In Sept of 2010 I bought a project car...a 1954 Pontiac Chieftain hearse built by the "Superior" Coach building company in Mississippi. The builders tag on the inner fender states this car is #206 of 207 made in '54.

It has at present, 72,000+ miles on the clock. I spent the rest of 2010 and ALL of 2011 (almost every evening) getting the car roadworthy. All new brakes, from the pedal to the wheels. All new fuel system, (custom filler tube, '54 chev tank turned around 180 degrees, 1 piece steel fuel line, 12 volt inline fuel pump) from the gascap to the carb. New flat glass to replace broken or cracked pieces. Thankfully the front and rear curved glass was ok. 4 new tires to replace the rotted bald bias plys of whatever vintage that were on the car. Sandblasted all 4 rims and repainted them semi-gloss black with 4 NOS period correct dog-dish caps from ebay. The wheels are the best looking feature on the car. The original interior and exterior trim and grill were all piled in the back of the coach so I removed everything and stored it in my basement to possibly use as templates at a later date. New parts mostly of trim and a rear bumper were sourced out on the internet and installed as they arrived. The rear bumper is from a '54 Pontiac but an unknown model. I had to fabricate new bumper mounts from 3/8ths thick by 2 inch wide flat bar and it is now VERY solidly mounted. I converted the car from the original 6 volt system over to 12 volts. I left the starter untouched as the car starts almost immediately so theres no cranking and cranking to burn it out. I also found a company in trhe states that makes a 2 speed 12 volt replacement wiper motor that bolts right up to the original wiper linkage. No vacume wipers for me thank you. The rear end has been proffesionaly rebuilt with all new bearings and seals along with the "drop in" diff pig with 3:08 gears to help things along on the hiway. When I first drove the car home after getting it licenced, it was 50 mph top speed sounding like the motor was going to blow up. Turns out, the rear gears were factory installed 4:10s!!

The only rust in the car was the drivers side and passenger side floor that needed new panels welded in, and one spot on the rear quarter that was impacted and bondo'd over several years ago. There are a few rust stains running down the sides of the paint from the holes drilled in the side of the car for the stainless trim and a couple of small surface rust patches that are minor. The rockers were solid as rock and the only other repairs needed were two drivers side body mounts that were fabricated up and welded in, as well as the 2 body mounts under the rear loading door replaced to keep the body off the frame. The paint is original from '54 and has worn off the car leaving maybe 60% covered in paint. The roof was sprayed originally with a krinkle rubber coating to hide the welds when the car was welded back together after stretching it. The wheelbase is now 150 inches. No tight turns for this baby!

The engine is the factory installed straight 268 cubic inch 8 with the "three on the tree" standard transmission. No power steering or power brakes. A few of the cylinders are weak as in, 1 cyl at 38 psi, 1 cyl at 45 psi, 2 cyls in the 80 psi range and the rest at about 100 to 110 psi. Even weak as it is, I still get 15 miles per gallon on the hiway in a car that weighs about 5500 to 6000 lbs. Plans are in the works to pull the head and check the valves to see if any are burned. Shooting oil into the cylinders only resulted in one cylinder increasing the compression significantly. Surprisingly it rides not too bad for a stiffly sprung car of its size. 10 leafs per side on the rear springs with heavy coils in the front. I've added a few items inside to raise the "creepyness" factor for laughs at car shows. The best so far are 2 grim reapers holding a globe in their boney hands that I've mounted to the inside rear side panels and wired in so that the globes light up when the doors are opened. Theres also a seperate toggle switch on the dash to turn on only the rear compartment lights so when I drive at night the rear area with the casket is lit up. Oh, the casket....its an item I found in an old hearse in a junkyard. Unused of course....got it for $150. At present to keep my costs down, as theres no interior panels in the car I'm going to hang "tattered, moldy" looking cloth from the roof to the floor in the back and then use a special glue gun that hooks up to compressed air, and "blow" in a cobweb effect for the ceiling. 

I took it to a couple of car shows and won a 1st place trophy at one so I know there are people out there that aren't too freaked out at seeing an old proffesional car that hauled people off peacefuly to their final resting spot. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this.

Once I can get my photobucket account to start working again, I'll post some pictures.

Ricl

Heres a link to the photo album. Theres pictures in there that don't really apply directly to the build. But you'll get the idea.

http://s162.beta.photobucket.com/user/Rick65Cat/library/1954%20Pontiac%20Hearse#/user/Rick65Cat/library/1954%20Pontiac%20Hearse?&_suid=135329615526701415476469424397

Thanks Pete, but the motor runs, and hauling the intake and head off shouldn't be very hard. Cheaper to replace a few valves than a whole new motor. Unless hes looking to just get rid of it for an awesome price.

Ricks65cat:

There is a fellow in Oshawa that has an antique funeral coach. John Kellam He may be able to assist you with some details.

John is into old vehicles and uses the restored funeral coach on occasions. I believe that John has recently purchased the funeral home as there has been a small change to the name.

You may have noticed an article in the news recently... someone broke into the funeral parlor and after a lengthy police standoff he found the keys for a funeral coach and proceeded to drive it through the garage doors. He was apprehended a block away.

You can use my name... Oshawacliff when you talk to John.  

Contact Info

McIntosh-Anderson-Kellam Funeral Home
152 King Street East
Oshawa, Ontario
L1H 1B6
Phone: (905) 433-5558
Email: info@makfuneralhome.com