The entire gauge package out of the S10 Chevy pickup was painstakingly sculpted into the new dashboard of the Chevy sedan. All modern amenities, from cruise control down to emergency flashers, work as if they were ordered on the car 73 years ago when it was new.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
A set of American Racing wheels fitted with P215x65R15 Cooper Cobra tires ride on a Heidt's Mustang II front suspension, complete with rack and pinion steering and power disc brakes.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The cascade-style grille is original to the car, but had to be straightened out after years of wear and tear, before it was rechromed. The front and rear bumpers are smoothed reproduction pieces.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Wider American Racing wheels at the rear carry P245x60R15 Cooper Cobra tires; the rear end is out of the donor S10 Chevy pickup, mounted on relocated shackles to lower the rear of the car.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The running boards had to be patched together and smoothed back into original form, involving a lot of metal work. Note the earlier model door sill trim along the bottom of the door opening.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Also donated by a mid-sized Chrysler, the rear seat is a perfect match for the rest of the interior. A full set of rear seat belts is used, with factory-style front shoulder belts mounted to the center pillar between the front and rear doors.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Power windows and door locks are controlled by a late model Lincoln panel mounted on the driver's side armrest, which came out of an Accura.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Stock 1939-vintage tail lights have been upgraded with bright LED fixtures; the third brake light mounted in the rear window is also an LED unit for improved visibility.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Iran Wheeler did all the body work and modifications before chosing a combination of cream white Wilco Industrial Urethane over a deep green Valspar single-stage paint, which he applied himself.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Twin green pinstripes were applied along the beltline molding to complement the dark green fenders.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
After Iran Wheeler stumbled onto a car that once belonged to one of his neighbors, he set about building his wife, JoEva, a `grandma car' to haul grandkids around. Four and a half years later, the '39 Chevy Master DeLuxe sedan is a show-worthy combination of old style and new technology.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Looking for fuel economy and reliability, Wheeler chose a Vortex V-6 engine and automatic overdrive combination out of a 2001 Chevy S10 pickup truck. He mounted the power plant higher in the engine bay to make maintaining it easier; it employs a throttle body fuel injection setup.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Knowledgeable car guys have trouble identifying the dash in the Chevy, and for good reason -- it was built from scratch by Wheeler, who molded in the S10 instrument bin and the Vintage Air air conditioning controls and vents. Nadine Ward applied the subtle white pinstriping to the handmade glove box door.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Although it's a narrow car from the '30s, access to the interior is not a problem, with four doors opening wide, the rear doors mounted in `suicide' style, opening to the back.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
Downey's Upholstery outfitted the '39 with beautiful Ultraleather upholstery, recovering the late model Chrysler bucket seats, the custom door panels and the headliner in the color-keyed material.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
The Wheelers laughingly refer to JoEva's car as a `Thirty-Nine Impala' as the hand-painted script on the trunk lid indicates.
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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle
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