Rhinecliff updates

Paul Steinberg said:
Where in this picture do you see a full body mud flap?

This picture also proves that the wheel covers that are on the car now, are the originals to the car.
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They are indeed the same ones. I think on eBay I saw them as Enforcer hubcaps.

When I first saw the flat object at the rear of the car in the "group shot" photo - I wondered if maybe the rear step was folded down. Jack says they would never have done that and the factory photo doesn't seem to show the means for that.
 
The rear bumper is not the original, so there are no holes in the bumper for the step to hang on.
 
Wheels

Kurt Arends said:
Those wheel covers must have been used on something else that Chrysler built, but I have no idea as to what. When the Ghia Imperial limousines came out in '57 & '58, Chrysler put 15" wheels on those while all stock Imperial passenger cars came with 14" wheels. Most squad cars ordered with 15" wheels would have had dog dish hub caps. Chrysler used 14" wheels on nearly everything they built from 1957 thru 1968, with the exception of the Imperials.

Do you remember what the eBay sellers identified them as?
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This is from the 63-64 Parts book looks like 300, 880 Wagon and Newport could get the 15 '' wheels and as mentioned the cop cars.
 

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The wheel covers are very similar to a Imperial wheel cover, except that the Imperial wheel cover has an additional medallion in the center.
 
Paul Steinberg said:
The rear bumper is not the original, so there are no holes in the bumper for the step to hang on.
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Indeed, you replaced it with a very pretty Newport bumper! :)

At some point in the car's service life, the rear step was removed. However, there appear to be four holes (two each side) underneath the bumper where the 1/4" treadplate should mount. The original bumper (thanks for sending!) used the two holes for the usual New Yorker ornaments as attachment points for two strips of metal that supported the most posterior aspect of the step. It's a bit blurry in the scan posted above, but very clear in the original copy of the factory photo I have.

I'm not sure how sturdy the step would be with that design. Or - like the beacon - someone just backed it into something. :eek:
 

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This is a photo of a correct '63 Chrysler station wagon rear bumper. I know that they did not use a wagon when they built your rig. It is odd that they did not at least use the wagon rear bumper when they built this rig. This '63 wagon is a 6 pass. The 9 pass. wagon has a rubber step on each end of the bumper.
 

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they were buying cars from locale dealers to convert. the few Caddies they did were ordered one piece at a time from a locale dealer as Pinter was not on GM approved list to sell incompleat cars to.

not sure if Jack or Tom could remember the circumstances around acquiring the base car. but it was most likely one off the lot. the heavy duty equipment could be ordered on any car at that time and around here at least it was not all that out of the norm to find it on a 4 door sedan. one of the strangest set ups I have seen was a 4 door 59 biscayne with a 348 tri power and a 3 speed stick.
 
Bumper

Kurt Arends said:
This is a photo of a correct '63 Chrysler station wagon rear bumper. I know that they did not use a wagon when they built your rig. It is odd that they did not at least use the wagon rear bumper when they built this rig. This '63 wagon is a 6 pass. The 9 pass. wagon has a rubber step on each end of the bumper.
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The center section on 60-64 full size wagons Chrysler ,Dodge, Plymouth are all the same .The out board pieces are different depending on the car. All the bumpers have the hole for the step. If it did not have the step a carriage bolt was in place of the step plate.
 

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Understood. The bumper bolt is within the rubber step, when so equipped. Just odd that they did not use a wagon bumper at all on this unit. It would have been much more user friendly when entering and exiting this rig.
 
John ED Renstrom said:
they were buying cars from locale dealers to convert. the few Caddies they did were ordered one piece at a time from a locale dealer as Pinter was not on GM approved list to sell incompleat cars to.

not sure if Jack or Tom could remember the circumstances around acquiring the base car. but it was most likely one off the lot. the heavy duty equipment could be ordered on any car at that time and around here at least it was not all that out of the norm to find it on a 4 door sedan. one of the strangest set ups I have seen was a 4 door 59 biscayne with a 348 tri power and a 3 speed stick.
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I assure you that they wouldn't have found 15" rims on any Chrysler sedan that was purchased "off the lot of a dealer" in 1963.
 
Kurt Arends said:
I assure you that they wouldn't have found 15" rims on any Chrysler sedan that was purchased "off the lot of a dealer" in 1963.
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John ED Renstrom said:
they were buying cars from locale dealers to convert. the few Caddies they did were ordered one piece at a time from a locale dealer as Pinter was not on GM approved list to sell incompleat cars to.

not sure if Jack or Tom could remember the circumstances around acquiring the base car. but it was most likely one off the lot. the heavy duty equipment could be ordered on any car at that time and around here at least it was not all that out of the norm to find it on a 4 door sedan. one of the strangest set ups I have seen was a 4 door 59 biscayne with a 348 tri power and a 3 speed stick.
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This car was special ordered from the factory to be the starting point for the conversion by Pinner, as mentioned in Post #36. It would be completed at the factory and delivered straight to the Pinner plant. Like most Pinner ambulances in Dutchess County at least - the local Chrysler dealership was the sales agent. A 1968 news article related that Pinner ambulances were warrantied the same by Chrysler and the dealership like any other car they sold.


Paul: Ref: The "mud flap" quoted by Kurt. There is indeed something pictured hanging down by the rear bumper in the apparatus "group photo" I posted. It's not the rear step - or at least it doesn't appear to fold down in the factory pictured configuration. I can't say for sure what it is... I guess it could be a full-length mud flap? Out of curiosity - did they make such a thing for cars back then? Google seems to fail me. From the photo - if it were, I'm not sure it necessarily would need to run the length of the car. Does seem awful far back to be a useful mud flap...
 
Mud flaps

There was a company called " Jeffrey Allan" that manufactured VINYL rear full width mud flaps in the 1960's (may have been earlier also)....I have seen them at local swap meets in the past ....:)
 
It could very well be a mud flap, and full width mud flaps were available back in the 1960's.
Looking at the picture that you posted last of the car while in service, I don't see any shadow that would have indicated that the rear step was on the car at that time. There are a few things that I know about having a rear step like shown in one of your pictures, is that it makes it very difficult loading a cot over the step, even if the step makes it easier to climb into the rear through the rear door. My 1978 had a rear step, and it was a major pain, because people were constantly bumping their shins on the rear step. It was way too long for the purpose intended.
I don't know for sure, however, I have to believe that the rear step was removed very soon after the car arrived, because where the car was parked in the fire station, it was extremely tight. When I returned to the Rhinecliff fire station with the car, I was allowed to back the car into its original place. I no longer have the pictures, but if I did, you would see exactly what I am referring to. The car had to be back to the point where it was almost touching the rear wall, and there had to be enough space between front of the car and the overhead door, to walk by to get to the other equipment. With the rear step in place, the front of the car would have been very close to the overhead door, and getting by it would have presented a problem. The apparatus that was parked next to the car also had to be placed close to the rear wall, since the car was at an angle, and it needed the space to be able to pull out for a call. If the apparatus next to it were not back far enough, there wouldn't be enough space to drive the ambulance out without first moving the apparatus.
 
James Fischer said:
As luck would have it, here's your chance if you need one.Currently on E-Bay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-64-Mud-Flap-Station-Wagon-VW-Bus-1961-1972-Ford-Chevy-Dodge-Plymouth/111886484067?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D34859%26meid%3Db02789cbd85342ef895ecaa7e8adc750%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D111875723528
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Maybe I should get them to disappoint Kurt Arends? :p

Paul Steinberg said:
It could very well be a mud flap, and full width mud flaps were available back in the 1960's.
Looking at the picture that you posted last of the car while in service, I don't see any shadow that would have indicated that the rear step was on the car at that time. There are a few things that I know about having a rear step like shown in one of your pictures, is that it makes it very difficult loading a cot over the step, even if the step makes it easier to climb into the rear through the rear door. My 1978 had a rear step, and it was a major pain, because people were constantly bumping their shins on the rear step. It was way too long for the purpose intended.
I don't know for sure, however, I have to believe that the rear step was removed very soon after the car arrived, because where the car was parked in the fire station, it was extremely tight. When I returned to the Rhinecliff fire station with the car, I was allowed to back the car into its original place. I no longer have the pictures, but if I did, you would see exactly what I am referring to. The car had to be back to the point where it was almost touching the rear wall, and there had to be enough space between front of the car and the overhead door, to walk by to get to the other equipment. With the rear step in place, the front of the car would have been very close to the overhead door, and getting by it would have presented a problem. The apparatus that was parked next to the car also had to be placed close to the rear wall, since the car was at an angle, and it needed the space to be able to pull out for a call. If the apparatus next to it were not back far enough, there wouldn't be enough space to drive the ambulance out without first moving the apparatus.
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I don't see a step back there either. Sadly, that's the only photo known of the car from the time it was photographed at the factory until when when a friend of Dr. Levy's photographed it in the early 2000s. Black license plate indicates 1964-1965 timeframe for the photo.

You mean these photos? :D
 

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"Maybe I should get them to disappoint Kurt Arends?"

Actually, I kind of like period accessories! It seems like most of these that I have seem have been on '60s Mopar station wagons! It would keep the slop off of that huge rear step!
 
Mudflap

Kurt Arends said:
"Maybe I should get them to disappoint Kurt Arends?"

Actually, I kind of like period accessories! It seems like most of these that I have seem have been on '60s Mopar station wagons! It would keep the slop off of that huge rear step!
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I should get one for the 64 it would help keep the snow off the back. :rolleyes:
 
I never should have sold that car!! I want it back!!!
 
Didn't Nick say, in his initial post, that it was just "taking a southern vacation"? When is it going home?
 
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