So one of my friends really wants to buy a hearse just because it would stand out like a sore thumb.

So anyway, I found this for sale locally: http://www.usedwinnipeg.com/classifi...collector-cars

We're probably going to go look at it and test it out this week. Looks to be in rough shape, but all he cares about is if it runs and drives good.

LOL - a girl that works at my local Autozone drives a Caddy Hearse. I aught to snap a pic one day. LOL

Cool find but I think Its a long way away body wise from staying on the road. All of that will have to fixed. 3K is a bit too much. I wonder what looks like undeneath. All the lines might have to be replaced too. (Gas, Brake etc.)

Hearses are actually kinda cool. My best friend has gotten me interested in them. Has even taught me some of the different coach builders and such. He has a miller meteor 69 Caddy Deluxe hearse/ambulance combo that is a work in progress. At first i thought it was kinda creepy but i am one who is open to new ideas and such and after he got it, i thought it was kinda awesome. He has dubbed it a 1969 Cadillac Escalade

Sorry guys, but i wouldn't be caught dead in one of those.

i want one too! but yea i dont think i want to fill up that caddy with gas......

That'* a 1969 Pontiac Superior. Superior was one of the main coach builders back in the 1960'* along with Miller-Meteor and Sayres & Scovill.

Unlike the hearses built on the Cadillac Commercial Chassis that are all custom coach work from the windshield back, Pontiac actually took Bonnevilles and cut and spliced appropriate sections of metal onto the car to make it long enough to hold a coffin. I'm willing to bet the car is not a "straight" hearse, but a combination with fold out attendant'* seats for a stretcher, as well as having possibly a siren and hookup for emergency lights.

Back with funeral homes ran the ambulance service, their cars needed to do double duty since buying a stand-alone ambulance wasn't feasible. Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles were less expensive options to Cadillacs, and though they had smaller engines, they were lighter and often faster than their Cadillac counterparts. I know this to be true for Cotner-Bevington built Oldsmobiles, and I suspect it to be true for Pontiacs as well. Another tell-tale sign this Pontiac is a combo is the large "truck" mirrors mounted on the doors.

Coach built vehicles are best identified by their roof/windows. Superior, for instance, from 1965-1970 had a relatively flat across roof that arched steeply in the middle, along with a forward leaning C-pillar and a relatively sloping back glass/rear load door. Comparitively, Miller-Meteors (and their subset, Cotner-Bevington, who used Oldsmobile 98s) have a roof that curves side to side, but is relatively flat from front to back, like a school bus. Another Superior styling cue is a "kick-up" in the beltline right behind the landau bar, but *&* used this styling cue a few years as well. The rear quarter windows that flank the rear loading door glass is also another Superior styling cue, but Eureka (who shut its doors after the 1964 model year) also used a similar quarter window.

Be forewarned though, that all the glass is builder specific and none of it is interchangeable with Pontiacs of the era...so be sure the glass is in good shape or be prepared to look hard and pay steep for good glass. One more thing, the ad states that the body and frame are rough but the drivetrain is solid... it'* a good thing the seller is honest, and the rough body makes it look creepier, but the rough frame bothers me...especially at that price. Down at the bottom of this post there'* a link to CW Coach, a hearse/limo dealer that'* only about 500 miles away from Winnipeg... you might be surprised at what $3000 can buy when you're dealing with hearses.

That said, owning a hearse is absolutely the most fun thing I've ever done and I'm sure if he picks up this Pontiac Superior he'll get hooked like I did. Just because I'm a picture *****, here'* a pic of mine http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...arsefront2.jpg .

Here are some resources:
http://www.professionalcar.org/forums - The Professional Car Society is a very conservative community dedicated to the restoration and preservation of professional cars (hearses, limos, car-based ambulances and flower cars). If you plan on modifying your hearse, be prepared to be criticized. That said, the PCS forums are a GREAT GREAT GREAT source of information and parts. You have to be a sign up on the forum to read many of the sections.

http://www.dead-ends.com - Dead-Ends is a forum that'* doesn't care whether you mod your hearse or not. There are some questionable topics sometimes and vulgar language, but it'* a great forum, if a bit slow sometimes.

http://www.hearseclub.com - words can't describe. Must visit.

You can read the history or Superior here: http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/*/superior/superior.htm

http://www.cwcoach.com - a great hearse dealer, and occasionally have a vintage hease or two for sale.

And your best bet for parts is one of the forums or ebay motors.

Who ya gonna call? Ghost Busters!
LOL
What was the onein Ghost Busters?

Is this a pun, or no?


Would be an interesting project car. He'* not looking for this to be a daily driver, is he???

That was a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor, and I'm not sure of the trim level. Most folks into procars cringe when they see/hear of a '59 M-M slated for the Ecto-1 replica treatment, especially considering that less than 2,500-3,000 commercial chassis were produced each year.