Vehicle Description
1940 Chevrolet Master Deluxe
In 1940, Chevrolet released an expanded line. The Master 85 was
joined by the Master Deluxe, with the Master Deluxe being the
fancier, more expensive model. All 1940 models, while similar in
style to the 1939s, had received enough of a facelift to give them
a more modern, streamlined appearance". The Master Deluxe would
also be offered in a top-of-the-line convertible called the Special
Deluxe series. Both the Master 85 and Master Deluxe lines were
offered in a business coupe, two-door town sedan or four-door sport
sedan. The 85 line also included a woodie wagon, and the Deluxe
line, a Sport Coupe. The Master 85 retained the solid front axle,
with the Deluxe series coming with "knee-action" independent front
suspensions. The standard engine was the 216.5-CID in-line 6, which
provided 85 horsepower. Perhaps the wording in a 1940 magazine
advertisement summarizes the 1940 Chevrolet best: "The Crown of
Beauty Belongs to Chevrolet with New Royal Clipper Styling.
Chevrolet's First again! Eye it . . . Try it . . . Buy it!"
With this consignment wrenching is an understatement. More like a
total transformation and now we give you a fully custom rod version
of the 1940 Chevy Master Deluxe. This rebuild has taken many
styling cues from the street rod culture such as snappy paint, the
absence of body chrome, a lengthened and chopped top, tons of
smoothing, a custom chassis and an amazing drivetrain. Read on to
learn what it takes to make a rod this mean and nasty!
Note: This vehicle is sold with a Pennsylvania reconstructed
branding on the title.
Exterior
Mostly true to its original design, we see straight steel panels,
honed to their final curvaceous form with fat fenders, sporting
filled running boards, a rounded roofline that has been lengthed 3"
and chopped 2 1/4" in the front and 1" in the rear, and curved
trunkline with hidden trunk hinges. The hood comes to a shiny point
with the body matching horizontal lined "Groucho Marx" mustache
style front grille clip and is framed on either side by large
bullet style headlights that have been sunken 1" into their pods
and sit proudly on the front fenders along with smaller lower
marker lights. The hood has been smoothed and filled and makes its
way in a Vee design as it races rearward to the Vee shaped dual
pane windshield and all of the chrome trim has been shaved or
painted body color save for the wiper arms. The gently sloping
trunk lid leads back from the full on custom roof and has also been
shaved and filled, making its way down to the custom rear roll pan.
All of this body has been dipped in the deep end of the pool ivory
pearl paint that shows with a few chips and dings, but one must
look closely to see them. Traditional old skool kewl American
Racing Torque Thrust wheels in 15-inch form adorn each corner for
that "just right" look.
Interior
Light brown tweed in a smooth pattern covers most of the custom
door panels which now have billet for the actuators as well as
padded armrests, smooth ivory inserts, and the rocker switches for
the power windows and locks. Moving inside we are greeted with a
pair of modern power bucket seats with movable head rests in light
brown tweed with tuck and roll inserts and nice body hugging
bolsters. This pattern continues to the rear seat which is a fold
down split bench and looks nearly new. These seats are supported by
light brown carpeting with clean light brown carpeted mats.
Upfront, looking to the dash for more inspiration is a 1976
Cadillac tilt and telescopic steering column, a tan wrapped LeCarra
wheel, and a modified simplified custom dash with the full gamut of
LCD green gauges. Also noted is an AM/FM/Cassette radio and the
controls for the Vintage AC/heater system. A clean light brown
tweed headliner hangs above and shows as new.
Drivetrain
A lift of the rear hinged hood reveals total bling in the form of a
425ci Buick Nailhead V8 resting in the closed side engine bay. Very
clean and spit shined with smatterings of aluminum for the valve
covers and air cleaner assembly. Feeding this healthy mill its dose
of air and fossils is a custom built Tuned Port Injection EFI unit
and on the back is a TH400 transmission, which is a 3-speed
automatic. This sends the power rearward to a 10-bolt Positraction
3.08 geared rear axle that puts the power to the pavement.
Undercarriage
A nicely done custom frame, flooring and body hangers are finished
in black with a smattering of minor surface rust but no structural
issues are seen. The front of the frame is a G-body front clip and
ties to a 1966 Buick rear clip via 2"x6" rectangular tubing side
rails. An independent coil spring front suspension is on along with
power disc brakes and for the rear we see a 4 link with coil
springs and power drums. Lest I forget, this car has a stainless
steel fuel tank and a stainless steel dual exhaust system which
snakes its way rearward and ends well in polished tips.
Drive-Ability
Upon the fire up we were met with a nice throaty sound. Popping it
into gear is effortless and we were off to the test track. This car
had good acceleration, a nice ride, good brakes, and superior
handling. All functions were working well during our test
drive.
Overall a very nice rodded Master Deluxe, now even more deluxe than
ever. Plenty of work to modernize the looks and the mechanical
innards, but no fear of chipping the paint during spirited driving,
and you can have a turnkey showstopper whether it be up main street
or at an actual show.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our
showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just
1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The
website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888)
227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come
see the vehicle in person.