For Sale: 1939 Chrysler Imperial factory flathead 8 cylinder - $10,900 - Riverside, CA - Not Mine - Relisted, Price Increased to $14,900: 5-7-2022:

[58L-Y8]

For Sale: 1939 Chrysler Imperial factory flathead 8 cylinder - $10,900 - Riverside, CA - Relisted, Price Increased to $14,900: 5-7-2022: See New Link Below:

1939 Chrysler imperial factory flat 8 cylinder - cars & trucks - by... (craigslist.org)

1939 Chrysler Imperial, factory flathead 8 engine, 3 speed stick with untested overdrive unit, Restored in the early 2000s, Beautiful waterfall grille, lots of Art Deco in this 82 year old piece of Americana, straight body, no rust, original heater, nice velour interior, stainless and chrome like new, original 16” wheels with 2 piece hubcaps and beauty rings, New fuel pump, 6 volt battery, plugs and muffler pipe, Rebuilt starter, solenoid , and carburetor, Needs wheel cylinder rebuilt, runs/drives smooth, clean Idaho title on hand, located in Riverside Ca. Johnny Carson owned one, now it resides at J Leno’s collection, priced to sell! $10,900
Contact:   please call, text (323) 5-4-seven-8-0-four-9
Copy and paste in your email:   e8322e40fa433abebedfeb2bd7e89914@sale.craigslist.org

 

I have no personal interest or stake in the eventual sale of this For Sale: 1939 Chrysler Imperial 4dr sedan.

Edited May 8, 2022 by 58L-Y8
Relisted, Price Increased to $14,900: 5-7-2022: Crossed out the dead CL link, (see edit history)

[TerryB]

Looks like old time truck tires on it. The motorcycle turn signals need to be replaced with something that doesn’t stand out as much as these do.  Not too bad for the $$$.

[SuperJonas]

This is an absolute steal at this price, lose the steering wheel cover, correct the tires (they do look pretty bad), wheel cylinders fixed...nothing outwardly wrong on this one.  If I were in the market, I'd be on this right now.  

[kingrudy]

Great looking car at a nice price. When I purchased my '40 Super it had truck tires on it. The 16 x6.50 tires are hard to find unless you go to Coker, or Universal and they are not cheap.

[Steve9]

Real nice, IMPERIAL no less. Great value, should be gone by this time tomorrow!

[58L-Y8]

But, whoever buys it, please replace those aftermarket seal-beam headlight conversions with the original reflectors, bulbs, lens and rims!

[neil morse]

50 minutes ago, 58L-Y8 said:

But, whoever buys it, please replace those aftermarket seal-beam headlight conversions with the original reflectors, bulbs, lens and rims!

 

Exactly what I was thinking!  Otherwise, I agree with the other posts.  I've always liked the Chryslers from this year.

[deac]

Nice car.  I love the Art Deco era and most of the late 30's cars had that style to them.  It's a nice car at a pretty decent price. First issue is "untested overdrive unit"....what???  Second issue is "needs wheel cylinder rebuild".  It would be a cool car to cruise around in on the weekends!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, 58L-Y8 said:

But, whoever buys it, please replace those aftermarket seal-beam headlight conversions with the original reflectors, bulbs, lens and rims!

Agreed!

The original headlamps look much nicer.

 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I mentioned recently about how tedious it is to reproduce the "sunburst" motif on wheels. It seems that most thirties wheels have been repainted the body color only. The red coupe above sure benefits from the detail, though, doesn't it? And, yes, the factory headlight lenses are quite beautiful. This Imperial is so reasonably priced that I'm tempted to be skeptical about it.

[SparkEE]

@Hudsy Wudsyperhaps very reasonable to be skeptical.  I have been looking for a nice 1939 Imperial / New Yorker / Saratoga for a while now (finally subscribing to the advice of@edinmassto the masses on a car search, within my ability).  

 

This much nicer, sans color (depending upon taste), 1939 Imperial sold at auction midyear for just a couple thousand more (including the auction premiums).

https://www.hemmings.com/auction/1939-chrysler-imperial

 

 

BTW:  I missed the one I’d like to have had that was sold right here, over on the Chrysler forum.  Possibly one of the nicest ones out there.

 

[58L-Y8]

30 minutes ago, SparkEE said:

@Hudsy Wudsyperhaps very reasonable to be skeptical.  I have been looking for a nice 1939 Imperial / New Yorker / Saratoga for a while now (finally subscribing to the advice of@edinmassto the masses on a car search, within my ability).  

 

This much nicer, sans color (depending upon taste), 1939 Imperial sold at auction midyear for just a couple thousand more (including the auction premiums).

https://www.hemmings.com/auction/1939-chrysler-imperial

 

 

BTW:  I missed the one I’d like to have had that was sold right here, over on the Chrysler forum.  Possibly one of the nicest ones out there.

 

SparkEE:

 

Since you've been searching for a "nice 1939 Imperial / New Yorker / Saratoga for a while now"  I'd recommend you investigate this particular car.  This is the first one to turn up yet in over a year plus of searching Craigslist for good older cars for consideration.  Only the six cylinder models typically turn up but few eight cylinder models ever.  You can always bypass it if it doesn't meet your standards.   If you do investigate it, please report your findings. Thanks.

Steve

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Sparkee, that one on Hemmings was a beauty. I'm still troubled by the nice green one I posted a link to a year or two ago. I can't see a '39 and not think of that poor New Yorker. It had side mounts which are so nice looking, but rare. Some total idiot put a big block Chevy engine in it and, if that isn't bad enough, put a blower on it. I'm hoping that I'll one day get over that trauma.

[SparkEE]

@Hudsy Wudsy, I know the one you are referring to.  I have seen a video of a red sedan with side mounts and there was a blue sedan earlier this year out of Atlanta with side mounts.  It was sold off Copart for next to nothing.  It appeared to have only minor front end damage.  It later resold (I believe) this year.  I don’t believe it originally had side mounts.  It was missing the body mount hardware.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I just took a look at Google Images for '39 Chrysler and darn if that nightmare isn't still for sale:

Buy used 1939 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER WITH RARE DOUBLE SPARE TIRE FENDERS ! in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, for US $15,000.00 (2040-cars.com)

[B Jake Moran]

How do you know it’s an Imperial ?  

[58L-Y8]

Jake:

 

Paraphrased from The Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1805-1942, edited by Kimes and Clark.

The 125" wb eight cylinder 1939 Chryslers were all designated C-23 Series.  Oddly enough the market position was base-to-high: Imperial ($1123-$1198), New Yorker ($1223-$1395), Saratoga ($1443 & $1495).   The model script nameplate is on the forward hood side.  While the Imperial had the same grille as six cylinder Royal, the New Yorker and Saratoga have three bars on the upper grille and only eleven bars on the lower 'waterfall' grille.  New Yorker was the 'luxury' trim level with two-tone upholstery and rich appointments.  The Saratoga was the 'sports luxury'  with leather and Bedford cord upholstery.   

 

The choicest to find are the rare Victoria Coupes by Hayes: Imperial: 35; New Yorker: 99; Saratoga: 134.   I came across one of the Imperial Victoria Coupes on a trailer at the Dunkirk, NY swap meet in the 1990's but have never seen or heard of it since.

 

Steve

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I found that video of the red New Yorker with side mounts:

 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I recall remarking at the time that the side mounts were particularly attractive because they sat low enough to not be obtrusive. Just very tasteful.

[SparkEE]

Here is the one from earlier this year.  Note that the side mounts don’t sit quite right - no body mount hardware is apparent in the picture.

 

https://www.copart.com/lot/40114070/clean-title-1939-chrysler-imperial-ga-atlanta-north

 

and then here:

https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1509700/1939-chrysler-imperial-for-sale-in-cadillac-michigan-49601

 

it later appeared on eBay.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

The one on the driver's side appears to tip outward a little bit. It sure is a beauty otherwise. Do you know how much it sold for at any time?

[SparkEE]

I believe the Copart sale was on the order of 4k.  I did not see the final Ebay price, if it sold. 

 

Nice looking car but suspect that fenders aren’t original to the car. If they were there would be a mounting bracket through the cowl.

Edited November 5, 2021 by SparkEE (see edit history)

[TerryB]

I keep waiting to see “I bought it” posted here by someone.  Doesn’t the original dash have some kind of plastic trim that always broken or missing?

[Guest]

This car is only an hour away from me, so if anyone here's interested, I'd be happy to view the car and get additional pics for you.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

4 hours ago, TerryB said:

I keep waiting to see “I bought it” posted here by someone.  Doesn’t the original dash have some kind of plastic trim that always broken or missing?

I don't quite understand why, but sometimes the plastic is badly deteriorated and other times it seems just fine. This is pure speculation, but I sort of wonder if they made a midseason change to the formulation. I wish I knew more about the early history of plastics. I know Henry Ford Sr was a big proponent of one farm based product. I can't recall if it was soy or corn. Tenite was an early cellulose synthetic that found it's way into radios, the one thing that I know a little about. It shrunk and cracked miserably in time.

Edited November 6, 2021 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[Brooklyn Beer]

That is one really nice dash insert.  Really impossible to find one this nice.  The paint is always peeled off on the glass on the instruments and speedo. Those can be found but the plastic on the dash is always toast.  Stories of them melting and cracking and shrinking in under a year in southern states. OD's on these cars are rock solid and mechanical in nature.  It is the electric kick down to get  out on hills that parts can be hard to find. I have been able to track down all of it except the switch on the carb and the bracket. Been told Hudsons are like. Getting into OD is just getting it up to a certain speed in third and letting off the gas till it drops in.       http://fordification.com/tech/overdrive.htm

[Brooklyn Beer]

I am tempted to pull enough out of my crypto currency account and find a place for this.

[Brooklyn Beer]

He has the OD knob out and it needs pushed in to operate

[Brooklyn Beer]

On 11/3/2021 at 9:17 PM, 58L-Y8 said:

But, whoever buys it, please replace those aftermarket seal-beam headlight conversions with the original reflectors, bulbs, lens and rims!

I have the same issue on my 1939 Royal. I have not been able to find the complete original set for under 1 k.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

49 minutes ago, Brooklyn Beer said:

I have the same issue on my 1939 Royal. I have not been able to find the complete original set for under 1 k.

Wow, I had no idea they could be so expensive. Hudson kick down switches are under gas pedal. At least the '48 and later ones are. I think that what they do that's most important is briefly short out the current to the coil to allow the engine to stop "pulling" and put some slack into the driveline so that the overdrive can "shift" easily. I would think that a simple under dash switch might accomplish the same, but you would have to know when to operate it at the precise moment.

[Brooklyn Beer]

With this year there is a solenoid on the trans, a funky relay on the drivers side fender well that is actuated by switch near the carb that is linkage tripped. Floor it and it all kicks it out of OD. The relay works as you describe above from I read.  I have driven mine comfortably without any of the kick down attached. 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

While we are busy beating the subject of '39 Chrysler's to death, I figure why not add this woodie wagon. I hate to start out with criticism, but I don't think that I care all that much for the color. It's nice enough on it's own, I guess, but it doesn't really "pop" with the wood color, does it? I don't know what would have been better, though. If you have the time to look through all of the pics, you'll have to notice the clock in the glove box lid. I don't know if I've ever seen one before:

Wood-Bodied 1939 Chrysler Imperial Station Wagon (imperialclub.info)

[SparkEE]

Yes, the clock was an option.  Note that it too had a domed impression in the lense, unique to 1939, alone.  Also note that the car advertised for sale as the subject of this thread appears to have the glove box door from a six cylinder model (blue emblem).

 

The spark control knob in the woodie  (pictured just above the starter button on the left most side of the dash) just might be the original. I’ve yet to see one prior to disintegration.  Perhaps an unnecessary curiosity by 1939, I suppose.

 

There’s also a one off 1939 Dodge woody wagon (though I’d have preferred the Chrysler).   

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I'm puzzling over the "spark control knob". I don't know what that is. What does it do?  Does it have something to do with spark advance/retard? What does it say on the knob?

[SparkEE]

@Hudsy WudsyFor those that harken back to the spark and throttle levers in the middle of the steering column, and then later on the dash, and yearn to regain control, the top end 1939 Chrysler offered a manual control knob as described here:

 

https://www.web.imperialclub.info/Yr/1939/39Owners/Page04.htm

 

And 

 

https://www.web.imperialclub.info/Yr/1939/39Owners/Page05.htm

 

Of course the manual throttle continued much, much longer, at least in trucks.

[Brooklyn Beer]

Page 13 explains the OD function

[Hudsy Wudsy]

B B, thank you for all of that detail. I'm kind of surprised that Chrysler felt the need to offer an adjustable spark control at this point in time. I'd feel bad for any salesman trying to explain the feature to a customer, though.

[Guest]

Just came back on the market after a 6 month hiatus.  Same seller, 35% increase in price.

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/d/riverside-1939-chrysler-imperial/7480793882.html

1939 Chrysler imperial factory flat 8 cylinder - $14,500 (Riverside)

Edited May 8, 2022 by GregLaR (see edit history)

[Malo48]

I came across this 1939 film of Briggs stamping body panels for Chrysler - fascinating!

Edited May 8, 2022 by Malo48 (see edit history)

[Brooklyn Beer]

Inflation with the 35% increase?  The 8 is a draw for sure but only having drivin a 6 Royal at 45-50 MPH with OD because of the "Asshole on the road factor" I don't know what the gain of the 8 would be ?