Hoping the community might be able to help out a newb. I recently purchased what was advertised as a 1937 Oldsmobile with a straight six in it. However when I went to look at the vehicle, the previous owner had some old insurance and registrations cards (there is no title), and it was registered as a 1936. When looking further again, the body tag reads like a 1937. So long story short I'm looking to put this mystery to bed. I think decoding the frame, and body tag should do the trick, so any help on telling me what the below information is would be helpful:

Frame Serial Number: F453537

Body Tag:
Style No: 37-3619
Body No: 36357
Trim No: 3
Paint No: 221

 

Keep in mind that, in some states back in those days, cars were titled and registered based on the year they were sold, not the model year of the car. If your car was originally sold in one of those states, and it was sold early in the 1937 model year while it was still 1936, this could have happened. Not saying that it did, but it might be a possibility.

I'm guessing that the style number starting with "37" suggests that it's a 1937.

Do you know the name of the model of the car? Back in those days, Oldsmobile named its models each year based on the model year. There were two Oldsmobile model lines for 1937, the F-37 and L-37. Yours would be an F-37 because the engine that came in that car was a 213 cubic inch inline six. The engine in the L-37 was a 240 cubic inch inline eight.

 

Of course, another way to determine the model year is to compare it to sales brochures of the time.

Here's two images from the 1936 Olds brochure.






Here's a page out of the 1937 brochure. The grill is very different. Assuming your car has its original grill, it should be a simple matter to determine which year is your car.

 

Can we see a photo of your car? Some people on this site claim that, until a photo is shown, the car doesn't exist!

 

Here's some photos of the car, of course, the model section on the registration is left blank. I don't even know how that is possible.

 

Thanks for those brochure photos. Ok, so from the grill, I think we can confirm this is in fact a 1937, not a 1936?

 

Yes, from the grille, it is clearly a 1937.

 

Wonderful, thanks for all the help! I know the paint code means it's black, with black rims, but any idea what the Trim code means? Having issues finding the options for trim

 

The frame number F453537 indicates a six cylinder model assembled at Lansing MI.
Cars assembled at South Gate CA.had a frame number that started with CF.
And cars assembled at Linden N.J. started with LF

Style No. 37-3619 = 1937 Oldsmobile Six 4 door touring sedan .
Body No.36357 = 36,357th body of that style made at Lansing.
Trim No. 3= no info
Paint no. 221= Black

 

Awesome pre-war Oldsmobile.

Get some good tires on her and drive it (after going through the brakes and a tune-up of course). Make sure you wear PPE if you cut, or sand that paint. I'd take a WAG and say it has lead in it.

 

Some colors may have lead. Its good practice to wear PPE whenever sanding any paint.

 

Thanks for all the help everyone. PPE for paint is a good idea. Right now, name of the game is getting it running, driving and stopping, then I can move it when I need to, and need to make sure everything works without major damage. Then the interior will be stripped, pieces saved for templates. Then I can make a list of manageable restoration projects as I go.