Take a deep dive inside the chassis of the 1935 Chevrolet in this classic Jam Handy film.

In this film, produced by Jam Handy of Detroit, Chevrolet’s favorite movie studio for several decades, we take a deep dive into the frame and chassis engineering of the 1935 Chevrolet. And like most Jam Handy presentations, the movie opens with a lengthy introduction intended to make a complex mechanical topic interesting to a non-mechanical audience. Here the premise is that just as a house needs a strong foundation to prevent squeaks, creaks, and scary rattles, a quality automobile requires a strong and sturdy chassis. Hence the title, No Ghosts. 

With a handful of exceptions—the Cord 810, Chrysler Airflow, and Lincoln Zephyr come to mind—virtually all American cars of this period used Body-on-Frame (BoF) construction, and their chassis frames evolved considerably through the decade in the pursuit of greater strength and rigidity. One related advance for 1935 not mentioned in the movie is the introduction of the one-piece steel roof stamping, which General Motors gave the trade name Turret Top. Despite the economic constraints of the Great Depression, the U.S. auto industry managed some significant advances between 1930 and 1940. Video below. (Note: Don’t forget to click and subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we host our videos and feature tons of great content. Thanks!)