Welcome to the Number One Site Dedicated
to 1937 & 1938 Chevrolet (Barn Finds)!
37 Chevy & 38 Chevy owners present GM's best pre-war design!
All the buzz in the collector car hobby for the past couple of years has been "barn finds." I've been searching barns & fields for 50 years to find potential hot rods. We thought they were all gone long ago. Boy were we wrong! It seems that every magazine, auction and car show has a recent barn find with accompanying documentation. Not to be left out, we present a beautiful 1937 Chevrolet as found near Enid, OK.
It seems that Jim had made arrangements to buy a piece for a flathead from an "old guy." While there the old guy showed Jim the coupe as you see it here. It was covered with canvas, rags, carpet, signs and red Oklahoma dirt but still proudly wearing its 1967 OK license plate. The car had belonged to the old guy's mother-in-law. He asked Jim, "What would you do with that car?" Jim's response was "NOTHING!" That was apparently what the owner was waiting for. Over the years numerous people had tracked the car down and wanted to buy it to build a street rod, custom or race car. The owner decided Jim was the proper person to take the old car into the future! What a stroke of genius "nothing" turned out to be.
Look at the pictures as the 37 Chevy Master coupe sees daylight for the first time in 50 years! This car is dead straight. Check out the alignment of the hood, fenders and doors. It's hard to get our old cars to line up like that. This one is still perfect from the factory. No wrecks on this body!
Jim recently rolled the car out for a little clean-up. Look at that black lacquer paint. It looks like a gentle cut & buff is all that it will require to be good as new. Jim, you provide all of us with the hope that some day we will find one in pristine condition like this. The last pictures show that Jim has some work to do, but what a labor of love this will be!
We are all proud of our 37 Chevys & 38 Chevys and hope you enjoy them with us! Look around. Stay awhile. Enjoy, then bookmark us so you can come back often to see our growing list of great 37 Chevys & 38 Chevys!
We are all proud of our 37 Chevys & 38 Chevys and hope you enjoy them with us! Look around. Stay awhile. Enjoy, then bookmark us so you can come back often to see our growing list of great 37 Chevys & 38 Chevys!
Here's a little information about our favorite cars. Chevy really did win the design battle for 37 & 38. Some of the competitors had "ugly duckling" designs for these years. The rest of GM had very similar designs to Chevy but it always seemed that the proportion were off a little. What can I say? We love our old Chevys!
1937 Chevrolet
1937 Chevrolet
The 1937 Chevy was touted as "The complete car, completely new" in ads. This was Chevrolet's most complete change since 1929. This new styling of the 1937 Chevrolet was the work of Jules Agramonte, designer of the stunning 1934 LaSalle. A highlight, referred to by GM chief designer Harley Earl as the "diamond crown speedline," was a body crease that started in the valley between the engine compartment and fender, and extended onto the front door.
The new bodies were wider and roomier than before and were made entirely of steel. Thus ended the use of wood in body construction. A rare option for Chevy coupes from about 36 to 41 was called a Coupe Pickup. It was a regular Master or Deluxe Coupe with an optional pickup be that fit into the trunk area.
1938 Chevrolet
Chevrolet for 1938
The 1938 Chevrolet Master series had what Chevrolet called "new and modern styling." It had a new grille that featured horizontally arranged chrome bars. The horizontal arrangement made the front end seem lower and wider than the '37, though the body shell, fenders and running boards were the same. There were new bumpers. There were still the bullet shaped headlights. Inside, the seats were two inches wider and an improved steering was installed.
Six body styles were available with prices ranging from $660 - $750. There was a two-door coupe, cabriolet, town sedan, sport sedan, and sedan. The seventh style was called a Coupe Pickup. Again in 38 you could order a Master or Deluxe Coupe with an optional pickup be that fit into the trunk area.
Chevrolet Master or Deluxe?
Master or Deluxe?
For 1937/38 Chevrolet chose Master and Deluxe Master as model designators. This time the two series, both using a 112.5-inch chassis, were called Master and Deluxe Master. What was the difference? Each came in a choice of six body types, the two-door Town Sedan (with built-in trunk) being by far the most popular in both lines. DeLuxe Master models, in addition to upgraded upholstery, two tail lights and two wipers, came with Knee-Action front suspension as standard equipment.
They were also fitted with a 4.22:1 "performance" axle, while Master models employed a 3.73:1 "economy" ratio. (Note that one of the axles was an inch wider than the other. That resulted in two different rear fenders. Which one do you have?)
