in the same barn dust this sedan is. It's all there, a little rust, I told him i was interested, but now i can't get him to come up with a price. I think the realization set in that this "old friend" would be moving down the line. I haven't pushed for a sale, because im a Model A guy, & also, because I'm sure of the sentimental attachment
Yeah, missing 'dippers' killed a lot of those. Had a buddy back in the late '60s who got a really nice '50 coupe with the 216 still in it. I get a panicked call from him one night shortly after he bought it that it started 'making a loud noise'. Go over to where he's broke down, it didn't take long to find the ventilated block/broken rod. He wanted to know what to do, I asked 'does it still run?' Made it home on five cylinders, but did it vibrate! Ho baby!! Wasn't far luckily, we swapped it for a 235. My first experience with closed driveline, I swore never to be repeated...
About 25 years ago I had a '39 Chevy tudor. It was a really nice car, drove nice, and hauled lots of stuff for the rest of the travel party since I had the biggest trunk. Mine had a MII IFS, 350/350, and Nova rear axle. I miss that car.
It's very solid. I don't have many more photos at the moment, but more will come as work continues. WI collector plate. I wish they weren't there at all, honestly.
If you end up saving the paint on it now, you might be able to have the holes welded up, and then get the area blended into the existing paint. Likely 3 holes under each light for mounting and wires. I retrofitted mine in the original reflectors by using part of a modern halogen headlamp reflector, and then the 1157 turnsignals in the reflector also.
I'd love to see this come back as a nice cruiser, not necessarily a restored one but also not a rod. A simple choice for wheels, though not a 15x8 Corvette rally wheel. Look at me, foisting my thoughts on you. I trust you're going to come up with a righteous ride. Good luck.
Not a good wheel selection for these old Chevys, as they were 6 bolt wheels. Best to keep stock type wheels if you keep the stock running gear.
Like was said, a full pressure 235 should bolt up. Also, you can switch to 5 lug by using later (49-54 I think) uprights, spindles and brakes. My buddy recently did this on a 46 Chevy. Your front suspension ran from 39-48, then with small modifications all the way to 54.
Nice wheels for 6 lug Chevrolets are as easy as a set of '48 thru '59 (?) optional 15'' pickup wheels - the riveted type. Reverse as covered by Wheelkid's thread here. You now have wheels that will accept any Chev hubcap from '37 - '48, and any 15'' wheel cover. The '49 - '50 front hub/drum is the only one that fits "as is", '51 up don't clear the backing plate unless some trimming is done.
I intend to keep the car as much as it was as I can. The stock wheels (16" 6 lug) are off, tires pulled and lips cleaned up. Just waiting on some radials that are on order. After doing some reading last week and a little investigation myself, standard 5/8" valve stems fit the stock 16s. I sealed the rivet holes and added some sealant to the stems for good measure, so I don't anticipate any issues going tubeless. I'll be repairing the engine that's in the car, once I figure out how I'm pulling it out. Current plan is a simple refresh since it's only got 40K on it, but in place of the babbitt I'll be sending the rods off for the insert bearing conversion. The front suspension I'm told (via a Facebook group for these cars) is not common being independent. and as with other areas, other than an inspection it will likely remain unchanged. Attached is a photo the family had of the car in its prime.
Actually the Master Deluxe A arm suspension with knee action shocks is very common. Every Master Deluxe had this suspension, and I see ass many late 30's Chevys with it as I do the lower level solid I beam axles. Mine is a Master Deluxe Opera Coupe, but I removed all the A arm suspension, and switched to a solid I beam for the period gasser look I was building. Sold the complete crossmember and suspension to a local place that sells used and new parts for old Chevys.
While doing more digging on having my rods machined for insert bearings, I came across some NOReplacementS Federal Mogul re-babbitted rods for a far better price than the cost of having my rods machined plus the cost of bearings. For what I have in mind for this car I feel like the cost savings is justified, so I pulled the trigger on them. I got an estimate for $300 to have my crank re-worked by a local shop, so with any luck I'll be back up and running shortly.
All right! another 39 Chev, what a great start to your project. When having the engine re-babbited, the key to your success is to make sure the shop does a really good job prepping the block so the new babbit doesn't release and spin - some model T owners are having this problem. Your "broken" rear door handle - take the lock mech out of the door and lube all sliding surfaces (and lock key slots, etc.) with a product called Lok Shot (I got mine from a locksmith) and you should notice it works like brand new if the spring isn't broken. Another trick if you have to, is to swap the door handles so the slack is taken out of the slot and the droopy handle goes away. make sure to remove the screw holding the handle in and it comes out really easy. The window tracks can be purchased from CR Laurence windows - they sell the proper window felts, etc. for the car. Here's a link to the online service manuals for this car - extremely useful: http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/index.htm
The Jalopy Journal
