We generally use a Jag f/end as it's not aftermarket and it's proven reliability ,series 3 are the most sort after,check track width first,good luck.
Wow! That's a total sweetheart of a car! My "automotive interest" fire was lit may years ago one day when a classmate pealed out in a later ('39) version of that body style and I've always liked them ever since. Your plans for it sound right on the money. Good luck with your build! Regards, Dave.
On my 37 with knee action everything was in good shape except for the worn out knee action units. Since it steered well and drove straight I fabbed up brackets for modern tubular shocks to go in front of the knee action ones which have to be left in place since the shock arms also do double duty as the upper A-frame (control arm). Also replaced the rear lever arm shocks with tube shocks. Has been a good ride now for 30 years. You maybe should do some measuring if thinking about a V8 since the knee action unit and lever arms stick up off the frame a goodly amount. Have pictures somewhere.
In years past they used to use 49-54 Chevy front ends.. They can be bolted in.. Same as under 53-62 Corvettes.. I used one in a 38 Chevy I had until I replaced it with a Pacer front end.. I'm really showing my age...
37's make great hotrods & gassers BUT this one is to nice to cut up. Way hard to come by in this shape anymore. Don't strip it of it's soul love it as is or sell it to somebody who will.
When I was in high school, a friend of mine had a '38 coupe with knee-action. It was a nice car, but the knee-action was shot. He found a straight axle suspension setup from a standard model, and we installed it. It was a great improvement. All I remember from that summer is cutting rivets with a cold chisel and drilling the rest out. Looks like a very nice car, so that's about as far as I'd go with it. Oh yeah ,the 261 idea sounds great, but a preesure bottom 235 would probably be OK.
Gorgeous 'Barn Find'. Can't wait to see it wash and polished outside and pressure washed underneath. As stated Jag IFS is popular here however the knee action FE can be rebuilt. I have a friend with a 35 Chevy Master roadster with knee action FE and lots of driven road miles on it. He updated to a later blue flame with triple carbs and headers.
Great find! That's a cracker! The knee action can be replaced with a standard 37 beam , not that much work if you have the mill out. There are a couple of companies that re-condition those units in the U.S., the ride is very good with a new non-leaking unit, however they are a bugger to lower, as the internal springs must be cut. IFS would be my choice, and the chassis on those early Chevy,s is already boxed (top-hat design ) .
Bolt in mustang 2 or straight axle , I had on with dropped straight axle , cross steering . Drove the whelks off it . Only hard parts for me to locate were the front and rear spring hangers for the straight axle . I may still have patterns for disc brake brackets and cross steering box mount . Frames are of a top hat design from lighter weight sheet metal , careful welding easy to burn thru , and 90 % of the time full of mouse nests that light off easily
That is a beauty! That would be a cool ride with some era perfect upgrades. I don't understand the need for a M2 or Jag IFS? The Car looks mint too me. Advice was given on first page about what to fix, before it gets full broken/worn out. And later a guy surgest to go to tube shock, over stock lever units. That would make this a killer ride!!! Some reversed steelies, baby moons, glass packs, 261, Tri-power, split Fenton's, raked and lowered. That would make an era perfect non-ford Hot Rod. And if you are not a six shooter guy go for the 327/4 speed. I prefer a hot six, over a an tame eigth. Not to be confused when the a lame eigth. Lol. But an era perfect 327 I'd always an viable option!
The hamb has become a very strange place indeed... I'm sorry but I don't understand a concern to preserve DIRT .......but yet not having a single problem with taking a origional owner car , (fairly well preserved) and not think twice about 327 4spd, and talk of mustang 2.... Really ? I'm a Rodder , but there is something to be said for preserving what has made it intact all these years ....80 years ... 80!
Just get it "road worthy" and drive it. To be blessed with a barn find like that and then F#$%ing up, is sacrilege. Preserve it, don't destroy it. Each barn find today, is one less for the future.
Wow what a sweet score. Always loved the 37 with the Harley Earl speed line styling. I have had several 37 Chevy cars and trucks and still drive a 37 Sedan I built in the 80's. The frames are the same I believe thru 48. On one of my builds I swapped the knee action front suspension with one from a later model. It was a direct bolt in. My current 37 has the Mustang front end that was very popular. It still rides great. Good luck and have fun with your build.
First off, I am not saying I wanna preserve the dirt, I just really enjoy the look and experience of finding something that has been untouched and hasn't seen the light of day for 40+ years. The car will be washed and possibly polished eventually just not my first priority when its -5 degrees out. I enjoy building daily driven hot-rods, not 1937 technology, if that offends you Fordbarn.com is always lookin for new members, sure there is a chevy version out there somewhere on the internet. I won't be doing anything to effect the styling, or look of the coupe just like to make it mine and feel comfortable driving wherever I want and not worry about needing a trailer or tow truck to get it back home. My plan for the car is to lower it a little to give it a little attitude and a mild 327 with a 4speed muncie and a posi so it will be able to be driven the way I drive and want. I don't build my cars the way the people on the internet think I should. I don't build rat rods and hate the term (rat rod), I build cars that can be driven no matter the weather or conditions. Sorry for the rant, I am just trying to share the find I have become owner of after knowing of the car for 15 years, really enjoy hearing about others have experienced and love this site for all the cool HOT RODS and the members that drive the F#@% out of the cars they have built, lot of great people I know and have met on here thru the years. THANKS RYAN AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS SITE WHAT IT IS. Glad to be back on here and addicted as ever.
It's a 37 Chevy not a Duesenberg for heaven's sake. Do whatever you want with it and enjoy it. If it were mine that knee action front end would already be in the garbage.
Nice original untouched cars make the best hot rods.. I'm doing the same thing to a 52 year stored 38 Ford standard...
I had 60 corvette front suspension in a 37 chevy coupe .worked great daily driver year round for 2 years.. O man the dirty looks I got when got caught in the snow one winter day,, good luck love 37s
This: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...w-car-finish-antique-single-stage-paints.html Make it so. That dirt is preserved by the photos taken.
I would keep it stock looking and put a 235 - 4 speed , in it with a split manifold. They sound great.
If you want it down a little at the front, using the stock beam axle is a pain in the arse because it is mounted below the leaf springs- which means lowering blocks are out- unless you want a "gasser stance". You could make up spacer tubes. long bolts, etc. but an IFS would make it drive a lot better than a concrete truck.
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