My New Coach, 1973 S&S Victoria

[John ED Renstrom]

the Victoria was a small glue on were the caddy script would go if I remember right then there should be a badge and Palm leafs in the wood grain sail panel and the date marks. the drivers door has the made by sticker to.
that's one pretty car. Mike had it hid away glad you got it from him. it needs to get out some

 

[Josh Gentry]

Got the wood-grain panels with the emblems still on them, and the sticker on the door jam, but thats it. Do you remember how the date marks go on the hood? Are they glue on or bolt on? If i remember right, on my 70 it is bolted on.

Josh

 

[Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021]

Oh hush. If I would stop hanging out with Danny Ryder i might could actually keep one. This is a rather unique coach with the color combination, and is a very nice rust free car. I would really like to hang on to this one. I already have 2 combos, its kind of nice to have a straight hearse too.

Josh

Hey Josh, I resemble that remark.

 

[Danny Ryder - Deceased - 1962 - 2021]

Gosh Josh you are making me blush! Glad it worked out for you, TOdd is the man more than me. Love his rig and he was really professional about the trip. He carried a 74 caprice to Indianapolis for us earlier this week. Enjoy your new ride.

 

[Rick Franklin]

Josh: my 86 S&S Lincoln does NOT have any S&S marings on it anywhere either. No date marks, standard Lincoln wheel covers. It only has the decal on the door jam stating its an S&S rig. Its my understanding that the date marks on the hood were an option.

 

[Josh Gentry]

Gosh Josh you are making me blush! Glad it worked out for you, TOdd is the man more than me. Love his rig and he was really professional about the trip. He carried a 74 caprice to Indianapolis for us earlier this week. Enjoy your new ride.

Todd was great, extreamly nice guy, and very professional, and man what a rig. My dad still can't get over how great he was. lol

Josh

 

[John Royark JR]

Josh, the date marks were bolted on. Also, the date marks and wheelcover center caps were all options. As for the fender tag, I dontknow but im sure if the purchaser didnt want it Im sure they would leave it off. My 81 S&S came directly from the original F.H. and did not have either option.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

date marks were set in holes so if yours had them you should be able to see were they were plugged from underneath. the Victoria emblems were the glue on fall off kind. other then that it's a Farly smooth body not a lot of junk attached to it.

 

[Tony Karsnia - Deceased - 1971-2020]

The date marks were an option. Believe it or not, many people didn't care for them, so as time went on, S&S would typically put them on by request or to spiff up a show car for conventions. Installation of the trim requires drilling through the hood and bolting on from underneath.

Rick's comment made me realize I have never seen S&S date mark trim on a Lincoln and only one Buick with it (1982 and newer). If anyone has photos showing date mark trim on either of these, please share as it would be interesting to see.

As for the wheelcover medallions, I've seen many S&S coaches over the years that did not have them. Maybe this was because not every single S&S coach left the factory with them (supply issues, customer preference, etc.) It is also logical to assume several wheelcovers were lost over the years, with replacements having the standard Cadillac crest.

You have a beautiful coach there, Josh. It should not be difficult to "personalize" it just the way you want.

 

[Tony Karsnia - Deceased - 1971-2020]

Question about drapes

S&S formal drapes of this era are unique from the aspect that the valances are sewn to the vertical sections, but they are not connected in the middle. In other words, the drapes separate in the middle, with the left and right section of the valance connected to each respective vertical part. When the valances are pulled tight to the middle, as seen in this ilustration from the 1973 catalog, everything looks connected.

This was changed in 1977 when all three pieces were sewn together as one.

Josh and Kurt, if both of you want your drapes to be 100% authentic as formal style, I suggest starting from scatch and using the brochure photos as guides. For real-life templates, I believe the Victorias owned by Kevin Parkinson, Tom Hoczyk, and Mike Barruzza have the correct drapes.

Since S&S coaches were the "top of the line", the vast majoirty of hearse drapes were made of heavier, wool-like material. Ambulances, of course, were an exception and came with the nylon airline-style drapes.

 

[John ED Renstrom]

a good shot of typical S&S 73 drapes like Tony was talking about are here. they are two piece and as I remember heavy stuff. they only difference on the center doors was the size