Canadian Eureka Facts and Opinions

R

Ryan Ricks

so, i've noticed people seem to be pretty opinionated about the canadian eurekas. those who like them seem to really like them, and those who don't seem to hold them in pretty low regard.

So why is this? Those of you who dislike them, why is that? Quality? Design? On the other hand for those of you who do like them, what characteristics appeal to you?
 
I've never heard anyone put them down besides the chassis that they were built on. Not sure how strong they were since I've never owned one. But Canadian built Eureka's blew all the coachbuilders out of the ballpark if you ask me for several reasons. Their styling was just awesome! By no means am I a fan of 80's cars or will I ever be but Eureka's of that vintage have always took my breath away. Good choice of interiors. Real 3 piece classic looking drapes ( exceptional material ). Solid metal ornamentation. Tombstone shaped headliners. Real curvy ornate landau bars. Tall roofs. They kept all the classic great features that the other coachbuilders lacked. In fact, I have a friend who despises 80s cars and he owns one only due to the fact that it was built by Eureka. The styling grabbed his attention. I always joke with him, just hold your hand up and just look at the coachbuilt part, then it looks a whole lot better. It's not their fault that they only had those cars to work with. I just wish they still made them in the 94-96 era. I bet they would have had outstanding style.
C.C.E. built Eureka's are another story. Having owned several. I can agree that they're cheaply built if anyone says so. Lack of framework ( nothing behind the landau panels ). Always some kind of wiring issue. Tons of body filler on the doors. Even a friend of mine who used to sell them when they were new said that they had complaints within the first 6 month after delivery. Usually because of some kind of body filler breaking or a lights not working etc........ I had an S&S of the same vintage (94-96) and that car was built way better. Doors seemed to be more solid even with 384k miles on it. Frame was fully boxed in where they stretched it. Much more structural stability. Only complaint of the S&S is that they had really cheap plastic ornaments on the landau panels that looked really phoney all around.
 
and the back passenger quarter panel was cracked when i bought the car. i spent a decent bit of money fixing it, and it has cracked again in the last couple of years. i haven't bothered fixing it yet, and wonder what the best option for that might be. I don't want to pay a lot of money to have the filler redone only to have it crack again in a few years.
 
Ryan - I'm surprised to hear that. Having seen them built, I know for a fact that - on the Canadian cars - there was little if any filler used on the quarters or roof. There were a one piece composite assembly with little or no need for filler or extra body work. Could the car have been damaged and repainted at sometime before you got it? The only time I've ever hears of anything like that was with a car that had been involved in an accident and had not had the quarters replaced. Replacement one-piece quarter panels were available and attached to the roof - high up under the vinyl roof covering - to eliminate any seams or problems.These Eurekas were - from a construction view-point - over-built. The structural body frames on these cars have withstood head-on crashes and roll-overs with no harm coming to the driver or front seat passengers. After these accidents, all doors opened and closed as they should have and there was no intrusion tnto the passenger compartment. In fact, with the roll-over (the vehicle had been stolen), they were able to drive the vehicle away! The FWD Eurekas built in Canada were a technologcal tour de force - far and away more advanced than those of the competition. They featured one-piece monoque body structures with everything from the cowl back built by Eureka. They had the availability of four-wheel-disc brakes - even before GM offered this on a Cadillac or a Buick! They, like their RWD counterparts used a one-piece composite roof cap that incorporated the A-pillars, the roof itself, the rear quarters and the back door surround and frame. This is something that was - to a degree - later copied by all professional car manufacturers. In fact, Eureka poneered many items and proceedures later adopted by the industry at large. There are, surprisingly, a fair number of these cars - RWD and FWD still in service and the owners swear by them - not at them. You'll find more S&S and Superior cars of this vintage on the used car market than Eurekas - despite the fact that Eureka out-sold their Lima competitors through the early and mid-eighties.
 
All body fillers are not created equal some are far more flexible than others. I would suggest before spending any more money do some research with your local suppliers and body shops. I quit doing body work eight years ago (got old) now pay to have it done so I can offer no advise on the current products. I would check to see what brand is most flexible they do differ vastly. It sounds like you have flex in the body and perhaps the shop that did your work used a very hard, read that brittle, brand
 
Don't get me wrong, i'm quite infatuated with my eureka. We have been through a lot, and I don't think i would ever willingly part with it.

@keith - thank you for the info. I suppose being wrecked is a possibility. The car was in service for 20 years before i acquired it. I have also seen some evidence of it being repainted a couple of times as well, so you could be onto something.

I will see if i can snap a picture and maybe PM you.

@peter - thanks also. i'll check into it.

So when i hear people talking about how they don't like eureka - perhaps it is the CCE models about which they are speaking.
 
Ok I know a few of you have been waiting for me to say my piece on this subject lol

as most of you know I'm the BIGGEST Eureka Coach Company fan on earth !

I think Ed said it best when he said It was a Clean Balanced looking Car. When I was looking for a Coach I had NO IDEA what I was looking for ....to me a hearse was a hearse I didn't know about the Coachbulders or anything about them or even how they were built, I couldn't tell one car from another other then it was a Cadilllac. I went over to HourGlass Dist. up here in Ontario and told Glen that I was looking for an 80's hearse .... he laughed saying I never get them in anymore no one wants them !

but he called me a few months later telling he had an 87 Eureka just out of service from Nova-Scotia I went down saw it .....drove it ...bought it right then and there by then I had done some reseach and found out that not too many people liked the fwd stuff but when I saw the Eureka it looked good to me ...interior was mint, body was mint, only 32km on the car it had a "balanced look" to it. I looked at other cars that day...S&S and Superior and they just looked "funny" to me and I knew "jack" about Hearses !

The Eureka Coach Company and Tom McPherson could have just built them like everyone else was building them but he didn't ( thank-God) they changed the way Coach companies built Coaches in the future. One piece Composite roofs and one-piece rear quarter panels, and as Kieth mentioned they were the first to offer 4 wheel disc brakes on a Cadillac EVEN BEFORE CADILLAC themselfs offered it !! plus a ton of other stuff the list is too long to list !

You park a fwd 80's Eureka beside a 80's S&S or Superior and you can tell the difference. what they did with the front wheel drive platform in the way of styling and appreance was just short of a miracle ! and that rings true too for the RWD Eureka's

So down the road years from now they will be saying "ya those Eureka's were nice cars compeared to what they are building now" They were nice in the 80's ....they are still nice now.

And Kieth is right you'll find a lot more S&S and Superior's on a used lot then a Canadian Eureka.

But hey thats just my opinion ! lol

do a search on here for Canadian built Eureka's I started a thread on here last year with nothing but these beauitful built Funeral Coach's the pictures speak for themself's

So be proud my friend....... your a EUREKA OWNER !!! lol
 
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Ryan Ricks said:
Don't get me wrong, i'm quite infatuated with my eureka. We have been through a lot, and I don't think i would ever willingly part with it.

@keith - thank you for the info. I suppose being wrecked is a possibility. The car was in service for 20 years before i acquired it. I have also seen some evidence of it being repainted a couple of times as well, so you could be onto something.



So when i hear people talking about how they don't like eureka - perhaps it is the CCE models about which they are speaking.
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Hey Ryan I think Kieth and Peter are right about your car being in an accident before you got it. I know for a FACT that my Eureka never had filler in it

but I must say the only problem I had was with the rear axle cracking (fwd) but it took me less then an hour to weld back up and after putting the car on a 4 wheel aligment machine ....it 'tracks perfectly" no problem
 
Mike Boyer said:
I looked at other cars that day...S&S and Superior and they just looked "funny" to me and I knew "jack" about Hearses !
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See, Im the opposite. I love the S&S, Superior FWD coaches but hate the FWD Eurekas, to me they look "funny".
I do however like the RWD Eurekas, and think they are well built. I had a 82 Eureka Cadillac Concours for many years as a daily driver and really liked it. I also absolutely love my 85 Eureka Pontiac Chieftain.
 
Well, well, well. Been reading this thread with interest. My 84 Eureka, that I freely admit is a p.o.s., so much so I turned it into a zombie hunters car for our annual haunted house bash, and it was a huge HIT! Anyways, its full of bondo. Must have used a 55 gallon drum of the crap! But the original 4.1 does run good. Now there's a surprise!
Both this one and my way nicer, very well documented 85 Limo style, suffer from the exact same issues. "A" pillar cracking! In fact my 85 shows warranty work for this issue. But it has cracked again. Also stress cracking where the top cap meets the quarter panel just below the vinyl top. I've been told that a body shop that specializes in Corvettes can solve this for good, but $$$$$! And for what it's worth, both are RWD.
 
Peter Jennings said:
Also stress cracking where the top cap meets the quarter panel just below the vinyl top. I've been told that a body shop that specializes in Corvettes can solve this for good, but $$$$$! And for what it's worth, both are RWD.
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sounds like we have the same issue. i'd be interested to know what that fix was and how much it costs. i've been contemplating fiberglassing that area.

thank you for the contribution.
 
Suggest both you guys get a book on fiberglass boat repair. Pay attention to the parts about reinforcing with fiberglass strips. The issue is flex in the failure area and not enough strength in there. If anyone wants to send me a picture of the problem I may be able to advise. Repaired many vetts years ago.
 
Canadian Built Eurekas For Sale

If anyone is interested in buying a FWD or RWD Canadian-built Eureka coach, Hansen Premier Coaches in Mason City, IA has a couple dozen of them that they would love to sell inexpensively. All have been stored inside for many years. Cadillacs, Pontiacs, & Buicks. Most are really nice coaches. If interested, speak with Jeff Hansen only at 641-422-9800.
 
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