eBay Find of the Day: ’39 Custom Chevy Master Coupe

For 1939, the Chevrolet Master Deluxe was available in several body styles. Two four-door sedans, including ‘suicide’ hinged rear doors, were distinguished by the presence or absence of a rear trunk. Similarly, the two-door models could be had without a trunk (Coach) or with (Town Sedan).  It seems a bit strange today to be presented with such a choice, but that was the way of things back then.

When it came to the sportiest models, the Coupe 4 was described as “4 passenger, 2 door closed body with 2 opera seats, luggage compartment in rear deck.” The more specialized Coupe 2, or Business Coupe, converted the rear seat area to an additional luggage compartment for those continually on the road.

The lower cost Master 85 line shared all of the Deluxe models, save for the Coupe 4, but the more utilitarian car was also available in station wagon and panel van configurations, as well as a Business Coupe having an open pickup box instead of the rear trunk.

Compared to the staid lines of the Coaches and Sedans, those of the Coupe were positively swaggering, though all distinction began from the cowl and worked back. As such, the various coupes are favored for hot rod conversion, in this case a two-door, two-seat Business Coupe.

The body has been extensively modified for show including a forward-tilting fiberglass hood, shaved door handles and electric windows. The Business Coupe’s original 216cui, 6.25:1 compression, inline six has been replaced with a 440 hp, 350cui GM crate engine that has been fitted with lots of go-fast goodies, including a 750 Demon carburetor on an Edelbrock Performer intake manifold, long tube headers with Flowmaster 50’s and an aluminum radiator with custom shroud and electric fan.

The interior of this offering is one of the nicest we’ve noted in a while, obviously intended to let you drive the car without regrets on any journey longer than 15 minutes.

Similarly, the transmission and drive train have been put together with an eye to trouble-free cruising, because there’s little you’ll ever see that’s more pathetic than a custom rod on the end of a hook.

The balance of this hot rod is generously described in the listing, which ended May 30. The reserve bid had not been met and so, if this is the car of your dreams, some chance still exists to make it yours. You can still contact the seller using the “Ask a question” function under the Seller Info heading.

Regardless of how nice the photos appear to be, it is always important to conduct a personal inspection of any car that you may purchase online. The current rod is located in Lodi, CA, so if you cannot shake loose to get there, consider getting a friend to stop by, or have an independent commercial inspector see the car.