Cord in Houston for sale

Want to know whether 1586 & 1540 use the cowl fillers, and when Connersville stopped and changed over to conventional. It's a unique feature for a unique car but probably a real pain especially if you care about your paintwork. Probably the best color for the early ones would be the green, to hide modern antifreeze stains on the hood. Or maybe brown or black to hide oil drips. Older vintage alcohol antifreeze probably matched the lighter colors better.

And why the gaps in serial numbers, there's got to be some theories about how that happened, unless the historical data simply represents known vehicles that were documented at later dates over the course of the years?

Is it possible to add oil thru the w/s while underway, wonder if anybody's ever tried it.

cbs

cbs (whoever you are), thanks for the info.

If Cord 1540S is the 25th Beverly, I wonder what has happened to the 24 that came before it, and all the others after it in 1936?

It seems as if the 36 Beverly is more rare than the Cabriolet's.

Oh, by the way, you are correct. I just checked the data plate on the car, and it says FB 792 for the engine in the 1540S Cord.

Apparently the engines weren't installed in the order of their serial numbers. They probably were shipped to the plant and just pulled from the warehouse as needed in no particular order.

-Maurice

1586 w/original FB 582 listed as 22 cars after 1540 w/original FB792. (210 unit difference in engine #s inverted); 1540 is 25th Beverly. Reference: Data from research by Ron Irwin, ACD Club 810/812 Historian; Reprinted in Cord 810/812; The Timeless Classic (by Josh Malks), Krause Publications.

Listings may be more data than able to condense or interpret here.

Heartily recommend other items: Cord Service Literature, Factory Service Manual (reprint), Data Sheets by topic, Engineering Changes* (reprint), available from Auburn Cord Parts, which has a catalogue of all available items.

May also be available from JK Howell or ACD Museum.

*This is the best historical reference because you can trace changes made that include your particular car.

Ralph Butler was probably working on the seats for this new Beverly and someone asked him, "What are those seats for, Ralph?" He says, "These are going into a new Cord sedan". So, someone says, "Hey, those will make the inside beautiful, let's dress this thing up under the hood as well". So, the chrome people were put to work.

I know it's just speculation, but hopefully it's true.

-Maurice

With hoods up? Oh... OK!

Now, anyone who walked over and talked to my Dad 3 years ago, knows why he didn't want to open the hood. I'd like to prove somehow that this Cord has always been this way.

Thanks for the little tip about the bored workers in the chrome shop.

-Maurice

Tubes for spark plug wires, and radiator tubes should be plated on a '36 per all the originality info. I've seen; There's a link somewhere that someone can provide to a good description of underhood finishes (paint/color/plating/type of plating/color of plating/polished, etc.)

Never heard of chrome top tank or horns before. Later '37s had cad. plating (silver, matte finish) on the tubes, although accounts of the slow times in the factory chrome shop have them chroming lots of odds and ends.

See you at Eckhart Park w/hoods up

This Cord 1586A is a 1936 Westchester...
...This Westchester is a fairly early 1936 Cord

With 1586A being considered fairly early, would that mean that my Dad's 1540S is even more fairly early?

I don't remember how or where we determined this, but I remember we figured out that 1540S was built in January of 1936. Would this sound correct?

We are also wondering if this 1540S Cord might possibly be one of the very first, if not THE first Beverly Sedan.

Something my Dad was always concerned with about the originality of this car is visible under the hood. He's owned it since 1958 and has always assumed that the previous owner had some chrome work done. Everything under the hood is still the same as when he bought it in 1958. Certain parts such as the radiator tank and sides, radiator support rods, horns, pulley, spark plug tubes, radiator hose tubes, and a few other items are chrome plated.

Recently, I suggested to my Dad that this car was possibly used for display either at company headquarters or at a show and was dolled up at the factory while it was being built. What leads me to believe this is the chrome work on the horns. It would be way too difficult to strip the paint and chrome the horns properly without hurting them.

My Dad has always wanted to undo the chrome work under the hood and change the parts all to black paint like Cords are supposed to be. However, if the factory did this, then it should be left alone.

I think it's very possible this car was a show car, especially due to its beautiful armchair upholstery, and then it was shipped off to a dealer in Reading, PA where it was sold to a "Madam" who lived in nearby Birdsboro. That's a whole 'nother story.

-Maurice

For complete info on that car(and inspection) call Bruce Hutchinson in Washington state (he's in the roster)

This Cord 1586A is a 1936 Westchester, sold new in Canada on 4-9-36 to a Mr. Mason. It now has a 1937 serial number plate with the numeral "1" upside down on the VIN number and engine number. Previous owners include Dennis Alsop, Bill Horning, George Van Nostrand (Canada), and Marty Anderson in Seattle, WA. The original engine was serial number FB582 and was replaced at some time by FB3213 out of a 1937 Custom Beverly. This Westchester is a fairly early 1936 Cord with documented ownership. I have no information about it's present condition or it's trail to Texas.

Stan

1936 CORD MODEL 810 ~ SERIAL # T586A ~ ENGINE # FB321

Anyone have or know any history on this car. Its in Houston and presently on the auction block on ebay. I've asked to inspect the car.

Any info appreciated.

Also, I've reviewed some of the boards and understand that the Cord's are finicky creatures. Does anyone have contacts in the central texas area that could provide some historical/mechanical guidance or where I could get my hands on mechnical joutnals, manuals etc to learn more about the cars.

Regards

Kevin