This old Chevy listed on eBay is a project that died in 1987. There are no bids yet and a BIN of $8,750. The guy that was restoring it purchased it from the original owner, his uncle. We might wonder why, after having the engine rebuilt, the paint and bodywork done and many new parts purchased, the owner gave up. This once, we have an answer. He sent the interior off to an upholstery shop and, you guessed it, the shop and his upholstery burned in a fire. The 1980’s paint is not likely what we would choose these days, but it protected the metal. The car looks complete except for the interior.
The dash is all there, but that steering wheel needs help. The clock in the glove box door is original. Here’s one for sale on eBay.
This Chevy is quite empty inside but it show the condition of the floor very clearly. It looks pretty nice with no daylight showing.
Here’s the rebuilt engine, a 206 CID 6-cylinder. Hopefully it’s not seized.
It looks pretty good underneath. There’s surface rust but nothing serious showing. Could that be a new gas tank?
There are lots of parts included, some which will be useful, like for reinstalling the missing glass which is also included.
This could be a grand old driver with some work and an interior. If the interior pieces could be salvaged from a donor car and upholstered it would cost several thousand dollars. How much too much do you think the owner is asking for this Chevy? It is not rare or especially collectable. The seller is likely trying to recover what he paid There may be someone out there who like the paint work and sees the value in the work done. This Chevy would make a great custom, but I hope it stays original.
I love it, and the story is a bit sad. Personally, I see about $5500 here. Not sure how hard it would be to source an original interior to redo and install but I wouldn’t think it would be too hard to retrofit era – correct pieces from another vehicle, it might not satisfy the judges at Pebble Beach but if you were careful most people wouldn’t know it wasn’t totally correct. Nice find.
I think this is a jewel that just needs a bit of t l c and polishing it is a pity I’m in the UK good luck I hope it gets a good home Dave
Not being a Chevy type but, a sedan type, I’d be in for around 5K. Aside that strange two-tone, it seems pretty solid. Another 3K making it a decent cruiser at 8K all in. At 10K for a decent used car off the lot nowadays, it would be a fun daily driver. It would be a far cry from the Honda’s that litter the roadways though….No tilt, no cruise, no power seats or even….
no mirrors at all. No lane change warnings, no low oil level alarms……you get the point. You would actually have to drive this vehicle instead of letting it drive You.
Thank you sir! Well said. But you missed cup holders! Funny, what I miss most in my old driver are cup holders! And old cars do have a lane change warning. Just move over slowly and see if anyone honks! Or, you can actually turn around and look. What I really miss in my main driver is being able to rev the engine or even start it. It just seems wrong! (C-Max Energi)
Why is there a spatula with a red handle sticking out of the right side of the grill??
Good eye! Putty knife, perhaps?
Love those 37 Chevys. Price does seem a little high. I thought they had a 216 in them not a 206. The 1/2 ton trucks had a 216.
I feel like I need to break out my Dick Tracy watch for this find!
I’d go the custom route. Re upholster a late model interior, add a tilt steering column, vintage air, and a custom re-color.
I prefer original but an original interior might be impossible to find. So I would be ok with a tasteful custom interior.
The red handle thing in the grille is for scraping up roadkill for dinner. As I go through my 70’s, I find cars of this age are best as Sunday drivers. Let others enjoy reminiscing. There are many of these locked up in garages and museums.
Nice style,,, nice condition. Another moral dilemma. Restore or restomod? Glad its not my problem but I do love the styling on these and hope it goes to a good home.
Monument Oregon is not exactly a thriving metropolis and will be a impediment for sales to a large degree. Be different if it were in bay area or LA Calif.
Even for me near Portland Oregon this is a long ways out there.
Brings back memories of the 38 I had, and wish I still had.
I happen to have one sitting in my garage. Yes they were a 216 ci, also known as a stove bolt six. There were 2 models in 1937, a Master and a Master Deluxe. This one appears to be a master deluxe due to the lack of a solid i-beam front axle. That means it has a “knee action” front suspension. The knee-action was somewhat quirky and had reliability issues. Motor parts are still reasonably available because the same basic engine was produced up to 1962. The displacement went to 235 ci in 1955, I believe. If someone goes the resto-mod route, their are kit to upgrade the front suspension to a Mustang II available. That actually might be the safest route for this example.
235 in cars came out in 1950 with the powerglide transmission, and there was a splash oiled 235 in the 2 ton trucks starting in 1941. Then in 1954 the 2 ton trucks went to the 261 which was the largest of the Blue Flame sixes