VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 38 Chev with "special" brake line!

Have a look at this baby. A 38 Chev for sale on Ebay. 38 Chev for sale In one of the photos you can clearly see a copper brake line on the rear axle!

So, do you think there could be anything else wrong with this baby?

I would say that is someone is that out of it to install something like that and then post a picture, then anything goes with the rest of the car!

The dash is the wrong color and all the window mouldings have been painted black. I don't think it is as original as the seller claims. It probably could be made "right" without too much effort if these cosmetic things are the only things that need attention. It does seem priced a little on the high side though. Beamer

Well, ya know, copper tubing is a LOT easier to bend into shape than steel..... That, along with the other noticeable "unnatural" stuff you can see makes one wonder about the things you can't see.

Thats really dangerous. Copper is not rated for that pressure.I'd change that really soon.

The air filter housing is a mix of several types of canisters.

Generally , it's a nice car. Not perfect as far as being correct but nice. I'll give it a 9. 10 being the highest. The wood grain on the window trim is hard to duplicate, I guess he decided to paint it the same as the body.

Wrong gearshift knob and no stripes on the rims. The electrolock has been modified somehow,it doesn't look right.Wrong color engine, wrong hose clamps,I.D. tag has been polished instead of painted,dash is twotone but not correct colors. Sparetire has stripes but damaged. Trunk lid gasket is on backwards(mounted on body instead of the lid,common mistake)

HEY...I might be a judge someday.....right


You guys got "ME" doing this correct stuff! Just kidding, I like correct cars as well as many other types.

Steve I thought you would say that there was not enough chrome on it! All though I do agree about the copper brake line.. I bet that he never had to get on the brakes hard yet. I hope that he changes it soon!

The car is nice but needs a little BLING as far as chrome goes. My old car was a deathtrap when I got it,I can't say much . The slot in the draglink had been filed out and welded by someone who had no idea how to weld. The pittman arm ball was trying to jump out of the SLOT !! Can you image driving and all of the sudden NO STEERING CONTROL at all.Also the wiring would smoke and spark if you hit a bump. The wiring under the car was mostly with little or no insulation. Since the car had only ONE fuse it just kept sparking.The rear brake drum was full of grease from leaking axle seals, when you hit the brakes it would not release the shoes without backing up.THANKFULLY everything has been replaced with new parts.

LET THEE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE......ED

"DO AS I SAY,NOT AS I DO" grin

Going to the big NSRA meet across the river in Louisville?

Is the ID tag SUPPOSED to be painted? Mine is natural aluminum (I think). Anyway, there is no sign that it ever had any paint on it.

Why would you want to be a judge? Have you heard what they say about those folks!? But correct is good; especially when you are pushing it as "original". But it IS a nice looking car for the most part.

I could be wrong but I think to be correct it should be painted. I took the paint off mine and buffed it to make it shine, but as you know I'm no where near correct. It just looks better. I think those guys in 1938 were preparing for war. Everything was dull with very few shiny parts.

Im not picky. I'd take it if i wanted it. Sometimes people have a prefrence rather than originality. Besides, as for original, i havnt seen but ONE car that was ever truley "all original" as in, never touched, other than maintenenced and driven. Im sure they are out there...but they are definitly not as common as the word "original" is used.

The question isnot about being original. Copper brake lines are illegal and dangerous,

I agree. Words like Cherry,Orginal,Custom,Perfect,are really overstated.
When I look at any used car I'd rather hear about the flaws,and things that need to be done,from the owner. That shows me he's trying to be honest about the condition. When he says "No Problems", you better get your oily clothes on and climb all over this car looking for anything wrong.

How true. My first priority was to get my old car safe to drive. These cars were not meant to be in a wreck. The steering wheeling is almost a weapon, no seat belts,no safety glass,. The gas tank is a bomb. One fuse is almost asking for a fire.
When I drive mine ,it's almost like being on a motorcycle. I give way to anyone who wants it. I stay way behind the car ahead,and give signals way in advance.
When I drive my other cars.....every man for himself !!!grin

The unit serial number plate looks like this partial image. The plate with the trim & paint numbers is painted solid body color.

Thats what they said on Smokey & the bandit when they told Bandit the B double e double R, U, N, couldnt be done. But they did it. :GRIN:

B-EE-RR-U-N Is that how you spell Beer Run?

You mean hauling a$$ with the Colorado Kool Aid?
Hey it was just a movie! But I did like the Lawman and his brilliant son!...
fruit of my loins? *&(%@#!

Hey it isn't all that bad, most of the cars today don't hold up very well in a collision, and there are way more car fires after a collision now than back when we were burning leaded regular and ethyl! Most rear enders never even caused the fuel tank to leak! I had a 57 Chevrolet rearend me with my 52 Belaire and it took out the front end of the 57 and only wiped out my trunk lid, tail lights and I drove it home. With all the hoopla with the safety features of the new cars, maybe drivers have a false sense of security, while in our old cars we knew to do anything we could to avoid a car to car or car to 18 wheeler confrontation.
Maybe you should give me the 38 and buy a KIA.

I know you don't really believe that. Go to youtube and watch what happens when an old car hits a new car. The old car looks like a bomb when off,the new car does the same except the "CAB" is in tact. The new car has 7 airbags and the front end is made to DETACH AND BREAK AWAY and dig into the pavement. The auto co.s have spent BILLIONS coming up with these features. The gastank BLADDER is another good feature.NASCAR helped with that idea. The KNEE INPACT BAG has kept thousands of guys from being in wheelchairs.

I know you're just pulling my chain. With that many posts,I know you are a car guy that knows better.

I love cars,all types,but the safety just isn't there in an old car.Now after all that,I'll probably get hurt in my new Cadillac going to the NSRA meet today in Louisville!!