VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 38 Master Front Shock Conversion Kit

I am trying to figure out if this kit would really work.

Front Shock Kit

I understand that the triangle piece would be for the bottom but to mount the other piece I would think it would have to be with holes through the top or the frame.

Not sure how it works but looks pretty professional.
My 37 was converted to "modern" shocks in its distant past and they just welded a plate to the frame which rip out a section of the frame over time. Guess it was in shear if my college physics memory is intact?

I wonder where the top pieces would bolt as well. It seems the Canadian cars had tube shocks. Canadiantim posed pics of his front shock set up and the upper bracket is far above the frame rail. <CLICK>

Tiny,
my car is a 38 Master, not Deluxe and it is Canadian. It doesn't have tube shocks. If I came across a good conversion kit, I would probably go that route. I wouldn't however drill new holes in the frame.

If bolted to the frame the bolt runs through the frame and a spacer must be installed inside the frame or theside rail box will squash together when the bolts are tightened.
The double acting shocks will improve the ride.

Oops. I see it is now. I'm thinking Tims is a Master as well. Maybe his shocks were an accessory conversion?????

Tim has a Canadian Pontiac.

OK, so I think I have figured out how the kit is supposed to work. looking at the kit in my first posting:
The piece with the thread sticking out gets mounted on the U-bolts at the bottom. The other piece mounts on the frame in place of the shock body. One of the bolts goes through the embossed hole before the piece is mounted in the former shock location. I wonder if the bolts mounted in that manner can withstand the force of the shock absorber over time.

These are the type on my 38 and they were well thought out. Mine were made by Chassis Engineering. Most everything they make is designed to be bolted on. I'm well pleased with my set-up.

Lou

Thank you. Can you tell me whether the rear ones are similar? I am going to look up that name.

The rear shocks for 1938 were also single acting on both the Master and Master Deluxe. The 1939 Master Deluxe was the first to have double acting (lever type) in the rear. This shock fit up to 1948. It mounts to the frame in a different location so is not a simple bolt-on conversion.

Thank you Gene. I always appreciate your valuable information. These cars are fun to get to know!

Fred

I am posting a follow up here. I ordered the front shock conversion kit from Chassis Engineering in Iowa. They primarily make streetrod parts and thus they don't make a kit for the stock rearend setup. Apparently some streetrod folks use the standard front axel so that is why they make a kit that fits the original setup on the front.

I'm quite sure that the 1938 Chev originally used tube shocks both front and rear in Master series (straight axle) Canadian cars. These were different than the US built cars. The Canadian Master Deluxe (knee action) cars may have had lever shocks at the rear, but I'm not sure.

There were also metal shields attached to the lower shock mounts on 1938 Canadian cars with tube style rear shocks to protect the shocks from damage. These shields were often lost or left off over the years.

My Canadian 38 Master has the lever shocks. I have noticed in general that with some Canadian vehicles, there were different setups, sometimes in the same year.

Fred