Chevrolet's - 1934

Early Chevrolets; Lets touch on them for a minute. You don't hear or see them very often, but from time to time, one surfaces and it really catches your eye. Early Fords by far are everyones favorite amongst the other manufactures. It's my 'builders' opinion, it would mostly be due to the construction of the car; less wood, more metal (let us not forget the favorite V8 Engine too ). I'm not denying that the other makes have nice looking cars, common sense would tell me - Fords to be the favorite having less wood, more steel structure; less desireable Chevrolets and other makes, Wood Strucutres and steel panels. It's easier to make steel panels than it is to make curved wood structures.

Focusing on the car and not how they were built, Chevrolet's have some very distinctive lines and had a great potential for that 'Early Hot Rod' look. Early Fords had thier V8 Flatheads and Chevrolet's...V8 La Salle/Cadillac Engines, Hopped up Inline 6's, Beefed up Inline 8's. As I'm writing this, I laugh. Ford were simple and interchangeable; Motors and transmissions, Rear ends were relatively the same, the common Torque tube design.

The 1934 Chevrolet Master and Standard continued Chevrolet's year-old practice of building two distinct series of cars on different wheelbase lengths. The 1934 Chevrolet Master, in fact, now measured 112 inches, two inches longer than the 1933 model. The 1934 Chevrolet Standard model remained at 107 inches.

Both models retained six-cylinder power, but modifications to the Master's 206-cubic-inch engine boosted horsepower from 65 to 80. The Standard series repeated 1933's 181-cubic-inch 60-horsepower engine.

Chevrolet's big news this year was adoption of "Knee-Action," the sealed Dubonnet type of independent front suspension. Standard equipment on the Master series, it would not be offered on Standard models for a few more years.

Master models, while retaining the previous year's styling theme, looked heavier than their 1933 counterparts -- which they were, by some 225 pounds, about 60 pounds of which was due to the Dubonnet "knees." Three horizontal hood louvers replaced the doors used in 1932-33, and wheels were reduced in size to 17 inches. Free Wheeling was optional on Master models only.

The Standard line was expanded to five body styles. Prices were raised by $40 on Standard models and as much as $100 on the Master series. Production increased by 29 percent, with the Standard coach scoring the biggest gain.

Here is a short video on all of thier makes in 1934. Enjoy!