Nicholas Studer
PCS Elected Director 2022-2025
When I purchased the 1963 GMC carryall high-headroom rescue/ambulance from the previous owner, I took it for granted that it was a Christopher Company vehicle. There is no coach-builder tag I have been able to find, and at the moment the original purchase paperwork appears long gone. http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17458 I haven't heard any dissent with that assertion either - but it appears that initial thoughts may be incorrect. I am reasonably certain at this point that the vehicle is not a Christopher - and instead is a Gerstenslager or ACC conversion. Original photo below for reference.
Several considerations have come to mind.
1. See below enlarged section of the original 1963 NFD photo. I overlooked it previously - but a peculiar emblem is present on the side of the truck. That is not the Christopher or RES-Q logo seen on Mr. Lloyd's former ambulance of same model year (refer to http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=841898305&postcount=9e) and contemporary Christopher advertising as below from EMSClassics.com. I believe this emblem is similar to what I see on the ACC Rescu-All's pictured at http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=31812&postcount=37 . I surely wish I had better resolution on any of them - but no dice thus far. I am unsure if ACC made high-headroom rescue-type ambulances like mine.
2. The side-door of the ambulance has side-mounted hinges. While one ad (below) demonstrates a late-1950s RES-Q made for Lincoln Park FD with side-mounted hinges - all others pictured live or in ads open upwards with a hydraulic arm for support (See below.) Gerstenslager - manufacturer of bookmobiles and many other custom vehicles - made very similar ambulances in the early 1960s as well. Their doors opened from the side - you can see that in the ad at http://em.pgpic.com/images/vm/GMCGerstAmbulancePanelTruckConversionLate60's-1.jpg
3. Door handle on the side compartment is also most consistent with Gerstenslager - Christopher seems to have used an recessed type handle as seen in below photo of Mr. Lloyd's RES-Q from Pinterest.
4. Mirrors on our vehicle mount rather forward on the door compared to Mr. Lloyd's - and additionally are a square kind with safety yellow chevrons. Very unique looking. This is consistent with Gerstenslager - even a lot of the heavy rescues http://yngfire.com/index.php/topic,2013.0.html I thought that was a slam-dunk - but the Bailey's Cross ACC in Mr. Loftin's post has the same mirrors. Maybe they were just a common aftermarket thing? The Gerstenslager-made Fitchburg, MA truck pictured on Pg 272 of "Professional Cars: Ambulances, Hearses and Flower Cars" by G. Merksamer is a similar 1965 GMC high-headroom rescue that Steve Lichtman photographed also has these mirrors.
5. While not exact, the second page of the ad for Pawtucket FD seen at http://em.pgpic.com/images/vm/GMCGerstAmbulancePanelTruckConversionLate60's-2.jpg has a bench seat fairly consistent with what we have (Unfortunately photo attached below of ours is small) with thin mattress pad and a pull latching handle. It's hard to tell from the one photo I've found of Mr. Lloyd's interior is cut off in the area of interest - but it has a different kind of latching mechanism - see below.
Other details that are not helpful:
a. Those neat angled rear windows seem to be consistent with any of Challenger, ACC, Gerstenslager, and Christopher - so not helpful. I believe they may be contemporary "boat" windows and anyone could have bought them as parts.
b. The side lettering of "Emergency-Rescue" seemed rather odd and Christopher advertising specific. However - it seems this was a trait of at least Gerstenslager's as well, so not particularly useful I guess.
c. It appears overall design of the raised roof and so forth appears similar to me between Gerstenslager and Christopher - but that isn't saying much as I probably don't appreciate the subtleties.
Very much appreciate any guidance offered. The emblem that appears to be ACC is the primary reason I'm not pretty sure on Gerstenslager. At the least, it appears unlikely to be a Christopher after all...
Just a fascinating topic to me at least. By the way - anyone know why they'd mount the Ferno cot bar to the roof? Photo below. 1 of the 2 original Ferno mounting brackets for that bar are still on the side where they should be - so maybe storage when you wanted to take the cot out and hold more rescue gear? (and yes, that's an old-school Emerson resuscitator mounted to the wall!)
Several considerations have come to mind.
1. See below enlarged section of the original 1963 NFD photo. I overlooked it previously - but a peculiar emblem is present on the side of the truck. That is not the Christopher or RES-Q logo seen on Mr. Lloyd's former ambulance of same model year (refer to http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=841898305&postcount=9e) and contemporary Christopher advertising as below from EMSClassics.com. I believe this emblem is similar to what I see on the ACC Rescu-All's pictured at http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=31812&postcount=37 . I surely wish I had better resolution on any of them - but no dice thus far. I am unsure if ACC made high-headroom rescue-type ambulances like mine.
2. The side-door of the ambulance has side-mounted hinges. While one ad (below) demonstrates a late-1950s RES-Q made for Lincoln Park FD with side-mounted hinges - all others pictured live or in ads open upwards with a hydraulic arm for support (See below.) Gerstenslager - manufacturer of bookmobiles and many other custom vehicles - made very similar ambulances in the early 1960s as well. Their doors opened from the side - you can see that in the ad at http://em.pgpic.com/images/vm/GMCGerstAmbulancePanelTruckConversionLate60's-1.jpg
3. Door handle on the side compartment is also most consistent with Gerstenslager - Christopher seems to have used an recessed type handle as seen in below photo of Mr. Lloyd's RES-Q from Pinterest.
4. Mirrors on our vehicle mount rather forward on the door compared to Mr. Lloyd's - and additionally are a square kind with safety yellow chevrons. Very unique looking. This is consistent with Gerstenslager - even a lot of the heavy rescues http://yngfire.com/index.php/topic,2013.0.html I thought that was a slam-dunk - but the Bailey's Cross ACC in Mr. Loftin's post has the same mirrors. Maybe they were just a common aftermarket thing? The Gerstenslager-made Fitchburg, MA truck pictured on Pg 272 of "Professional Cars: Ambulances, Hearses and Flower Cars" by G. Merksamer is a similar 1965 GMC high-headroom rescue that Steve Lichtman photographed also has these mirrors.
5. While not exact, the second page of the ad for Pawtucket FD seen at http://em.pgpic.com/images/vm/GMCGerstAmbulancePanelTruckConversionLate60's-2.jpg has a bench seat fairly consistent with what we have (Unfortunately photo attached below of ours is small) with thin mattress pad and a pull latching handle. It's hard to tell from the one photo I've found of Mr. Lloyd's interior is cut off in the area of interest - but it has a different kind of latching mechanism - see below.
Other details that are not helpful:
a. Those neat angled rear windows seem to be consistent with any of Challenger, ACC, Gerstenslager, and Christopher - so not helpful. I believe they may be contemporary "boat" windows and anyone could have bought them as parts.
b. The side lettering of "Emergency-Rescue" seemed rather odd and Christopher advertising specific. However - it seems this was a trait of at least Gerstenslager's as well, so not particularly useful I guess.
c. It appears overall design of the raised roof and so forth appears similar to me between Gerstenslager and Christopher - but that isn't saying much as I probably don't appreciate the subtleties.
Very much appreciate any guidance offered. The emblem that appears to be ACC is the primary reason I'm not pretty sure on Gerstenslager. At the least, it appears unlikely to be a Christopher after all...
Just a fascinating topic to me at least. By the way - anyone know why they'd mount the Ferno cot bar to the roof? Photo below. 1 of the 2 original Ferno mounting brackets for that bar are still on the side where they should be - so maybe storage when you wanted to take the cot out and hold more rescue gear? (and yes, that's an old-school Emerson resuscitator mounted to the wall!)
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