36 or 37 ???

[jimisbell]

The title says its a 1937 Ford Pick Up

I have been told the grill is a 1936

Is there a definitive way to determine which it is. Titles can be deceiving, depending on when and how it was registered.

 

[dmw56]

look up the serial number on the frame.

 

[jimisbell]

OK, the serial number is 186521887 but I am not sure this is the original number because the frame was cut an welded so many times, I am not even sure this is the original frame!! The car was made from a 1936/37 Ford truck and a 1970 El Dorado. The engine and front disk brakes are 1970 El Dorado the front axle I think is Ford, but so far that is as far as I know , only had the car a week so haven't investigated it throughly yet.

 

[dmw56]

That's a 1941 serial number. You have a mutt!

 

[26Troadster]

wasn't the 70 el dorado a front wheel drive? i didn't know you could use their disc.

 

[MercuryMac]

identification

hi jimisbell
There are a few differences between '36 and '37. A '36 has a flat windshield and the '37 has a split. The dash on a '36 has one big hole for the speedo, about 4 1/2" and two smaller ones, one on each side of the big one. The smaller ones are about 2 3/8" diameter. The '37 has two equal sized holes at about 4 1/2" D each. I didn't look back through your pictures yet, but I remember a split windshield, I think. You have a '36 grille which in my opinion is a way nicer. Good Luck.

 

[jimisbell]

Yes, the windshield is split as is the dash. The El Dorado disks and calipers are mounted on a solid "king pin" axle. To make the calipers fit under the wheels they have been ground off on the ends.

I am thinking about reversing the wheels to get clearance on the NEW calipers which are not yet ground off. BUT the reversed wheels wont sit right because of the self centering lug nuts, so that is out.

What is a "mutt"?

 

[Bamamav]

What is a "mutt"?

A Heinz 57. Not a purebred, but many breeds put together.

 

[jimisbell]

OK, I understand that. I think mine is Fordilac. So far thats all I have found.

I went to the parts store for new front calipers and the guy suggested early 70s Chevy but when I got home and they were too small was when I started thinking that it had a 1970 El Dorado engine, so why not brakes from the same donor. I was right, a perfect match.

I havent checked the rear end yet, but I would put money on '70 El Dorado.

Started raining this afternoon so all work stopped. I put a tarp over it to keep out the water.

When I got the car last week there was water in the oil, but the car had been sitting out in St Louis MO since November, so I hope thats where it all came from. I have drained the oil and will put a new filter on it with 5 qts of cheap oil and run it a bout 15 minutes and then drain it again and change the filter again and hope that cures it.

If water comes back I will just be on a fast track to replace the engine with a Flathead which was the goal anyway.

 

[Ol Blue]

Here's some very good information on Ford trucks of this era.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236409&highlight=36+ford+pickups

Blue

 

[dmw56]

A Heinz 57. Not a purebred, but many breeds put together.

Yeah what he said. Kind of like Johnny Cash's Cadillac!

 

[MercuryMac]

Hi jimisbell, I went out to the shed and took some pics for you. The two holer dash is a '37 and the three holer is the '36. One guage hole is roughed up a bit on the '36. The '37 has a little thin defrost vent under the upper dash but that wasn't invented yet in 1936. Good Luck.

 

[26Troadster]

ok i did some checking and the el dorado was a front wheel drive from 1967, so you will not have a el dorado rear end. you might some caddy stuff but if it is el dorado it will have to be before 67. if it is a caddy rear it will not look like the other gm's as they had their own rear ends, might have a 10 bolt or 12 bolt cover but nothing else is the same. the fwd disc brakes are like what is on a grad am when you take the cal. of the disc will slide right off, no bolts. heres a link to a 67-78 front disc for the el dorado.
http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts...&fp=pp&gbm=a&gclid=CPvs_5vrvbcCFSho7Aod2SkAuw

 

[MercuryMac]

Hi jimisbell, I tried some wire wheels on my 'Ranger running geared' disc brake spindles just for fun and the wheels hit the calipers like you said. I thought of putting some 3/8" spacers behind the wheels but I didn't actually try that. Food for thought.

 

[26Troadster]

i should have added i'm not trying to ditch your ride, but if you are using the el dorado disc i would love to see pics.

 

[Willowbilly3]

It's easy to google images. Look at the difference between (35)36 and 37. The belt lines are way different. 37 is one year only for the belt line.

 

[jimisbell]

I already have spacers and its not enough.

I will take some pictures when I get home this weekend.

The numbers on the box say they are 1970 El Dorado front calipers and pads., and yes, I didnt think of that, but the rear end could not be that same year if it was a front wheel drive car.....unless it was 4WD...LOL

 

[jimisbell]

Pics of El Dorado Disk Calipers on 37 Ford

i should have added i'm not trying to ditch your ride, but if you are using the el dorado disc i would love to see pics.

I finally installed the calipers today and got some pictures. I have been fighting a diagnoses that my Prostate Cancer is coming back so dont have a lot of time for the next two months as they put me in a microwave and nuke me daily. Prognoses is 100% recovery so thats good....

The pictures are attached.

For the next two months I will only be able to work on it on the week ends.

 

[jimisbell]

For the person that commented on using spacers to clear the calipers:
When I pulled the wheels to replace the calipers I noticed they had a 1/4" spacer. But that was not enough to clear the new calipers that hadnt been ground off on the ears. But I went to the parts house and got a pair of 3/8" spacers and added one to each side. The new unmodified calipers clear the wheels and the lug nuts have full thread contact on the bolts.....just barely.....

 

[jimisbell]

Hi jimisbell, I went out to the shed and took some pics for you. The two holer dash is a '37 and the three holer is the '36. One guage hole is roughed up a bit on the '36. The '37 has a little thin defrost vent under the upper dash but that wasn't invented yet in 1936. Good Luck.

OK, I finally got the diamond plate off and the dash is a '36, matches the grill. The title says '37 and the serial number says '41.

Is there any benefit to trying to get the title corrected or will I just run into legal problems in that the serial number is for a '41.