How About a Chevy in a Chevy?! All Steel, 350 V8, Auto, R&P, Pwr Frt Disc, A/C!

Description

This 1931 Chevrolet Sedan Streetrod is a great rebuttal to all the complaints about putting Chevy motors in early Fords. Instead of putting a Ford in your Ford, why not get a Chevy in which to put your Chevy? Far less common but every bit as good looking, this neat 2-door sedan is the answer to the Chevy fan's wish for a great early cruiser with a classic look.

Built to be driven and finished only 7,398 miles ago, this tidy 5 Passenger 2 Door Coupe is a refreshing change of pace after looking at Model As all the time. Sure, the look is similar, but the Chevy guys did things a little differently and you can see it in the many wonderful details that are unique to the Bowtie models. It's covered in handsome burgundy paint that captures the elegance of these old cars, but it's offset with black fenders and running boards to break up the monochromatic look and give it a vintage feel that works quite well. All the features that charm us on these old cars are still here, including the graceful fenders, neat visor over the windshield, the ornate grille, and those handsome whitewall tires. Nothing has been chopped or radically altered, and it even includes original-style bumpers and a handsome hood ornament atop the shiny chrome radiator shell. Fit and finish are not perfect, but certainly presentable, particularly for a car of this vintage that isn't a fiberglass reproduction, and attention to detail means that it'll always attract a crowd when you park it.

Open the doors and you'll see that the interior is equally well finished. Clever use of modern components gives it an updated functionality, including the cloth bucket seats up front and comfortable bench in the rear. There's also R134a A/C that's subtly installed under the dash that was painted to match the exterior, a matching tilt column with a sporty leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a skinny floor shifter that frees up valuable space in the rather compact front cabin of this sedan. Beautiful Classic Instruments gauges are fitted to a billet instrument panel that's in the middle of the dash, just as they were in 1931. Plush carpets below and a taut headliner above give the cabin an all-together look that feels much more luxurious than anything found in '31, and there's even seatbelts up front for a little added safety. Matching door panels offer a simple look with nicely integrated door handles and the back seat is spacious and very comfortable as well.

As I mentioned, this Chevy has traditional Chevy V8 power in the form of a nicely detailed small block 400 V8. A few polished dress-up items add some sparkle under the louvered hood, punctuated by finned valve covers and a matching open-element air cleaner. The motor has a few performance-enhancing upgrades like an Edelbrock 4-barrel on top of an aluminum intake, along with a set of block-hugging headers that feed the custom dual exhaust system with chambered mufflers underneath. The front suspension is an upgraded Mustang II-style setup punctuated with rack-and-pinion steering plus power front disc brakes. In back you'll find coilovers and a 10-bolt rear end set-up, so this vintage coupe feels far more up-to-date than it looks, which is entirely the point. The undercarriage was made for driving, so it's not super shiny or detailed for show, but it also means that you'll never think twice about turning the key and heading out on the road. And those handsome painted steelies are adorned with Baby Moon hubcaps and beauty rings that look suitably pre-war, particularly with fat 185/75/14 front and 235/75/15 rear whitewall radials that fill the fenders perfectly.

This great little Chevy does everything well and stands out because it's not cut from the same cloth as all the other '31s out there. After all, what's more appropriate than a Chevy with a Chevy in it? Call today!