help lookin for 39-50 hearse

[Hellbounder]

Ok so i am looking for a 39- 50 hearse/ambulance.....
It can be funked up too.... Please dont get mad at me!!!
We are gonna chop it 4 -6 inches , channel it 4 inches...build it like a herman munster meets ed roth ..Rod!!!
So like i said front end can be wrecked....drivetrain gone....etc...
I need really just the body . We are gonna make a custom Z-d out frame for the body ..Single spring suicide front end...Big block engine with dual 600 cfm carb hi rise intake....oops im rambling....sorry! LOL

Ok so help me find a funked up car not nice enough for you guys to restore...But to turn into a vicious Rod!!!
Thanks,
Cam

PS Have Hearse...Will travel!!!!

[60Crown]

Guess you're looking for *cheap* then..? How far out are you willing to travel?

As an example, this Superior ex-Navy ambulance recently sold near Corpus Christi for $500 - granted it is a '51.

Single spring suicide front end? Not with this kind of weight!

[Hellbounder]

hmmm

Thats cheap.......and far to travel....i did a really quick crappy photoshop mock up of what we are wanting to build !
We are gonna cut the crap outa what ever we get so the weight is gonna be cut back big time......al i need is the body.....gonna build our frame...frontend,rearend and drivetrain...Im sure you can see what i mean.... Do u know the length from firewall to back end? Hmm... is a coffin 6-7 feet ?....so must be 12-14 feet....right? We are doin a 4 door model A right now .... here is a pic of it.....


We are doin a 4 door model A right now .... here is a pics of it.....

[60Crown]

Interesting concept. I enjoy seeing customized rods/sleds when well planned out.

Some points for you to consider before birthing a complete abortion:

Overall coach length varies from 20'-21'. Your quick Photoshop has between a 3/4 and 4/5 scale body. These bodies are BIG (although they may have carried more svelte examples in service) - far longer and wider than an A. Typically there is 10' from the back of the front seat to the inside of the rear door!

Getting proportions balanced will reveal being a monumental undertaking. Wheelbase to begin with is over 2' longer than an A. Suicide front axle will add what - another 18" minimum?

Shorten the body by removing the center doors and a hearse shouldn't have been the starting vehicle in the first place.

Chop the top and you make a ridiculously looo0ong rod appear ridamndiculously looo0Oo0OOoOng - further worsening proportions.

'40 and earlier will work best for such an idea. Prewar is also more $$$. Prewar also means LOTS of wood, for the most part. Sure, you wouldn't reuse wood but that equates to far more fabrication on your end. I can see a hearse akin to this Buick fitting your parameters:



The main premise of a hot rod is to improve the horsepower to weight ratio. Using a huge heavy vehicle??? Why not start with a bus?

Creating a kustom opens up year range, decreases buy money, and you can still showcase fabrication skills via chop/channel/whatever. I may come across as exceedingly negative on a rod idea, granted. With a background in graphic & product design I just don't foresee a solution where the aesthetics aren't *seriously* whacked.

To each his own, natch.

[R U INJRD]

You're ultimately talking pretty simple body lines. It may be easier in the end to simply stretch a corresponding normal car. Certainly easier to find if you're going to hack away most of it, and probably not much more fabrication skill involved.

I think a hearse type rod would be cool, just not sure I would start with a hearse. I see it as being a Blastolene Special type project.

[Hellbounder]

Thanks...for the help...... I agree...I said 39-50 But i can see that you guys dont like the idea and thats cool....If i was on a chevy truck forum and told them all the stuff i did to my 48 they would lose their minds.....So.... I see this forum is just like all the others a bunch of know it all dillholes who wont help ya ...just tell you your stupid....As they say opinions are like aholes everyones got one... theres always one just waiting to spew poo... later guys!

[60Crown]

There was more thought in our responses than your idea. It's called constructive criticism.

You'll find more open minds on this hearse forum than any other if you choose to stick around and actually contribute more than spewing forth incoherent half rambles in sentence fragments.

Back to the hearse rod. Were you also planning to narrow the body? Post-war running wheels outside the rear tub like that you'd fill a lane!

[Hellbounder]

Look .... first... im sorry my messages dont meet the english requirements of the forum....
2nd i have conducted myself In a proper manner ....you are the one that said we were going "To birth a abortion" also made smart comments! Criticsm I can deal with but jokes on me ....You dont know me... so dont clown me...I ramble and for that im sorry.
I just was hoping for some help finding a project car...

I will admit these points.....
1. I have never seen a hearse in the 30s and 40s in person...so i dont know the size
2.You and the others here know a ton more than me about hearses
3.im sorry if i offended you...but you offended me..we are both big boys and its all good
4.If you wanna make this a pissing contest i dont have time......I call a truce and hope we can be civil....no more personal insult....cool!
4.You know your shiz about hearses and i can use the advice....

Truce....Its your call?

[R U INJRD]

I don't think Atti was slamming your project, more like suggesting it could be less than stellar if not planned out right, with certain things taken into consideration.

And I agree, if you're looking for suggestions or help for a project like this from people who know their way around hearses, this forum is the place you want to be. A lot of us frequently visit all the major hearse related boards out there, and we will all tell you that this board will definitely be the most receptive to this type of project. Look around in the galleries a bit and you will see there are several here that share your interest in alternative rods.

[Hellbounder]

True.... I know you guys know your stuff.That is why i joined this forum.I didnt want to start drama... I just figured you guys were the ones to give me a hand!
I also know most designated forums ie"hotrods,hearse restorers...etc "Dont take kindly to someone wanting to chop up one of there beauties. So that being said... I had a idea If i build a hearse i may just keep it the way it is....I dont know..I started searching to see if its been done and i saw a 39 buick done as a rod on youtube ...That is what sent me onto this quest! I saw how it could be the best look of two worlds....I may be barking up the wrong tree.... But we as a crew have built many cars and know what we are doing ,But i welcome any advice.I am having one hell of a time finding a project car.....May just do a 40 chevy sedan....or another 30s rod....I dont know...Anyways , Thanks for the advice and let me know if anyone knows where a heap is for sale....
Thanks,
Cam

[60Crown]

With a little digging you can find a coach - it won't necessarily be near you:

[60Crown]

Others have rodded hearses.





Okay - that middle one does make me cringe a tad for being an uber rare service car.

Even spent a few minutes doing a quickie Photoshop:



No suicide axle, no chop - just channeled. Now that I'm looking at it, the body is too small. Looks between 90-95% though, still closer than your rendering.

[Hellbounder]

Cool.... thanks man! Where are those rides @ i looked on ebay , Hemmings, etc...
I havent seen that many. Like i said... If i can find a project i may do it more like this one .....
I like the look sitting low with whitewalls...... kind of like my truck....

Thanks for all the help and advice.....You guys are top knotch!!!

[60Crown]

This thread may yield more ideas for you.

[Boogeyman Con Carne]

49 for $600

http://chicago.en.craigslist.org/nch/ctd/1399647633.html