Anybody know where i could buy a '59 caddillac hurst or ambulance that could be transformed into an Ecto-1?
Ecto-1?
by
22 years, 11 months ago
by
22 years, 11 months ago
I hear this question alot, and I've answered it before, but I'm not sure its on this board. 
So Here we go…
ANY ‘59 Caddy Hearse or Ambulance is going to be a seriously expensive proposition, and that’s BEFORE you try to convert it into an Ecto-Replica. Do you have about $20,000 laying around in cash to spend on it up front? Cause, That's what you are going to need to buy the car and get it safe to drive again. (If you are Lucky. It may cost more than that.) Most Project coaches for sale run $4000 and up, and they generally need LOTS of work.
It took me 8 years to find my first ‘59 Ambulance, so get comfy and keep your eyes peeled.. I now Have 4 1959’s in my fleet. There is a Limited number of them out there, and the number are dropping.. (Please keep in mind there were only 2104 chassis made for Ambulances and Hearses in 1959. So that all we have to start with. Also, different coachbuilders cars were different so you cant for example pull M-M Parts off of an S&S. You have to find a M-M for parts. Estimate that there are about 100 left on the planet of any given builder in the body style you need to do an Ecto, then subtract the finished cars and the cars that are rotted away in junkyards. THAT Is what you are looking for.)
I'd like to share some things that I've learned over the years about Buying and owning 1959 Cadillacs.
1. Generally the folks that hear about them for sale are buying them themselves and not talking about them to other people.
2. If you do hear about one for sale, lots of other people have heard about them as well, so you have competition.
3. They will always look WORSE in person than they do in the photos you see.
4. Even if you can drive it home, you are still going to have to put THOUSANDS of dollars into it mechanically, if not TENS of Thousands of dollars.
5. There will be Rust that you have to fix on it. (And there are almost NO spare parts for these cars, so rust repairs are custom fabrication work)
6. Every part on the car is expensive. Plan on 4-5 times the cost per part than any other car you own. (Example, Brake Drums for my 1947 StreetRod $85 per drum. Brake Drums for my 1959 Cad Ambulance, $450 per Drum)
7. Its always going to cost you alot more than you think it will.
7a. Its always going to take 4 times to finish anything as long as you think it will.
8. There is always someone out there that is willing to pay more for a car than you are. The trick is you have to get your cash to the seller first.
8a. There is no room for negotiating a better price, cause there is always someone else willing to pay exactly what the seller is asking. (Sometimes MORE)
9. They make LOUSY Daily Drivers, so please dont even consider that. (5 miles per gallon on PREMIUM, too big for parking lots, too big for drive throughs, too visible, etc, etc)
10. These comments are based on the restoration of my 4 1959 Cadillacs. (Ambulance, Hearse, Limo and Ecto-1a Replica) We had the mechanical work and the body work done by a Pro, but we have done alot of the other work on the cars ourselves. If you plan to drop the rusty, nasty project car off at a professional shop and pick up a finished Ecto, quadruple the costs.
10a. If Ecto-Replicas were cheap, everyone would have one. I know of 3 replicas that are privately owned and based on 1959 Cadillacs, and one of those is mine. I'm trying to get info on a possible fourth completed replica as well. And I know someone that is in the process of building a replica as well which will bring us to either 4 or 5 total (depends on if I find the rumored 4th one).
I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just trying to let you know what you are in for if you do decide to do this. Nothing about these cars is easy. Finding them, fixing them, converting them, nothing is easy. Trust me, I know..
If you are looking for something for Daily Use, I'd like to suggest you look to a newer station wagon or other vehicle. You can Update the Ecto a third time to a newer vehicle. That would be cool as well.
TheEcto1a
So Here we go…ANY ‘59 Caddy Hearse or Ambulance is going to be a seriously expensive proposition, and that’s BEFORE you try to convert it into an Ecto-Replica. Do you have about $20,000 laying around in cash to spend on it up front? Cause, That's what you are going to need to buy the car and get it safe to drive again. (If you are Lucky. It may cost more than that.) Most Project coaches for sale run $4000 and up, and they generally need LOTS of work.
It took me 8 years to find my first ‘59 Ambulance, so get comfy and keep your eyes peeled.. I now Have 4 1959’s in my fleet. There is a Limited number of them out there, and the number are dropping.. (Please keep in mind there were only 2104 chassis made for Ambulances and Hearses in 1959. So that all we have to start with. Also, different coachbuilders cars were different so you cant for example pull M-M Parts off of an S&S. You have to find a M-M for parts. Estimate that there are about 100 left on the planet of any given builder in the body style you need to do an Ecto, then subtract the finished cars and the cars that are rotted away in junkyards. THAT Is what you are looking for.)
I'd like to share some things that I've learned over the years about Buying and owning 1959 Cadillacs.
1. Generally the folks that hear about them for sale are buying them themselves and not talking about them to other people.
2. If you do hear about one for sale, lots of other people have heard about them as well, so you have competition.
3. They will always look WORSE in person than they do in the photos you see.
4. Even if you can drive it home, you are still going to have to put THOUSANDS of dollars into it mechanically, if not TENS of Thousands of dollars.
5. There will be Rust that you have to fix on it. (And there are almost NO spare parts for these cars, so rust repairs are custom fabrication work)
6. Every part on the car is expensive. Plan on 4-5 times the cost per part than any other car you own. (Example, Brake Drums for my 1947 StreetRod $85 per drum. Brake Drums for my 1959 Cad Ambulance, $450 per Drum)
7. Its always going to cost you alot more than you think it will.
7a. Its always going to take 4 times to finish anything as long as you think it will.
8. There is always someone out there that is willing to pay more for a car than you are. The trick is you have to get your cash to the seller first.
8a. There is no room for negotiating a better price, cause there is always someone else willing to pay exactly what the seller is asking. (Sometimes MORE)
9. They make LOUSY Daily Drivers, so please dont even consider that. (5 miles per gallon on PREMIUM, too big for parking lots, too big for drive throughs, too visible, etc, etc)
10. These comments are based on the restoration of my 4 1959 Cadillacs. (Ambulance, Hearse, Limo and Ecto-1a Replica) We had the mechanical work and the body work done by a Pro, but we have done alot of the other work on the cars ourselves. If you plan to drop the rusty, nasty project car off at a professional shop and pick up a finished Ecto, quadruple the costs.
10a. If Ecto-Replicas were cheap, everyone would have one. I know of 3 replicas that are privately owned and based on 1959 Cadillacs, and one of those is mine. I'm trying to get info on a possible fourth completed replica as well. And I know someone that is in the process of building a replica as well which will bring us to either 4 or 5 total (depends on if I find the rumored 4th one).
I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm just trying to let you know what you are in for if you do decide to do this. Nothing about these cars is easy. Finding them, fixing them, converting them, nothing is easy. Trust me, I know..
If you are looking for something for Daily Use, I'd like to suggest you look to a newer station wagon or other vehicle. You can Update the Ecto a third time to a newer vehicle. That would be cool as well.
TheEcto1a
by
22 years, 11 months ago
No, there are not any Hursts you can buy.