Do you ever go through old photos of yourself and cringe? Maybe you spot one from your awkward teen years when you had a goofy haircut and/or wore dorky clothes. It’s hard to do that when looking at Chevrolet trucks of yesteryear because they all look great in their own ways. Our Pick of the Day is a testament to that. You can find this 1939 Chevrolet Master JC pick-up listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Smyrna, Tennessee.
When I was a kid, my dad bought several 1950s Chevrolet and GMC pickups but, since they were unrestored and inoperative, I never developed a true appreciation for their styling. Fortunately, as I’ve become older and been exposed to GM trucks from different eras, I’ve learned how handsome they truly are. Chevy just couldn’t miss back in the day—the Task-Force, Advance-Design, and C/K models are all lookers.
This Master JC from the late 1930s is no exception. Its tall vertical grille and two-piece windshield give it a dramatic presence while the curved fenders add distinctive touches of grace and elegance. The basic design would look great even with a heavy patina but, within the past several decades, this pickup received a body-off restoration—twice. The first one was carried out between December 1979 and November 1985. The second one started in April 1999 and concluded in November 2001, resulting in the current apple green and black color combo with wood bed slats and side rails. As if this truck wasn’t head-turning enough already, its wheels are the same green as the body, accented with chrome hub caps and wrapped in wide whitewalls.
Many vintage trucks have an interior color scheme that matches the one on the body, but this one is different. Instead of carrying the apple green onto the painted surfaces and opting for a black bench seat, the professionals who did the paint and interior of this truck went with a brownish gray for the door panels and dash (which is a great surrounding for the sepia gauge dials), and a rich shade of brown vinyl.
Restorations are great opportunities for anachronistic engine upgrades. Yes, those bring more power and, in many cases, fuel injection, but it’s nice to see that this truck still has a 216ci inline-six, which was factory rated at 78 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque. A three-on-the-tree manual transmission sends power to the rear end.
There’s no shortage of attractive vintage Chevy trucks on ClassicCars.com but, if you want a great example of one from the 1930s, take a closer look at this 1939 Chevrolet Master JC pick-up. To get the best view, buy it for $53,000 and have it shipped to your house.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
