Sitting Since 1983: 1936 Chevrolet Business Coupe

After sitting stored away since 1983, this Chevrolet Business Coupe has once again been dragged out into the light of day. It is in need of a lot of work, but it could serve as a basis for a restoration, as a rat rod, or a street rod. Our ever vigilant Barn Finder Ikey H spotted the Coupe for us, so thank you for that Ikey. The Coupe is located in Lannon, Wisconsin, and is listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the opening bid at $4,500 in a No Reserve auction, and while there are currently no bids, there are 29 people who are watching the auction.

It’s really hard to know where to start with the Coupe. By outward appearances, you would think that you are probably facing some pretty major rust issues with the floors or frame. In fact, while these do have a healthy coating of surface corrosion, they appear to be really solid. The rust all seems to be confined to the body itself, but even this could be repaired without any great dramas. It does look like there are quite a few items missing, such as the rear fenders, running boards, bumpers, and sundry trim items. The glass all appears to be present, and also looks to be in good condition.

The interior is, well, it’s enough to take your breath away. It looks a bit like the aftermath of a raccoon party. The seat frame appears to be good, but otherwise, it really will be a case of starting from scratch in there. It’s funny, just looking at that photo makes me think that I can smell the dry, dusty aroma that must be emanating from inside the car. There are also some items missing from inside the car, most noticeably, all of the gauges.

The 1936 Chevrolet range proved to be quite a savior for the company, as it allowed the company to regain market leadership from its great rival, Ford. How significant were the gains? The 1936 range saw sales of new Chevrolets rise by 70%, which was an unprecedented improvement at that time. Part of these gains lay in the improvements in styling, while performance improvements helped the cause. The 206.8ci straight-six engine was carried over from 1935 to 1936, but power output was increased from 74hp to 79hp, which is quite a leap in percentage terms. The owner says that the engine is tight, which means that it will probably need some work. Given the fact that the car has now been sitting for 36-years, you can guarantee that there will be plenty of other mechanical tasks awaiting the new owner.

I’m not going to say that this 1936 Business Coupe represents an easy project, because your reaction would be somewhere between disbelief, and rolling around the floor laughing. It is going to require a person with a pretty stout heart to take it on, but I think that we’ve probably seen worse cars brought back from the brink of death. My own personal feeling is that this would make a great rat rod project. What do you think?