1936 Oldsmobile Series F

Oldsmobile was the second nameplate in William Durant's fledgling General Motors in 1908, and its position within the market overlapped several other GM marque segments until new president Alfred Sloan established a price hierarchy in the mid-1920s. Oldsmobile was placed within the middle, above Pontiac and below Buick.

1936 Pontiac
For 1936, Pontiacs had 112- and 116-inch wheelbase sizes, prices of $615 to $850, and powered by six- and eight-cylinder power. The six displaced 208 cubic inches and developed 81 horsepower and the eight had a 232.3 CID and 87 horsepower. The engines were backed by a three-speed synchromesh manual transmission and the stopped power was by four-wheel hydraulic brakes.

Pontiac model year production for 1936 was 176,270 units.

1936 Buick
The 1936 Buicks models had 118-, 122-, 131-, and 138-inch wheelbase sizes, and prices that ranged from $765 to $1,800. All had inline eight-cylinder power with overhead valves, mechanical valve lifters, five main bearings, and displacements of 233 and 320.2 cubic inches with a horsepower of 93 and 120 bhp respectively. Engines were backed by a three-speed sliding gear transmission and hydraulic brakes were at all four corners.

Model year production for the 1936 Buick was 157,623 units and calendar year sales of 164,861.

1936 Oldsmobile
The 1936 Oldsmobile Series F had a 115-inch wheelbase, a height of 67-inches, and an overall length of 188 inches. The Series L had a 121-inch wheelbase platform and a length of 194-inches. The Series F had 16x6.50 tires while the Series L was slightly larger at 16 x 7.00. The Series F was a six-cylinder model with prices that ranged from $730 to $820, and the Series L was an eight-cylinder model with prices of $810 to $935.

The inline, L-head six-cylinder engine powering the Series F had a cast-iron block, four main bearings, cylindrical valve lifters, a single downdraft carburetor, 6.0:1 compression, and 90 horsepower at 3,400 RPM.

The eight-cylinder engine powering the Series L was an inline, L-head unit with a cast-iron block, a 240 cubic-inch displacement, 6.2:1 compression, five main bearings, mushroom valve lifters, a Duplex downdraft carburetor, and 100 horsepower at 3,400 RPM.

Both engines were backed by a three-speed sliding gear transmission with a single plate clutch and floor-mounted controls. They used shaft drive, an independent coil spring front suspension and a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs, and triple-sealed four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes.

Oldsmobile's U.S. model year production was 198,987, a dramatic increase from the 125,348 units built the previous year, and higher than both 1936 Pontiac and Buick model year production.

In the immediate years prior to 1932, Oldsmobile's lineup consisted of a single six-cylinder model with a wheelbase of approximately 113-inches. The 197 cubic-inch six produced 65 horsepower. For 1932, Olds added an eight-cylinder model (the Series L) with a 240 CID and 87 horsepower. Both the six-cylinder Series F and the eight-cylinder Series L shared a 116.5-inch wheelbase. Displacement for the six rose to 221 CID and horsepower to 80 bhp in 1933, with the Series F resting on a 115-inch wheelbase and the Series L receiving a 119-inch platform. Braking power was now handled by Bendix duo servo brakes. The wheelbase on the Series F shrunk by an inch in 1934 and its displacement decreased to 213 CID although horsepower increased to 84 bhp.

For 1935, Oldsmobile restyled its line and the six-cylinder received a redesigned cylinder head helping to increase horsepower to 90. The wheelbase of the Series L grew to 121 inches and the 'Knee Action' suspension introduced in 1934 was further refined.

Styling for 1936 was slightly updated with the headlights positioned higher on the front end and the door handles were moved from the front of the doors to the rear. Sales of the Series F were consistently higher than the Series L, due to its affordability and that its engines were nearly as powerful and even more dependable than the eight.

Pricing
Body styles for the Series F and Series L were the same with the Series F having a smaller footprint and a lower price. The Series F business coupe was priced at $665, the Sport Coupe at $730, the two-door sedan at $735, and the touring sedan at $755. The four-door sedan listed at nearly $800, the convertible (two-door with seating for three) at $805, and the four-door touring sedan topped the list at $820.

Production
The Series F's most expensive body style was also its most popular with 69,443 units built, followed by 46,373 of the two-door touring sedan, and 20,346 of the business coupe. 13,143 examples were the two-door sedan, 4,082 of the four-door sedan, and 2,831 of the sport coupe. Closed body styles were gaining in popularity due to their all-weather practicality, reflective in the 2,073 examples of the convertible (the fewest of the Series F 1936 production).

Oldsmobile produced 158,291 examples of the Series F in 1936, accounting for approximately eighty-percent of the total model year production. 40,696 examples of the Series L were built with the most popular body style being the four-door touring sedan with 29,373 units built.

Oldsmobile would restyle its line for 1937 with the Series F gaining five additional horsepower. The two model lineup continued into 1938, and for 1939 an intermediate six-cylinder G-Series 70 model joined the lineup, positioned above the Series F 60 Six and below the L-Series 80 Eight. The lineup changed again in 1941, consisting of two models that could be equipped with either six- or eight-cylinder power.

by Daniel Vaughan | Mar 2021