Carryall ambulance photos

[Kent Dorsey]

Seems like it was a Yankee Coach, a 1974 model. I drove it a lot during my rescue squad years from 1990-1996. Was out in the snow in it once and it was horrible in the snow...
The rescue squad sold it about 3-4 years ago, it first went to a squad member, then he sold it to an individual. Haven't seen it around in awhile...

 

[Steve Loftin]

Seems like it was a Yankee Coach, a 1974 model. I drove it a lot during my rescue squad years from 1990-1996. Was out in the snow in it once and it was horrible in the snow...
The rescue squad sold it about 3-4 years ago, it first went to a squad member, then he sold it to an individual. Haven't seen it around in awhile...

Yankee it is; '75-'76-ish.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

the grill went flat in 75 and the single round headlights were on till the early 80s I guessing. it's a 75 to. some difference in the grill was all there was for the first 10 years then the nose changed. and the square lights started to appear. as to who converted it I'll let someone else take a crack at that.

 

[Bruce Osborne]

Was this in Canada?

Yes, Ontario

 

[Steve Loftin]

Woodbine, NJ
1967 S/I Interne

Lanoka Harbor, NJ
1964 S/I Deluxe

Riverside, NJ
1963 Christopher/Chevrolet

Hamilton, NJ
1949 ?/Chevrolet

(SL collection)

 

[John ED Renstrom]

any Ida who built the Hamilton Chevy?

 

[Mike McDonald]

Chevy?

Chevy and GMC made 1-Ton Panels in that era (including the extra SS Trim on the Fenders.... so it could have been modified for ambulance service "in-house"? (*) Wish they would have straightened up and tightened the low-band antenna base before the picture! MM

 

[Chris M. Kelley]

May be completely unrelated, I'm not a "car person", don't judge plz. ha ha

This is sitting at a local garage that replaced my brakes. Dunno what it is, make, model, year, use, etc.. I suppose if someone wanted to talk them into selling it, I could provide the info, with the agreement that they didn't say how they got the info. On a side note, it belongs to an auto transport company, they do new, used and antique transports from (here) to places down south.

 

[Steve Loftin]

Here are some photos of a typical carryall lowtop conversion. This one, a '71 or '72 by the A.G. Solar Co. in Dallas, was one of several hightop and lowtop Suburbans operated by the Sparkman-Hillcrest F.H. in Dallas. They had the contract for the north portion of the city when these pictures were taken. This particular rig had Chevrolet factory front and rear air conditioning; while initially more expensive, it worked better, lasted longer, and was generally more reliable than the aftermarket versions.

The exterior is not so typical with triple four-bulb beacons, dual lollipops, twin speakers, and a Q2B. The standard lowtop conversions by Summers, Gordon K. Allen, Solar, and even Modular Ambulance Corp. incuded four Do-Ray lollipops, a #17 beacon, and the customer's choice of either a Q2B or a PA-15 Director with dual speakers.

(SL collection)

Here's another S-H rig, with a #12 Twinsonic light bar in addition to the triple beacons:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drmo/530834827/

 

[Steve Loftin]

Riverside, NJ
1963 Christopher/Chevrolet

Can anyone here tell us what the items are under the front bumper? They look like jumper cable ends...

 

[Bruce Oliphant]

"The exterior is not so typical with triple four-bulb beacons, dual lollipops, twin speakers, and a Q2B. Director with dual speakers."

If those two lollipops are actually either a Federal model 18 or 19 then that is the same light set up the very first ambulance I ever drove had on it. It however was a 1974 Plymouth van that had been converted from a "flower car".

 

[John Royark JR]

Can anyone here tell us what the items are under the front bumper? They look like jumper cable ends...

They are brackets of some sort, I have a pic of it with flags in them. Iowa PCS member Lloyd Ray was the current owner of this rig when he passed away. I do not know what became of it after his passing.

 

[Doug House]

Thanks to Bill!

Bill Leverett, thanks very much for posting that incredible collection of photos of the CarryAll/Suburban style ambulances here in beautiful british Columbia prior to BCAS. Some were a trip down memory lane for me, but the majority of them I had never seen before.

I think we should declare you to be the official B.C Ambulance Historian of P.C.S. No pay involved, but we might be able to rustle up some flashy business cards!

 

[Bill Leverett]

BCAS Photos

Thanks Doug...actually it's a team effort with folks such as yourself contributing as well as the "...I remember when..." stories that really help fill in the gaps and provide the context. Those stories make the history come alive. Many of the pro-cars were on their way out or gone when I started in 1979. As for the photos, I managed to get them scanned when Fleet Manager Jim Fissel gave me his box of BCAS government photos for a week. I also have copies of the registrations and disposal documents for most of the photos. There's another medic in BCAS now doing the same but with a much higher resolution scanner. When Jim lent me the box he lamented on how many other photos he kept had gone astray over the years. I wanted to make sure that at least what was left was recorded.

 

[David Martin]

They are brackets of some sort, I have a pic of it with flags in them. Iowa PCS member Lloyd Ray was the current owner of this rig when he passed away. I do not know what became of it after his passing.
View attachment 4976

Maybe Paul can enlighten us since he got Lloyd's Chev wagon. I don't think Lloyd had long before his passing.

 

[Paul Steinberg]

When I picked up the 1962 C/B Chevy in early summer, the truck was still in the garage, and it was covered with dust. I briefly looked at it, but wasn't interested in it very much, so it was just a cursory once over. Lloyd had done a few modifications to the truck I was told, and some were to accommodate something that he had in mind, and others were to make it easier for him to drive. How much was completed at the time of his death I can't say. I had a feeling that it would take some work to complete the truck for driving. At that time, is was not sold, and even though I don't remember the exact asking price, I thought that it was quite high for a truck. I do remember that the original stretcher for the truck that was in the 1962 Chevy stayed, and I got a one man mortuary cot with my car.
As for the flag brackets, I believe that they were just some pipe welded to a piece of flat stock and bolted under the bumper..

 

[Steve Loftin]

(unidentified operator in Florence, AL)
1969/70 Southern/Chevrolet

Waterville Valley, NH
1973/74 ?/Chevrolet 4x4
While the raised roof has the "look" of a Springfield, it is likely a local or dealership conversion.

(SL collection)

 

[Steve Loftin]

Zepfel F.H. (Reynoldsville, PA)
1975 Suburban

I really like this one; it has "funeral home ambulance" written all over it:

McDonald-Aeberli F.H. (Mars, PA)
1973/74 Suburban

Both of these were probably converted locally or by the funeral homes themselves. By the cut of the beacon skirts, I'm guessing they were taken from older combinations.

(SL collection)

 

[Steve Loftin]

National/Suburbans

The National ambulance products were "high end" by the time these rigs were built. Of all the carryall conversions I've seen, they were of the highest quality materials and construction with the best interior finish and layouts. Note the different lighting arrangements in this batch:

Norvelt, PA
1969

Wolcottsville, NY
1971

Shawnee, NY
1969

Tri-Community A.S. (serving Frontier, Bergholz, Pekin, Sanborn and St. Johnsburg fire districts in NY)
1972 (one of twins)

Old Orchard, ME
1971
The roof-mounted rear tunnels on this one indicate it has the optional raised rear doors.

(SL collection)

 

[Steve Loftin]

More Nationals that are different...

...in one way or another. National dubbed these as their Pacer series:

Rolling Meadows, IL
1971-ish GMC 3/4-ton chassis; Mars 888 Traffic Breaker, siren speaker on upper roof, two Unity RV-26 and an RV-26 Spitfire beacons (the Spitfire series, available with two or four 5" or 6" bulbs, had a solid-color dome with two clear strips for an enhanced flash effect)

River Grove, IL
1971 with no tunnel lights, Mars Commander siren, side flashers wide apart; RV-26 beacons

West Lake F.D. (Erie, PA; one of a pair)
1969 with Super Chief whistle

Grand Valley, PA
Fairly nondescript 1969

(SL collection)

J&J Ambulance Sales (Markleysburg, PA; rig is ex-Tunnelton, WV)
1973 with dual Power Lights, sealed beam ditch lights; spotlights mounted at top of "A" pillar
(this is the only post-'72 Pacer I've ever photographed)

(SL photo)