Has anyone here ever bought a hearse, or have experience moving them? I've never seen them for sale, but the only people ever driving them are tryhards letting their old caddy rust away to nothing. How hard is it to pick an older one off a funeral home?
Has anyone here ever bought a hearse, or have experience moving them? I've never seen them for sale...
There's two types of hearse owners.
School shooters in a rusty hunk of shit that doesn't hit on all 8.
And rich guys that think velvet purple interior and Kounts Kustoms are cool, so they get a custom coffin fitted and make it a shitty showroom car.
If I was going to buy a hearse, I'd do my best to convert it into a station wagon, with rear seats and the like, but keep the Hearse styling on the outside.
Have owned multiple hearses and flower cars, bought all of them off Craigslist, they're fun if you need the space, and want a great comfortable ride.
>I'd do my best to convert it into a station wagon, with rear seats and the like
That's actually what I want to do.
If you live anywhere near Seattle there's a 94 Roadmaster hearse with 75k on it for $2500. I'd buy it if I had the money because the roadmaster is a god machine and that's a great deal
I'm not really in the market right this second, but it's a future DD goal for me. I just never see anyone actually with a decent hearse, and I can't tell if it's because only idiots buy them, or they well and truly don't hold together. Love 90's Buicks, but I have a funny feeling all I'll find is a Caddy. Lincoln Town Car hearse, probably never.
>doesn't realize most hearse owners are bikers and metal heads
You'd be surprised how willing some funeral homes are to part with their old hearses. It's kind of hard to find pre-90s ones still in use, but it's definitely worth a shot. Just call up your local mortuary.
you dont see them because they pop on ebay. just search "hearse"
>low miles
>always serviced
i dont get the stigma about them, its a taxi for dead bodies.
do you skin dalmatians for a living user? Sounds like that would be the only kind of person to actually want to drive a hearse.
Forgot pic
>white
>hearse
I'm surprised car audio guys don't buy these and wall them off.
Back from work, thanks for all the input.
I'm hoping there's one in FL where I'm moving, but we'll see. Seeing as it's where all the snowbirds end up, I can imagine there being more than a few floating around down there. If I could get a mid- to late-80's anything, I'd be happy.
Because omg it's a hurse. It's like the people who buy P71's and run them like they're muscle cars because they can. No hate on CV's, though; I own a Grand Marquis.
I've seen plenty in white. I've seen them in gray, brown, and silver, too. Black's not the only color.
I'm more surprised nobody's made one into a drift missile. If a Volvo turbo wagon makes the cut, I'd think a hearse could too.
Fair enough. Cruella doesn't drive a hearse though.
Roadmaster hearses really look like the caprice, not that its a bad thing.
Around here only metal guys who own hearse. Most are converted into campers.
They pretty much are a Caprice my man. The impala, roadmaster, and caprice all have interchangeable front clips.
>He isn't an edgelord
user why are you here
And Fleetwood.
And the Custom Cruiser but I'm sure you already knew that.
Kid I went to high school with bought an 80s buick hearse for $900 or so, thing had been sitting since the funeral home got a new one and some odd dude just had it in his back yard. POS honestly, had the terrible 305 V8 which had no guts, especially so once the custom company put on an extra 1,000-2,000lbs lol. Comfy as fuck though, buy a newer one and you should be fine. It's gonna be shit on gas, slow, hard to turn and people are going to hassle you nonstop about it, so if you're an attention whore I'd say go ahead.
one of my friends recently bought a Cadillac Fleetwood hearse to replace her Subaru Outback. She's turning it into a camper/DD project.
this
No chance you got some pics? I'm also wondering what GM stuff swaps over into these, seeing as they're just Caddies. Could you do an LS swap?
no pics on me.
It's a 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood. Which was pretty much just a Cadillac version of the Chevy Caprice. It's even got the LT1 V8.
An LS swap is possible, but not in her plans. She has no plans to touch the engine. Everything's about the interior.
She needed the space of a wagon and thought "Hey, this Hearse is neat". So she rolled with that idea.
If you happen to grab any, post them. Love camper conversions of anything.
>tfw you would think "hey, this hearse is neat", but they're usually either too big, too glassy or too unglassy
>her Subaru Outback
is her a dyke? kek
>Has anyone here ever bought a hearse,
No
>or have experience moving them?
Yes
>I've never seen them for sale, but the only people ever driving them are tryhards letting their old caddy rust away to nothing.
Generally, some are antiques/classics that are actually taken care of. Most good ones are museum pieces.
>How hard is it to pick an older one off a funeral home?
Stop by and ask. They generally sell or donate to other funeral homes. But if they know someone is interested they might sell.
If you have the money a NEW hearse is usually 50-80k.
Oh shit that's fly
>is her a dyke?
No. She just loves camping. If I had to say anything about her sexuality, I'd call her Asexual.
Now that I think of it, there were Buicks offered as wagons with an LS1, right? Which would mean you could probably find the hardware to put one in a Roadmaster hearse. Drop in a 'vette tranny, put some fat tires on the back, you could have a legit drift missile. Why hasn't this happened yet?
Someone has never been down south
>I'm also wondering what GM stuff swaps over into these, seeing as they're just Caddies.
I can't speak for the fleetwoods, but as far as the 90's-2000's devilles, they did have some differences. For instance, 6 lug hubs and wheels instead of 5.
Most stuff like engine/trans parts are obviously going to swap over, but some things were specific to the GM livery chassis vehicles.
Also, one of my favorite stupid GM things about the 99 Deville hearse I used to drive, the drivers door had all 4 window switches even though it only had front power windows.
So just to clarify, should I find one and try doing things with it:
Cadillac just sold base model sedans to the guys who made them into hearses, right? Or was there a specific model Cadillac sold to the coachbuilders? Did they just lop off the rear end and stretch the frame below it? I'm guessing from the seats forward should be all standard caddy, except for the livery chassis thing you mentioned. You
>So just to clarify, should I find one and try doing things with it:
I mean, sure? A LT1 RWD Fleetwood one would probably be my choice for a "modern" hearse. I think the town cars are ugly and the FWD northstar models torque steer like crazy.
>Or was there a specific model Cadillac sold to the coachbuilders?
GM (as well as ford) Sell what is basically the front clip (I believe the town cars had the front doors) and an open flat rear. GM designates it as the livery chassis, This is what came up when I ran the VIN on our 99 deville hearse. No where on the carfax did it say deville.
The livery chassis was also used for limousines and ambulances, so it was up to the conversion company to decide what they were doing.
Oh wow. So putting rear seats in one just got that much more complicated, then. As far as the different lug patterns, could you theoretically just throw on the "proper" parts to make it a 5-lug again? Not that I care particularly for different wheels, but I imagine it would make replacing a bent rim easier.
The Buicks you're thinking of used the LT1 but had cast iron heads and a different exhaust setup, which was a few horses below F-Bodies.
Still, a roadmaster with that engine would be awesome.
I'm fairly uneducated in all things GM, but if you're just dropping a new engine into a car that never had it before, could you make the proper LS components work? I'm talking way out there theories at this point--I mean, the chances of all this lining up and actually having an LS powered hearse is miniscule, considering how much I actually want to fuck with this sort of thing--but I'm hoping someone here will read this and make it happen someday.
> could you theoretically just throw on the "proper" parts to make it a 5-lug again?
I want to say yes, but that isn't an answer with confidence. GM has pulled questionable shit in the past, like the C1500 and K1500's have a different frame which means you can't convert a 2wd to 4wd with bolt on parts. Meanwhile the 80-96 1/2 ton Fords have the same frame, so you can bolt a transfer case and TTB into a 2WD truck and have a 4x4 1st gen Lighting.
I don't know if the spindles on the 6 lug cars are different in any way.
Also, I am not even sure if the Fleetwoods have 6 lug wheels, they probably dont. I think that was a deville thing.
LSx powered hearses already exist
Alright, thanks for the answers man. To be honest, the most I'd ever do with one is try the camper conversion, but for now I'll see what all is out there. You saved me a lot of future headache.
Hey, that just makes it that much more appealing to try out.
If you're starting off with a Fleetwood, it's literally the same as an LS swap into any other B-body car, like a 94-96 Caprice "Impala SS"
My dad knew a guy who used one to keep hihs tools in, instead of a truck or a van. He was a plumber.
I want this so hard...
I'm just imagining some old school land yaught that was converted and has a plush as fuck interior. I'd imagine it'd have some big V8 to handle the extra weight and a smooth af automatic.
I just found this. Looks awesome!
sounds like she's a dyke user
I don't think it has a lot of extra weight user
After all, it's supposed to carry no passengers.
There are a lot of companies that sell used hearses when they come off lease for around $2,500. Let me know where you're located, and I'll let you know where to look.
I've owned several and I drive one at work; they hold up fine, but the engines tend to have carbon buildup from low speed operation and high amounts of idle hours as well as a lot of wear on the bushings.
>DEATH LOOOOOG
>tfw you will never convert an old hearse into an impromptu ute with a sawz-all
>Death log
Oh my god it would be so worth it.
It's nothing more than a list of names, mileages, and cemeteries. There's really nothing interesting about it; think of it like if your mom wrote "34,588 miles went to Wal Mart bought Milk 34,597 miles when returned. Trip: 9 miles."
>think of it like if your mom wrote "34,588 miles went to Wal Mart bought Milk 34,597 miles when returned. Trip: 9 miles."
Change that to "Think of it like if your mom wrote "34,588 miles, drove the late John Smith to New Hope Cemetery, removed the dead body, drove home. 34,597 miles when returned. Round trip: 9 miles"
On one hand fuck this guy for NO LOW BALLERS I KNOW THERE [sic] VALUE.
On the other hand, Death Log.
...
Death logs are dull.
Town Car? That looks like a Panther gauge cluster.
Yep. We use a Town Car hearse at my funeral home. It shares a lot of components with the Police Package Crown Vic.
Neat. Does it have the trac-lok rear end or did that have to be ordered separately like on the P71s?
My experiments tell me that it has it.
fuckin noice
Who built yours?
Our Deville is a Superior conversion, only 17,000 miles on it.
Ours is also a Superior; it just hit 24k.
Are you the owner of a funeral home?
No. I'm one of 4 directors at a small family-owned one in Texas.
Makes sense your nickname is Dracula, between that and the Excalibur
I always wanted a hearse, and I looked several that were for sale. The main reason I did not buy them is that they don't have stock front seats or door panels. I have had a few 1968 Cadillac coupes and four doors. I looked at a 68 hearse but it had flat generic door panels and crank windows. And a cheesey aftermarket front seat.
If you are considering buying a hearse check the front interior elements to see if they are correct for the year and model or if they are plain generic crap.
In addition to my above post, I would like to add that some hearses were modified to have 10 and 15 gallon gas tanks, so they don't go very far between fill ups.
I'm looking around the Tampa Bay area. I'd travel as far as Orlando when I found one, but I don't know when I'd have the funds.
Woah, a town car hearse would be what I'd want the most, actually. How much does a first gen Panther base hearse go for?
Carthedral
The 1965 Hearse/Ambulance customized for the last owner of Benson's Animal Park in Hudson NH
It was decked out like a conversion van I side. Table, sink, TV, cup holders etc
Not a lot, BUT they're much harder to find since they're less common than Cadillacs.
My dream is a '68 Superior Cadillac with suicide doors.
1968, the first year for the 472 motor and the last year for the full chrome rear bumper
Southern Funeral Cars ftw
Smart man. That's EXACTLY why 1968 is my favorite year for Cadillacs; and I used to have a 1959. When I'm running my own funeral home, we will have a 1968 Cadillac hearse, a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow for our limousine (swapped to a Chevy 350 with corresponding brakes,) and a 1966, 67, or 68 Lincoln Continental for our lead car.
>swapping a rolls
I used to own a '67; the fuel pump for the two carbs is $1,700.00 and anything for it is similarly expensive and needs to be ordered from a dealer. The carbs suck to tune and the stock transmission is a GM TH400, so it literally bolts right in.
I've been meaning to ask for a bit, how are you so rich? Why waste time posting here if all places?
I don't consider myself rich. I also like the people on this board; I also learn a lot about cars I have no interest in ever owning. Plus, I spend a lot of time shitposting when at work or when on call; if you're an on-call funeral director, your options for nightly entertainment are severely limited.
If I ever ran the family business, I'd want to have a classic 50-60's caddy hearse in the fleet. But I'm not planning on getting into that business, so you go on and live the dream.
So it actually works
I always thought a Flower Car would be a neat way to get a luxury El Camino type car without too much work.
All you would have to do really is eliminate the chrome lining around the top.
Some of them don't have finished beds. Due to cost cutting measures, many have plywood beds and the tail gates do not work. Not all are like this, but since it's only seen when it's full of flowers some of them aren't finished off.
You'd be better off cutting the top off a rusty hearse.
>Flower Car
Do they come with a luxury interior though?
I know where there's a hearse in hudson
They are the same Chassis as a hearse, so yes.
You're not going to buy a cadillac flower car with a vinyl bench and AM/FM radio in current year.
Well, some user was saying the rear windows had switches without being powered for example so it really made me think.
Not always. The companies who convert these don't get the stock interior unless the customer is willing to pay.
Go to local funeral homes and ask to check out their cars. You will find some with stock interiors and some with crappy aftermarket interiors. This may be less and less the case with modern vehicles but earlier ones will almost all be crappy interiors.
Sometimes they are disconnected to prevent dirt and rain from entering the rear compartment