Dennis Howland’s Corvette-Inspired 1939 Chevy Sedan

Ever notice how making one modification on a street rod can snowball into a long list of other mods? Dennis Howland knows how that can go. He initially had the idea to use early Corvette headlights on his 1939 Chevy, and before long that morphed into a complete custom Corvette theme that can now be found throughout the sleek sedan, aided by a Keith Kaucher rendering and the talented team at Mike Porter Street Rods.

Beyond the headlights, the ’Vette influence can be found in the custom split bumpers, Corvette taillights in custom housings, and early ’Vette-style exhaust outlets. The body was also sectioned, the hood reshaped, and the grille laid back before the Axalta Not Quite White paint was applied.

Underneath, Smokey Allerman updated the frame with a Kugel IFS, Jaguar independent rear, and Wilwood disc brakes behind the ET wheels. The LS2 engine is dressed up like an early ’Vette mill, with finned valve covers and a Rochester-style air box atop the fuel injection intake. The 4L60E transmission is controlled with a Lokar shifter.

The theme is completed inside, with a Corvette-style dash housing Classic Instruments, plus Procar bucket seats and a full-length console stitched in red leather by Tom Sewell. While the completed build might have involved more mods than Dennis originally intended, the end result is a cool and distinctive street rod that was well worth the extra effort.

Photos by Marc Gewertz & Steven Bunker