hi, I'm new to your forum.


I just bought a '37 olds business coupe. it is just a frame & body. was painted & last registered in 1949...and has been sitting in a barn ever since.


I was curious about wheelbase & curb weight.
from basic searches on google, I have found that the 37 oldsmobile wheelbase varies from 117 to 124 (I guess depending on engine (6 cyl vs. 8cyl))?


also, curb weight numbers seem to range from 3210 - 3525.


how do I figure out what model I have? does anyone know the weight of the 6cyl vs the weight of the 8cyl?


I have attached a few pics.


thank you in advance, t

 

Welcome to Classic Olds.According to research that I did they made a L-37 I-8 with 257 c.i. and 110 h.p. ,curb weight 3396 lbs. it's wheelbase was 124". in the Business Coupe ( no rear seat and a weight of 2151 lbs.) and 2300 lbs.in the Club Coupe. The 1-6 engine was 95 brake h.p. @ 3400 r.p.m. It was a 117" wheelbase. The curb weight on the six had no information. Body looks very solid , body looks very solid. Should make a nice project. Hope this helps,
Larry

 

thanks larry. the body is solid & in nice shape; I am excited about it. So, are you saying the wheelbase should be 117" for the business coupe? I only ask because there are no axles/wheels & want to make sure I set it up correctly.


also, any idea on the individual engine weights? I'm guessing they were probably 500-700 lbs, respectively...just curious.
thanks, t

 

t23bucket, if it came with the I-6 (6 cylinder) the wheelbase would have been 117" .If it had the I-8 (inline 8 cylinder) it would have had a wheelbase of 124". Some of the Olds Deltas of the mid eighties had a 116" Wheelbase. Maybe since it has no differential ,you could find something in an Olds with close to the same wheelbase,either wrecked or the body was not in good shape,and mount your body to that frame and running gear. Best of luck. Hey,hey. We might get an Olds V-8 running gear in it yet. Larry

 

makes sense. i'll pull a tape on it & try to eyeball the center of the wheel wells. thanks again larry.

 

Welcome to the site. Wow, looks like a very solid car. Whats the plan?

 

not really sure. when I first saw it (from the back), i thought it was a '40 ******. after looking closer i realized it was an olds. with it being so 'bare bones', i guess i plan on trying to use some parts i have laying around from previous cars. i have a '57 olds rear end that i would like to put in it, but am undecided on which engine/trans i will use. I'm not going to touch the body/paint; the paint is about 65 years old...it's old laquer & is cracked all over (looks like a road map).

 

It is quite the blank slate for an old school hot rod. Always loved the coupes. Make a build thread for what ever you decide to do.

 

have never documented a 'build thread' before, but that'd be kinda fun...except for everyone seeing all the mistakes i'll make.


I'd like to get the car down to about 3,000 lbs. not sure if i can, it seems to be built like a tank...and the frame is huge; looks like two 8" c channels with an x brace in the middle...that alone must weigh 200 lbs.

 

If it's the I-6 and cam with rear seat(Club Coupe) the info I read said original curb weight was only 2300 lbs.,and of course the business Coupe ( with no rer seat) was 2151 lbs. Didn't some models (maybe '73-'74 ) Omegas come with Olds "350", And weren't they sub framed just like the
Novas. That might be an easier way to go,if you could find one. That combo( 350 Olds engine and trans) would be awesome hooked to your '57 Olds differential. Larry

 

it'd be great if it was on 2151, but even my blown alcohol model a weighs 2300. guess i'll just build it as light as i can & scale it when it's done. thanks for the help. t

 

A business coupe style was available in both the F-37 and L-37 lines. The F-37 Business Coupe came with a 230 cubic-inch, in-line 6-cylinder engine, sat on a 117-inch wheelbase, and weighed 3,398 lbs. The L-37 Business Coupe came with a 257 cubic-inch in-line 8-cylinder engine, sat on a 124-inch wheelbase, and weighed 3,598 lbs.

The difference in wheelbases of 7 inches ought to be enough to determine which of the two this car is even without the drivetrain as I would think you could make measurements based on where these components should be.

But one other thing is that production numbers for these two models were very different. Production of the F-37 Business Coupe was relatively high at 16,394, making it the third most popular style of F-37 out of the seven styles available.

By contrast, production of the Business Coupe in the L-37 line totaled 2,473, or only about 1/8 the production of the F-37 version. Based on this alone, I'd say the odds favor this car being the F-37 version.


Here's a picture of the L-37 Business Coupe from the 1937 Olds sales booklet.





Here's the F-37 version.





Comparing your car to these two images from the brochure, I'd say you have an F-37. Your car's hood doesn't look long enough to be the L-37.

Also, there is a significant difference in the grilles on the two models. We can't see the front end of your car in the photos you provided, but if the car has its grille, you ought to be able to tell in an instant which model you have.

Third, the trim piece on the side of the car just behind the headlight on your car looks more like the trim piece on the F-37 shown in the brochure. It has three horizontal spears with the middle one not extending as far back as the top and bottom ones. In contrast, the side trim on the L-37 has a mesh pattern between the top and bottom spears.

 

Also in the pic with the grille in the trunk, looks to be an F-37 grille.
There are kits out there to use a front frame clip, to convert to disc and adapt rack and pinion steering.
Since the frame is still there, mounting the early Olds/Pontiac rear should be easy.
I'm thinking the data plate is not on the body, is that why you do not know which body style you have?

Gene

 

Welcome... What a great prize you have acquired... Hope to see more of the build in the future...

 

thanks for all the great information. I attached a few more pics of the front end. I guess I assumed if the wheelbase varied, it had to do with 4 door versus 2 door, or coupe versus sedan...never considered the engine as a factor. my dad pulled a tape on it (tried to guess at the center of the wheel wells) & said the wheel base appeared to a little over 122". I looked at the title (last registered in 1949), and the title says 8 cyl, 200 hp...I guess it was the straight 8 engine.


does anybody know what body parts may interchange between a '37 olds & '37 chevy (hood, fenders, etc.)? they look very similar...

 

Well it looks like some body started a resto, things happen and for sure was totally forgot about. It is a wonder what happen to the suspension, or what they were going to do.
It would be nice to use the 57/64 Olds/Pontiac rear end with an front frame clip grafted to the original frame, with a nice 350 or 455 Oldsmobile engine.

What are your plans for the car?

Gene

 

thanks again for all the good info. I think I'm going to have to measure it myself. I travel for work, so haven't been able to put my hands on the car since I bought it. the title does say 8cyl & 200 hp, but after re-reading the info you guys posted...the grill, hood trim, and looks of the car make me believe it was the 6 cylinder version.


the guy I bought it from said he bought the car from the son of the original owner. apparently, the original owner drove the car for 10 years (mostly on the farm), then decided to have it repainted. he took it apart, had it painted...and never put it back together.


my plan is to use the olds/Pontiac axle in the rear (with coilovers & ladder bars). the front will be a straight or dropped axle with parallel leafs (I think the car is too heavy for transverse). not sure if the stock frame is worth trying to keep. by the time I channel the frame in the front & install crossmembers in the rear (and contend with the x-bracing in the middle of the frame), it might be easier to just build a tube frame for it.


it'll probably just be a street car for my wife & kid...as long as I don't get carried away, again.

 

That sounds like a great idea on the frame. Using a tube frame built just like you need would be much better.
Should be a nice street car, would be a real eye catcher.
What engine are you planing on using? Hopefully not a chebby!

Gene

 

not really sure on the engine.
I was considering a 472 or 500 caddy. I built a few of them years ago, but they've gotten fairly popular & expensive. I don't want to pick an engine quite yet...kinda want to focus on the chassis. I have 2 olds Pontiac housings left. One is a '1957, it is stock length (roughly 60" axle flange to axle flange) & would require me radius the rear fenders; the other is narrowed (roughly 52" axle flange to axle flange) and would require me to 'tub' the floor. not sure which way to go yet as I do like the old style drag car look, but am having a hard time cutting fenders this solid.


are chevy rear fenders the same? if so, I could buy a set of fiberglass & cut them in case I ever want to go the other direction.


any thoughts?

 

Well cheeby has always been an indenty on its own and in those not to much was the same. I have found more of the Pontiac/Buick and some Cad was better. Maybe see if you can get pic's or dimensions and go from there.

Gene

 

will do. I just figured if the mounting flange was close, the rest wouldn't really matter once I started cutting...the 13.00 x 16's wouldn't leave too much fender left.

 

How much do you have to tub it? Or how much do you have to cut into the body?
I like the narrowed and tub look as to the wheel well radias and tire sticking out.

Gene

 

Thats a sweet looking project you have there! Love the classic 2drs with some style. I agree whatever you do dont chop up the body parts instead work around them. :-)

 

if I tub it, i'll tub it for 33x18.50 tires...it's the same amount of work for a 12" tire, or 20" tire. there is a craigslist ad for a few Cadillac engines in my area. I didn't want to mess with the engine combo yet, but the ad is for a 472/turbo 400 & a 500/turbo 400...both for $300. it's kinda hard to pass up; I may pick them up for this build.

 

ok, so I finally got back from work & went to my dad's shop. we measured the wheelbase; it's 117"...you guys were correct, it was the 6 cylinder version.


I ordered some ladder bar brackets & coil over brackets from chassis engineering, and will be ordering some 44" ladder bars this weekend. the 9.3" rear axle housing is at the sandblaster, and will be picked up on Saturday. I will measure it & order new axles from Dutchman; I will also rebuild the posi with new clutchpacks I purchased from fabcraft. not sure on gear ratio yet, but will install the posi in one of my 3rd members for now.


I've decided to build the frame myself out of 2x3 box tubing. i will also be channeling it (as I don't want to spend $300 on rear frame rails. I've got 3 sets of tires/wheels to use for mock up...some 15x10 cragars with 31x11.50 goodyears, some 15x12 cragars with 32x15 goodyears, and some 15x14 supertricks with 31x18.50 mickey thompsons. I will tub it for the mickeys, but not sure if I will run them...they may be for sale if anyone is interested.


I will order the tubing next week and begin cutting/welding; i'll take pictures and make updates as I can.