Beautiful old Buicks

[John Ehmer]

LeSabre

Thanks Keith and Al.
Good to see you still have the 59's Al !!!!

As I have stated I have owned many Flx cars over the years and found the Flxette to have been built on the LeSabre Chassis. 1960-64 from my knowledge. People have often mis identified the chassis as a base Electra or even Invicta....... but I can tell you wheelbase is a dead give away. And as Al pointed out not all Flxettes were ordered with 401 engine. Lesabre name is often retained on interior appointments in these cars. I can tell you the front and rear doors match exact measurements to LeSabre 4 dr sdn with the exception of the window frame which was modified by Flxible of course.
Question Al ??.... was the firewall raised on the 59 Flx's like the later models were?
Al and Keith.... PM me ,....... we need you in the BUICK Chapter
John Ehmer

 

[Al Casby]

.......Question Al ??.... was the firewall raised on the 59 Flx's like the later models were?
John Ehmer

John:

The 1959 Flxible Buicks used the standard un-modified firewall, and retained the 4411 2-door sedan windshield in it's Buick factory position. Other than the replacement of the door's window framing with Flxible's proprietary aluminum framework, the front doors were also factory parts in their original positions. On the '59's, Flexible replaced the door panels with their own upholstered pieces in black saran bodycloth/white tolex for the funeral cars and most combinations; tan or blue-gray naugahyde was used in the five straight ambulances produced.

Would love to join the PCS Buick chapter!

Al

Al Casby
1959 Flxible-Buick Premier Limousine Ambulance
1959 Comet-Buick LWB Panoramic-Landau Ambulance
1959 Comet-Buick SWB Limousine Ambulance

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

Although this church served as a background in some other published Flxible promotional shots, I did not see these in Flxible book (nor same church behind any '59s). Excuse if repeats.

 

[Adam Borkat]

"Beautiful" here will be subjective

This was a 1988 Buick Estate Wagon I owned that had been converted to a hearse with a raised roof by AG Solar. I think it was interesting that they chose to convert a wagon with factory woodgrain and Magnum-style wheels. It was for a long time my daily driver. The engine overheated, and I gave it to a friend, since I couldn't afford to fix it at the time (15 years ago). Really wished I had kept it, as I've never seen another anything like it.

 

[Skip Goulet - Deceased 1945 - 2018]

"Beautiful" here will be subjective

This was a 1988 Buick Estate Wagon I owned that had been converted to a hearse with a raised roof by AG Solar. I think it was interesting that they chose to convert a wagon with factory woodgrain and Magnum-style wheels. It was for a long time my daily driver. The engine overheated, and I gave it to a friend, since I couldn't afford to fix it at the time (15 years ago). Really wished I had kept it, as I've never seen another anything like it.

Adam: Is this the car you brought to Lancaster in '99....that had the C siren behind the grille?

 

[Adam Borkat]

Adam: Is this the car you brought to Lancaster in '99....that had the C siren behind the grille?

Yes it was the car, and dang it, I think you're right. Thinking about it, I don't know if I left it on the Buick when I gave it away or not. Now that just makes my memory seem even worse. I loose a siren, and someone else remembers where I had it 14 years ago!

 

[Skip Goulet - Deceased 1945 - 2018]

Yes it was the car, and dang it, I think you're right. Thinking about it, I don't know if I left it on the Buick when I gave it away or not. Now that just makes my memory seem even worse. I loose a siren, and someone else remembers where I had it 14 years ago!

Now you're just to danged young to be that forgetful. I've got an excuse...I'll be 68 in two months. But you're still a young whippersnapper!

I hope you didn't give that siren away with the car. I tried to talk you out of it back then and you wouldn't budge! You need to look and see if you still have it!

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

Posted via a FB community page. '64 Flxible service car still sees duty @ Mumaw FH in Lancaster, CA.

John Ehmer - this one is for you.

 

[Mike McDonald]

Even legally (commerially) plated in CA thru 2014!

 

[Ken Novak]

Posted via a FB community page. '64 Flxible service car still sees duty @ Mumaw FH in Lancaster, CA.

John Ehmer - this one is for you.

What a goodie....

 

[Josh Horton]

Posted via a FB community page. '64 Flxible service car still sees duty @ Mumaw FH in Lancaster, CA.

John Ehmer - this one is for you.

That's gorgeous! I love service cars.

 

[Adam Borkat]

64 Flxible service car

Oh my, I don't think that's a Flxible! Hope not at least. Only one company used cycas leaf patterned frosted rear glass that I know of, and it wasn't Flxible. Any chance there was a coachmaker's sticker or plate in any of the photos? I know for a fact Abbott & Hast made at least one 1964 Buick hearse conversion. The latest A&H service car I've seen is a '62.

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

Outstanding observation Adam. John and/or Keith should be able to provide your answer!

 

[Keith Snyder]

A One Owner Survivor

Adam....Sorry but, according to Tom McPherson, to whom I sent this link, this is indeed a 1964 Flxible-Buick. In fact, it's a Flxette Model FB640-64 Service Car. This is one of two Flxible sold and built in 1964 and, according to the records, the Mumaw Funeral Home in Lancaster, California was the original buyer. This was Flxible's body #1419, was delivered to Mumaw on March 28, 1964 and was purchased through Flxible's California representative C.V. Whithorne of Tarzana. This vehicle's motor number is 4K-1086306. The only other Flxette service car built by Flxible in 1964 went to Fred W. Weller in Youngstown, Ohio. It was sold to Mr. Weller by Burgess in Loudonville and delivered on April 9, 1964. This was Flxible's body #1427 with motor number 4K-1086404. This funeral home is still in business and is now known as the Shriver-Allison-Courtley-Weller-King Funeral Home and is located at 292 Madison Avenue in Youngstown. According to Tom, the cycus leaf-adorned frosted glass was not something that would have been offered by Flxible as an option and must have been installed much later in the vehicle's life. This is something that is more commonly seen on German funeral cars but, is rarely seen in North America. Just thought readers would like to know that this is not only a survivor but, one of only two built and that it is still owned and operated by its original buyer. Now, that's interesting.

 

[Daniel Scully]

A One Owner Survivor 64

Here is a pic of a 63 in So Cal . This is the one that was on Ebay,also a back door pic of the 63 I had.

 

[Keith Snyder]

Daniel....according to Tom, that serial plate showing a Flxible body number of 1340 belonged to the one and only 1963 Flxible Flxette Service Car (FB640-63) built. This car was sold by Gordon's Coach and Ambulance sales in Lehighton, Pennsylvania to the Myers Funeral Home in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and delivered on May 29, 1963.

 

[Attila Bethlenfalvy]

South Farmingdale '51-'52 (Keith?) Flxible Sterling ambulance.

 

[Skip Goulet - Deceased 1945 - 2018]

South Farmingdale '51-'52 (Keith?) Flxible Sterling ambulance.

Nice old rig. I wonder when the Sireno beacon was added. Their "hill light" wasn't available back then.

 

[John Ehmer]

Buick service car

Thanks, Attila for the pic of the 64 service car......real nice,.......

Dan, thanks for the shot of my old 63 service car, nice to know it still survives.......... when my garage collapsed I scrambled to get rid of cars and donated the 63 to a well known Buick Museum to preserve it. They promised full restoration, and then 2 weeks after they aquired it they posted it on ebay with a made up story of how the car was a barn find and they had NO Idea that the car was the only one built......I guess they had forgotten about all the information and factory picture I had given them about the car................so much for preserving history........... its all about the money!

John Ehmer,.....Buick Chapter

 

[Skip Goulet - Deceased 1945 - 2018]

Thanks, Attila for the pic of the 64 service car......real nice,.......

Dan, thanks for the shot of my old 63 service car, nice to know it still survives.......... when my garage collapsed I scrambled to get rid of cars and donated the 63 to a well known Buick Museum to preserve it. They promised full restoration, and then 2 weeks after they aquired it they posted it on ebay with a made up story of how the car was a barn find and they had NO Idea that the car was the only one built......I guess they had forgotten about all the information and factory picture I had given them about the car................so much for preserving history........... its all about the money!

John Ehmer,.....Buick Chapter

That sort of reminds me of something that happened to me several years ago. In 1973 I sold (sorta) my '61 Flxette ambulance to the racetrack in Odessa. I was supposedto have gotten their '58 Chevy DelRay sedan-delivery in trade, which never happened. The track eventually gave the Buick to a fledgling volunteer ambulance service in nearby Goldsmith, and that group began to cover the races, using the Buick and a '70 Consort ambulance. I was eventually given the Flxette back. I had taken it to an airman-friend to get some restoration done, and after not having heard from him in weeks, went out to see him. He had been transfered out and the Buick was nowhere in sight. The owner of the rundown old trailer park said that he had bought the car from the guy for $100 before he left town. It was supposedly sitting behind an auto shop he owned nearby. I let him know that I still had title and went home to retrieve same. I went back to get the car with title in hand and discovered that it had been "stolen". Fast forward almost 10 years and the Buick appeared on the internet and in AZ. They claimed the car had been found "in a field" in Texas. I called them, telling them it was mine and that I had title to it. I also called Dean Newman to see if he could find it for me. The car suddenly disappared from the internet, and apparently totally, because Dean could't find it either.