1939 Chevrolet Master DeLuxe

The 'Chevrolet Motor Company' was founded on November 3, 1911, by Swiss race car driver and automotive engineer Louis Chevrolet, along with his brother Arthur Chevrolet, William C. Durant and investment partners William Little, Edwin R. Campbell, and James H. Whiting. Mr. Campbell was Durant's son-in-law, Mr. Whiting was a former Buick owner, and William Little was the maker of the Little automobile. Mr. Durant was one of the leading pioneers of the United States automobile industry and the co-founder of General Motors. He amassed a fortune from his holdings in the Durant-Dort Carriage Company which allowed him to assume control of the troubled Buick Motor Company. It soon became the best-selling automobile in America, providing financial resources to purchase even more automobile company and parts/accessories manufacturers. These were consolidated in 1908 under a holding company called General Motors. Durant continued to purchase more companies, and when he over-leveraged GM, he was removed by the board of directors in 1910.

Buick had patented the overhead valve and cross-flow cylinder engine design, and the early Chevrolet vehicles benefitted from this technology. They were built as a junior model to Buick and introduced their first model in 1913 at the New York auto show. The 'bowtie emblem' was first used in 1914 on the H Series and the L Series.

Following disputes over different design ideas, Louis Chevrolet sold Durant his share in the company in 1914. By 1916, Chevrolet was profitable enough to allow Durant to repurchase a controlling interest in General Motors. The deal was completed in 1918, Durant became president of General Motors, and Chevrolet was merged into G.M. as a separate division.

Despite its success, Chevrolet would not take over as the United States' number one producer of automobiles until 1927. When Chevrolet introduced the 490, they were sending the world a message: that they were going to aggressively compete with Ford and were not afraid to show it. The car cost the name of the car, selling for $490, and was the same price as a Ford Model T. Though this was a valiant attempt, sales figures did not reach Ford sales figures.

By the early 1920s, Chevrolet had abandoned its attempt to compete head-on with Ford's Model T. Ford continued to drop its prices annually, while Chevrolet prices steadily rose, repositioning itself as a 'middle-market' manufacturer. Compared to the Model T, the Chevrolet offered a higher degree of refinement and standard amenities. With the help of William S. Knudsen's leadership in 1925, who had worked at Ford in their production department, they began offering a wide array of colors. Within a few years, Chevrolet had surpassed Ford in sales. In 1928, the list of standard options grew to include four-wheel brakes.

In 1929, Chevrolet introduced its 'Cast-Iron Wonder.' This was an overhead valve 'Stovebolt' six-cylinder engine that would become the engine that would power many Chevrolets for the years to come. The engine size would increase throughout the years, as would the horsepower output.

The 1939 ChevroletModels

The 1939 Chevrolet Master 85 (Series JB) had longer hoods than the prior years. The headlights now sat atop the front fenders. The grille had horizontal bars, and many aspects of the vehicle became rounder. The six-cylinder cast-iron block engine displaced 216.5 cubic inches and produced 85 horsepower.

The Master Deluxe Series JA was a slightly more expensive, more fancy version of its Sibling, the JB. It featured standard equipment that was optional on the JB. Included were bumper guards and twin taillights. The addition of an all-new body style was the four-passenger coupe.

Both the Master 85 and Master Deluxe rested on a 112.25-inch wheelbase platform and rode on 16 x 6.00 tires with spoke steel wheels. The Master 85 received double-acting shock absorbers introduced in October of 1938, and rubber bushed front suspension. The Master Deluxe had a new open spring suspension setup in the front, and double-acting rear shock absorbers. The 215.6 cubic-inch overhead valve inline six-cylinder engine had four main bearings, solid valve lifters, a Carter one-barrel carburetor, 6.25:1 compression, and produced 85 horsepower at 3,200 RPM. The three-speed manual transmission had a single plate clutch, floor shift controls, and sent power to the rear wheels. Hydraulic brakes on all four wheels provided the stopping power.

Approximately 200,058 examples of the Master 85 were produced during the model year and 387,119 of the Master Deluxe.

by Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2007