1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Business Coupe
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Vehicle Description

1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe $94,995

"$94,995

Here at Cruisin Classics, we are admittedly a little spoiled when it comes to seeing cool cars. But, every now and then, we get a car that is such a cut above the rest that the whole team is awestruck by it – and this is one of those cars. We are proud to introduce to you this stunning 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Business Coupe! Ten years and 3K miles ago this car emerged from a full restoration that totaled over $400K, and it is absolutely gorgeous! Not only is this the highest quality restoration we've ever seen of a '39 Master Deluxe, this car is one-family-owned with a fantastic story that's fully chronicled with photos and original documents! Let's take a deep dive into this beautiful Chevy and it's life for the past 87 years...

The story begins near the Texas/Oklahoma border in 1939 with a young man named Theron who had just purchased a new Chevrolet Master Deluxe for $684. He proudly took his new ride to show it off to his girlfriend Velma and take her on a date – and we have photos of them on that special day. Theron and Velma married soon after and had a son named John, who would spend the next 30 years with the Chevy in the foreground of his life. We have photos of John with the family car when he was a little toddler, little did he know that this car would still be with him over 80 years later. John grew up with the family Chevy – going camping, taking a trip to Galveston, going to Ham radio fests, and even pulling a small boat behind the car for fishing trips (we actually have a photo of John and his family unhooking the boat trailer from the car on the bank of the Sulphur River). John even proposed to his wife Lynn in the car. In 1968, when John was a graduate student in his mid 20's, his dad Theron signed the title over to him We have the first registration with John's name on it from '68, as well as previous registrations in Theron's name. By that time, the old Chevy was starting to show it's age, and Lynn's father bought the couple a junked '39 Chevy that had a better engine. We have a photo of John in his backyard with a home-made hoist pulling the engine out. In 1970, John got a job with Texaco and moved from Austin to Houston, where he drove the Chevy to work for about a year. At this point, he retired the car and put it up on jackstands in the garage of two different houses as he and Lynn moved around Houston. We have a photo of John, his son, and his father in the late '80's working on a different car while the old Chevy sat in the background of the garage. In 1989, John took a job in New Orleans and decided to move the Chevy into a rental storage facility where it sat for 24 lonely years (we have a photo of the car being hooked up to tow it to the storage facility). In early 2013, John and Lynn made the decision to remove the car from storage and restore it, and that is when they found Dooley & Sons Rods and Customs in Magnolia Texas. In April of 2013, the Chevy emerged from its long rest and was loaded on a flatbed for the ride to Dooley and Sons (we have a photo of that too!). This was the beginning of a four year journey for the rusty old family Chevy as it was brought back to life as an even better car than it was when Theron bought it back in '39. We have two magnificently well-made books documenting the history of the car in photos with supporting documents and John's telling of the car's story. It simply doesn't get any better – you almost never see a nearly 90 year old car with a fully documented history like this one!

Dooley and Sons set to work on the Master Deluxe starting with the basics. They removed the car from it's chassis and, using the two original frame rails and a couple of the rear cross members, they built a modified chassis by adding additional cross members to accomodate a V-8 engine, automatic overdrive transmission, new rear end, new brake system, and new exhaust system. Both the body and the chassis were acid dipped and stripped down to bare metal. The passenger-side fender was repaired from an old mailbox accident, the rust-riddled cab and trunk floors were replaced with custom-fabricated pieces, and a new firewall was added. By late 2014, the car's body was far enough along that Dooley and Sons featured it in bare-metal condition at their booth at the the Houston Autorama. It would be three more years of hard work though, before John's Chevy was ready to hit the road again. The car was completed in 2017 and only 3K miles have been added in the subsequent nine years.

The Master Deluxe comes to us today dressed in slick show-quality black paint that just underwent a fresh ceramic coating to keep it looking great. The front end features a two door butterfly hood with chrome-trimmed side vents, a chrome center spine, and a bullet-style hood ornament that leads your eye down to a colorful blue and red Chevrolet badge at the top of the tall horizontal bar grille. The grille is flanked by bulbous fenders topped with large bucketed LED headlamps in bright bezels. Flanking the lower portion of the grill are chrome-trimmed rectangular air vents and sitting beneath is a gleaming chrome bumper. Moving around to the side of the car you really get a sense of the stylish curvaceous body lines. A red pinstripe adds a pop of color as it travels from the front of the hood down the upper body line to about the rear window. More high-quality brightwork continues with the windshield center bar, wiper arms, vent window trim, door handles, and a spear that runs the length of the sides of the running boards. The running boards are topped with ribbed black rubber covers just as they were when new. Panel fitment everywhere on the car is uniform and equal and the body panels are smooth as glass. The side view of the car is topped off with a set of black 18"" US Mags Plain Jane wheels with beauty rings and small moon caps with red and blue Chevrolet call-outs. All four wheels are wrapped in Continental Extreme Contact tires that appear hardly used. Around back you'll find bullet-shaped taillights with bright rings and another chrome bumper. The undercarriage of this Chevy is a sight to behold – it looks fresh, clean, and loaded with top-tier components. The frame, floorpans, and trunk pan are all dressed in black and look amazing. In the rear there is a triangulated 4-link suspension and there are Ridetech adjustable coil-overs on all four corners. Up front is independent suspension with tubular control arms and a Flaming River power rack and pinion system. The exhaust system is stainless steel with Borla mufflers and the Rick's Tanks fuel tank with internal pump is also stainless steel. You'll also see that Wilwood disc brakes have been installed on both the front and rear and there is a Ford rear axle assembly from Currie Enterprises. This is the kind of undercarriage that you'll want to show off with mirrors underneath at a car show!

If you like what you've seen so far, just wait until you lift the hood – prepare to be impressed! The old inline 6 cylinder that John put in the car back in '68 is long gone and it has been replaced by a GM LS3 crate motor. This cast aluminum 6.2 liter 376ci V-8 was modified by Don Hardy Racing Engines in Floydada Texas, raising the horsepower from 430 to 480. The block is outfitted with Don Hardy coil packs, Edelbrock fuel rails and injectors, an Edelbrock intake manifold, a Holley EFI throttle body, and a round billet air breather. Ahead of the block is a chrome alternator, a chrome air compressor for the Vintage Air system, and a power steering pump. This hearty V-8 is mated up to a GM 4L60E 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission and both are wired with a harness from Hotwire Auto. Keeping things running cool is an AutoRad aluminum radiator with an electric fan. Exhaust flows through Hooker manifolds, then on to the aforementioned stainless steel exhaust. The firewall and sidewalls are smooth and painted matte black. The entire engine bay is detailed and organized - it is definitely a show-quality presentation.

Swing open the drivers door to reveal a simply gorgeous taupe interior lit by a working dome courtesy light. As soon as the door opens, you get a whiff of the high quality leather that covers a large portion of the interior – it literally draws you inside for more! The door panels are covered in soft taupe leather with armrests and period-correct looking handles and window cranks. The front bench seat is covered in the same taupe leather and it is flawless! The seat is comfortable, it has a fold-down center armrest, and it's outfitted with black seatbelts. The kick panels, underdash firewall panel, rear side panels, and rear panel are all covered in taupe leather as well – providing a cohesive upscale look. Overhead is a matching felt headliner and two visors. Underfoot is a unique Daytona-weave style black carpeting with black rubber floormats. In the center of the floor is a black leather shift console with two cupholders. Rising up from the console is a black Lokar shifter topped off with a one-of-a-kind custom aluminum shift knob that John's uncle made for him when he started driving – very cool. The driver is treated to a polished aluminum ""half-wrap"" taupe banjo-wire style steering wheel with a working horn on a tilt column. The dash ahead is painted taupe to match the rest of the interior and it is original in appearance. The original dash gauges have been preserved and updated with Classic Instruments internals that are all connected via the Ron Francis wiring kit. The odometer reads 3,014 miles and that is the mileage since the restoration. To the right of the gauges is the original ashtray and chrome trim, and ahead of the passenger is a shallow glovebox. Above the ashtray is a switch that operates the working wipers and below it is the control panel for the Vintage Air system that provides cold A/C and hot heat with a strong fan on demand. A panel has been added under the dash to accommodate vents for the HVAC system and both a double USB port and an IQ controller for the Bluetooth Kicker audio system. The sound system plays through speakers in the firewall panel and rear side panels – all with stylish chrome grate covers. There are additional speakers under a hidden panel behind the seat and behind a panel on the forward wall of the trunk. Also behind the trunk panel is a Kicker IQ1000.5 amplifier and interface as well as the battery. The trunk walls and floors are finished with the same materials as the interior and are in the same excellent condition. Also in the trunk are a 1939 Texas license plate, a ""Reserved Parking for 1939 Chevrolet"" sign, a fire extinguisher, and an extra hubcap.

This 1939 Master Deluxe is a truly exceptional car in every respect! We've never seen another '39 built to this level of perfection or with such a cool, well-documented single family ownership history! This was a ""cost is no object"" restoration and that is apparent in every aspect of the car. It is the perfect marriage of vintage style and modern convenience & drivability. If you're looking for a classic car that is literally at the top of it's class – this is it! Give our friendly staff a call today and become the next caretaker of this incredibly special automobile!

ENGINE
GM LS3 Crate Motor -All Aluminum 6.2 liter 376ci V-8 Modified by Don Hardy Racing Engines
Don Hardy Coil Packs
Edelbrock Fuel Rails and Injectors
Edelbrock Intake Manifold
Holley EFI Throttle Body
Billet Air Breather
Chrome Alternator
Chrome Air Compressor for the Vintage Air System
Power Steering
AutoRad Aluminum Radiator with an Electric Fan
Hooker Exhaust Manifolds
Stainless Steel Exhaust
Borla Mufflers
Rick's Tanks Stainless Steel Gas Tank

TRANSMISSION
GM 4L60E 4-Speed Automatic Overdrive Transmission
Ford Rear Axle Assembly from Currie Enterprises
Lokar Floor Shifter

BRAKES
Four Wheel Wilwood Disc Brakes
New Brake Lines

SUSPENSION
Independent Front Suspension with Tubular Control Arms
Four Link Rear Suspension
Ridetech Adjustable Coil-Overs on all 4 Corners
Flaming River Power Rack & Pinion

EXTERIOR
Slick Show-Quality Black Paint
Single Red Pinstripe
Freshly Ceramic-Coated
Beautiful Chrome and Brightwork
Excellent Panel Fitment
Butterfly 2-Door Hood
LED Headlamps
All New Glass
Rubber Running Board Covers
Black 18"" US Mags Plain Jane Wheels, Beauty Rings, and Small Moon Caps
Continental Extreme Contact Tires
New Firewall, Floor Pans, and Trunk Pan
Immaculate Undercarriage

INTERIOR
Working Dome Courtesy Light
Taupe Leather Door Panels with Period-Correct Handles and Cranks
Flawless Taupe Leather Bench Seat with Fold-Down Armrest
Taupe Leather Firewall Panel, Kick Panels, and Rear Panels
Tight Felt Headliner
Black Daytona-Weave Carpet
Black Leather Floor Shift Console with Cupholders
Custom Aluminum Shift Knob
Polished Aluminum ""Half-Wrap"" Taupe Banjo-Wire Steering Wheel
Working Horn
Tilt Column
Working Wipers
Original Dash Gauges Updated with Classic Instruments Internals
Ron Francis Wiring Harness
Vintage Air System - Cold A/C, Hot Heat with a Strong Fan
Double USB Port and an IQ Controller for the Bluetooth Kicker Audio System
Kicker IQ1000.5 Amplifier and Interface
Completely Finished Trunk
3,014 Miles Since Restoration
Two Books of Photos, Documents, and Car History

If you have any additional questions, please call one of our friendly sales staff. We will be glad to help in any way with questions on financing, shipping the vehicle, or perhaps an interest in our sell-your-car brokerage program. We've been in business since 1996 and have sold cars all over the world, and we insist on giving the best personal service in the industry.
The sale is subject to the following conditions and representations. This vehicle is being sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty in connection therewith. The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description, authenticity, genuineness, or defects herein, and makes no warranty in connection therewith. No allowances or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness, imperfection, defect, or damage. Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type. It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle and to have satisfied oneself as to the condition and value based upon that judgment solely. The seller assumes no responsibility for any repairs, regardless of any oral statements about the vehicle.
Thank you from all of us at Cruisin Classics.

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