1939 Chevy Truck Is a No-Expense-Spared Masterpiece (Photos)
‘Brass Monkey’ combines vintage hot rod flair with modern techniques to create a truly original work of art.
Sometimes, you just happen across a truck that you can’t take your eyes off of. This 1939 Chevy truck, appropriately named “Brass Monkey,” is such a truck. Take even a fleeting glance of the insanely detailed ride, and you’ll see why it commanded a $110,000 hammer price at the 2017 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. That’s a lot of coin for an old truck, but this bad boy was clearly worth every penny.
Everywhere you look you’ll find countless amazing custom details and one-off touches. You’ll quickly realize that this is no amateur build, and you’d be right. Doug Eldred of Eldred Hotrod Shop in Edinboro, PA, did all the work, and you’d be hard pressed to find anything that wasn’t modified or built especially for this truck.
It all starts with the highly modified body, which was converted to unibody construction. A custom built chassis holds a 355 ci small block, backed up by a 700R4 overdrive automatic transmission. Out back, a custom Currie housing holds 4:10 gears for snappy acceleration off the line. And when it’s time to slow down, Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop Kinmont brakes provide plenty of extra “whoa.”
Eldred took his time to hide all the plumbing on the truck, leading to an ultra clean look. But a cut out bed allows onlookers to drool over the custom rear suspension, which is a true work of art. As you would imagine, the interior is arguably the best part of the entire build. Antique leather covers all the panels, with remarkable detailing everywhere you look.
It’s no wonder Eldred’s personal ride has won awards everywhere it’s gone. And now that the nicest ’39 Chevy truck we’ve ever seen has a new owner, we hope they’re not too busy oogling over the thing to actually drive it.
