Sad Pro-Cars

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David Wall said:
Adam, thanks for posting the photos of the Funeral Cars of the Church & Son Funeral Home in Clarkesville, GA on pages 2 and 3 of this thread. It brought back a lot of memories for me. I started my funeral career there at the age of 15 in 1981. Mr. Marler Church was a different type person. I tried for years to get him to let me get the older cars out clean them up and run them, but he did not want people to see them. He said "they make people feel bad". The black cars were a 1931 Studebaker (his dad's first hearse) a 1940 Cadillac Meteor, 1951 Cadillac Meteor, and a 1947 Sedan Delivery. After Mr. Church died (without any family left) the Funeral Home was closed and everything was sold and the money was given to 2 Church's and the Scotish Rite and Shriner's Hospitals for Crippled Children, except for a few items which he had given away. All of these cars were given to a friend of mine who moved them to a warehouse in a nearby town. The '47 Sedan has been restored. The man who now has these cars worked for Mr. Church in the late '50's early '60's and drove this car to college when he was a young boy. The white cars are in great shape and with few miles the '70 has less than 50,000, the '73 I think less than 30,000, and the '75 around 12,000. I have tried to talk my friend out of at least one of these and has not agreed, yet.
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Do any or all of these cars still exist, especially the white (newer) ones?
 
Steve Loftin said:
The '63 Paramount Ambulandau is ex-Schurman F.H. (dba AA Ambulance) in Baxter Springs, KS. I don't know who the original owner was.
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...and now I do.

This car originally served the Ulmer F.H. in not-too-far-away Carthage, MO:
 

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Steve Loftin said:
When the fire department acquired these cars from the mortuaries, they quickly painted them white over red (I don't know their original colors). When the time came to sell, the city had them repainted black on the bottom thinking they might bring more money.

Here's how I found the ex-Pyeatte car in 1986...what a shame.
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In better times:
 

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Steve Loftin said:
Church & Son Funeral Home cars - Do any or all of these cars still exist, especially the white (newer) ones?
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Every one of the cars, thankfully! They've kind of gotten scattered out, but all are in collectors' hands. Cary owned two for awhile, the '51 and '75 or '76, and David ended up with the '70 M-M.
 
The Church 31 Studebaker traveled to a new domicile about a month ago after almost 70 years of storage. It was parked shortly after the 51 Meteor Cadillac was purchased.:cool:
 

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Somebody got lucky....

That will be a fabulous automobile when restored. Whoever got it is a lucky soul.
 
Bill Marcy's old 1965 M-M

Bill, California wasn't kind to this one!
 

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Well......... it's recent owners were not kind to it, which is far too common with old pro cars.
 
Tim A. Fantin said:
Bill, California wasn't kind to this one!
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It is strange, not quite a week ago Lucille and I were wondering about this car. What a shame. Don't forget Tim, this car also belonged to you. I sold it on ebay to a "collector" who also owned a mortuary in Sacramento. It seems he was/is a collector of rust.
 
I have a friend and Studebaker owner who worked at USS Fairless Steel plant. Years ago he told me both Miller and Studebaker bought second line high carbon content steel. This steel he said rusts much quicker. There are two 67 Superiors sitting about 50 feet from the 76 and they have minimal rust. With the exception of the Flower Car the Henney Packards all of which have been here over twenty years are not falling apart as the Criterion is. Five or six years ago I junked two Millers a 71 hi top and a 73 Criterion that I drove here from Pittsburgh (300 miles) cause both were so rusty they were not worth keeping. Bear in mind it ain't Arizona here.
 
Sad 65

Bill Marcy said:
It is strange, not quite a week ago Lucille and I were wondering about this car. What a shame. Don't forget Tim, this car also belonged to you. I sold it on ebay to a "collector" who also owned a mortuary in Sacramento. It seems he was/is a collector of rust.
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When most of us from the mid west and east coast think "California" we don't think of a car getting this rusty. I'm really surprised at this because the car was from McCook, Nebraska before we got it and pretty much rust free! I understand it recently sold to someone near Bakersfield and they are planning on a restoration.
 

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Tim A. Fantin said:
When most of us from the mid west and east coast think "California" we don't think of a car getting this rusty. I'm really surprised at this because the car was from McCook, Nebraska before we got it and pretty much rust free! I understand it recently sold to someone near Bakersfield and they are planning on a restoration.
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Yes, I agree Tim. That car was extremely solid. I truly am amazed at the deterioration that occurred over the past fifteen years, since I sold it. Do you remember how good it looked at the Pittsburgh Meet in 2003?
 
Borrowed from Curbside Classic: "CC Capsule: The Pontiac Commercial Chassis, 1971 to 1975 - The Overlooked Rarity". The link is here.

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Spent Sunday searching through a yard in New Hampshire. The owner of the yard passed away about two years ago, the brother who inherited it is allowing the yard to stay open as long as the sales are covering the costs. I think probably most of the best stuff is already gone, and as most stuff that has sat outdoors in the Northeast, what's left is mostly best used for parts. For procars, there are currently a 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 (no divider window)(no motor, no transmission, rough), a 1950 Miller Cadillac low top ambulance (no motor, no transmission, interior is complete), 1969 Superior Cadillac high top ambulance (complete, except for the right siren speaker, the front bullet lenses and the dome for the 173)(Probably the best of the bunch - guy running the yard said he had taken a deposit on the '69, but that might change.), a 1954 Henny Packard limousine (no divider car, complete), and a pair of '67 Cadillac Fleetwood 75s (one white, one black, side by side, both no divider cars.) 1950 Miller Cadillac ambulance 1022.JPG1954 Henny Packard Limo 1022.JPG1970 Superior Cadillac high top 1022.JPG
 
I ended up purchasing the worst vehicle (if you can call it that) that I've ever dragged home. It's the remains of a 1941 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 (with divider window.) All I want off it is the front cross member and suspension for my '47 Miller. While there isn't much else to the car, if anyone does want anything before I junk the rest of it, let me know.1941 Cadillac 75 1022.JPG
 
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