'61 Buick LeSabre Wagon Ambulance

The backwards '60-'64 Chrysler roof rack is worth about $200.

Just curious about your comment on the roof rack, Kurt. I am attaching photos of a '62 Buick Invicta wagon that I restored some years ago. The roof racks appears to be identical, and I always believed mine to be a factory Buick option available for that year.
 

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Roof Rack

Just curious about your comment on the roof rack, Kurt. I am attaching photos of a '62 Buick Invicta wagon that I restored some years ago. The roof racks appears to be identical, and I always believed mine to be a factory Buick option available for that year.

My 64 Dodge has the same rack. The 67 Dodges had a optional mag style hubcap . I had a nos set and from the info on the box they came from a metal stamping company in Detroit with the Mopar pt#. GM cars that year used the same cap only difference was the end cap for the particular brand. Roof rack could be the same idea?
 

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Not sure as to what GM offered in '61. Chrysler offered the optional rack on Dan's Dodge from '60 thru '64 on all full-sized wagons. On Mopars, they were always mounted with a "forward lean" to the 6 "legs"..
 
Just goes to show things are not worked as they Seam in this hobby. Most of the accessory stuff was sourced not made in house for small runs.
 
Not worth $7000, but worth half of that. It does say, "OBO". It will, eventually, have a new owner.
 
Note that it still has a heavy duty alternator - hard to find!

That is a 20DN Delco alternator, putting out 62 amps. They are not difficult to find, if you know how to search for them. They were also called Delco "perforated case" alternators, back in the day. Complete units are out there, however, finding someone that knows how to repair them is the difficult part today, along with finding individual parts. I found a NOS stator at Carlisle last week, and they are as rare as hens teeth. The reason is that the stator is a press fit into the perforated case, and that is the only way that they were sold as replacement parts. If you burn out the stator, the whole alternator is junk. Through the years, I have found many of the component parts, and I have almost enough parts now to build a complete unit, or repair the unit that I have on my 1962 Chevrolet, should it ever need repairing.
 

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This wagon was replaced by a mid-80's Chevrolet station wagon by the department. It also had dual spotlights. The Chevy was retired in the mid 90's and replaced by a SUV.
 
Been thinking a lot about this one. With more space here, the money to do it with, and no threat of "impending doom" hanging over my head this could be a dandy little project as a running mate to the '64.

Back in the mid/late 50's and early 60's a lot of fire departments in northern Ohio ran what they called "Resuscitator Squads" or "Inhalator Squads'. Usually a Ford, Chevy, Dodge or International" panel van. Carried a resuscitator, some very basic first-aid gear, and manned by a couple firemen. They would respond on heart attack and difficulty breathing calls and "hold the fort" pending the arrival of the local funeral home ambulance. Later in the 60's they were replaced be station wagons, some of which carried folding stretchers.

One could do this car up as one of those and really have a hot little pair of cars.

I'm working on a way to get Barb to think this is her idea. Pulled that off with the garage addition a couple years ago, maybe I can do it again. Hold a positive thought for me guys (and gals)!!!!
 
Start by getting a custom licence plate "hers" then tell her it would look good on the wagon and would hold lots of garden supplies,shopping runs,and groceries not to mention cool rides for the grandkids.just a thought..
 
...................I'm working on a way to get Barb to think this is her idea. Pulled that off with the garage addition a couple years ago, maybe I can do it again. Hold a positive thought for me guys (and gals)!!!!


Never put in print, anything that you are thinking of doing, but only after you have accomplished the task. There is no way that I am going to even mention the 75' American LaFrance Aerial (ladder) truck that I bought last week, on this or any other site that Sandy might read. Like my ambulance, she will learn about it when it is sitting in the driveway! :eek:
 
Russell,
I like your thinking on this car! I think you would have a blast and parts will be relatively easy to find.
 
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