1937 Cadillac Serial #

[jeff_a]

A friend of mine has a 1937 and wanted to see if there are any things he can learn from its serial number. He said "the VIN is 3B 1538". Paint code is 50. It's a 4-door Fleetwood with D/S/Ms and a V-8. I believe he is interested in learning company name for body style, numbers produced of that model, where and to whom sold, and those sorts of things. I realize that after 78 years, some of that may not be available. Thank you ahead of time!

[jeff_a]

I told my friend that someone on the Cadillac-LaSalle Forum might have some information if we provided the serial numbers, but it has been only a couple of months. He put it out in front of his auto repair shop with a for sale sign and a $12,000 price, but do not know if it sold. Maybe it's impossible to interpret a serial number for a Cadillac that old.

[Grimy]

Wish I had seen your post in Sept, but I'll try to answer it now.

 

That is not a valid serial number.  1937 V8 Cadillacs with Fleetwood bodies were either Series 70 (131 inch wheelbase) or Series 75 (138 inch wheelbase. Both used the same range of serial numbers, 3130001-3134232.  That number was usually stamped on the horizontal portion of the frame on the left side, just outboard of the steering box.  You may need to use a wire brush to find it. 

 

There is a body plate on the driver's side of the engine side of the firewall with will give a body "Style Number," e.g 37-7019, which means 1937 year model, Series 70, and the 19 indicates a 5-passenger touring sedan.  BTW, "touring sedan" in late '30s GM-speak meant a sedan with 'hump' built-in trunk.  I believe that was the only **sedan** body style  available in the 70 series.  The 75 series had a variety of sedans, 5 or 7 passengers, with or without division glass.  If you provide the number, I'll tell you what specific body it is. 

 

On the same plate, below "style number," are entries for (1) Body Number (sequential number of that specific body for that year), (2) Trim Number (trim design and material), and Paint Number (original color).

 

I sold my long-held (42 yrs) 1939 75 7-p sedan five years ago with most of my reference materials, so I can't tell you what color Paint Code 50 is.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[jeff_a]

Thanks! I'll take a copy of this over to the guy today.  

 

I did so, and gave him a print-out of your information. He sold the car to somebody in SLC. It's a gorgeous creme-colored sedan that purrs like a kitten when the engine's fired up. Someone's taken really good care of it. I especially liked the original built-in bar in the back of the front seat and the perfect upholstery. 

Edited December 8, 2015 by jeff_a (see edit history)