Barn find: 1936 Cord 810

I believe this was owned by a man in Royal oak Mi. Carl S. worked for the
Bell Telephone (AT&T).
It was stored in a garage with no floor for many years.
I saw it there and could not make a deal over 20 yrs ago

Hi Mike,

Congratulations on finding the Cord. Getting a title depends on the state. You need to check with your state dept. of motor vehicles since each is different. Some states didn't have titles until fairly recently (some still don't) others have had titles all along. So see what your state requires. Also without the serial number tag it may be difficult. You will have to go off the unit number stamped on the frame which may be difficult to find. Also the unit number is 1000 less then the serial number so your frame stamping should be 712.

This car was owned in 1958 by Ford Motor Company. They purchased it to find out more about front wheel drive. I would guess they pulled it all apart to learn. Not knowing the full history from then I would be careful they put it back together correctly.

It would be great to see some photos.

Good luck with the car.

CORDially, Jim

Gary - this is a 1936 Cord and yours is a 1937 - a world apart in serial numbers.

If the car is a 1936 810 then it couldn't be a long wheel base Custom as they didn't build them in 1936, only 1937. Good luck and if you need a wiring harness check with Henry Portz as he makes them. Henry is one of the Club Techinians for the 810-812 Cords.

Some will not buy a car if there is no title. Others could care less but for most its a must have item. Depending on the state it can be very difficult getting a title. My car is 1748 S and yours is very close to this number. Mine is a 1937 Beverly sedan with a bustle trunk. You have several places you can buy a wiring harness too. They are not hard to install either. Well the overhead harness to the trunk lites can be hard because its behind the head liner. Before you actually list this car for sale you probably need to have it looked at by a knowledgeable member near you. You could have a car that nobody has any information about and it might be worth much more than you think. This club has a historian named Ron Irwin. Contacting him and tell him what the engine and serial numbers are. He might have some background on this car. Little things like how many chrome strips are on the louver fence. You count from the top of the hood down to the last one. If you have 8 then its not a standard Cord but a long wheel base car. Looking at the back doors can tell you long or short too buy the width of them. Also the rear windows will roll all the way down on the long wheel base cars but the standard wheel base cars wont. Hope this helps you some. I have no idea how much you know about Cords.

Hello RubyDS,

This is not a ebay car, it was found & purchased right here in Michigan.
Will post photos soon as I can figure out how.

Hello Mike,

Some pictures of your car? It's the black Cord sold on e-bay?

I just purchased a 1936 Cord 810, 4 door Sedan that has been stashed away for many years. The vehicle ID tag is missing, however the car did come with a bill of sale from 1959, and has the engine number as FB856 and the serial number as 1712A.
After filing the points the engine started right up & sounded strong.
The condition of the wiring prevented testing of the transmission. The car appears to be as complete as it was when new, it even has a new exhaust system & brake lines. There is some rust in the usual places, but overall is in very solid condition.
My intention is to clean up the car a bit & put it up for sale.
Can anyone tell me how important it is to have a title for the car & how to go about getting one?

Thank you,
Mike