'74 Dodge 61 "Fat Boy"

74 Fat Boy

Guy has been trying to sell this one for at least 3 years that I know of.....it is posted on Craigslist all the time....has been on the Bay several times...bottom line is that he is just asking to much.....last craigslist ad was $4500......used to be $5500.....
Have had a friend who went over to look at it said its pretty decent,however owner said "theres not much room" as far as price goes.....
 
now as I recall that one was bought out of eastern Sd moved to calf with a cracked windshield. the van was as it was just out of service. he paid some were in the neighborhood of 5 for it and moved it. so I'm guessing he would like to get as much of his money back as he could. we had quite a discussion on it when it sold. so if your interested in a Dodge it should make a decent rig. the price for a drive away would not be all that bad. you just got to want it.
 
I remember that van. but (aint there always a but) for 5k id rather have a nice combo and build a ambulance out of it like we used to when the funeral coach became your next ambulance. im sure its worth it to him but even if you beat him up to 43 or 45 it will still cost a lot to get it home. now you could drive it home after tires service etc.. but a chancey proposition.
 
Oh Boy!

Who in their right mind would want to buy an ugly car like that? You would have to be CRAZY!


I emailed him some questions...............
 

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What I Remember

What I remember is rattles, groans, squeaks, and cold drafts around doors and engine cover. Pretty noisy in the cab from engine and road noise. We used to stuff towels around the engine cover to keep our feet warm in the winter. Poor performance from the rear wheel drive on wet roads in general but especially with snow and ice. You would rediscover the center of gravity at the most inopportune times. My experience was in a Chevrolet, not the Dodge. I will assume that there was no difference between Chevrolet and Dodge with these issues. I would have to say after thousands of miles in these vans that this ranks up there with notable bad ideas in ambulance design.
 

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after thousands of miles you can't say it did not work. only that it could have worked better. they were cheap junk designed to lower the overhead cost. the word imposable comes to mind. it is endless the way you can describe them if you start with it. but one guy I see needs to do the chain and tree trick on there Chevy front bumper
 
Ed- These North ambulances were used in the inner city Minneapolis. We bumped into things regularly. Sometimes we really crashed. They were viewed as work trucks. And I think you meant to say "disposable". Yes they were.
 
I think anyone who has worked the old rigs in this profession can complain about some of the vehicles you were expected to work in,they were economical(cheap) relatively cheap to operate fuel etc.and if memory serves at this point we went from calling them cars (caddies,pontiacs,buicks) to trucks,anyway when people complained of the ride in the back we replied sorry ma"am or sir its just a truck.and these old fat boys look good,and the rigs aren't bad either:D
 
I can remember driving a Superior 61 Chevy down a small hill on an icy county road broadside during the winter of 1974 while responding to an injury accident which just happened to be at the bottom of that same hill. Boy was I hoping that we would be able to stop. I was able to straighten the rig out and just missed the original accident and OSP cruiser sitting along the road. I talked to the trooper at the emergency room and he said that he looked up as we crested the hill and saw us start to slide. It happened so quick that he didn't have time to move his cruiser. I asked him if he to go change his pants before coming to the hospital.:(
 
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