VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 Going to look at a '36 standard tomorrow...

Howdy folks!

Ever since I got a 2005 Chevy Colorado that was a complete and total junker i've avoided the make... recenty though I ran into a '36 standard sedan and just have to go see it!

I've restored a few cars over the years, but no chevy stuff... mostly non domestic things. I'll be heading out tomorrow in the AM to go see this supposed barn find. The car itself seems pretty complete and runs and drives... how well is yet to be seen.

What are the typical problem spots on a '36 2 door sedan? What parts are near impossible to locate?

My grandfather gave me the car resto bug and my favorite of his was always the 1937 caddy "gangster car" as we called it when were were kids. I've always had a soft spot for the long nose jobbers and would love to have my very own "gangster car"... i'm excited to see the chevy!

Be aware that 1936 Standard model are very different than the Master model; most things are not interchangeable. Most of the stuff you see for sale for 1936 Chevrolets are for the Master model. I think the Standards are great! I have had a 1936 Standard Town Sedan for many years.

Good info!

My worst fear would be having to have the engine bearings repoured... I can't imagine it would be anything less than expensive, anybody have an average cost to get new bearings in the rods and block inserts?

I would pull the plugs out. Put wd-40 in the plug holes. Check the oil. Take the hand crank and give her a turn over just to be sure she was not froze up. The fuel system will have to be redone before you run the car. The fuel pump will have to be rebuilt. The gas of today will eat up the old style diaphragm. Fuel line will have rust buildup and gas tank will have rust or holes. One thing I ran into was a mouse nest on the fly wheel. I tried to start the engine but it froze up. Turned the fly wheel backwards via a screwdriver, a ball of cotton came out. It had blocked the engine from turning over! Also, be sure before going in an old set up car to wear a breather. Mouse and rat manure can make you sick. Take care and good luck on your purchase!

Thanks for the info!

I went to look at it this AM... The seller had it running, bottom end sounded great, uber quiet. Noisey valves, but other than that I couldn't find any funky noises.

I was hoping it was a standard but there seems to be some debate due to a glovebox with a clock and ashtray and a wiper on the passenger side windshield. It also had a water temp gauge of a smaller diameter to the left of the two main large gauges set into the dash outside the raised panel (but obviously of chevy make as it matched the others in apperance). No chrome trim on the hood louvers though and the headlight bodies aren't chrome, just painted as the rest of the car is. Kind of dissapointing if its not a standard (kinda had me heart set on that) but still a decent car overall. For being here in MI the sheet metal was fantastic.

How do you know if its a standard or master for sure?

If the dash has two min dials it is a Standard. The items you mentioned are accessories and worth a good sum.

Sounds like you may have found what you hoped for. If it runs good and the body is fantastic then the only thing left is the price. Good Luck, Tom

A Standard has 5 lug wheels and a Master has 6 lug wheels. Very easiy to check.

Well, we struck a deal so it will be coming home with me. It may take a while because of the holidays but its mine...

Plans are to fix what needs fixing over winter and drive it come spring. Its no show queen but the old lady still has her jewels and lots of potential!

My favorite feature so far... the two horns mounted over the engine, they are loud!

Well, that's sounds fantastic. Now you need to join the VCCA so that you can have access to some of the back issues of the G&D as well as the technical articles database.

If you use THIS page, then you can call it a present for yourself.

--Bill B

Wouldn't the standard series have the twin leaf spring front suspension on the beam axle and the master model the knee action version as used from 1934 -- 1938. ??

Thats what i would look for .

mike

In 1935 and 1936 the knee-action was optional for the Master Deluxe.. While fairly common to find a 1935 with leaf springs they were quite rare in 1936.

No knee-action on this one, just regular springs. No clear picture of the lug pattern on the wheels and I can't remember if there were 5 or 6 lugs but the headlight bodies are painted steel. I think the seller mistook all the accessories the car has for being a master.

With a bit of luck i'll get to pick it up this weekend and get the brakes back up to snuff over the holiday... I just need the weather to play ball!

I believe you have a 36 Standard because you have the two main center gauges. Be glad you have the temperature gauge on the left by itself. A master has 3 gauges the same size centered on the steering wheel. The master headlights are chrome. The frame for a master has open side rails with a cross member in the center similar to a X. I believe a master has chrome along the side of the hood as well. I have a 36 standard coach that I purchased this past October. Mine has front and rear leaf springs with Delco Lovejoy shocks. My frame is fully boxed on the sides and has no X shaped frame cross member. I hope you have as much fun with yours as I have. Just try to take your time and enjoy the journey with the car. The VCCA site will give you tons of information and you can easily ask questions and knowledgeable folks will gladly help you out.

Well Saturday is the day... I woke up to a snow storm this morning though, yikes! I'll be watching the weather like a hawk... its supposed to clear out overnight Friday... fingers, toes, eyes crossed!

Good luck with the car. I'll reiterate what everyone else is saying: The 36 is good car, and while parts aren't quite as plenitiful as for 37 and up, they are there. Ignition and other like items are still available at auto parts stores. It is a good driving car and you'll get to learn the unsynchronized transmission if you haven't before I've owned my 36 Standard Town Sedan since 1983 and thoroughly enjoy driving and working on it (well, except when on the side the road on a rainy day with a stopped-up carburetor jet ..)

The accessories you have are very desirable. If you need any parts, especially mechanical, I have a good many extra.

Good luck with your car. My '36 standard also has a straight axle in the front. No temp gauge. Two doors. One sun visor. One tail light. One windshield wiper. It is a Town Sedan. Came with carpet in the front and bucket seats. The owner added a heater. It does not have a backward fan on the dash to de-ice the windshield. Just how he got by with that in East Chicago(the oil change stickers are still on the driver's door) is beyond me! The interior is still original as I have not restored it yet.

A 1936 Standard didnot come with carpet in the front.
The first Chevrolet to have carpet in the front was the 1950 BelAir.

After some to-do with the u-haul people I dropped that and found a nice gent on u-ship that will bring it home in an enclosed trailer for what it was going to cost me with a u-haul rig + gas... Needless to say I got a heck of a deal on shipping and it should be here by 3pm tomorrow...



... is it 3pm tomorrow yet??????

The eagle has landed...





Now that i've had a chance to look it over VERY close (and join the VCCA!) I can see its a standard. Its also been repainted at some point, the original is a sort of dark blue/grey/green color.

It ran great for 3 minutes and then died... LOL! A quick test pointed to loss of spark but there wasn't time to monkey with it before it got dark and I had to take the Mrs out to dinner. I enlisted the help of Mike next door and we got it pushed into the garage.

Mice have been living in the back seat, and I found all sorts of other assorted goodies. Also ripped out the soggy house carpet installed up front by a previous owner, rolled down some windows, and started her drying out.

This holiday weekend will be a complete systems check and gathering a repair list.

My wife loves this car too!

More pics for those who dig 'em

WOW - An accessory banjo steering wheel. Thats worth a few bucks. And accessory dual horns. All the accessory stuff on the dash and no radio. Kinda of strange.

Its a later 1936 as it has the ribbed valve cover. Good indication that is has the all steel dors used in late 1936 Standards. The steel doors didn't sag like the heavy wood doors did, especially in a 2 door model.

Congratulations...! That is in nice shape...!

Several good points....the steering wheel is really neat. And the horns are cool.
Maybe best of all you say, "my wife loves the car." That's a GREAT start
on future endeavors.

Congrats on a fine purchase!!!

Very nice looking car. Be careful of mice manure & urine. It has a life span of 30 days. It can make you sick. Wear a breather. Moth balls will keep the mice out. Look behind the horns to see a plate on the firewall. First line has: Body no. (year) 36 (model series) 12 (body type) 11; If the second line, Body No. ends with a "Z" it has the new "Safety" steel doors and also comes with steel door post. Third line has: Trim No. 50 (trim design and material) Forth line has: Paint No. 196 (Navy bluish on mine) color combo. Other numbers like 3FC50718 may be found. 3 is St. Louis, 05 is May and 50718 is the production no. The carpet in front is standard for a Town Sedan. My car is exactly like yours. Good Luck!!!

ALL 1936 Standards had a black rubber front mat and a woven type carpet in the rear.
ALL 1936 Masters had a brown rubber front mat and a more expensive cut pile carpet in the rear.
The rubber front mats had the Fisher Body coach emblem moulded into it in the center for either model.
The mohair used in the Standard had a HerringBone design and the Master was "plain".

Kind of curious as to the info on that service tag on the door jam...lol

I like your Trico VF-2 on the steering column, too. I would imagine that it still works...

It does still work, very well in fact! The tag on the door is an old sinclair oil change sticker, its gotten wet though and I can only read the mileage it was changed at, no date... bummer!

Well I spent the day pulling carpets and scraping the sound proofing junk off the floor. Pulled out the rear seats and the delaminated wood shelf in the trunk as well as the cardboardy stuff on the floor up front. If it was wet/moist it got removed! I found a few areas of rust repair i'll have to hit but the floors are really solid. I always enjoy seeing what I can find while cleaning out a car and this one didn't dissapoint. I found 2 vintage pennies, a 1941 mercury dime, and most fitting of all, a Santa Claus pin... and 20 pounds of dirt/dust/rust!

I got it started again after adjusting the carb and charging the battery. It was running really rich when I got it but not now. Brake/fuel lines are up next.

That's a great looking car!!!

Sounds like you're right into it.
Best of luck with your restoration.

Enjoy......that's what it's all about.

Congrads on your purchase. I love the car. Nice accessories; my Standard has none of those. It does have a dealer installed trunk,but I do not care because I still love it! If you look at youtube I bet I see a video of your car. Once in youtube type in the search box 1936 Chevrolet standard and it should come up but with other selections. It will be easy to find the car I think is yours. It sure looks like your car. Good luck with the car, it sounds like you will have a ball.

Nice looking car. I hope you enjoy it. In the video it appears to run without any smoking. That's good sign.

Good luck with it,
Charlie

'36 Vid

If thats the video you're thinking of, it is my car. You can see the black cloud shoot out the back when started... its still doing it but not as bad after some adjustment. I'll dig into the fuel system after I finish the brakes this weekend.

While pulling the old brakes lines today I discovered the fuel line is made of copper... factory or handyman special?

I've only driven it into the garage so far... about 50 yards total. Taking it easy until I can get into the oil pan and clean it out. I pulled the valve cover yesterday for a look and the insides are very cean, the valve assembly looks almost new... no build up of black goo/crud stuff. Looking good so far!

Copper fuel lines...? Handyman special...Might have been all that was handy...Is easier to work with...Glad to hear top-end is clean...Betch the lower-end looks good, too. Must've had regular oil changes...Don't know if I'd even bother to remove the pan...Time might be better spent elsewhere. If there was gunk up-top, it'd be a different story. Kevin


Great video...I like your ride...! Wish it were mine...!

Thanks for the kind words!

I work in a one car garage dating from 1925 with no heat... It will be a few months before I can paint anything so i've got plenty of time to work on the unglorious "doesn't look like much is going on" stuff. I'm going to replace most of the gaskets on the engine before I repaint it the correct color as its oozing oil a bit. Someone has been in there before.. I found blue sealant here and there...

No factory ewver installed copper brake lines. Very dangerous and illegal in most states.

Nice mostly original car, I enjoyed the video, hope you plan to keep it as original as possible, looks like the upholstery is OK enough to keep. A member of our local club has a largely original '37 2 door, including most of the original dark blue paint. Love to see those old survivors. And seems to me a Banjo Steering wheel went for over $1,000 recently!

Oh, my gosh...I'd be tempted to hang an air-freshener and leave it at that...

Yes, sir...! One of them pine-tree looky ones...May not git ya girls...But it will probly git ya squirrels...! Will, too.

I'd like to but the inside is very water damaged... warped door panels and rotted fabric... I'll save as much as I can!

I understand your dilemma, but it will only look original once, and if you start "redoing things" it is difficult to stop as you likely know. I like to see the stains (if tolerable at all) from 80 years of service, sort of badges of honor. Whatever you decide on, good luck.

Ugly discoveries today!

I knew the transmission mount was bad but it was worse than expected. Turns out the two studs holes are stripped out from being loose and slamming around for years. The tranny tail will have to come off and a new one found... or maybe have an insert threaded in if its cheaper than locating a used part.

Found some bad rust in the lower door so i'll have to attend to that also with a patch...

Can you put Helicoils in the striped out holes? They would be good as new if you did.

Thinking about it... never used them before!

Okay, what do we have here...? Tranny-Tail has two stripped holes...? You or a friend have a Drill-Press...? With the Heli-Coil Kit comes a drill and tap you'll use before threading the insert...Perhaps this friend has had to buy this "kit" already and you can borrow the drill & tap from him...Saves you some $...You probably have an idea where were going with this already, or your local machine shop could take care of it...in a week or so.

You could probably take care of this with a good variable speed hand-drill...The Heli-coil Kit itself isn't going to break the "bank". $15-20 Bucks...Includes a 1/2 dozen or so inserts...

With the threads stripped out you may not even need to drill the holes. Just tap and insert the helicoil. I have done it many times. I was a Machine Repairman/Toolmaker the first 25 years of my working life.

A thread insert kit is probably going to cost about $75.00. You get the drill, the tap, a driver and some coils.
I have some oversize self tapping studs made specifically for this repair. I don't believe I have ever used them but I will send a pair (cheap) if you would like to try them. I don't think trying them would preclude the helical fix, if they failed.

Mike

I have a box with three pair of transmission mount studs labeled "Oversize Rear Transmission studs for 1934 - 41 Chevrolet". They were manfactured by Champ-Items inc of St Louis Mo, who knows when. The repair requires that the transmission mount attaching holes in the transmission case be re-threaded with a 1/2-13 tap. Each pair has instructions for making the repair.

The first thing you need to find, before you attempt a repair, is a new transmission mount assembly. The rubber compound was originally bonded to the mounting.

I was poking around ebay yesterday in the 35--36 chevy listings and noticed a few of the trans mounts for sale.

mike

I picked up a NOS mount on ebay last week so i'm good there, i'll bore out the holes for either a helicoil or oversize studs. Tonight while removing the splash guards I noticed the drivers side engine mount rubber is gone... i'm surprised the 206 isn't laying on its side doing the twist in there... lol!

I would be will to bet teh front motor mounts are bad also.

I was wondering if bad motor mounts are most noticeable a idle...? i.e. shaking...

You need to stop looking so closely.

Its these darn new glasses....

I'm sure the front motor mounts are bad too... if they're even there! I just haven't stuck my head up in there to see how bad they are yet.

You're scaring the heck out of me... After my earlier posting, now I'm not even sure that my '36 has a '36 engine in it.


I need to stop looking --- AND --- stop posting!!! HA!

Great find! Enjoy!

I want to blame the shaking on the motor mounts rather than the carburetor, Haha...

If the engine is hitting on all 6 and has even compression it will not shake with broken motor mounts.

A few current pics... That front window did NOT want to come out, the rubber had turned to glue after all these years.

The last under the dash pic shows a little light up thing made out of the same grey swirl plastic as the steering wheel. I traced the wire through the firewall and then down under the cab a ways but lost it. I'm thinking hi/low beam indicator?

Looks like your removing more than just the windshield...What's up with that...?

That wouldn't be the original color showing thru on the roof, would it...?

All the glass has to come out, its all cracked or delaminated badly... The doors need help, the vent windows are froze up as well as the locking/latch mechanisms being almost non working. The goal is to save as much of the car as possible in its present condition. Moldy fabric, rotten metal, or peeling paint has to go. A lot of stuff should clean up really good with a little elbow grease... i'll bet the dash will sparkle with a good cleaning and polish!

There is no remaining original color anywhere on the outside of the body i've found, the shine is from the lights above. Whoever repainted the car either stripped the original paint off or it was gone before they did it. I've poked down through the paint and found a layer of white primer and under that steel. The deeper I dig the more i'm sure this car had an exterior cosmetic resto a number of years ago. In protected places like the firewall I find the original frosty green paint with red primer underneath. Since the original finish is long gone outside i'll be stripping it and repainting it... I guess somebody else didn't like frosty green either... lol!

Did you figure out what your light is for yet?

It runs down to the hi/low switch on the floor... it was a high beam indicator!

Nice looking car! That tire looks familiar tooo

Joe

I'll bet it does... i've got a few more floating around