VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Just wondering again about a '38 in G&D

Here I am just wondering again. A few years ago, G&D featured an article on a fellow restoring a '38 Chevy four-door. He had a lot of troubles and travels, getting the wrong motor, etc. His restoration project sounded like my dining room floor project a few years back. Does anyone have an update on this project? Just curious.

If you are referring to an article printed in the March 2001 issue of G&D, then that would be my project. I finished, for the most part in 2004, seven years after I started. I took the car to its first car show in 2005 and that is the picture that you see.



The car came with a 51 block that had a 41 head that’s why I traveled to Indy to pick up a couple of 38 engines. I bought an engine stand this year to start the restoration of the other 38 engine. Problem is that during the restoration a lot of the house repairs were put off so I had to put in a new shower this year, repair the guest bath, etc. etc.

I still need to finish a few problem areas, the car over heats, and there are some cosmetic issues, the door handles need re-plating, but that is the kind of stuff I can do at my leisure.

It’s nice to know somebody read and remembered the article; it’s hard to know how it was perceived by the readers.

Brian

Hey Brian, who'd you get to re-stripe your wheels? I got mine powdercoated but can't find anyone to put the pinstripes back on it. All of the pinstripers in the area (that I've found) don't do wheels.

I centered them on a rotating plate and secured them with duct tape. I rotated the rim to see if the inner part of the furthest edge of the rim (outer edge) was "perpendicular" to the center of rotation. If it was I then marked the location of each of the strips on the rim. Now I could use a cardboard gig to paint the strips. I glued two layers of good cardboard together about 8 inches square. I cut the outer radius along one side of the cardboard so that the cardboard could rest against the inner side of the outer radius. I cut holes in the cardboard for my striping tool at the correct locations on the rim. I ended up with two pieces of cardboard because those three stripes near the center of the wheel are on an angle so I rested the cardboard on the inner edge where the holes are to paint them. I did two wheels free hand because they weren’t completely concentric. I also free handed the strip around the car (not done in the show photo).



The tool I used is an Embee Master Striper 1100.

I practiced several times and had to do one rim three times, it ended up in the trunk. I painted my car myself, in the driveway, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a concourse look.



Brian

Thanks Brian, I'll have to do it myself it looks like. Hey, I just noticed in the first pic you posted, there's a reflection in the back quarter window that looks like a face. Maybe you can auction it on eBay as a picture of Madonna & make a million.

I thought it was Jesus but you may be right.....

Brian

Thanks for the update. It's great to see you got the job finished. It looks great. You should give G&D an update. Plus, it looks like you have a how-to article there to go along with it. I think a lot of people could relate to what you went through. I had to do the house projects before I could start on the car, then lost my job, so the car is largely on hold.
My dad painted his 65 chevy pu in the driveway, but it didn't look like yours! On the other hand, that paint job did enable it to survive and my brother still has it. And it still doesn't look like yours!
It was great to hear from you and see the finished product. You're an inspiration to us all.

Thanks! I hadn't really thought about a follow up article. I suppose it may be of interest to some body somewhere.

Hope the job situation is looking up for you, we've all been there.

I set in a garage for seven years cleaning, repairing, and restoring the car and the only reason was to have an original 1938 Chevrolet. Based on what I hear and read, I must have gone further than most in that endeavor. Here is a picture of the dash, my favorite picture of the engine in the garage and the car in the driveway (sort of like they were meeting for the first time..), and then the installation.

It looks like a ghost sitting in the back seat, looking out the window!

Here we see the hero - he's dashing - and the heroine. Their eyes meet from across the garage. She runs to him in slow motion - it takes about seven years for this scene - and leaps into the waiting arms of his front clip! The romance of the collector car hobby!

What color paint did you use on the bottom part of dash? I need that color for my 37 dash. I was gonna go get it computer matched but if you know what you used it would help greatly!!

I took the steering shaft in to the paint shop and had them match the part of the shaft that had been under the clamp at the bottom of the shaft. I can send you a sample but I don't have the mix, sorry.

PK- Have you been smelling the paint fumes again?

Brian

PK, try this as your web site address:

http://ps_kennedy.home.comcast.net/wsb/media/342430/site1010.jpg

Brian

Thats ok I am going to bring in my glove box door the back side is real good for a match I just thought if you had the "mix" it would of helped out. Thanks anyway!

The 1937 is a darker brown.

Paint fumes? Maybe - I'll open the garage door for some ventilation.

At least I wasn't seeing Jesus in the window reflection. Looks more like Howard Hughes to me.