Elvis Hearse

[Richard Vyse]

Terri and I met with a funeral home owner last Saturday discussing the possible purchase of his funeral home when the subject of the PCS and the Elvis hearse came up.

He claims he used to own the actual Elvis hearse that was destroyed in a fire on a roadside in South Florida. He disputed rumors the hearse had been crushed but was rebuilt and he used to use it at his funeral home. He says the hearse is now in Georgia with a friend of his. I asked if he had documented proof it was the Elvis hearse and he said, "Yes".

That's all I have on this. Hard to believe this shell could be brought back to a useable hearse.

Interesting.

 

[Jeremy D. Ledford]

Think he may be speaking of the 76 M-M that was used for the removal? And what did they use to move Elvis from Memorial Park to Graceland in after he was disinterred? Could be multiple Elvis hearses out there perhaps, not just the 77 M-M that was in the spot light on the day of Elvis' funeral and on his removal! SCI used to buy fleets of the things and still do!

Barrett-Jackson would be all up on this!:rofl1:

Here's the story we all know. I've even talked with Chuck Houston myself about it http://elviscadillacs.tripod.com/elvhearse.htm with PCS Members Danny Ryder, Dennis Goethe and the late Bernie DeWinter IV speaking on the subject along with Chuck Houston's story.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xRneCrahEw[/ame]

 

[Richard Vyse]

Paul Stienberg said Jeremy was the expert on this.

Think he may be speaking of the 76 M-M that was used for the removal? And what did they use to move Elvis from Memorial Park to Graceland in after he was disinterred? Could be multiple Elvis hearses out there perhaps, not just the 77 M-M that was in the spot light on the day of Elvis' funeral and on his removal! SCI used to buy fleets of the things and still do!

Barrett-Jackson would be all up on this!:rofl1:

Here's the story we all know. I've even talked with Chuck Houston myself about it http://elviscadillacs.tripod.com/elvhearse.htm with PCS Members Danny Ryder, Dennis Goethe and the late Bernie DeWinter IV speaking on the subject along with Chuck Houston's story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xRneCrahEw

 

[Jeremy D. Ledford]

Paul Stienberg said Jeremy was the expert on this.

Yeah, I have an Elvis hearse too!

This summer I'll be retracing the last voyage of the Elvis hearse, hopefully with out the same out come!

 

[Jim Jordan]

I was told by Jim Monroe that the 76 M&M was sold to a funeral home in Stratford, OK but don't know where it went after that.

 

[Kenn Evans II]

If the fire didn't warp the metal to bad, a new frame and a little imagination and a lot of $$$$$$ you could restore any vehicle even if it was crushed.

 

[Josh Gentry]

Um hello, didn't you know Jeremy ownes the Elvis hearse? He just had it painted Sovereign Gold so no one would know it is it. Seariously though, I seariously doubt it is the one that burned up, but ya never know. I would definently have to see some very convincing proof to beleave it.

More importantly, are you and Terri going to be the proud new owners of a Funeral Home?

Josh

 

[Jeremy D. Ledford]

Um hello, didn't you know Jeremy ownes the Elvis hearse? He just had it painted Sovereign Gold so no one would know it is it. Seariously though, I seariously doubt it is the one that burned up, but ya never know. I would definently have to see some very convincing proof to beleave it.

Josh

Looking at Steve Loftins photo of the burnt out shell of the 77 Elvis Miller-Meteor I do have a few questions. Why would you remove a burnt out car shell from the chassis if it was a engine fire? Was the chassis, engine and front clip laying near by and just not in the photo? Wouldn't have the fire damaged the frame and engine beyone any use? I could see salvaging the rear door, bumper, drive shaft and rearend for another car maybe.

 

[Chris Elzie]

I wonder about the same things Jeremy has brought up here. O and Elvis was orginally place in the mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery not that far from Graceland and who knows what they used to do that because they were triying to keep it such a secret. There is an write up somewhere they tells how they went baout moving him.

Looking at Steve Loftins photo of the burnt out shell of the 77 Elvis Miller-Meteor I do have a few questions. Why would you remove a burnt out car shell from the chassis if it was a engine fire? Was the chassis, engine and front clip laying near by and just not in the photo? Wouldn't have the fire damaged the frame and engine beyone any use? I could see salvaging the rear door, bumper, drive shaft and rearend for another car maybe.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

one more pop star killed himself with dope. let him lay with the rest of them, finally getting some peace in his grave away from the pick pockets that use to surround him.

 

[Bill Carlin]

Even is someone did rebuild the 77 "Elvis" hearse, they would have used more parts from other donor cars than the origional hearse parts. At some point, it is no longer the Elvis hearse and just a hearse that has parts of many other hearses, some of which were part of the Elvis hearse.

 

[Jay Maynard]

I don't believe the '77 exists in any way, shape, form or fashion anymore. No one in their right mind would waste money on ANY vehicle that badly fire damaged.

Now the '76 on the other hand, there is a very good possibility that it just may still be lurking somewhere. And the people from this forum are the perfect ones to try and find it.

 

[Paul Steinberg]

Looking at Steve Loftins photo of the burnt out shell of the 77 Elvis Miller-Meteor I do have a few questions. Why would you remove a burnt out car shell from the chassis if it was a engine fire? Was the chassis, engine and front clip laying near by and just not in the photo? Wouldn't have the fire damaged the frame and engine beyone any use? I could see salvaging the rear door, bumper, drive shaft and rearend for another car maybe.

The top of the engine would have been damaged from the heat, but the basic engine block would still be good. You could actually clean up the engine block, install a new carburetor, ignition distributor, wiring, vacuum switches and hoses, etc. and have it running just as well as before the fire. You would also have to replace the sheet metal parts, and possibly the water pump, but I know that the engine even though it was toasted, isn't toast.
The frames rarely are damaged, unless the entire car was burned beyond recognition. Most times the fires are extinguished quickly before frame damage occurs. When I used to rebuild wrecks, I would many times buy frames from fire damaged cars. Usually the upper control arm and rubber bushings were scorched to some extent, but the frames were very salvageable, and with cleaning, some new parts, and fresh paint, they looked like new. Most times, the frames themselves were not scorched.
If someone were truly to want to "restore" this vehicle, all that they would need was the original frame and drive line, along with the original serial plate, and they could put another body onto the frame, replace the front end sheet metal, etc. and no one would be the wiser, unless they were to put a concerted effort into doing some detailed detective work. Once it was offered up for sale as a historically significant artifact, is when the questions would start, and it would be up to the person selling the car to produce sufficient evidence that it was truly the same car. I can say that there is no way that the body shell pictured could be save under any circumstances. Once sheet metal is heated and rusted the way this one is, there is no way that you can get paint to stick to it, no matter what you do. I know, because I tried to save hoods and fenders that were not nearly as burned, and were only scorched. The paint just wouldn't stick no matter how much prep we did, including sandblasting and grinding the surface. The heat does something to the metal that changes it permanently.

 

[Darren Bedford]

If you look at the first photo of the '76 MM, you will notice the landau bars are on the wrong sides ! Doh !

It isn't the reverse negative either... the word EMERGENCY is written out the right way on the sign.

Darren


By the way... Elvis is alive and rents a room at Jeremy's place !
He has ridden in Elmo many times to keep out of the public's eye.

 

[Jay Maynard]

Wrong sides? Didn't the coach builder make them that way? I've seen plenty of hearses with the landau bars reversed. I've driven a '92 Federal with the landau bars in that style on it. It also had S&S coach lamps on the sides!

 

[Darren Bedford]

Usually the landau bars are curved up and flow down to the center and then up at the end.

If you picture that bar on the other side, it will look like I described above.

Check out my attached photos for example.

Darren


P.S. I do know that Dwayne Brooks had/has a car that the bars were reversed and couldn't be put on the other way as the padding underneath was molded that way. Not sure if it was a re-roof job or factory. I would say re-roofed.

 

[Richard Vyse]

More importantly, are you and Terri going to be the proud new owners of a Funeral Home?

Josh

It is a beautiful funeral home which was built new just three years ago. We can get into it with only 50 grand down, not bad. He'll hold all the paper but too expensive at 1.2 million for a home that did only 49 calls (full service) last year which is almost half what he did three years ago. Town is a bit too small for us as well.

Richard

 

[Kent Martinson - Deceased 1947 - 2019]

If you look at the first photo of the '76 MM, you will notice the landau bars are on the wrong sides ! Doh !

It isn't the reverse negative either... the word EMERGENCY is written out the right way on the sign.

Darren


By the way... Elvis is alive and rents a room at Jeremy's place !
He has ridden in Elmo many times to keep out of the public's eye.

You weren't supposed to mention that. Elvis will get really upset if he finds out. He might even sabotage Elmo.:4_11_9:

 

[John ED Renstrom]

It is a beautiful funeral home which was built new just three years ago. We can get into it with only 50 grand down, not bad. He'll hold all the paper but too expensive at 1.2 million for a home that did only 49 calls (full service) last year which is almost half what he did three years ago. Town is a bit too small for us as well.

Richard

the money might not be right but don't discount the small town till you have lived there. the advantages far out weight the negatives.

 

[Rick Franklin]

The top of the engine would have been damaged from the heat, but the basic engine block would still be good. You could actually clean up the engine block, install a new carburetor, ignition distributor, wiring, vacuum switches and hoses, etc. and have it running just as well as before the fire. You would also have to replace the sheet metal parts, and possibly the water pump, but I know that the engine even though it was toasted, isn't toast.
The frames rarely are damaged, unless the entire car was burned beyond recognition. Most times the fires are extinguished quickly before frame damage occurs. When I used to rebuild wrecks, I would many times buy frames from fire damaged cars. Usually the upper control arm and rubber bushings were scorched to some extent, but the frames were very salvageable, and with cleaning, some new parts, and fresh paint, they looked like new. Most times, the frames themselves were not scorched.
If someone were truly to want to "restore" this vehicle, all that they would need was the original frame and drive line, along with the original serial plate, and they could put another body onto the frame, replace the front end sheet metal, etc. and no one would be the wiser, unless they were to put a concerted effort into doing some detailed detective work. Once it was offered up for sale as a historically significant artifact, is when the questions would start, and it would be up to the person selling the car to produce sufficient evidence that it was truly the same car. I can say that there is no way that the body shell pictured could be save under any circumstances. Once sheet metal is heated and rusted the way this one is, there is no way that you can get paint to stick to it, no matter what you do. I know, because I tried to save hoods and fenders that were not nearly as burned, and were only scorched. The paint just wouldn't stick no matter how much prep we did, including sandblasting and grinding the surface. The heat does something to the metal that changes it permanently.

Verification of authenticity doesnt seem to bother Barrett Jackson.Sell the car there with your claims & its as good as gold!