A friend once gave me a compliment about having a “one of a kind” car building fetish. I guess I did not really understand, I just thought my ideas were “being creative”. It did make me think back. In 1973 I bought my first 37 Chevy. It was a coupe and also the beginning of a major love affair with 1937 Chevy cars and trucks. My brother Ralph took a liking to 1938 Chevy's. Our families spent many years together enjoying the cars we both would build. Now like most people my skills, abilities and knowledge have their limitations. Oh ya, budgeting some cash for a build can also play a big part too. The 37 Coupe was a great car but I wanted a rumble seat. With a little help I managed to transform my ideas into reality. There was also the 37 Chevy Pickup that I designed as a King Cab, my Chopped 37 Chevy suicide 2dr Sedan, my 56 Chevy ElCamino conversion and my current 66 Malibu 2dr Nomad conversion project. In the 70's and 80's when the family was young and growing I had to start thinking bigger. There was a 39 Chevy Coupe and a 39 Sedan, a 48 Chevy Coupe and a 48 Panel Truck. There was even a 61 Corvair, some Corvettes, Camaro's 55 and 58 Chevy's and yes even a 34 Dodge Pickup (I ended up trading it for another 37 Chevy) in the mix. In 1980 a 37 Chevy panel entered the picture. This one I gave a Blazer influenced makeover with swivel buckets and fold down rear seat. Great for traveling and camping but the kids had no side windows to look out. I still see this one cruising our area with the same used engine I had installed. On a early 80's family trip in Canada I found a 37 Chevy 2dr sedan. This became the new family cruiser. Now everyone knows one car is not always enough and since I had a big garage there was always something else around. Some of my projects never made the road but they did help finance the addiction. Two of my favorites were a chopped 37 Chevy 2dr Sedan that I now own again and a 37 Chevy Sedan Delivery. In my creative mind the 37 Delivery seemed to have what I was looking for. Like most of my other builds I started with ideas of what would appeal to me and my family. I also built a model to show what it might look like. We all wanted a family cruiser that was maybe just a little different. I had found this car in the late 80's advertized in a Texas Swap Sheet (remember the Swap Sheet?). A friend who moved to Texas arranged delivery for me. I did the common IFS, disc brake, small block automatic conversion. Now my mind was spinning with design ideas. My kids needed windows so I got my first lesson with a plasma cutter and removed the side panels. Additional fabrication followed to modify the opening and re size some original sedan window frames so that my conversion would have a factory built look. Next I tackled the rear door. 1937 was the first year of the all steel GM body. The exception I found was the Sedan Delivery because they were actually coach kits built to fit on a Chevy 4dr platform. I put a good 40 hours or more into removing the damaged wood around the rear door and replacing it with steel. I was able to repair the dent in the back door by incorporating my trademark Ford Van license plate recess idea that I have used on several of my builds over the years. I will say my frustration and hard work that I put into the rear door gave me a great sense of pride in the end. Since my family and I loved the looks of a 37 Chevy there were no other major body modifications planned. The interior design included bucket seats and a fold down rear seat that I found on one of my junk yard expeditions. I designed storage areas as well as an under floor spot for the spare behind the rear seat. This made the delivery functional for passenger as well as cargo hauling. We did enjoy this car while still completing some of the build. During this time a trade of my 58 Chevy driver for one of my old 37 Chevy sedans occurred. Now I had three 37 Chevy vehicles and I think there may have been a 37 Pickup stuffed in there too. Well, the kids were growing, work was busy, the house needed some updating and priorities were changing . You get the picture. A decision was made to sell one or two cars from the 37 Chevy herd. I advertized the unfinished Chopped Sedan, the regular Sedan and the Sedan Delivery. Go figure, the Delivery drew the most interest and ended up being sold to Ron Szabo from Indiana. In 1990 I spotted the car in issue #39 of Rodder's Digest where they had some nice comments about my side window conversion. Our family sent a response that they published in a later issue. In 1993 I got to meet Ron again in Columbus. The car was looking great. He had reupholstered the interior, got the AC working and gave it some new wheels. Fast forward several years and my good friend Ron Podsiadly who actually had helped me with this build spots the car in California. It was now owned by Marty Fisher who had a complete makeover done turning this baby into an award winning beauty. I never got to personally meet Marty but we talked several times about the Delivery. I provided him with information and pictures from the original build. I even sent him the side panels I had cut out that still had “Jimi Hendricks Lives” painted on them. He was going to paint one with his current color theme and leave the other alone and use them when he displayed the car at shows. While Marty owned the Delivery he got some nice spreads in May 96 Street Rodder and July 96 Rod & Custom. The kids and I sent a response that they published in September 96 Street Rodder. I eventually lost track of Marty and the 37 Delivery. The last time I saw the Delivery was in a Goodguys magazine where it was for sale for $62,000. Now I have always liked to know where some of my cars end up. I have even bought a few back including my current Chopped 37 Chevy Sedan. I guess in the case of the Delivery I had to pass and file it under “ONE THAT GOT AWAY”
Unfortunately I don't know where your car is, but I do have to say, you definitely know how to build a great looking car. I hope you find it and get a chance to call it your own once again. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
raymay, You sure know how to stir up old memories !!! 1) I also got hooked on 37-38-39 Chevy Products at the tender age of 15 or 16 (50 years ago). My mentor actually drag raced a 38 Chevy Coupe and then later converted the old drag car into a show car in the Atlanta Area. When I bought my 39 2-dr Master 85, J.D. (mentor) actually did the 283 & Power Glide Conversion on the car. By 1967 (age 20) The 39 was my Daily Driver. This was when all of my Peers were driving new cars and just could not understand my affliction. Over the years I could not Cure Myself and wound up owning a 38 Coupe and a somewhat Rare 38 Chevy Cabriolet (Convertible) I bought a 2 owner 38 Chevy 4-door to sacrifice for my build on the Cabriolet. Drove that Car to one Cruise Night and 3 months later sold it to a Guy with a cigar box over- flowing with $100 dollar bills. Many Regrets over that but I was busy raising Kids. I still have my affliction for Chevy Rods and there is a 36 Standard Coach sitting in the garage. 2) It is amazing to me that the Sedan Delivery came from Frank's Oldies but Goodies. In the late 80's, a friend and my self actually made several trips to the well known Pate Swap Meet just below Dallas, Texas. At that time, The Pate meet was at the old museum in Cresson, Texas. I could not believe how big the event was as it took 3 days to walk the area. Tired Legs and Blisters on the Feet. Richard and I had heard of Frank's place and decided to drive on to Houston just to check it out. 3) I can confirm that at least in Frank's Yard, "Jimi Hendrix Lives !!!" Several shop areas were set up in old sheds on the property and a bunch of Latino Guys were busy doing Paint and Body Work. I was talking to one of the workers as he wet sanded a new paint job and was asked, "Hey Man, You want a little drink of my wine ???" Memory is that the Guy was wearing a Jimmy Hendrix T-Shirt that said, "Jimi Hendrix Lives" Meeting Frank (very colorful guy) was indeed an experience. We were allowed to walk the yard at will................ You have Good Memories under Your Belt and you have Stirred Many of Mine. Old Chevy's Rule and at least in Houston Texas, "Jimi Hendrix Lives !!!" Thanks,, Jeff
For those of us who love pre WWII era Chevys, the '37-'38-'39 are often the favorites. I started out with a '40 coupe in 1968, and always wished it was one of any of the late 30's coupes instead. It took me 51 years to finally get another Chevy coupe in 2019, and two more years to finish it. But I finally have a '39 coupe now.
Hello, When my wife and I decided to start a photography business, it was a fun way to make money doing something that was wide open and would allow us to be outdoors most of the time. We had a cool 1965 El Camino that had been my daily driver when I went away to college. But, our attraction at events and photo shoots would need something to keep the attention of people for future business. The El Camino was nice and reliable, as it took us all over California on long road trips and photo shoot appointments. For us, the best way was to get a hot rod or something that people would notice us and our work. Bright red was something. Vnak Photo So, now, it was searching for something that would keep us in the minds of people and enthusiasts out there that wanted some good photography for their event, family, or an old hot rod/custom motorcycle. Something different than point and shoot Brownie Camera shots. (although there is nothing wrong with a Brownie camera or the results…) We looked high and low, in every paper and magazine available. We missed out from the ads in magazines as they were usually two to three months already gone by. But, every newspaper in So Cal from our local newsstand in the antiques and hot rod section of the classifieds. Finally we found something that would fit all aspects of our lives, from photography, to beach activities, to camping and moving a ton of stuff from house to house for our 20 something friends. It was a 1946 yellow Ford woody with a 283 SBC motor, 4 barrel and a stick shift on the floor. The wood was excellent, the motor looked very clean and it had chromed reversed rims on blackwalls. The woody stood out because of the yellow paint contrasting to the finished wood. Not the same one, but, similar in looks... Since this particular woody is in San Diego, it could be the same one. We thought that since we lived at the beach, the long coastal trips would be very cool in a woody wagon. The surfboards were getting smaller and it would fit inside of the woody for a lock/key security. We went to several car shows and plenty of hot rod gatherings to see if there were any available. Our money was saved and put aside for such a purchase. The OC area had its share of woody wagons, but the cost was relatively high compared to driving a bit out of the county to get a similar build to start our own changes. The cost of this woody was fine for our budget. We had saved plenty and it was waiting in our local Laguna Beach bank. We had a check book for closing the deal, with a big cash deposit in hand. As 20 somethings, money was burning in our pockets and we had to get something. Jnaki But, the owner of the 46 Woody would not budge on the sale. We would pay his asking price and would give him a big cash deposit, but he would not take our check with a certified letter from our bank stating funds available. We would have gotten a certified postal money order, if we knew the price prior, but also, we did not know if we were actually going to buy the woody, sight unseen. Being in San Diego, in a popular hot rod display and selling inventory place, we hit a roadblock. We called a good friend, Lee Bright in Vista, CA and he knew the owner of the business. Despite the vouching for my wife and I, the owner would not budge. We were considered “out of towners” and he did not accept checks for any purchases from such. It was a Sunday and back then, banks were not open on the weekends. We did not want to drive home and then come back next weekend. So, it was one that got away. As much as the 1946 yellow woody would have been a good fit for our beach lifestyle, it did have its faults. So, we were irritated and decided to lay low for a couple of weeks. Then, one day my wife said she wanted to buy a good hot rod for us to advertise our business and for daily driving. Then I looked all over, again and found a cool 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery just 35 minutes away from our house. It had a 327 with a 4 barrel SBC motor, A/C and full interior upholstery, including the back cave. Black rims and small hubcaps, too. It ran well, but on the way home, it handled the worst of any car ever driven. It swayed at freeway speeds, would stop, but the pedal had too much play. Sometimes I could feel wobbling in the steering wheel in turning and even during straight driving at any speeds. My wife loved the sedan delivery and the initial drive once we got home was an eye opener. So, the months long rebuild started, including replacing plenty of parts and adding some new ones. The new purchase was an excellent investment and lasted a while to make it a great daily driver for both of us. So much for the one that got away. No doubts or regrets...We started a new/old chapter in our hot rod adventures.
The Jalopy Journal
