1941 CADILLAC SUPERIOR Ambulance

1941 CADILLAC SUPERIOR 75 FIRE DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY CAR, FROM THE COHOCTON FIRE DEPT IN COHOCTON N.Y. THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN INSTALLED AND DONE ON THE CAR: NEW LUCAS 6 PLY TIRES, NEW ALL 4 BRAKE WHEEL CYLINDERS,NEW MASTER CYLINDER, NEW CUSTOM BENT AS ORIGINAL METAL BRAKE LINES. NEW GAS TANK( THE ORIGINAL IS INCLUDED), NEW METAL GAS LINE,NEW MASTER CYLINDER.RE-CORED TRIPLE CORE RADIATOR.NEW BELTS AND HOSES.THE FOLLOWING HAVE BEEN REBUILT:CARB,WATER PUMP,GENERATOR AND FUEL PUMP.THE OIL PAN HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A LIKE NEW ONE. NEW PLUGS,WIRES,POINTS AND CONDENSER.THE REAR END AND TRANSMISSION OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED.THE WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED.THIS CAR HAS THE ORIGINAL TRIM RINGS AND HUBCAPS. http://www.ebay.com/itm/263185395908?rmvSB=true
 

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I would so so. Rollers gone and new floor put in the hatch cut threw the sill was a different way to hack it up. Nothing but smooth sides from the divider back. It would be a vary good canadate to put back to what it was.
 
I have to disagree on putting it back to what it was originally. This one will always be worth more(to most people) as an ambulance, even if it was originally a hearse or combo. Not enough pizzazz with this one as a hearse. I would imagine that this coach spent the majority of its "working life" as an ambulance and that history has a lot of value, regardless of what it was originally built to be.
 
but if all that is left of the ambulance is the lights out side have you saved? granted the east would have been a tossing one and the gurney could have been any thing for a stretcher to one of the road flats. but looking at the interior shots here is nothing inside except the trap door that says ambulance.
 
here are the inside pictures and one from the rear. the grab bar makes one think parade rig. but really it could have been use for any purpose by the fire dep. there is nothing that really ides it as a ambulance the top light is a brake light
 

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Given the black paint on the door jam, the deep red crushed velvet interior, what is left of it, and the two cut outs in the floor at the rear, I would be more inclined to believing that this was a hearse, or at best, a combination vehicle, as others have previously said. As for the grab bar at the back of the vehicle, that has me wondering when it was added, or if it originally served a different purpose. Possibly one of our more members with knowledge of the time period that this was built, will have some answers. It was not unusual for funeral homes to give old hearses to fire department for fire equipment cars, once they had served out there original purpose as a hearse, and were no longer needed for services. Back then, in the funeral business, it was all about perception, and a 10 year old hearse looked grossly dated, and to some it gave the impression that the funeral home wasn't doing well financially.
 
Funeral Home to Fire Dept Gifts

Paul: Case in point.....my first professional car at 15 years old was a 1938 Buick Series 90 Limited Limo that Berry-Bell Mortuary purchased new and gave to our local Fallbrook Fire Dept in the early 50's who converted it in to a Sedan Ambulance. MM
 
That so called "grab bar" at the rear of the car was a styling affectation applied to all Superior professional cars from the mid-Thirties through the early Forties. As far as I am aware, it served no useful function but looked classy.
 
Given the black paint on the door jam, the deep red crushed velvet interior, what is left of it, and the two cut outs in the floor at the rear, I would be more inclined to believing that this was a hearse, or at best, a combination vehicle, as others have previously said. As for the grab bar at the back of the vehicle, that has me wondering when it was added, or if it originally served a different purpose. Possibly one of our more members with knowledge of the time period that this was built, will have some answers. It was not unusual for funeral homes to give old hearses to fire department for fire equipment cars, once they had served out there original purpose as a hearse, and were no longer needed for services. Back then, in the funeral business, it was all about perception, and a 10 year old hearse looked grossly dated, and to some it gave the impression that the funeral home wasn't doing well financially.


"Crushed Velvet"? There was no such thing in 1941. That would be Mohair! I think that it is safe to assume that this coach was originally a combo or end-loader, based on the roller cut-outs in the sil plate/floor access door. I hope that it sold to someone who will preserve its history and restore it to when it served as a fire department support rig.
 
How much do you need? I always watch for the stuff. I have a HUGE burgundy mohair panel that hung behind an alter in a church, so it was never exposed to direct sunlight.
 
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