NEW CHEVROLETS FOR 1939

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 147, 17 March 1939, Page 13

NEW CHEVROLETS FOR 1939

Several Mechanical Innovations

Mechanical innovations ushering in brand-new concepts of safety, comfort and operating ease, with a host of timetried fundamentals, appear in the completely re-styled Chevrolets for 1939. The cars look longer and lower; advanced streamlining, kept well within the bounds of good taste, characterises their unisteel turret-top bodies by Fisher.

The two series are designated as the Master De Luxe and the Master 85. They are identical as to power plant and, except for suspension and gear ratio, as to chassis as well. The Master De Luxe features a completely redesigned independent front suspension, and the Master 85 remains conventional; but both springing systems have undergone sweeping revision, resulting in a smoother ride, greater roadability, and more positive control. Steering has been made much easier throughout both lines. ,

An improvement destined to take first rank among advances in the industry this year—the gearshift steering column control—is fitted to Master De Luxe models. Chevrolet engineers, however, have gone a long step beyond mere relocation of a hand-actuated gear-shift lever, and have perfected, a positive vacuum-operated gear-shift mechanism. A flick of a finger, without removal of the hand from the steering wheel, now performs all the operations possible with the conventional gear-shift lever. The floor of the driving compartment is cleared completely, leaving ample room for three persons in the front seat. The handbrake lever on all models is removed to a convenient location under the cowl. On the Master De Luxe, an ingenious adaptation of the short-and-long-arin “wish-bone” type of individual suspension, heretofore confined to costlier cars, has been co-ordinated with new ride stabilizer and special shock absorbers in front, and with re-designed springs and shock absorbers in the rear, to provide a smooth, soft ride under all conditions. Springing is softer, and front-wheel vertical travel is greater; but, because of new air-plane-type, double-acting end-to-end-dis-charge shock absorbers, it is under more positive control, as—due to the stabilizer —is the tendency to roll or sway on turns. On the Master 85 front and rear springing have been carefully harmonized with each other, and scientifically balanced for maximum riding ease. Spring leaves are .-thinner, and are tapered. Double-acting shock absorbers like those on the Master De Luxe are employed in front, and single-act-ing hydraulics in the rear. The ride stabilizer is an important feature of both series. The frame is the wellknown box-girder construction, which has proved so successful on previous models, even further strengthened for 1939. Hydraulic brakes are, of course, retained, with the jointed link mechanism exclusive to Chevrolet. Chevrolet’s power plant, while basically the same as in 1938, has undergone numerous refinements, some of which result in greater economy, some in heightened dependability, and some in more economical servicing. The Master 85 series features a fourdoor sedan, and a business coupe, while a Master 85 ‘‘Special” touring sedan is also available, conventionally sprung, but with De Luxe appointments and refinements. Finally, the Master De Luxe series, featuring knee-action wheels and vacuum gear-shift, in two models, a four-door touring sedan and a business coupe.