My '74 M-M Lifeliner

[John ED Renstrom]

the 72 with the 890s calls for 24 in front 40 in the rear. you know you put 40 psi i the rear the car handles a lot better.

 

[Kurt Arends]

My headliner, before and after cleaning with Simple Green.

M-M used a much-higher quality vinyl for its ambulance headliners than what Superior used. Has anyone had any luck in having their original headliner material re-stitched? My headliner is good on this Lifeliner, but the stitching is failing when cleaning it.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

it could be done but one will most likely will damage it doing the R&R. it a grand to get some one to make you up a new one.

 

[Kurt Arends]

I recently discovered, through Dennis Svoboda, that my '74 M-M Lifeliner was in fact originally owned by Shurtleff Ambulance in Lincoln, NE for only about a 6 month period of time. It was then traded for a '75 M-M Lifeliner.

Here is a Yellow Pages ad that Dennis found featuring a photo of my '74 Lifeliner(top photo).

 

[Jacob M. Fournier]

Do you know what year the ad is from? Wondering if my '76 Eastern car is one of the two S&Ss in the Eastern ad below the Shurtleff ad.

 

[Tim Prieur]

Thanks for sharing Kurt, nice pieces of history to go with the car.

 

[Kurt Arends]

Do you know what year the ad is from? Wondering if my '76 Eastern car is one of the two S&Ss in the Eastern ad below the Shurtleff ad.

Jacob,
I was told that this ad was from 1975, so your '76 was probably not built yet.

 

[Kurt Arends]

Jacob,
Your '76 S&S is in the lower right of this photo.

 

[Kurt Arends]

Jacob,
Your '76 S&S is in the lower right of this photo.

The photo in the upper left is this group is not a '73 M-M, but the '75 M-M Lifeliner that my '74 Lifeliner was traded in on.

 

[Tony Karsnia - Deceased - 1971-2020]

Body numbers

Kurt,

Would you be willing to post a photo of the dataplate on your two Lifeliners? Would like to add them to the registry. Thanks!

 

[Steve Loftin]

I recently discovered, through Dennis Svoboda, that my '74 M-M Lifeliner was in fact originally owned by Shurtleff Ambulance in Lincoln, NE for only about a 6 month period of time. It was then traded for a '75 M-M Lifeliner.

Any idea why it was traded in so soon?

 

[Kurt Arends]

Steve,
According to Dennis Svoboda:

"Shurtleff Ambulance received the 1974 MM Lifeliner late in 1974. After about four months they started to notice some structural problems that was resulting in rust in the patient compartment. They took it back to Anderson Fire Equipment in Omaha and traded it for an identical 1975 Lifeliner. Anderson repaired the problems and fixed the rust and then it was sold to Minden as a DEMO ambulance."

Tony,
I will post a photo this weekend when I get back home.

 

[Kurt Arends]

Here is the data plate on my '74 M-M Lifeliner Tony.

 

[Tony Karsnia - Deceased - 1971-2020]

Thanks Kurt! We'll add it to the database Do you still have the 74 Lifeliner from Madison, NE also? If so, may I have that body number?

 

[Kurt Arends]

Tony,
I never owned the '74 Lifeliner from Madison. Last I knew, it was a total POS and some guy from TX was trying to sell it on eBay.

 

[Kurt Arends]

I had some time over the noon hour while passing through Minden, NE today, so I stopped by the city library and perused their microfiche for the 1975 calendar year(I had assumed that Minden City/County Ambulance had purchased my '74 Lifeliner used at some point in 1975). There it was on the front page........ August 27, 1975. They were holding an open house to show off their new rig! This was held about 6 weeks after they purchased it. It was about 1 year old and had 20,000 miles on it. Minden owned it for 18 years prior to trading it off.

Shurtleff Ambulance in Lincoln, NE(the original owners) had previously traded it off for a new '75 M-M Lifeliner.

 

[Kurt Arends]

I have been searching for a better set of inner and outer front fenders for my '74 Lifeliner for some time now. I stumbled onto this pair this past week while traveling for business in central Kansas. They are in amazingly good condition, close to home, and very reasonable!

 

[Paul Steinberg]

buy the whole car, and have lots more parts to sell off of it. If not the car, then at least the nose.

 

[Bill Marcy]

Great find Kurt!

 

[John ED Renstrom]

I'm with Paul get the whole front clip. If the fenders are threw then it's as safe bet that you hood has rust on the inside also. But all depends on price does it not.