LaSalle 1937 Model 50

[jorgefife]

Recently bought a 37 LaSalle Model 50 and need to buy parts for it. Among other things, the chrome insignia ( 3 inverted " V's" at the front fenders, rear fenders and trunk; a spare wheel; radio or backing plate for the radio; whatever you have for sale, I may not need but I will probably buy for future needs. My number 281 728 9035. Thanks

[harry s]

Welcome and congratulations on you acquisition. I don't have any of the items you list but I'm sure they are out there.      Harry

[Jamurray]

I'm going through something similar with a '40-5067. It makes a basket case look like a 100 point car. I found a parts 5019, which has been a godsend. I suggest you try to do the same. The little stuff will send you to the poor house.

Jack Murray

[carlhungness]

I have had a couple dozen of the front chevrons made in stainless steel. They are now flat and hope to bend six of them in the next couple of weeks to see if I can make them fit my '37 fenders perfectly.
   As noted in an earlier post the reason I made them in solid stainless is so I can polish the back-side, raise them up off the fenders a few thousandths, drill holes in-between the three mounting holes, construct a box to go on the inside of the fenders that now holds a 1700 lumens bulb. I am trying to get enough light to shine past the chevrons to act as turn signals.
    In the near future I'll be able to supply at least a couple of sets of the stainless chevrons and one shouldn't be able to tell them from the originals if the edges are rounded during polishing.
   I attached the studs with JB weld and could not snap the stud off with my fingers, so I won't be silver soldering them to the chevrons.

[jorgefife]

Carlhungness

Did you post the information to let me know you will sell me some of those insignias?
You mentioned you had a couple of dozen made. I can have them chromed on this side.
Are you selling some?
Please let me know
Thanks

[carlhungness]

I was not notified of your post. The Chevrons do not need to be chromed, they are stainless and will polish to brilliance. They are all flat, and need to be bent to the
original shape in a leaf brake.
I am going to do 6 in a couple of weeks to test as my turn signals.
  The originals have an 8-32 stud soldered to the back at 3 points. I believe the ones Bruce Berghoff made have two studs.The center stud is really not necessary. I attempted to counter sink (mill) a flat hole in the back and wasn't successful, I got too much chatter. I was going to JB weld in the
studs which are counter sunk flathead screws.
   So I simply JB welded a stud on the back of one of them, and a man who works for me pushed on it with his thumb with virtually all his might, and the stud did not
break loose! I was surprised. No countersink for the stud, but it held perfectly.
    Consequently I am going to JB weld the studs on my personal Chevrons, only after they are polished and bent. I should get them back from the polisher this week and bend next week.
     I can sell you the flat stainless Chevrons un-polished for $25 each. You should understand I spent about an hour on each one rubbing the edges on a diamond stone then a water stone to get out the minute marks left by the water jet. I want
the entire Chevron to shine just as the original. You'll have a lot of work to do unless you trust the polisher to do the edges. Personally I would trust my polisher to do the entire polishing job and make sure you radius the top edge of the piece
a little to clone the originals. The stainless ones are now cut cut a 90 degrees, and need to have the front edge curved ever so slightly, which can be done on a belt wheel. They're tricky to hold and dangerous if you don't have a lot of polishing experience. The flat part of the chevrons are already smooth and polish rapidly, but there are tiny water jet marks on the edges.
    And or, I can ask my polisher how much he wants to polish them and possibly I can send them to him and have him bill and send to you. I can include the
studs  but mine are longer to go through the light box that is going on the inside
of the fender. They can easily be cut with a hacksaw.
     I don't have close access to a leaf brake and can't promise I can bend the
pieces. If you have access to a leaf brake they can be bent after polishing, just cover them with masking tape to avoid scratches.
    I am polishing both sides as noted so I hope to use them as turn signals if I
raise them off the fender a few thousands with a box behind them housing a
1700 lumens bulb. A headlight is 1900 lumens so I have a real bright white bulb and trying to figure out how to put an amber "lens" in front of it as I want amber color
light to emit, not white.  I have swiss-cheesed the fenders next to each existing mounting hole with oval holes to see if I can get enough light out to make it visible from the outside.
   This project is a real challenge, I am really anxious to see if I can get enough light
out of reflection from the back of the Chevrons to spill out on the edges so you can
see it from the front.
    If this doesn't work I'll be crushed and will then have to try to make some Chevrons that look like chrome but light up. I'm bound and determined not to sock
turn signals on the front of the car. I'll also run a line of LED's down either side of the grille. That's probably too close to be legal, but I know they'll shine through the
grill and the oncoming traffic will see them and know they're flashing.

E mail me at carlhungness@frontier.com and let me know how soon you
have to have them. Or 812 273-2472
   

[jorgefife]

Thank you for all the help.
I will have to look at a video I saw on youtube of a similar car to see how many chevrons I need.
And I will take them from you at your stated price
Thank you

[carlhungness]

Hi: If you have a coupe you need six, three on each fender. The phaeton used 'some'
on the rear trunk lid, not sure if it was three. As far as I know the sedans used only
six as well as I have not seen any on the back of these cars.
    I am looking for some extra 'hood grilles' the little stainless grilles that go on the
far front of the hood.

[jorgefife]

There is a video on youtube of the exact sedan with suicide doors, even the colour is the same. That one has 3 on each front fender and 3 in the middle of the trunk

[DaveZ]

Sedans had 3 on each fender and three on the trunk. Couples did not have any on trunk. Not certain on the convertible sedans. Good job Carl!

[jorgefife]

DaveZ
Thanks for joining in.  It looks like from the video that it is exactly correct: 3 on each fender, 3 on the trunk
Installing them may be tricky...
Regarding a wheel rim to buy as a spare, anyone out there can tell me where I can find one? There must be thousands of these cars from this era sitting on junkyards!

[35-709]

   Except for some specialty yards, that are also fast disappearing, I think you will find that LaSalles and everything else that old met their final doom at the crusher many years ago.   

[DaveZ]

37 was another one year only wheel so you can;t buy just any wheel:-(.

[Edward Hurst]

Not sure of the fitment on a 37 Cadillac but I have a couple of rear fenders for a 37 7019.

Ed

[carlhungness]

       I have decided not to use the stainless steel chevrons I had made for my car. I am not entirely happy with the radius at the front rather than the crisp line the standard chevron has. When all the stainless chevrons are installed they look just fine on the car, but I am going to stay picky and modify the back side of the stock chevrons to reflect light as my solid stainless ones do now. I will fill and flatten the backside (bondo, over grease for easy release). I'lll use Bondo to fill the back side, smooth it and install chrome tape thereby giving me the reflective surface.
       So I will sell the chevrons I have but I want anyone interested to inspect them first. As noted, if you install six of them they look good, but you can't intermingle them with standard chevrons, there is too much difference in the front radius.

[jorgefife]

I am interested
I just want to alert the members of this forum to someone called THOMAS SHADLICK.
I got a phone call from him 2 weeks ago: he said his father had just died, and he had to move out of the house that same afternoon. His father had 4 boxes full of spares for a 1937 LaSalle, Model 50. He knew what to sat. I asked him if he had chevrons, radio, wheel rims, whatever. He had all that. Told me someone from Florida offered him $100. 00, he stated would rather scrap it
I offered him $ 300. 00. He said he would take it, and $ 150. 00 to ship to Houston, but he had to ravel 50 miles to go to a shipping agent. Had trouble with reception on his cell
I told him I wanted to speak to the shipping agent, and someone phoned me to confirm it did cost $ 150. 00
Since I felt uncomfortable to give him the full $ 450. 00, he said he would take $150 for the freight and $150. 00 for himself. Later he would collect the remaining $ 150. 00
Told me Walgreens did such swift transfers, I sent him the money.
Never heard from him or shipping agent
He mentioned a name Livingstone, who told him I was looking for parts.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of this man, please let me know. I know this is the land of the free and the brave, but not the thieves.
I will go and see him and he will not screw anyone else in his life. That is a certainty. It's not the money, it is that I feel violated. But he will feel a lot worse. In the meantime, please be aware. He could try his tricks again with good folk, since it worked well for him using me. He said he is from New Mexico

[carlhungness]

I too was called, probably the same guy and didn't bite. Give me a call about the chevrons. 812 273-2472

[Bobby B]

I am interested
I just want to alert the members of this forum to someone called THOMAS SHADLICK.
I got a phone call from him 2 weeks ago: he said his father had just died, and he had to move out of the house that same afternoon. His father had 4 boxes full of spares for a 1937 LaSalle, Model 50. He knew what to sat. I asked him if he had chevrons, radio, wheel rims, whatever. He had all that. Told me someone from Florida offered him $100. 00, he stated would rather scrap it
I offered him $ 300. 00. He said he would take it, and $ 150. 00 to ship to Houston, but he had to ravel 50 miles to go to a shipping agent. Had trouble with reception on his cell
I told him I wanted to speak to the shipping agent, and someone phoned me to confirm it did cost $ 150. 00
Since I felt uncomfortable to give him the full $ 450. 00, he said he would take $150 for the freight and $150. 00 for himself. Later he would collect the remaining $ 150. 00
Told me Walgreens did such swift transfers, I sent him the money.
Never heard from him or shipping agent
He mentioned a name Livingstone, who told him I was looking for parts.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of this man, please let me know. I know this is the land of the free and the brave, but not the thieves.
I will go and see him and he will not screw anyone else in his life. That is a certainty. It's not the money, it is that I feel violated. But he will feel a lot worse. In the meantime, please be aware. He could try his tricks again with good folk, since it worked well for him using me. He said he is from New Mexico

When it's too good to be true, it is.....Buyer Beware. Everything that led up to the outcome in your unfortunate transaction was a red flag. I was running from the word GO. We have to be on our toes here, because all of these interactions with the seller were tell tale signs of a thief. I would try and have the authorities locate him. If you have a number, that goes a long way. Sorry to hear this......
                                                                                                                  Bobby

[DaveZ]

Bobby I was just gonna say that and the forum told me to refresh  that a new posting had been added.  It is an absolute horror these days between email phone calls with people fishing. Now we have trolls lurking about want adds calling saying they have what you want?
They chances of anyone having all that in 5 boxes for 300.00 and so eager to sell is a red flag, and yes if it sounds to good to be true it most likely is a scam. So sorry Jorge. I hope you find what you need.

[jorgefife]

I bid and won the bid for a radio. Cost a lot of money, but I have it
I am not a gullible person ( I am a trusty and honest person though) so I did not suspect completely, because he had an answer to all of my questions. It sounded a true story. But I should have known better. I was screwed over 20 years ago by 2 americans, way back when I imported a few 1959 cadillacs when I was living in South Africa. I had good memories of others who were honorable
I need to know under which other names this man goes by, and who else has he screwed. I know exactly what I am going to do. He will end up in jail.
I just wanted to alert all of you good people not to be stupid like I was. Where I come from, a handshake is an agreement. No more, no less