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Garaged 20 Years: 1939 LaSalle Sedan

After 20 years or more in a garage, this 1939 LaSalle is looking for a new home. Looking to be a nice older restoration, this beautiful American sedan needs to hit the streets again. With no posted price, and listed as a 1937 model, we wonder what the seller may want for this fine machine. Find it here on craigslist out of West Alexandria, Ohio.

The engine bay is stunning, housing the 322 cubic inch flat head V8. This V8 generates a whopping 125 horsepower that is controlled via a “3 on the tree”. The engine looks very nice, with only minor discoloring to the intake manifold from leaky gas. The carburetor looks to be in need of a rebuild, but aside from that discoloration this engine bay looks grand. Although the engine bay looks nice, there is no mention of this LaSalle running so we are assuming it is in need of fresh fluids, and some mechanical attention.

The interior is equally as lovely as the engine bay looking to be perfect to a “T” in restoration workmanship, and in restoration materials. Looking over the interior the first thing we see is a beautiful faux painted wood dash that is lightly covered in dust. The door panels and the bench seat look very nice as well, and the fabric looks period correct. The only thing visible that we dislike of the interior is the mildly dirty driver side floor area, and what looks to be a stereo, or heater retrofitted on the underside of the dash.  Did we mention we also love the fact that there is a brochure with this LaSalle?

Moving to the back seat area reveals suicide doors and again, a beautiful interior. The rear bench seat looks much more like a Laz-e-boy unit, but only in the fact that it looks very comfortable. The upholstery work on this LaSalle is outstanding. The fabric isn’t even pulled or puckered, in the corners or by the ashtrays. The carpeting lays flush and flat, and the door panels and headliner are awesome. Whoever restored this LaSalle deserves some credit for their keen eye and their attention to detail.

Wearing a shade of red, this LaSalle is a beautiful automobile that likely needs some mechanical attention after its hibernation, but otherwise is very solid. The paint and body work look very sleek and clean from what we can see, and we hope the same keen eye, and attention to detail, was given to the exterior. The seller has mentioned that the lacquer is in need of some touch up, though we see no evidence of any real flaws other than it has sat for 20 years. Obviously in need of hitting the streets again, we think with some fresh fluids and some time, this LaSalle would be street ready once again. We love this big American beauty, how about you?

Comments

  1. Avatar Dave Wright

    What a great car…………and a great price. Colors are the best, would make a statement wherever it goes………

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  2. Avatar Steve

    Every time I see a LaSalle for sale now this song runs through my mind:

    Didn’t need no Welfare states
    Everybody pulled his weight
    gee our old LaSalle ran great
    Those were the days

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    • HoA Howard A Member

      Thanks Steve, same here. That was quite a tv show. Broke many barriers. I remember, originally, you couldn’t make out what they said, and later on they slowed it down, so you could understand it. Those were truly the days. ( watching the show, not so much the actual time frame. I remember my grandparents saying there was nothing much good about those days)

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  3. Avatar Francisco

    $16?? I assume $16K. In that case, it’s not such a good price.

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    • Avatar Dave Wright

      The paint and interior would cost that……..

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  4. Avatar Jim Mc

    What a beautiful car! Call it a Cadillac, Jr. Love that the taillights are a miniature reverse of the headlights.
    You guys recently are really ramping up my fondness for the pre-war rides. And as old as I am, I’m learning a lot, too. Thank you.

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    • Avatar Jay M

      I too love the headlights and taillights. I actually have a really nice complete set that someone found while dismantling an old barn that was collapsing.
      Too bad the rest of the car wasn’t there…

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  5. Avatar Jesper

    Repaint it, in another more classic color. Black, or creme.
    That car deserve it.

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  6. Avatar Vince Habel

    I remember when the La Salle transmissions were the ones used in hot rods. That was before 4 speeds came out. There was one just like this at the Manheim Auto Auction 3 years ago.

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    • Avatar Randy Bitner

      I drove one of these in 1969 that had electric overdrive switch. The switch, I think, was somewhere near the gas pedal to kick it into overdrive. There was an overdrive gearbox on the 3 speed transmission mounted outside. Anyone recall how to select overdrive?

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  7. Avatar Carguy

    My late brother had a black 39 LaSalle his senior year in high school in the 1950s. Had a sliding sun roof. He used to let me stand on top of the back of the front seat and stick my head out of the sun roof. I was about 6 or 7 then. I loved that car. Sadly, both my brother and the car are gone now. But boy I’ve got memories. Love this offering. Thanks for the jolt of nostalgia BF.

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  8. Avatar Rustytech Member

    Boy I wish they made dash boards like that today. This is a gorgeous car, and needs a loving owner that will show it. The younger generation needs to see what “real” Detroit Iron looked like!

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  9. Avatar Thomas Allen

    The transmission had syncro gears, most other manufacturers did not.

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  10. Avatar charlie Member

    And it could be an original color, GM made metallic paints in the late 30’s, even on one color a year on Chevy’s.

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  11. Avatar Mark S

    Detail it make it mechanically sound and drive it on nice days leave the colour alone it looks great the way it is, what a fantastic car. If it were mine I’d garage it baby it when out and be its Stewart until I buy the farm, and have another steward for it lined up. Cheers.

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  12. Avatar ELMER TURNER

    i really don,t understand why people do not take a little time to put a full car cover, or a large tarp and cover up their classics, and if outside, block it up off the ground.

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  13. Avatar C.R. Patton II

    This was a General Motors “B” body 1939 LaSalle 5019 of which 15,688 were manufactured. Weight is 3,740 at a cost of $1,320. Harley Earl created the LaSalle line in 1927-1940. He saved Cadillac from demise.

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  14. Avatar starsailing

    Looks like a nice ride….would love to take it for a spin for years and years…
    Dad had a 38 or 39 when they moved in together. Mom had said she could drive a car even though she had no license and never driven before. They lived on Franklin Ave. in Mpls, a main city street….Mom …ever the showoff, jumps in, starts it up, puts it in gear revs and dumps the clutch…driving over a mile in low gear… going through every stoplight and swerving around cars the whole way to Henn. Ave when she pushed in the clutch and rolled to a stop then killed the engine…She eventually wrecked the car later still trying to learn how to drive without dad along with her. Dad picked up a 34 Chev then, while out grouse hunting with mom…the shotguns leaning on back bumper…Mom playfully drove in reverse accidently and ran over the barrels of both shotguns.
    In the 50s while out driving with dad he would see these old LaSalles in parking lots and say…best car I ever had. Mom always blamed her accidents on the cars.

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    • Avatar Dave Wright

      Great story……..not to disrespect your mom but she must have been an “adventure” to live with………..she was probably really fun. I had a girlfriend that was like that with horses…..I don’t think she ever voluntarily got off a horse……

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  15. Avatar starsailing

    Mom was the most disrespectful person I ever knew of. She wasn’t happy if she wasn’t trying to mess up everyone’s relationships with each other. She wanted more grandchildren, so as we boys got married, behind our back she was telling our brides that us boys wanted kids….right away….then told them not to tell us boys she told them that.
    Mom created that scene on the Carol Burnett show where the silent wife is quiet when Harvey comes home….”Hi Hon…what’s the matter?”…”OH NOTHING…….” “Cmon..tell me what’s the matter?” “Well if you don’t know!” I don’t…. so tell me..What’s the matter?” “Oh nothing” …Then 6 months later we find out after things are a huge mess..
    Sure enough I bought several horses because the bride was trained in dressage by Max Von Bluecher of Fortuna Farms…and with first horse that looked like Secretariat..we were first place instantly winning every show in our class. So she put the bug in their ear that I said…and same with other brothers..that we loved our cars more than are wives…ergo….one by one the wives asked us to sell our muscle cars to prove we loved them…we did it….Then one by one …we boys found out mom was behind it……I could write a book…”The Monster within my mom.” The things she did ok were pretty good. Simply jealous of seeing anyone being happy without her being the architect of that happiness. As for dad, always being happy away from her…especially fixing and working on base cars and then flipping them for a profit! My brothers and me learned how to have fun with cars….working on them was always fun..expensive sometimes because of our fun…and we learned we were happy like dad…when we were away from mom ….someplace… in our cars!

    Like 0

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