The tires that were on the car said, "Hecho en Mexico," so I assume the car must have spent some time south of the border. My first plan was to get it running. A few days of work and I was ready to give it a try. I added some fresh gas to the 5-gallon can, got her fired up, and took a wild ride down the alley and circled around the block. It didn't have any brakes, so I coasted to a stop out front. I was hooked!
As much fun as that was, I figured I needed a better gas storage system as well as a way to bring it to a stop better. I went to the junkyard and picked up a gas tank and fixed the brakes. My wife, Joy, had discovered the Bellflower Boulevard Cruise in Bellflower, California, so we loaded up the kids and headed over to check it out.
It was obvious that I had a lot more work to do. I started in on the doors. The wood was shot, so I used what little remained as a pattern and fashioned new pieces out of oak--a tedious job. I started compiling a list of things I needed and searching car swap meets in Southern California. I accumulated parts for several years. In the midst of everything, we relocated to New Mexico so our search for parts now expanded and encompassed New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. Next, modern technology and the Internet entered the picture and our search expanded across the country and into Canada. Parts were still difficult to locate but communication and searching became easier.
The buildup turned serious when I found another 1935 frame in Texas. As it turned out, the only part of the car I purchased that would remain in the finished project was the Fisher body.
Progress was slow at times, being raised in Southern California, and now trying to adjust to the cold winters and hot summers of New Mexico added to the challenge. We did virtually all the work ourselves.
What we originally expected would take two years to complete soon rolled into 10. The beauty of our car now shines through and it is truly our dream car.
Bob & Joy Springer
Carlsbad, New Mexico
1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
Three-window sport coupe
Drivetrain
Wouldn't it be ironic if there were a Ford small-block under the hood? That's not the case as a 350 Chevy fitted with an Edelbrock intake and Holley 650 carb and Hooker headers fits just right. A Turbo 350 shifted with a Lokar floor shift transfers torque.
Chassis
A stock '35 Chevy frame has been boxed in the front and rear and the crossmember modified to fit the new trans. A Mustang II IFS with Heidt's 2-inch dropped spindles with 11-inch GM discs was installed up front. A Chassis Engineering rear leaf spring kit hangs the Ford 9-inch rearend.
Wheels & Tires
In order to maintain the look of the original car as much as possible, Wheel Vintique spoke wheels (14x7 and 15x10) were used and accented with trim rings and `32 Chevy hubcaps. BFGoodrich Silvertown wide whitewall radials (225/70R14 and 255/70R15) work with the early look but provide a smooth ride.
Body & Paint
GM knew what they were doing when they penned this coupe's design, so Bob spent his time working the metal back into factory shape with the only exterior modification being the 2-inch widened rear fenders. The PPG maroon and black was sprayed by a friend, Brian Stevens, and the chrome was restored by Dick Moffett's.
Interior
A Glide Engineering seat was installed and upholstered by the owner along with the stock rumble seat and door panels using a combination of ultra leather and velour. The dash (which still retains the '35 radio, cigar lighter, ashtray, clock, and glovebox) and garnish moldings have been treated to custom burlwood woodgraining complemented by the stock gauges (refurbished by United Speedometer). An ididit chrome tilt column and billet and burlwood Banjo wheel keeps it pointed in the right direction, while a Vintage Air A/C and a Valley Accessories overhead console with a Jensen stereo keeps them cool and entertained.