#4855047
"Everyone can relax, I found the car!" Words I thought that I would never be saying. The realization of a childhood dream finally coming true. I have always been looking for an old Cadillac ambulance to build an Ecto-1 or Ecto-1a replica, then I started getting more practical, thinking I would never find the correct model and started putting it on the back burner, thinking maybe I’m not supposed to ever have an Ecto-1.

("That moment when you find a Cadillac Ambulance for sale")
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So I figured after years of looking, I would start on a different replica car project and started looking for a DeLorean, to build a Back to the Future car. While searching for a suitable DeLorean, I stumbled upon something entirely by accident.

A 1960 Miller-Meteor Futura Duplex Cadillac ambulance-hearse combination.

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I literally almost fainted. Here’s THE car, although it’s not a 59, it’s solid, runs and drives, relatively unmolested, and far better than the rusted hulks we usually see rotting in junkyards. This car is all original except for the paint, 55,000 miles, straight, nice interior, some small cosmetic issues, and it needs to be repainted.

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The emergency lights and siren even work. I’m going to start slowly repairing the small things that need attention before going ahead and converting to an Ectomobile. My buddies are joking that I should get a license plate Ecto-1D, for Detroit/Downriver, since that’s where the car lives now. Truly the find of a lifetime, so far.
If lightning strikes twice and I find another one, I’ll build an Ecto-1A.

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At the start of this project I'm going to build the black/grey primer car that Ray bought early in the movie, before doing the conversion.
I have to talk to the owner (at that time) of the original car that was used in the movie again, and see if I can get more pictures.

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Basically how I feel now, lol . .
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As I make progress, I will keep you guys updated. Thanks. -Chris
zeta otaku, Ecto-1 fan, jackdoud and 1 others liked this
#4855154
Man I'm totally jealous!

Do you mind if I ask what you ended up having to pay for her?

I'm in the process of searching for the elusive 59 or 60 myself so if you do end um stumbling upon one and you decide not to pick it up let me know for sure because I will jump on it!

Great find and good luck on your project!
#4855253
I have just started doing a few minor things, replaced a burned out headlight and backup light bulb, neatened up a couple of wires which weren't secured to anything under the hood, and I'm taking apart the driver's door to look at the window mechanism since it doesn't go up quite all the way. I'm constantly amazed at how original everything is, it makes me think this ambulance didn't see a lot of use. Although it left the Miller-Meteor factory equipped as a hearse, the community which originally owned it painted it red and made it into an ambulance before it was first put into service. The red paint in the red crosses is the original ambulance paint color. Rust is minimal except for the areas of the front floor pans that always go bad on older cars, and those aren't terrible. I could very easily put small patches on them, but might get the replacement pans, I haven't decided yet. Everything underneath is solid including the rocker panels and all the floor braces.

Interior is nearly perfect, just a few areas where the thread has come apart on the seams, I going to get that resewn without replacing any material. The biggest Issue is the access zipper in the headliner needs to be sewn back in.

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Does anyone know of a source for the molded rubber floor mat? Most Cadillacs were carpeted and I'm not finding anything on molded rubber mats. Perhaps one from a Chevrolet will have the same dimensions?
#4855254
westies14 wrote:What's changed other than the fins? Best condition find of a MM I've seen! Congrats.
Thank you! The grille is slightly different, and the parking lights in the front bumper of a 60 are shaped different as well. But someone who wanted to could easily put 59 parts on to make it look 100% correct from the front. Most people aren't going to care, since it's the overall size, shape, and Cadillac look that makes a 60 work nearly as well as a 59. I must have looked at pictures of well over 100 MM's from 59 through the mid 60's in the past years and seen a number of them in person, there are some nice ones around but the majority that have been sitting untouched for decades have too many issues.
#4856524
drcaron wrote:Wow this interior is amazing original condition .
I'm shocked too on how good the interior is, you don't find that on 55 year old cars. I don't even see scratches on the linoleum from rolling a gurney in and out, yet this vehicle was reported to be in service as a community ambulance for the first 10 years or so. Maybe it was a backup and didn't get used every day.

Does anyone have a clear photo of what the original accelerator return spring on the commercial chassis vehicles looked like? I know it hooks on a little tab on the water outlet at the front of the engine but would like to find a spring that resembles the original part more closely.

Planning on replacing the pitman arm as this one doesn't look like it got done under the recall that GM put out in the late 70's, and will also be converting to a dual master cylinder braking system for safety reasons.

Also, will be looking for a source for an original looking molded rubber floor mat for the front area, this one is hard and brittle, the worst part of the interior.
#4859484
Boomerjinks wrote:Jesus Christ, who sells a running Futura for ~$10k?
That would be me, and while I'm fine with the price paid, I was really disappointed to hear that the car was going to become an Ecto conversion...Especially after "Spengler's" dad promised it would be restored to original condition as part of our negotiations. In fact he was adamant that all the original pieces (about $1500 worth) stay with the car so they could be part of the restoration. Lesson learned.

This car belonged to an older gentleman who owned it since the 70's. I passed up other offers from people who were going to customize it or build Ectos because I didn't want to see such a nice original car heavily modified.

By the way, your dad never reimbursed me for the storage charge on the car. Please remind him for me.

Best of luck with the project.
#4860460
Haunted60 wrote:
Boomerjinks wrote:Jesus Christ, who sells a running Futura for ~$10k?
That would be me, and while I'm fine with the price paid, I was really disappointed to hear that the car was going to become an Ecto conversion...Especially after "Spengler's" dad promised it would be restored to original condition as part of our negotiations. In fact he was adamant that all the original pieces (about $1500 worth) stay with the car so they could be part of the restoration. Lesson learned.

This car belonged to an older gentleman who owned it since the 70's. I passed up other offers from people who were going to customize it or build Ectos because I didn't want to see such a nice original car heavily modified.

By the way, your dad never reimbursed me for the storage charge on the car. Please remind him for me.

Best of luck with the project.
Sir, we are fully intending to restore the vehicle as a 1960's vintage ambulance, including keeping the interior original. I'm keeping everything with the car including the ambulance crosses and I am already searching for the missing side trim and a period correct gurney to carry in the back. It will be staying as it is for the first couple of years, during which time mechanical issues such as the pitman arm and fuel system will be taken care of, and the floor pans and carpeting. I was never planning to do any major surgery to the car, and it will be painted in the most common ambulance colors of white with red trim just as you were told when we were purchasing it .

I also want to be able to use the car for various community events in the area a few times per year and charitable activities and be able to dress the car up. For those purposes I am going to build Ecto equipment like the roof rack and light bars that can be easily installed and removed without harming the car. That makes it possible to use the vehicle in two very different ways while keeping it basically period correct yet also being able to quickly change it back and forth.

I haven't been able to drive it a lot yet due to other things in life, but it's a huge attention getter as a military ambulance and many people stop and ask questions whenever I do drive around the local area. I think you will be pleased with the results after a few years. I asked my dad and he thought he had sent you payment for the storage back in February, but if for some reason that got overlooked during the confusion of trying to get it registered in our state, it will be promptly taken care of.

This is not the first car restoration project of this vintage that I have been a part of and this is one vehicle that I plan on keeping for a very long time. If I could someday find a restorable '59, I would build that as an Ecto-1 and leave the 60 as a vintage ambulance.

Thanks,
-Chris

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