I recently bought a 1968 Cadillac Miller-Meteor combination Hearse/Ambulance and am currently restoring it, albeit very slowly. I havent gotten very far but at least it runs and drives right now.
Hmm, guess I cant post pictures :-[
First picture when shipped
I guess I can only post 1 picture at a time
In the driveway
I think my others were too big, thats why they failed
I like the hearse generally.
Don't know your opinion of it, and it's yours to do as you please, but I've never liked taking a hearse and decking it out in skulls/death stuff.
Hearses were not meant to be morbid and dark, but rather, soothing, comforting inoffensive and dignified for that last ride. And undoubtedly, that was the last ride of many fathers, mother, brothers sisters and grandparents. Veterans, clergy and friends.
Is it disrespectful to treat that item as a ghoul mobile? I'm not looking for a debate, I won't even say that it is, but I think, it is possible.
I think that hearse looks nice enough to be restored as a hearse and not a novelty. Jmho.
I agree. It came to me with the skull vinyl along the doors, a skull hood ornament that the last owner drilled a hole into the hood for, and these silly skull door locks.
I have already removed the skull hood ornament and the skull stickers. It was the first thing to go. My first priority is to restore the vehicle to as close to a factory appearance as I can. Once that is done I plan on using it as an alternative ministry outreach tool.
But no skulls and stuff, that stuff gets way overdone. Unfortunately alot of these get bought by haunted houses and used as props where they rot away.
"Hearses were not meant to be morbid and dark, but rather, soothing, comforting inoffensive and dignified for that last ride. And undoubtedly, that was the last ride of many fathers, mother, brothers sisters and grandparents. Veterans, clergy and friends."
I agree with the above. I'm no expert on hearses but have seen many but I don't think I've seen one with the folding, facing seats in the rear compartment. Yours looks like a nice one and will serve a very worthwhile purpose. Good Luck with it, Harry
Quote from: harry s on March 05, 2018, 04:25:28 PM
"Hearses were not meant to be morbid and dark, but rather, soothing, comforting inoffensive and dignified for that last ride. And undoubtedly, that was the last ride of many fathers, mother, brothers sisters and grandparents. Veterans, clergy and friends."
I agree with the above. I'm no expert on hearses but have seen many but I don't think I've seen one with the folding, facing seats in the rear compartment. Yours looks like a nice one and will serve a very worthwhile purpose. Good Luck with it, Harry
Thanks, the folding seats in the back are called "jumper seats". Combination hearses doubled as ambulance/first responder cars for smaller communities, so the seats fold down flush with the floor. There are also rectangular panels on the floor that can be reversed for casket rollers.
I believe they were called jumper seats as medical crews would be ready to "jump" out during an emergency.
People can be kind weird about these cars though. I know one guy I work with who tells me hes afraid to ride it in and so on. Superstitions aside at the end of the day they are just hunks of metal.
Heres a few pics of those reversible floor panels when I was trying to rust treat them:
I would not be afraid of riding in it.
A few years ago I drove my 69 Fleetwood to Maine and slept in it at a few places where I was just trying to get a couple hours and no hotel...I'm not sure if I would feel the same at night in a hearse. But if you restore it yourself, soon you will probably be about as scared of them as a mortician - not at all.
I grew up in antebellum and victorian homes, so I think I am pretty used to the idea that people died where I slept, at some time. Really there is probably not a place on earth that hasnt been the exact spot where someone died.
I am happy that you are going to do this project the classy way. I think it will have far more impact as a near original. I think a sort of alternative ministry outreach tool would be cool, help promote a culture of life and not death.
Hello Blake, I like the elaborate blue upholstery. The car appears to be complete and in good shape. I like funeral cars because they are a legacy of the coachbuilt era of the '20s and '30s. In my opinion your car has the same craftsmanship as Classic cars.
Love the combinations! Those rear jump seats allow you to bring a couple extra friends along to car shows or wherever.
I recall a PCS event up in Ontario back in 1993 where 6 of us rode in a 1960 Miller-Meteor out to dinner. Three in front and three sitting on the floor in back. Jump seats would have been very welcome!
Indeed, so far only my 4 year old son has rode with me. Havent been able to get my wife into the car yet. I'd love to go to a PCS Meet one day, I dont get much time to travel though unfortunately
Been a bit since my last update. Since my last post I have gotten to the bottom of my bogging problem by replacing my inline fuel filter, and I also last weekend replaced my voltage regulator and alternator just in time to go to my first car show this Saturday.
Current pieces I am keeping an eye out for:
- Landau bolt and button for my passenger side
- Hood lip trim
- 1 pair of Miller-Meteor "accent stars" or basically crosses that go on the sides
So I went to a local car show over the weekend. My first one to ever enter. I went for fun, not expecting to win anything since my car isnt show quality yet. They moved me to the "special interest" category so I would win a trophy. Was quite a surprise. Had several kids crawl around in the back and have fun.
cool! A rare sight indeed!
I like the documentation display
Looks great! Congratulations!
Thanks, still searching for my last few missing trim pieces. Some of these old coach trim pieces are quite elusive.
Wish we had room for one of those. They'd make a nice 'pup-mobile' to haul our dogs around in. Not sure they'd like the slick surface back there, though. :o
While that part of the hood was prone to rust pretty easily, I'd expect that hood lip trim to be the same for any 67-69 deVille/FW/Calais, so that should open up your options.
Quote from: Gene Beaird on May 02, 2018, 02:20:46 PM
Wish we had room for one of those. They'd make a nice 'pup-mobile' to haul our dogs around in. Not sure they'd like the slick surface back there, though. :o
While that part of the hood was prone to rust pretty easily, I'd expect that hood lip trim to be the same for any 67-69 deVille/FW/Calais, so that should open up your options.
68 only unfortunately. 68 was the first year where it curved down a bit. 67 was straight across, and 69 was a new design so doesnt fit. I will find one eventually
There was a good priced 68 hood lip on eBay a couple years back when I was looking for mine, for a 69.
Best thing is to take your time. I was able to acquire a rather rough one before our wedding for $100, most chrome is pitted, but it still brings the look. I don't want to pay the prices that others want for a good one, but I figure I can wait it out now that I have this.
It wouldn't shock me if in 10 or so years 3D printing makes stuff like this a little more easy to find.
Found this on ebay, that is the lowest starting price that you will ever see for one of these. It is not show quality but it is complete and will do until you can find the quality that you are looking for.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-cadillac-hood-chrome-moulding-trim-coupe-deville-sedan-2-4-door/173305349674?hash=item2859cdc62a:g:0aAAAOSw5W5a77cX
Quote from: Highwayman68 on May 10, 2018, 08:56:47 AM
Found this on ebay, that is the lowest starting price that you will ever see for one of these. It is not show quality but it is complete and will do until you can find the quality that you are looking for.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-cadillac-hood-chrome-moulding-trim-coupe-deville-sedan-2-4-door/173305349674?hash=item2859cdc62a:g:0aAAAOSw5W5a77cX
Thank you very much for pointing this out! I had slacked on my regular searching, hopefully i am able to get this.
In a few weeks I'm going to try to re-condition the crinkle paint on the top of the car. It was recommended I use a 50/50 mixture of acetone and gloss black rustoleum and roll it over the existing original crinkle paint. This should retain the original texture of the factory crinkle paint and make it look new. Looking foward to the results.
HOLY CRAP that molding went for $242.50! Were you one of the ones bidding on it?
Quote from: Highwayman68 on May 13, 2018, 10:46:01 PM
HOLY CRAP that molding went for $242.50! Were you one of the ones bidding on it?
Yes I bid up to $72 and didnt check it until this morning
I got it painted Saturday and it does look a bit better, although I did get it a little too thick in places on the top. I did have a major mishap during the painting. Originally I had the paint tray on top of the coach so I wouldnt be lifting a paint soaked roller over the body. Worked fine for awhile until I went to refill the tray and put it back up top. I didnt get it quite high up enough and it slid off the roof and all over the front of my wifes Subaru Impreza, all over the driveway, and also a bit on the body of the hearse.
Thankfully I was able to get it all cleaned off the vehicles without damaging any existing paint. I still need to clean off one of my wife's rims, and the driveway is proving difficult. I poured stripper on the driveway, then an hour later scraped up the goo and hosed it off. Helped a little bit I need to do it several more times.
Aside from all that here are the post-paint pictures:
wow, makes quite a difference!
I mentioned this in another thread but I will also put it here:
Over the past weekend a clicking or tapping sound had developed in the engine compartment. Some people had suggested I may have a loose motor mount, so I was focused on that possibility.
Yesterday I was poking around under hood with the car off, trying to make sense of what could be making the sound, when my hand bumped a cable and I heard the click sound. I nudged the cable again a few times and heard the sound. Followed the cable and it was my AC Relay. Previously I had unplugged the AC relay since not only does my AC not work but the connector is melted. Apparently the connector had managed to shimmy its way back onto one of the contacts (the wrong contact) and each time it wiggled it would intermittently make a connection and activate the relay, making a "click" sound.
I made this video in case it helps anyone else in the future:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8TZ7du5b-s
I finally ordered myself a shop manual!
Also I need to pick up one of those AC guides from Cadillac Tim soon, I have decided maybe I will fix the AC afterall
Got to take part in my first parade over the weekend at the Collinsville, OK Independence day parade. My wife got these bunting american flags that actually turned out to look real nice in the windows. Then was in the car show at a local fireworks show "Rockets over Rhema"
Also brought my sons toy silverado
That car probably felt right at home in that parade moving along slooowly
Quote from: Highwayman68 on July 03, 2018, 05:47:48 PM
That car probably felt right at home in that parade moving along slooowly
Yeah, but I was afraid of vaporlock the entire time, but didnt have a problem. I had vaporlocked in highway traffic a week before. But after an oil change it seems I no longer have issues. My oil was pretty dirty (seafoamed it back in Feb)
Changing the oil is a good thing, but would have nothing to do with vapor lock.
Quote from: 35-709 on July 05, 2018, 02:29:25 PM
Changing the oil is a good thing, but would have nothing to do with vapor lock.
Wouldnt old, dirty oil increase the operating temperature of the engine? Before I would have slight vaporlocking at long stoplights, and had a 15 minute vaporlock on a congested highway. After my oil change I was able to sit in a 1 hour traffic jam in 95 degree weather without problems.
I wouldn't think so. How old and how dirty? Never heard of changing the oil affecting vapor lock --- maybe if the oil was of too thin a viscosity, but at 75 I haven't seen or heard it all yet so I'm willing to learn. ;D
Quote from: 35-709 on July 05, 2018, 07:22:45 PM
I wouldn't think so. How old and how dirty? Never heard of changing the oil affecting vapor lock --- maybe if the oil was of too thin a viscosity, but at 75 I haven't seen or heard it all yet so I'm willing to learn. ;D
I have my oil changes on the Acadia done at Beard Chevrolet, my local mech can't match their prices on Dexos. After the last oil change, and within an hour, I got every warning light/code etc the car was capable of throwing, all timing chains codes. Timing chain was replaced a few years ago. Ran to my mech who said they put in the wrong oil, bring it back. Brought it back, the service manager thought I was nuts. "Change the oil again son, and another filter too." This time I stayed with them as they worked on the car, watched him grab the "10-30" dispenser from the ceiling, etc. They cleared the codes and not a problem since. Oil can do funky things.
Blake your car looked FABULOUS for the parade! You must have been so proud!
\m/
Laurie
Quote from: Cape Cod Fleetwood on July 06, 2018, 01:20:16 AM
I have my oil changes on the Acadia done at Beard Chevrolet, my local mech can't match their prices on Dexos. After the last oil change, and within an hour, I got every warning light/code etc the car was capable of throwing, all timing chains codes. Timing chain was replaced a few years ago. Ran to my mech who said they put in the wrong oil, bring it back. Brought it back, the service manager thought I was nuts. "Change the oil again son, and another filter too." This time I stayed with them as they worked on the car, watched him grab the "10-30" dispenser from the ceiling, etc. They cleared the codes and not a problem since. Oil can do funky things.
Blake your car looked FABULOUS for the parade! You must have been so proud!
\m/
Laurie
Thanks, its a blast to drive, it certainly gets attention thats for sure.
As for the oil. I had it changed in January, however...I added seafoam to the crankcase, which would have thinned the oil, and also caused it to pull dirt and crap from everywhere, which is why it was solid black and gritty. So I assume the oil being diluted and thinned with seafoam may have been a contributing factor. Now its running great.
Before everytime I started it up and backed out the driveway, putting it in drive and hitting the gas would sometimes stall me. Now it seems to always be ready to go. So glad about that for sure.
Looking forward to July 13th, because it will be "Car Collector appreciation day" which means I have a justification to drive it Tulsa to work again without my wife getting mad about my insane gas usage.
Upon taking a closer look last week I realized one of the previous owners had connected the alternator to the battery with a blue monster speaker wire. I bought a 4 gauge battery cable to replace it with and I ended up breaking my alternator...
I had previously tightened the nut too tight on the battery bolt of the alternator. As a result the bolt would turn with the nut. Eventually I screwed the bolt right out. Which means the inner bolt fell off inside the alternator. I really didnt want to go through the pain of changing the thing again so I tried JB Welding it in, which worked, but it wouldnt provide much charge. So I find myself replacing my alternator yet again. This time I have learned not to tighten it too much
Check that new shop manual you just got! :) The wire from your battery to the alternator should be a #10.
4 gauge wont hurt right? it will just be overkill I assume
It can be too much of a strain on the connecting bolt if it is not supported properly. You would be better off using a #10 wire.
When you say #10, does that mean 10 gauge? I am new to alot of this, so am unsure if # in this case means gauge, or if there is actually a number 10 wire
I might add that a previous owner adapted this thing to bypass the regulator and it is wired direct from the alternator to the positive battery terminal. If that matters
Yes 10 gauge and I should add that you want an insulation that can withstand the heat so go to a NAPA store and ask for the wire to be used in an engine compartment.
It sounds like someone has converted it to an alternator with an internal regulator. I would have someone knowledgeable look at the wiring, you are literally playing with fire here.
Quote from: 35-709 on July 11, 2018, 10:17:41 PM
It sounds like someone has converted it to an alternator with an internal regulator. I would have someone knowledgeable look at the wiring, you are literally playing with fire here.
You are correct, a previous owner bypassed the external regulator and installed a more common Delco-Remy alternator. Currently using one of these:
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/b/bestest-5350/charging---starting-16772/alternator-11425/f7cab2ae3cc0/bestest-55-amp-alternator-remanufactured/v111618b/4544576
In this picture I have it setup the same way the car came to me. Everything is attached to the "battery" post on the alternator, I have kept it as is for now because I really dont know how else it should be set. I am told elsewhere based on the pictures that the regulator appears to have been bypassed, but this alternator from what I am reading is listed as externally regulated, which would mean its currently not regulated at all it would seem.
I replaced the regulator a few months back before realizing it wasnt even being used.
the more interesting picture would be the one showing the connector at the regulator. There is a 4 way connector. If it is wired for a 10SI (internally regulated) the wire red would be connected to dark blue and white to brown-white.
Best regards,
Nicolas
I really need to trace these cables and see where they go. My unplugged AC relay is also in that pic. Figured since my blower doesnt work theres no sense in having the potential power draw, so unplugged it.
Quote from: metalblessing on July 12, 2018, 02:16:13 PM
Figured since my blower doesnt work theres no sense in having the potential power draw, so unplugged it.
New thread? We might be able to help you with that one too.
Yesterday I had my first meet with the Chariots of the Dead Hearse Club Tulsa chapter. 7 of us joined together, only 2 hearses this time though. We cruised downtown Tulsa and made a few stops along the way and gather quite a bit of looks, one parking garage attendant even told us he was sorry for our loss, which was pretty funny.
The other hearse was a 1996 Lincoln Towncar Sayers & Scoville (S&S) hearse
This might be a combination ambulance-hearse. I say that as it has a leather/vinyl rear compartment and is set up like an ambulance. A lot of hearses had brocade interiors with heavy curtains. The combos had a magnetic emergency light they could pop onto the roof for that, and remove it for funerals. 1968 is a beautiful car. We had a number of those at my father's funeral home in Philadelphia. Ours were all black. I like the silver very much. It has a nice bright interior also.
Quote from: metalblessing on July 16, 2018, 10:49:15 AM
one parking garage attendant even told us he was sorry for our loss
Maybe he was referring to your MPG?
:-)
Quote from: jaxops on July 22, 2018, 07:13:21 AM
This might be a combination ambulance-hearse. I say that as it has a leather/vinyl rear compartment and is set up like an ambulance. A lot of hearses had brocade interiors with heavy curtains. The combos had a magnetic emergency light they could pop onto the roof for that, and remove it for funerals. 1968 is a beautiful car. We had a number of those at my father's funeral home in Philadelphia. Ours were all black. I like the silver very much. It has a nice bright interior also.
You are correct, this is a combination. The light is not magnetic but is secured to the top with a bolt. I removed the light over the weekend to have it rebuilt correctly, as a previous owner removed the actual Federal Beacon Ray and put an Ecco truck light inside.
Also this past weekend I was finally able to remove the vinyl residue from the doors. Where a claybar failed, I tried scrubbing with starting fluid. The starting fluid took it right off. Before and after pictures
Quote from: 67_Eldo on July 22, 2018, 08:34:06 AM
Maybe he was referring to your MPG?
:-)
Well he wouldnt be wrong. I probably get 6mpg. Maybe 8 highway if I had to guess
Glad the starting fluid worked without damaging your paint. WD-40 also does a good job taking off glue residue, although it might take slightly longer it is certainly safer.
Turns out the ambulance light on top of my car was only halfway original. The outside skirt of the Beacon Ray is correct but it seems one of the previous owners at some point removed the light from the dome and replaced it with an "Ecco" yellow strobe, which appear to be used for trucks and construction.
I removed the light last week and mailed it off to have it rebuilt with correct parts. So pretty soon I will have a CORRECT light on my car. In the meantime I have some duct take over the two holes on my roof, and every time it rains I stress out hoping the tape holds. (I dont have a garage big enough for the car, nor can I afford a cover)
Light is back to how it should be
Quote from: metalblessing on May 21, 2018, 01:57:52 PM
I got it painted Saturday and it does look a bit better, although I did get it a little too thick in places on the top. I did have a major mishap during the painting. Originally I had the paint tray on top of the coach so I wouldnt be lifting a paint soaked roller over the body. Worked fine for awhile until I went to refill the tray and put it back up top. I didnt get it quite high up enough and it slid off the roof and all over the front of my wifes Subaru Impreza, all over the driveway, and also a bit on the body of the hearse.
Thankfully I was able to get it all cleaned off the vehicles without damaging any existing paint. I still need to clean off one of my wife's rims, and the driveway is proving difficult. I poured stripper on the driveway, then an hour later scraped up the goo and hosed it off. Helped a little bit I need to do it several more times.
Aside from all that here are the post-paint pictures:
Wow, this brought back some memories. When I started in funeral service in 1981 our funeral home had a 1973 Cadillac hearse in silver with a black crinkle top. One of my first jobs as the new apprentice was to paint that black crinkle top. I could not believe what a difference it made, and fortunately I didn't have any mishaps. Your car looks great! Doug
Quote from: dpmeloan on August 22, 2018, 10:06:43 AM
Wow, this brought back some memories. When I started in funeral service in 1981 our funeral home had a 1973 Cadillac hearse in silver with a black crinkle top. One of my first jobs as the new apprentice was to paint that black crinkle top. I could not believe what a difference it made, and fortunately I didn't have any mishaps. Your car looks great! Doug
Thanks
I am thinking about trying to find some LED bulbs to replace the interior lights and eventually the headlights. I dont like the cold light of the bright LEDs, but they do make LEDs that have a vintage color in the 2700K color.
I think I have a bad door jamb switch or switches somewhere. Once in awhile I come out to a dead battery, and I know that one time my door jamb switch didnt fully close the circuit and my rear interior lights were faintly dim all night, and the rear control panel was hot to the touch. Of course i need to try to disassemble all the switches and clean them good, but I also think changing the bulbs to reduce the power load in general might also help give me a but of a buffer if the get stuck on again.
Blake, are you asking if anyone knows of a source for the LED headlights?
Quote from: Bentley on September 06, 2018, 04:20:10 PM
Blake, are you asking if anyone knows of a source for the LED headlights?
No I am not, just updating what I am doing. I have already ordered a few interior LED bulbs, I will have to do some research though to see if I need to get some kind of conversion kit or if I can buy a ready to go bulb for the headlights. LED headlights are last on my list as I dont do alot of night driving. Had to take apart my fixtures and confirm they were all GE68 though
In the rear, coach area of the hearse there are 6 different lights. Thats alot of incandescents running at once!
Well I got 4 of my LEDs from SuperBrightLEDs.com and replaced some of my coach lights. They work great and are double contact bulbs as I needed. A few of them seem that the contacts are slightly not as deep as the old ones, so as a result they kinda flickers a little bit since they dont have a super great contact. Going to see if I can reinforce it a bit and give it a tighter fit.
Also got my new dome light cover for the back. Turns out it was a 58-67 Impala cover that was used. Bought a set of 2 on ebay for $11.
How close are the LEDs to the color and hew of the incandescent bulbs?
Quote from: Highwayman68 on September 14, 2018, 07:35:52 PM
How close are the LEDs to the color and hew of the incandescent bulbs?
Color-wise they look just fine, I ordered the 2950K color so it would be close, it looks kinda yellow in the picture but I think thats because it was getting dark outside. Basically it looked authentic to me, just brighter.
However...there were a couple issues with the bulbs for me. I think the contacts on these particular LED bulbs were maybe a tiny bit shorter, because they do not firmly touch the contacts in the fixture housing. As a result they would intermittently flicker. This was fine until the next day I went to attempt to adjust them and I realized that somehow the springs on the fixture contacts had melted together. I dont think this was the fault of the LEDs, but of me messing with them, trying to make them fit tighter.
I noticed one of the fixture contacts were depressed farther than the other, so I was using a toothpick to push on it and see if I could pop it back out, in the process the springs touched, got red hot and then melted. So I may need to order a new fixture altogether...
But if you were to use these for your 68 it wont be snug enough for a 100% consistent connection, so I switched mine back to incandescent for the time being until I get that figured out.
This week I am looking for a brake booster for my car as mine seems to have gone out yesterday. Trying to locate the correct part.
Brake booster still on backorder from Summit, in the meantime I think I have temporarily put an end to my battery drain. Seems I have a bad switch somewhere in the coach area. All 6 coach lights were staying very dimly lit with the doors shut. opening the doors made them come on full strength, but pushing the door jamb switch in manually made them only dim. I tested all 5 switches and no luck so for now i just removed all the coach bulbs, leaving the front ones intact. Looks like I have some investigating to do.
Blake one thing you could do is test for a parasitic draw on your battery. With all systems that may normally draw current, (such as an electric clock for example), disconnected, remove your negative battery cable. Using a test light, connect it between the disconnected negative cable and and the negative battery terminal. If your test light goes on, then something is drawing current. If all OK, the test light should remain off. In order for this test to be valid, everything must be turned off. Clay/Lexi
Quote from: lexi on October 21, 2018, 05:07:14 PM
Blake one thing you could do is test for a parasitic draw on your battery. With all systems that may normally draw current, (such as an electric clock for example), disconnected, remove your negative battery cable. Using a test light, connect it between the disconnected negative cable and and the negative battery terminal. If your test light goes on, then something is drawing current. If all OK, the test light should remain off. In order for this test to be valid, everything must be turned off. Clay/Lexi
Hmm, will give that a try. After removing all 6 of the coach bulbs it still died Saturday. After another charge I removed the fuse for those lights. This morning the cabin dome light was on so I removed that bulb. I was heading to work and didnt have time to do more than that. I know the lights are drawing battery though since I'm seeing it, I just have to determine why they are drawing with all the switches pressed. A temporary solution is to remove the fuses for the front and rear lights, but having lights would sure be nice, so im going to see what I can figure out.
Luckily I did buy a tester a week ago so i do have that ready to go.
Currently I am waiting for my brake booster to come back to me from being rebuilt, and waiting for a new master cylinder to arrive. In the meantime I'm working on getting a stuck/rounded nut off of my junction block so i can replace a brake line that I twisted in half.
Hopefully this weekend I can make some progress on that. Lots of fun, but on the bright side, it is a learning experience. Cant wait to have it drive-able again.
Rebuilt booster and new master are on, and one new brake line since I twisted the old one in half. Next week we bleed and then it should finally be ready to drive again.