Owner: John Magill
Where do you live?
Midland, Ontario, Canada
Vehicle: 1940 Convertible
How long have you owned this vehicle?
4 Years
Where did you get this vehicle? Omeemee, Ontario
What is the story behind the vehicle? The man had owned the Chevy for over 15 years and had accumulated some needed parts.
What condition was it in when you got it? The Chevy sat outside for many years and the floor was completely gone, plus other rusted out areas.
What kind of work have you done to this vehicle? Built a complete cage inside car to stabilize all the door, trunk, & hood margins. Replaced complete floor firewall, door foundation, rockers and bottom 8 " of doors. Had new old stock fenders.
What was the hardest part to find? Hardest parts to find were bumperettes and windshield wiper transmissions.
What other vehicles do you own? I have restored two 1927 "L" Lincolns and a number of other cars.
Do you have any other projects that you are currently working on or planning to start soon? I had a 1940 Chevy Convertible in 1954 & 1955 and the current one is sort of Memory Lane. We just purchased a 1949 MG TC.
Do you have any advice for people thinking about starting a restoration? Decide what the vehicle requires in time and parts. Then work out a restoration plan to follow so you can assess your progress.
Are there any interesting stories that you can share with us about your experiences with this vehicle? Not with the current 1940 Chevy but 65 years ago in my first 1940 Chevy I was at a traffic light in an industrial area of Toronto and a policeman on a Harley pulled up and said let’s go. When the light changed, he popped the clutch and so did I. The three of us in the front seat landed in the back seat as I had not bolted the seat down. It is very hard to drive with your feet up in the air!
