1937 Cencio Roadster Hand-Made Reproduction From Chevrolet Impala, Not A Kit!

1937 Cencio & Sons Cencio Roadster Hand-Made Reproduction From Chevro Additional Info:

Original Owner, 1937 Cencio Roadster Hand-Made Reproduction. This Cencio is in expected condition inside and out for the year and mileage, and has been adult-owned, driven, and garage kept.

Features include:

This vehicle began life as a 1967 Chevrolet Impala with a 183 cu in engine and 2-speed automatic transmission which the owner gained upon graduating college. He has owned the vehicle since that time and is the original and only owner.

In 1974, he shipped the car to the Phillipines for a USAF assignment. After a short time there, the body showed signs of corrosion from the humid environment. It was around this time that he was shown a single photograph of this roadster with the words "Cencio '37" written on the back. He had not heard of this vehicle but liked the design. He decided that it would be quite interesting to try and build a reproduction over the existing chassis, engine, and transmission.

There were no original (if they ever existed) Cencio parts available. He had to "make do" with what was available or fabricate whatever was needed to come as close as possible to approximating the vehicle in the picture. Having never attempted this sort of project previously and enlisted the support of his flying squadron mates and several Pilipino metal craftsman (approximately 12 persons in all).

Over the next 15 months, the project was completed. The original chassis was shortened about 3 inches to keep the vehicle in a reasonable proportion. There were no instruction nor "kit" plans. Everything was designed and built from scratch. There are no fiberglass or other synthetic materials. Everything involved was original hand-crafted metal work.

It was decided to make the main body into a single metal structure by welding sheet metal body components. Bumpers, external handles (grab bars), step-plates, and all external trim pieces were created from scratch then chromed.

The transmission shifter was moved from the steering wheel column to the center console, but it was decided to keep it as a 2-speed automatic.

The picture of the Cencio showed the vehicle with no hard top, but we decided to design and build a removable hard top and side curtains for possible inclement weather. These components exist and do come with, but have never been used.

Unable to tell how the back end of the Cencio was designed from the picture, it was expected that it had a rumble seat instead of a common trunk area. As a result, a rumble seat was designed.

For the interior, a type of Philippine "mahogany" called Narrawood was cut, carved, and stained. Unfortunately, he does not remember if the seats were modified from another vehicle or made from scratch.

The gentleman returned to he United States in late 1976 before the vehicle was finished. Over the next year or so, his squadron mates saw to the completion and had the vehicle shipped back to him in Washington, DC in late 1977. Once back in the US, he replaced the tires with wide white side walls and had a "snap-on" canvas tonneau cover with center zipper fabricated to take friends and neighbors for rides.

The car has always been in reasonable good, but never "show" condition. He had used it for weddings, parades, high school homecoming events, and the like, but the main purpose was to take friends and neighbors for rides.

Over the past 40 years there has been some normal wear from minimal (less than 500 miles per year) use. It is believed the vehicle is reasonably sound, but it needs some care, attention, and routine maintenance in the order of cosmetic.

This vehicle is in expected condition inside and out for the year and mileage. The exterior is in expected condition for the year and mileage with some rust and scratches. The interior of this vehicle is in expected condition for the year and mileage with some tears and wear. It drives and looks fantastic.

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