From the outside, this ’37 Chevy doesn’t look like a project I would want to take on. It’s rust, missing parts and just looks plain rough, but once you see what’s under the hood and find out about its history, it starts to look like a pretty cool project. You see, this Coupe was built into a gasser with a flat head V8 and just about every creative go fast part you can think of. The seller has records of all the work that was done and what kind of times it was pulling back in 1960! You can find this awesome project here on eBay in Mentor, Ohio with an opening of $6,500.
I just love hot rods and gassers from the late ’50s. It’s incredible to see the ingenuity some of these builders had and the lengths they would go to shave a few tenths of a second off their quarter mile times. As you look this car over, you start to see all the little details. My personal favorite upgrade is the pair of electric fans bolted in front of the radiator to help with cooling. I can’t imagine they were very effective, by you never know!
The engine is a 1951 Ford with a Mercury crank and Jahns Pistons. The heads are Offenhauser with over length lifters and lightened intake valves. The builder’s handwritten list of upgrades and what it cost is an amazing piece of the car’s history. I think I like the history almost as much as the car itself!
Getting this thing back on the road again is going to be a huge task, but how cool would it be to be able to take it back to the dragstrip to see if you can pull a 15.10 in it? The cost is also going to be a factor, but at least you already have all the cool period performance parts. If I were to take it on, I’d have a hard time deciding what to do with it and whether I want to preserve it or restore every nut and bolt. I guess that will be up to the next owner to decide!
Whaaat?!? A Ford in a Chevy? I like it! My dad had a ’37 chevy coupe street rod with old school button tuck interior, and I’ve always liked the body styling. Oh yeah, gassers Rule!!!
Love it…but I’m admittedly prejudice toward 37 Chevy coupes. In my case I restored one that was built for oval track duty and, since the builder wanted to outrun the flatheads, he put a 270 GMC in it. It ruled…until Chevy came out with a new engine in 55!
Restored, it would be much more interesting than all of the fake gassers out there. Even in its current condition it has a certain presence.
Steve R
Awesome, I wonder where it’s been all this time, obviously somewhere moist, judging by the heavily rusted shock absorber rams. The car was surprisingly slow judging by the time cards, considering all the high class mods to the flathead. I noticed the card for 15.10 seconds was for a 51 Ford, not this car. But I still love it.
I was hoping for a Hemi… That piece of non-tech in a Chevy – for shame!!
Can count on my hand the times I’ve seen a Ford in a Chev.. But I love this, and I’m a GM guy.
Really cool piece of nostalgia. Hope it gets spruced up, safe to drive, and keeps its charm.
I’d love to know the racing history on it?
some thing don’t smell right that flat head is in the 32 ford behind the chevy
I do believe you are right.
I love it!
Bill , don’t think so, check out the black paint near the red firewall. No 32 Ford firewall looks like that.
you may be right but I am looking at the space between the frame and the axle plus no over spray on the black body
This ’37 Chevy gasser has that certain cool factor of it’s worth saving and getting back on a drag strip. I just wish someone had thought about removing the old gasser “before” tearing the barn down.
At 1st, I thought, “DE-gasserize” it, but this thing is really cool. Someone, quite possibly under a shade tree, had all the period correct gee-gaws for a gasser. And this gasser certainly did better than 15, I’m guessing low 12’s? ( they do mid 6’s in the 1/8th) Regardless, rather than cherry this out, which this car never was, make it just like old Johnny did ( with the motor from his pickup, remember?) as a tribute. As far as racing it? I doubt it. This car would never pass, but for fun on the street, or to the A&W, be a blast. You’d get a smile out of every geezer motorhead, for sure ( and stories, to boot)
There’s not enough motor for this thing to dip into the 12’s as is. I say squeeze a mild (yeah,right) small block and go have all kinds of fun.
I agree with Howard. Leave it as an original 60’s gasser; which it is. Do the repairs necessary to make it safe and presentableable, then let future Hot rodders enjoy a “Real” piece of history.
The opening bid is probably lower than most sellers would want for the vintage Flathead speed parts.
I’m curious about that Gas Pedal. Is it an illusion, or do you wrap your leg around the shifter to hit the gas?
I suspect that yes you have the gas pedal on the right of the tranny. Take a look how far the firewall was pushed back, I’m guessing there wasn’t enough room for the pedals and gas on the drivers side. It’s been done before and I’m sure someone will do it again in the future. Remember that this was put together pre hydraulic clutches etc so it was necessary to do what was needed to make it work and fit all the linkage where requried.
I can’t imagine it being too comfortable but then again you’re only doing it a quarter mile at a time ;-)
Looks like from the dates on the timing slips shown in the ebay photos that they ran it from 1960 to 1962. Something has seriously tweaked the body in the right rear with the trunk lid bent and the left tail light sitting at an angle. If that could addressed, I would consider keeping the car as-is and then take it to every nostalgia drag meet and car show I could find. A flathead-powered ’37 Chevy still basically intact from the early sixties. Show me another one.
I would have preferred a 425 horse 409.