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Hello. I have been lurking around these boards for a while, but this is my first post. My name is Dan. I am 27 and live in New Jersey. I wanted to share some pictures of my car and how I got into this hobby.
I know that many in the pro car hobby hate to hear mention of Ghostbusters. I can certainly understand where that comes from. Every time I have my car out, there is at least one person who has to yell "Ghostbusters!" I am constantly asked why I do not have the logos on the doors. However, as in my case, Ghostbusters may actually help bring more young people into this hobby. I was about 13 when I first became interested in buying an old ambulance. After seeing a Batmobile replica, I got the bright idea to find a 1959 Cadillac ambulance and build an Ecto 1 replica. At the time, I was young and stupid. I thought I was the first person to come up with that idea. This was around 1997, a few years before I had internet access. I had little luck finding the car in the free auto shoppers I would pick up.
My freshman year of high school was when I got my first real taste of the internet. I stumbled upon the Professional Car Society, found websites related to Ghostbusters, and searched every used car website I could find. I finally learned exactly what a Miller Meteor was, and how it differed from all the other coach builders. Not surprisingly, I learned that I did not invent the idea of Ecto 1 replica car. What I also discovered is just how rare these cars are. Somehow along the way, I gained a greater appreciation for all old hearses and ambulances. I found myself especially drawn to high tops all decked out with lights. Suddenly, I was less interested in a replica car, but more in restoring an old ambulance to be just that...an ambulance.
By pure coincidence, my dad stumbled upon a 1970 Oldsmobile Cotington 48 in Levittown, PA during the winter of 2001. He inquired about it, and the owner was interested in selling! The car was rough. The right side was smashed in. All right side glass and the windshield was gone. Someone had chopped into the fender with an axe as part of a halloween display. This car was really a parts car at best, but it was mine and I wanted to restore it. I slowly worked on stripping the paint and getting the motor running until the summer of 2001. By another stroke of luck, I stumbled upon a picture of an identical car online. It turned out it was sitting in a junk yard in North Carolina, Richard's Auto Sales and Salvage. We contacted Richard, the owner of the junk yard and inquired about all the glass, the front clip, gas tank, doors... He stopped us right there and said if you need all of that, you might as well buy the whole car. We made a deal, bought it sight unseen except for some picture that had been emailed to me, and had it towed to New Jersey. This car, while still classified as a parts car by many, was in much better shape than the first. Between the two of them, we had a whole car. Here is the first picture I received of the car while it was still in the junk yard:
This car has been a 10 year project for my father and I at this point. It still needs some work, mainly on the interior, but it has come a long way. I drive it for fun, and do local car shows and parades. The biggest trip I take with it is out to Macungie, PA (about an 1 1/2 - 2 hours from here) every year for the halloween parade. I never trailer it. My feeling is, if it can not make it under its own power, there is no sense in going. When I look back at the pictures of it in the junk yard, it is hard to believe it has come so far.
When I bought it, it had holes in the roof to mount a siren, and holes on both sides of the hood for some sort of light. I currently have a Federal C4B under the hood. I would like to someday put a Federal Q up on the roof and a pair of Mars 888 lights on the hood. I actually have a pair of Mars lights that came out of the front tunnels of the parts car (this car just has flashing tunnel lights). They still work great, but so me little good without something to mount them in. I also have enough parts to piece together a pair of spotlights with the dual sided head (spotlight on one side, red flasher on the other), but am missing the mounting brackets to mount them in the windshield pillars. The holes are already in the pillars. I see that Unity still sells all kinds of brackets for many different cars, but I have no idea which one I need. If anyone can help with this, I would greatly appreciate it.
Finally, as this project comes close to completion, I am getting the itch to start restoring another car. Unfortunately, the car I am dreaming about once again is one that everyone else is after, the 1959 Miller Meteor. I realize that I am just one in a long line of newbies that come around here asking about such car, but I hope that based on my post you can see that I am serious about these cars. I do not want to own one just for the sake of having it. I want to take a basket case and bring it back to life, so I can know that I saved a very rare automobile. I am not even sure that I am ready to dive in again, but I figured it can't hurt to put the feelers out. If the right car came along I would not be able to resist.
I can dig up some more pictures if there is interest in seeing them. I really enjoy this board and seeing the wide range of interests and cars that exist in this hobby. I am glad to take part in it. Thank you for reading this overly long post. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
I know that many in the pro car hobby hate to hear mention of Ghostbusters. I can certainly understand where that comes from. Every time I have my car out, there is at least one person who has to yell "Ghostbusters!" I am constantly asked why I do not have the logos on the doors. However, as in my case, Ghostbusters may actually help bring more young people into this hobby. I was about 13 when I first became interested in buying an old ambulance. After seeing a Batmobile replica, I got the bright idea to find a 1959 Cadillac ambulance and build an Ecto 1 replica. At the time, I was young and stupid. I thought I was the first person to come up with that idea. This was around 1997, a few years before I had internet access. I had little luck finding the car in the free auto shoppers I would pick up.
My freshman year of high school was when I got my first real taste of the internet. I stumbled upon the Professional Car Society, found websites related to Ghostbusters, and searched every used car website I could find. I finally learned exactly what a Miller Meteor was, and how it differed from all the other coach builders. Not surprisingly, I learned that I did not invent the idea of Ecto 1 replica car. What I also discovered is just how rare these cars are. Somehow along the way, I gained a greater appreciation for all old hearses and ambulances. I found myself especially drawn to high tops all decked out with lights. Suddenly, I was less interested in a replica car, but more in restoring an old ambulance to be just that...an ambulance.
By pure coincidence, my dad stumbled upon a 1970 Oldsmobile Cotington 48 in Levittown, PA during the winter of 2001. He inquired about it, and the owner was interested in selling! The car was rough. The right side was smashed in. All right side glass and the windshield was gone. Someone had chopped into the fender with an axe as part of a halloween display. This car was really a parts car at best, but it was mine and I wanted to restore it. I slowly worked on stripping the paint and getting the motor running until the summer of 2001. By another stroke of luck, I stumbled upon a picture of an identical car online. It turned out it was sitting in a junk yard in North Carolina, Richard's Auto Sales and Salvage. We contacted Richard, the owner of the junk yard and inquired about all the glass, the front clip, gas tank, doors... He stopped us right there and said if you need all of that, you might as well buy the whole car. We made a deal, bought it sight unseen except for some picture that had been emailed to me, and had it towed to New Jersey. This car, while still classified as a parts car by many, was in much better shape than the first. Between the two of them, we had a whole car. Here is the first picture I received of the car while it was still in the junk yard:
This car has been a 10 year project for my father and I at this point. It still needs some work, mainly on the interior, but it has come a long way. I drive it for fun, and do local car shows and parades. The biggest trip I take with it is out to Macungie, PA (about an 1 1/2 - 2 hours from here) every year for the halloween parade. I never trailer it. My feeling is, if it can not make it under its own power, there is no sense in going. When I look back at the pictures of it in the junk yard, it is hard to believe it has come so far.
When I bought it, it had holes in the roof to mount a siren, and holes on both sides of the hood for some sort of light. I currently have a Federal C4B under the hood. I would like to someday put a Federal Q up on the roof and a pair of Mars 888 lights on the hood. I actually have a pair of Mars lights that came out of the front tunnels of the parts car (this car just has flashing tunnel lights). They still work great, but so me little good without something to mount them in. I also have enough parts to piece together a pair of spotlights with the dual sided head (spotlight on one side, red flasher on the other), but am missing the mounting brackets to mount them in the windshield pillars. The holes are already in the pillars. I see that Unity still sells all kinds of brackets for many different cars, but I have no idea which one I need. If anyone can help with this, I would greatly appreciate it.
Finally, as this project comes close to completion, I am getting the itch to start restoring another car. Unfortunately, the car I am dreaming about once again is one that everyone else is after, the 1959 Miller Meteor. I realize that I am just one in a long line of newbies that come around here asking about such car, but I hope that based on my post you can see that I am serious about these cars. I do not want to own one just for the sake of having it. I want to take a basket case and bring it back to life, so I can know that I saved a very rare automobile. I am not even sure that I am ready to dive in again, but I figured it can't hurt to put the feelers out. If the right car came along I would not be able to resist.
I can dig up some more pictures if there is interest in seeing them. I really enjoy this board and seeing the wide range of interests and cars that exist in this hobby. I am glad to take part in it. Thank you for reading this overly long post. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Sweet CB Oldsmobile....... Welcome to the realm
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