Family and Friends Help Rebuild a Multi-Generation 1937 Chevy Business Coupe in the Helmuth Bros. Garage
Hot rodding is a family tradition for many of us in this hobby, including the Helmuth clan out of New Jersey. The family has been playing with cars for three generations now, and this 1937 Chevy business coupe has been touched by each of them.
“The car was bought by my father in 1983,” John Helmuth explains. “His plan was to build a street rod that he and my mother could drive to shows. He did all the metal work and bodywork. My brother Dave and I helped him with the chassis, engine, and drivetrain.”
The Chevy was finished in 1986 and John’s parents enjoyed it for a quarter century. When it came time to sell the car in 2010, John couldn’t bear to see it leave the family, so he bought it from his father. He then put several thousand additional miles on the Chevy over the next decade before deciding to give it a fresh makeover in 2021.
As we alluded at the beginning, hot rodding is a way of life in the Helmuth family. John and his brother Dave have an active hobby shop they call Helmuth Bros. Garage, where they regularly wrench alongside the next generation of the family, John’s son (also named John) and Dave’s son David. Family friend Carlo is part of the crew, and John says he gets plenty of support from his wife, Joanne.
John’s goal with the Chevy’s latest rebuild was to give it a classic, understated hot rod attitude – almost stealthy, like an old moonshine runner. It would be a true back-to-basics build, one with a simple, timeless look.
The original 1937 Chevy frame was retained and uses a Heidts front crossmember and IFS to deliver a great stance and easy driving characteristics. A Chassis Engineering rear suspension supports a GM 10-bolt rearend with highway-friendly 3.08 gears. Wheel Vintiques Gennie steel wheels – 16×4.5-inch in front, 16×6 in the rear – are wrapped in Firestone 5.50-16 and 7.00-16 tires with painted letters, and wear Mercury hubcaps for vintage flavor.
A 327c.i. small-block Chevy adds to the old-school hot rod vibe, especially since it’s painted and dressed like a vintage mill, with steel valve covers, ram’s horn exhaust manifolds, a Powermaster PowerGEN alternator, and an OE snorkel-style air cleaner topping the Quadrajet carb. A Crane cam and Pertronix ignition improve performance, while a dual exhaust with Smithy’s mufflers delivers a classic sound. A Walker radiator helps keep things cool and a TH350 automatic transmission handles shifting duties.
John says the most difficult part of the rebuild might have been removing the lacquer paint his dad applied back in the ’80s. He and the Helmuth crew got it done, though, and then turned the body over to Dennis Fox and Paul Keller to handle the bodywork and get things straight enough for a fresh coat of black paint. Dennis used PPG base coat and clear coat materials to apply the mirror-like finish, which is accented with stock headlights, taillights, and minimal chrome and stainless trim.
Turning to the inside, John retained the original 1937 Chevy dash, augmenting it with a pair of Stewart Warner accessory gauges and an Ididit steering column topped by a ’59 Impala wheel. Friend Jerry Laboranti was called on for the upholstery work and stitched up some tasteful traditional-style brown vinyl on the original bench seat and custom door and side panels. The floor was trimmed in square-weave carpet, while a tall Gennie floor shifter was employed to enhance the vintage look. A Ron Francis wiring harness keeps all the electrical elements connected.
The result of John’s rebuild to his Dad’s 1937 Chevy Buisiness Coupe is a sweet, subtle, and understated street rod with enduring style and real-world road abilities. John cruised the Chevy from New Jersey down to Delaware the past two years for the Mid-Atlantic Nationals, and to Columbus for the Summit Racing Nationals, caravanning with the rest of the Helmuth Bros. garage crew who have equally cool rides. Road tripping with family is a fitting pursuit for John and this coupe, and the car’s latest rebuild ensures that it’s ready for another four decades of adventure ahead.
Photos by Damon Lee
