1936 series 60 coupes?????

[Doug R]

I have purchased a 1936 series 60 business coupe. style 6077. I can not find much info on this car.....does any one know how many were made? Does anyone have any sources i can go to to find out any additional info..btw...this is a nice site...and i am going to join up...it has taken me 3 days of non stop internet search to find this site...and a memebr i contacted ...suggested i ask....on the forum and ask a specialist....

i was very suprised to find out that cadillac has a heritage center..and still has info on these cars....

WOW

again any help will be greatly aprreciated......

Thanks
Doug

[Porter 21919]

Welcome aboard, go to the CLC home page and open up the database.

Some info here:

http://100megsfree4.com/cadillac/cad1930/cad36s.htm TARGET=_blank>http://100megsfree4.com/cadillac/cad1930/cad36s.htm

[Yann Saunders, 12588]

Production totals by indivdual body styles are not (currently) available for those built earlier than 1938 (nor for 1968 models).  Dont ask me "why"?  Its just a fact of life.

However, there are individual build-sheets [on microfiches] for practically all Cadillacs built up to the seventies (except 1968).

If you have time to spare and can swing an invitation to research the factory archives, you could pull that information with just a few weeks of sifting and sorting and Xeroxing!

Good luck.

[Doug R]

Thanks guys for the replies!  I was able to contact the wife of a owner of one of these cars today.....his name is Fred Swan...i read a article about his car in Detroit News the other night...he is going to call me in the next few days. She told me that in the research they have completed ....they said only 5 were registered with the database.... and mine would be #6. I am STOKED! and AMPED up....cant wait to get started on this project..... she gave me some good info to work on....so now i have to sit down and draw up a project plan.... on the other side ...i am forced to sell my 1946 Chevy Fleetmaster coupe...cant have all these projects...and this Caddy takes over all my time starting next week...

maybe some others will see this post and chime in....on what they know abotu the car....all i have found is total production nubers for 1936 Caddys...6712

thanks again guys....

the car is missing the headlights...i am going to have to find some hopefully.....going to be a fun treasure hunt this summer....


Doug

[Doug Houston]

Fred Swan is a sort of nearby neighbor. Hes had his 36 for several decades and has had it just about everywhere. Hes able to do anything in the order of fabrication and mechanical work.

I might recommend that you check with Crank-en-hope publications for the parts book reprint. They may have the 1936 Cadillac Serviceman reprint too. Most of my Cadillacs are 41 models, and they had the Serviceman for that year. The other thing you should have is the shop manual.

Youll find that the 1936 engine is quite different from the engines from 1937 thru 1948.

Shame that youll need to dispose of your Chevy. I have a 41 convertible, and I love it passionately.

If youre in the Detroit area, you might want to drop in on the Motor City chapter meetings. The next one will be at the St.Pius K of C hall in Warren, Mich. Its 7:30 PM the first Thursday of the month.

[Yann Saunders, 12588]

Total Caddy model-year production in 1936 was 25,884 units.  According to Maurice Hendry, 6,700 of these were "Series 60" cars (your source mentions 6,712 - pretty close).  If you compare with 1938 production of the "Series 60", there were 2,051 that year.  Of these, 438 were coupes; thats about 20percent of the total.  

Using the 1938 figures as a rough guideline, you can "guestimate" 1936 "Series 62" coupe production at around 1,400 units (thats 21percent of 6,700 units).

But you know as well as I do that first come the lies, then the damned lies and, finally, "statistics"!

Good luck with your ambitious project.

[Doug R]

nice info....

the car arrived today (ihad it trucked over) I have the orginal title that was signed and notorized and left open....in 1952...

this car still has the paint markings...body code and serial # ect ect on the firewall...I hope to have you guys some pics real soon....

serial number is 6013583 motor number is the same.....


number son firwall that are painted in yellow paint

M 6013583
B 320
J 30-6077

Plate on firewall says the follwing

Style #  30-6077
Body # 320
Trim # 16
Paint # 4

anybody know what the breakdown is on the color of paint and what trim options??  The car does have  the heate roption...and a banjo steering wheel...

sofar i understand this car to #3583 produce car out of the 6712 60 series caddys made in 1936...and i am assuming the letters on the firewall indicate a build month of  October 1936.....

[Doug R]

seems that i have some luck....

I have manage to trace a name that appears on the title....the man appears to have been 18 years old when he signed over the title (could be his fathers car or they could have had the same name  ect ect...) since in 1952....(the date of notory)this would mean he was 18 and that means he would have been born in 1934....anyways....he is still alive and still iving in the same city this car was bought in... he is now 72 years old i have address and a telephone number... i will be calling to see if this is the guy and get some history behind the car ect ect... this could be the son of the name that is on the title.... should be interesting.... to find out anyway....

maybe i will have some more luck and get some pictures of the car from way back then..or even better some records... or atleast verify  who the owners were and find their family memebrs and go from there...one way or another...going to find out...

I now have to reason that this guy is either the sone of the orginal owner or the 2nd owner of the car....

I would have to think that in the late 40s to early 50s...a Caddy would have been a high priced car for a kid to own.... maybe the orginal owner went to WWII and never returned....................

[Yann Saunders, 12588]

The VIN indicates that your car was the 3,583rd "Series 60" unit built in 1936.  The body number (328) indicates that at least that number of coupes had been built up to just past the half-way mark.  Statistically speaking, this may help to narrow down the total number of these coupes built, to around 600 units.

[Doug R]

yeap...that was what i am thinking...maybe a total of only 400 or under 400 if the "J" code indicates a month build date of October 1936..... this stuff is fun to find out....

I just talked to the 72 year old man that owned the car when he was 18. He told me that the car was black and had a grey interior....he owned the car when he was in High school and sold it when he got out...he went on to say that the car was very fast back then and handled like a dream. He went on to let me know that the trans would kick out of 2nd when going down hill and letting off the gas peddle.. He could not believe that the car was still around and was pleased to know it is in good hands now.... He doesnt know who he purchased  it from or how much he paid for it....he has no pics of it when he owned it...but i left my info...so he could call if he finds  or remembers additional info. He told me that the car was rare and that there was not many around back then....he said he had alot of good time with the car...and wants to see it when it is finished....

just a note...the car as i have it...has the headlights mounted on the fenders...like a 1938 coupe....i was thinking that the car may have been wrecked and a 38 set of fenders installed....in the course of our conversation he mentioned to me that he moved the headlights to the fenders when in highschool....that was the nifty thing to do back then....


go figure.....

well no to a title searcht o document the previous owner...it looks like this is a 2 owner car....

[Doug R]

""""yeap...that was what i am thinking...maybe a total of only 400 or under 400 if the "J" code indicates a month build date of October 1936..... this stuff is fun to find out.... """"


 my assumption that maybe less than 400 of these were built is based on the fact that mine may be #320....of the 60 series copue...and may have been built in October 1936....if that "j" indicates a month build of october..."j" representing the 10th letter of the alphabet....this would mean this car was one of the last to be built...because the 1937 models were released and sold starting in November 1936..... as per the database...

can anyone document the "j" being a month build??indicator.....

[Doug. Houston]

The "mysterious" numbers on the firewall were put there by the dealer that sold the car. The "M" is the motor number (or VIN, as its now called). The "B" is body number. The other number may be the dealer code for the place that sold it. Youll see a lot of Cadillacs from the thirties and early forties with these numbers on them. It was for the write-up man when the car came in for service. He didnt have to crawl all over the car to get that information.
The dealer used a stencil to put the numbers on. On my 38-60 Special, the numbers are on the housing that covers over the grille.  

Since those numbers are still on the firewall of the car, it would seem that the original color is still on the firewall. Color No.4 is "Cannon Smoke" I think its sort of a gray-tan. The colors for that year were pretty conservative, and were pretty unexciting as well (In  my eyes, at least). The 36-60 coupe that Fred Swan has was a color like that, and possibly was that color. It just didnt look good. On Cadillacs of your series, the firewall was always done in body color. The body name plate is also supposed to be painted with the firewall. Youll see lots of cars in shows, where the body plate is all polished so pret-ty....and wrong. The wheel color for Cannon Smoke was Vincennes Red, which was used on gray or black cars for many years.

[Doug R]

thanks man!!!!!!!!

The color is not on the firewall..light rust... but the numbers are very visible. The fierwall plate is also aluminum color...does not look like it was ever painted..who knows...you guys are the experts...so i will go off what you say you have knowledge of..

i appreciate you knowledge...it nice ot know these things....

[Doug R]

these numebrs appaer to have been painted on and then the heater installed...as the water intake and discharge from the heater is avutally partial covering some of the last digits....could be a aftermarket heater....how you would go about finding out if a heater is factory option...or were these heaters a dealer installed options back then???

[Doug. Houston]

Like I said already; the body plate is supposed to be PAINTED.

There were all sorts of aftermarket heaters sold in those days. While I havent a 36 Cadillac accessory book, Cadillac was probably putting their name on their heaters that year. There were many cars sold in warmer states that never had a heater in them. I have a 41 Cadillac club coupe from Oklahoma City that never had a heater (Until I installed one).

My father had a gas station / garage in Detroit in those days, and Harrison had a nice line of heaters for mounting in any car. He sold quite a few. There were brands like: Tropic-Aire, Ha-Dees, Francisco, Arvin and more than I can remember. Father had a Tropic-Aire heater in his 29 Hudson, as I recall.

Even though the depression was going on, quite a few people bought radios for their cars in those days.

[Doug R]

ha-dees...what this one is....thanks for you info...you have been a great help to me..

Doug

[JIM CLC # 15000]

01-18-06
DOUG R.  Concernimg the "data-plate" It could have been painted,but as it is "aluminum" all of the paint may have came-off.  Advise you to go to the web-site that PORTER posted, it has tons of infomation in it. Such as the factory would install a heater for $18.50. (SUCH A DEAL).
If you have problems opening the web-site that Porter hunted-up for you,let the readers on the board know and there will be insetenest(sic) help. Also, does your car a straigth-8 engine? Good Luck, Jim

[Doug R]

Jim,

Yes i have visited that site...thats is how i found my way to this site...

my car has a V8.....not a straight 8

[Doug R]

Fred Swan...gave me a call to day and after hours on the phone...i have gained vaulable insight and knowledge..... it turns out that 6 of these cars are registered in the database.... 2 in the USA and 4 others are outside the country...my car will make #7.... and ONLY the 3rd in the USA....
WOW...i was takign back for a minute.... looks like this restoration is taking a different path now....

Fred was and will be a great help int his restoration....nic eman and very informative and devoted to these cars....

Doug

[Doug R]

started dismantling the car today....we were hit with another potential biggie today.  The  car has black paint on it..under the black the car is a olive drab color...alll over where paint still is....i hvae reason to beleive that this car may be military....i have contacted some contacts within the military they are telling me this is possible...and are going to asist me in the reasearch end of the history ...possible within the military to see if they have records of this car...

will keep posting info as it comes through...