1938 Chevrolet Master Deluxe

Description

You can't build history into a rod, and with today's red-hot fascination with cars and history, this neat 1938 Chevy business coupe has plenty of stories to tell. Built in the 1960s when the gasser look was all the rage, it has an old-school vibe that's been recently freshened by some of the best guys in the business.

It takes only a single glance to know this is not your average hot rod. The eyeball-popping green metallic paint would look right at home on an early Hot Wheels car, and ideally captures the experimental look that rodders were playing with back then. The Chevy's sheetmetal remains almost completely unaltered because speed was still the primary motivation for building a rod like this, not mere style. On the other hand, the '38 Chevy looks so cool with that slashing body line behind the front fender that perhaps custom mods were just superfluous. The psychedelic airbrushed graphics and Rat-Fink-esque mural on the deck lid are definitely products of the '60s, painted by Tom Downey back in the day and freshened in 2003 by Pin Point Custom, it looks as spectacular today as it did when it was new. Shown only three times since it was completed, there's minimal wear, it fits together quite well, and even the chrome still shines up brilliantly.

You can almost hear that sparkly green vinyl creaking, can't you? Purely 1960s wild, the totally custom interior brings back memories of early Auto-Rama shows and faded Hot Rod magazines. Restored by Pat's Upholstery in 2003, it probably looks better today than it did when it was first built, with tight, clean pleats on the seats, door panels, and rear package shelf. Black carpets are piped in matching green vinyl and the 3-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in the same stuff. Factory gauges are in the satin black dashboard, complete with "Safety First" warning under the speedo, and they've been augmented by a set of early Stewart-Warner dials under the dash, a vintage tach up top, and a later fuel pressure gauge mounted safely outside the cabin. No radio, no heater, nothing except style and performance in equally large doses.

A potent small block Chevy V8 was stuffed under the hood back in the day, complete with a Weiand tunnel ram intake manifold, a giant 4-barrel carburetor, and a cackling camshaft that gives it a nice lope. With period-perfect patina, the engine bay shows you what rodding was really about back in the '60s: substance over style. Long-tube headers give it a wonderful snarl thanks to pipes that dump just ahead of the rear wheels, and it achieves that classic high-front gasser look with a solid axle and leaf springs, just the way it should be. A 4-speed manual gearbox delivers power to a heavy-duty rear end that hangs on a very cool old-school suspension featuring leaf springs and traction bars. The ideal stance comes courtesy of shiny Cragar mags, the hottest wheels you could get in the '60s, and properly-sized blackwall radials so you can take it out for a drive.

No, old school rods like this aren't for everyone. But if you like a little history with your performance, then finding a rod built truly in-period is something remarkable. Call today!