1936 Oldsmobile Sport Coupe 3 Window - $24,500

[George Smolinski]

1936 Oldsmobile Sport Coupe 3 Window - $24,500 (Central MN)

Pretty neat looking car. Here's the phone number:  (320) 587-8929

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condition: good
fuel: gas
odometer: 43897
title status: clean
transmission: manual

One owner all original. 3 speed manual.

[neil morse]

It's always been interesting to me that the industry stylists seemed to be in lock-step for the 1936 models -- almost all makes had essentially the same grill design.  You can spot a '36 from a mile, no matter the manufacturer!

[Hudsy Wudsy]

1 hour ago, neil morse said:

It's always been interesting to me that the industry stylists seemed to be in lock-step for the 1936 models -- almost all makes had essentially the same grill design.  You can spot a '36 from a mile, no matter the manufacturer!

I agree wholeheartedly. 

[Uptowndodge]

2 minutes ago, Hudsy Wudsy said:

I agree wholeheartedly. 

I also agree and I think 1936 was the best looking year by far for GM, Mopar  and Ford . In my opinion Mopar cars for 36 are the best looking they put out in the 30’s including those awful looking Airflow’s .

[Mark Huston]

Another interesting car with a poor description and subpar photos.  The quality and quantity of the pictures could have been improved if the seller had taken the time to pull the car out of the garage.  Makes me wonder why.   

[roysboystoys]

47 minutes ago, Mark Huston said:

Another interesting car with a poor description and subpar photos.  The quality and quantity of the pictures could have been improved if the seller had taken the time to pull the car out of the garage.  Makes me wonder why.   

 

Does it say anywhere in the ad it runs? I'm missing a link?

[Mark Huston]

15 minutes ago, roysboystoys said:

 

Does it say anywhere in the ad it runs? I'm missing a link?

No.  For the $24,500 asking price it should be roadworthy.  

[auburnseeker]

Those ancient snow tires on the back tend to say I haven't been a daily driver in many decades. 

[B Jake Moran]

Probably a decent car but when did 36 6 cyl Olds become $25,000 cars?

[Bloo]

Engine is Olds, but is 1937 or later. Starter looks odd. 12 volt? 1936 did not have full length water jackets. The oil filler and some other details also changed. I'm not sure if it is even a related engine, but I suspect it will bolt in as similar updated engines have shown up in the forum before.

 

An earlier style Olds engine as used in 1936:

 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

10 hours ago, Bloo said:

Engine is Olds, but is 1937 or later. Starter looks odd. 12 volt? 1936 did not have full length water jackets. The oil filler and some other details also changed. I'm not sure if it is even a related engine, but I suspect it will bolt in as similar updated engines have shown up in the forum before.

 

An earlier style Olds engine as used in 1936:

 

 

 

It was common practice for dealers to offer new or rebuilt replacement service engines to customers with cars having a 'tired' engine but good enough to continue using.   If the seller would provide the engine number, it would be easy enough to see what year Olds six they installed.   

 

Ford dealers had a regular service replacement swap program during the Flathead V8 days where one could drop the car off in the morning, drive away late in the day with a fresh new engine.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

12 hours ago, Bloo said:

Engine is Olds, but is 1937 or later. Starter looks odd. 12 volt? 1936 did not have full length water jackets. The oil filler and some other details also changed. I'm not sure if it is even a related engine, but I suspect it will bolt in as similar updated engines have shown up in the forum before.

 

 

 

 

Good catch, Bloo. I missed that. If I recall right, these are the years that Olds six cylinder engines were also installed in GMC trucks, correct? To my eye, I've always felt that '36 was something of a perfect year, but I've always found some small fault with GM coupe design. I feel that the hind quarters, or deck area, of late thirties GM coupes is a little too low, or otherwise smallish compared to Fords and Mopars. I think that the Mopar decks are very attractive and help to balance the profile of the cars well. 

'36 Dodge:

 

'36 Olds Coupe:

Edited August 1, 2021 by Hudsy Wudsy (see edit history)

[deaddds]

Was 36 the first all steel tops? 

[58L-Y8]

9 minutes ago, deaddds said:

Was 36 the first all steel tops? 

1935 for some, not all GM makes and models, got the all-steel "Turret Top'.    Oddly enough, on bodies with still a good deal of wood structure.

[Bloo]

This^^

 

There is going to be a bunch of structural wood in this car, never mind that is has a metal top.

[Bloo]

8 hours ago, Hudsy Wudsy said:

these are the years that Olds six cylinder engines were also installed in GMC trucks, correct?

 

Yes, and I vaguely recall someone in the forum looking for or looking at a 1936 GMC, and the engine was the later one like in this car, but the correct one was the one like I posted above with the partial water jacket and the different oil filler location. Pontiacs were occasionally also used, for instance in the 1938 1/2 tons, but overall GMC flathead sixes were mostly Oldsmobile engines.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Uptowndodge]

On 8/1/2021 at 6:50 PM, deaddds said:

Was 36 the first all steel tops? 

For Mopar 36 was the first all steel roof, but even better 36 Mopar’s were ahead of GM & Ford with steel floors, all still roof and pillars that’s a major plus in my opinion. 1936 was and is the year that car designers got it right, from front to back but most of all 36 was the year of the nicest GRILL’S by far. Great looking cars in 36

[Brooklyn Beer]

It is always a question of mine how they say they could not tool up for an all metal roof yet at the time we were building battleships using massive steel plates.

[suchan]

1 hour ago, Brooklyn Beer said:

It is always a question of mine how they say they could not tool up for an all metal roof yet at the time we were building battleships using massive steel plates.

As I recall, the problem was getting thin sheet metal to form to complex shapes without wood framing. Dodge(?) was doing all metal bodies in the teens, and had all sorts of trouble with warpage when they tried to weld body panels to a metal frame. Technology (metallurgy?) finally caught up with design in the mid-30's.

[ramair]

I have a picture of my 1936 GMC engine , that is a 213 Oldsmobile (actually have 3, another story) I believe this car has that same engine, if you look below the water jackets you can see the outline of each cylinder’s outer casting were it meets with the crankcase.  The 1937 and newer 230 Oldsmobile engine enlarged the water jacket, so the jacket goes down to the crankcase.   You also can find some more photos of a pre 1937, a beautifully restored convertible that Chistech Here on the AACA Detailed his restoration in “our restorations”, his car is earlier but you can see family resemblances . Note gmc used identical block they just stamped the serial number with a T. They also used a different carb, distributor, generator, starter and clutch.

[Hudsy Wudsy]

39 minutes ago, ramair said:

I have a picture of my 1936 GMC engine , that is a 213 Oldsmobile (actually have 3, another story) I believe this car has that same engine, if you look below the water jackets you can see the outline of each cylinder’s outer casting were it meets with the crankcase.  The 1937 and newer 230 Oldsmobile engine enlarged the water jacket, so the jacket goes down to the crankcase.   You also can find some more photos of a pre 1937, a beautifully restored convertible that Chistech Here on the AACA Detailed his restoration in “our restorations”, his car is earlier but you can see family resemblances . Note gmc used identical block they just stamped the serial number with a T. They also used a different carb, distributor, generator, starter and clutch.

 

That's so pretty, it should be in your living room where you can keep it clean.

[ramair]

I would except I started on this project when I was twelve years old and now I am 63.  I am going to drive this puppy a lot,

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Are those five on 5" rims?

[ramair]

Actually they are six hole 16”, not much interchange in the GM world.  I needed two wheels and it took for ever to find.  The 36 Chevy pickup also used 6 hole, but they started the first half of 1936 with wire wheels with 17” rims, they finished up using steel artillery wheels that looked like these but they were 1/2” narrower and still 17”. Eventually the Chevy and GMC standardized, but by that time the artillery style disappeared . You would never guess how many wheels I would see at swap meets , when I would dig them out they were either 5 hole off of a Gm passenger car or a 6 hole 17”

[Hudsy Wudsy]

I have a set of artillery wheels that I just can't identify. They are Budd wheels, 16" with 4 1/4" bead, five bolt, five" bolt pattern. Someone suggest '35 Pontiac. Someone else suggested International truck. At first I thought Plymouth, but not with that 5" bolt patern. Anybody have any thoughts?

 

[Bloo]

Not 35 Pontiac. 35 and 36 Pontiac are 16x4" and share the 6 bolt pattern with Chevrolet. A 5 bolt pattern came in 37, but those were not artillery wheels.

 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

8 hours ago, Bloo said:

Not 35 Pontiac. 35 and 36 Pontiac are 16x4" and share the 6 bolt pattern with Chevrolet. A 5 bolt pattern came in 37, but those were not artillery wheels.

 

Thank you for that. I appreciate your help.