At the front end of the Lincoln is a pugnacious upright grille, which most lowriders coat in gleaming chrome. ![]() The first thing that strikes you about the Lincoln Continental is its size. That not only revved up the American automotive industry, it also flooded the used car market with 1941 models, bringing down prices. After the war was over, American soldiers returned home with extra money in their pockets, and they wanted to spend it on new cars. In 1942, automotive production in the United States shut down to aid the war effort. Plus, several other factors were combining to make Fords more affordable. In 1941, however, Ford bumpers didn't have a bulge in the middle. So if a pachuco wanted to lower a Ford, he usually had to switch out the bumpers - something that was not only expensive but also required the extra legwork of finding just the right replacement bumpers. When the car was lowered, the bulge would drag the ground. While Chevy bumpers were relatively flat, Ford bumpers had a bulge in the middle. In addition to being more expensive than Chevrolets in the 1930s and 1940s, Fords were often overlooked for lowriding because of the shape of their bumpers. Okay, so we said the original lowriders tended to prefer Chevys over Fords, but there still were (and are) some great Ford lowriders out there. This is one 1939 Chevy that's come a long way since pachucos lowered their cars by putting bags of sand in the back. No, not the kind of air bags designed for occupant safety - these air bags are part of the suspension and are used to raise and lower the car at the touch of a button. One feature that Joel added to the '39 Chevy that the original pachucos didn't have is air bags. Joel calls the car Precioso, which means precious, and it's not hard to see why. Lastly, Chevy suspensions were easy to modify, giving the cars the stance the lowriders were after.įew of those original 1939 Chevy lowriders survive today, but a modern example of the style is Joel Garcia's 1939 Ford Master Deluxe, which was featured in Lowrider Magazine. The 1939 Chevy has a sweetly sloping rear end, clean, prominent grille and aggressive fender flares - exactly what many lowriders were looking for. Second, many lowriders preferred the looks of Chevys, and in 1939, according to many pachucos, Chevy had a winning design. ![]() First, in the 1930s and 1940s, Chevrolets were less expensive than many other cars (including Fords), which put them in reach for more of the Mexican immigrants who were launching the lowrider culture. Chevrolets were the original car of choice for lowriders for a few reasons.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |