1963 NFD Rescue Unit - Christopher or...

Nicholas Studer

PCS Elected Director 2022-2025
When I purchased the 1963 GMC carryall high-headroom rescue/ambulance from the previous owner, I took it for granted that it was a Christopher Company vehicle. There is no coach-builder tag I have been able to find, and at the moment the original purchase paperwork appears long gone. http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showthread.php?t=17458 I haven't heard any dissent with that assertion either - but it appears that initial thoughts may be incorrect. I am reasonably certain at this point that the vehicle is not a Christopher - and instead is a Gerstenslager or ACC conversion. Original photo below for reference.

Several considerations have come to mind.

1. See below enlarged section of the original 1963 NFD photo. I overlooked it previously - but a peculiar emblem is present on the side of the truck. That is not the Christopher or RES-Q logo seen on Mr. Lloyd's former ambulance of same model year (refer to http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=841898305&postcount=9e) and contemporary Christopher advertising as below from EMSClassics.com. I believe this emblem is similar to what I see on the ACC Rescu-All's pictured at http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=31812&postcount=37 . I surely wish I had better resolution on any of them - but no dice thus far. I am unsure if ACC made high-headroom rescue-type ambulances like mine.
2. The side-door of the ambulance has side-mounted hinges. While one ad (below) demonstrates a late-1950s RES-Q made for Lincoln Park FD with side-mounted hinges - all others pictured live or in ads open upwards with a hydraulic arm for support (See below.) Gerstenslager - manufacturer of bookmobiles and many other custom vehicles - made very similar ambulances in the early 1960s as well. Their doors opened from the side - you can see that in the ad at http://em.pgpic.com/images/vm/GMCGerstAmbulancePanelTruckConversionLate60's-1.jpg
3. Door handle on the side compartment is also most consistent with Gerstenslager - Christopher seems to have used an recessed type handle as seen in below photo of Mr. Lloyd's RES-Q from Pinterest.
4. Mirrors on our vehicle mount rather forward on the door compared to Mr. Lloyd's - and additionally are a square kind with safety yellow chevrons. Very unique looking. This is consistent with Gerstenslager - even a lot of the heavy rescues http://yngfire.com/index.php/topic,2013.0.html I thought that was a slam-dunk - but the Bailey's Cross ACC in Mr. Loftin's post has the same mirrors. Maybe they were just a common aftermarket thing? The Gerstenslager-made Fitchburg, MA truck pictured on Pg 272 of "Professional Cars: Ambulances, Hearses and Flower Cars" by G. Merksamer is a similar 1965 GMC high-headroom rescue that Steve Lichtman photographed also has these mirrors.
5. While not exact, the second page of the ad for Pawtucket FD seen at http://em.pgpic.com/images/vm/GMCGerstAmbulancePanelTruckConversionLate60's-2.jpg has a bench seat fairly consistent with what we have (Unfortunately photo attached below of ours is small) with thin mattress pad and a pull latching handle. It's hard to tell from the one photo I've found of Mr. Lloyd's interior is cut off in the area of interest - but it has a different kind of latching mechanism - see below.

Other details that are not helpful:
a. Those neat angled rear windows seem to be consistent with any of Challenger, ACC, Gerstenslager, and Christopher - so not helpful. I believe they may be contemporary "boat" windows and anyone could have bought them as parts.
b. The side lettering of "Emergency-Rescue" seemed rather odd and Christopher advertising specific. However - it seems this was a trait of at least Gerstenslager's as well, so not particularly useful I guess.
c. It appears overall design of the raised roof and so forth appears similar to me between Gerstenslager and Christopher - but that isn't saying much as I probably don't appreciate the subtleties.

Very much appreciate any guidance offered. The emblem that appears to be ACC is the primary reason I'm not pretty sure on Gerstenslager. At the least, it appears unlikely to be a Christopher after all...

Just a fascinating topic to me at least. By the way - anyone know why they'd mount the Ferno cot bar to the roof? Photo below. 1 of the 2 original Ferno mounting brackets for that bar are still on the side where they should be - so maybe storage when you wanted to take the cot out and hold more rescue gear? (and yes, that's an old-school Emerson resuscitator mounted to the wall!)
 

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cot bar was used as a hand rail, notice the nail scraches. in lloyd's rig you see the gurney on the left. that's one clue
 
cot bar was used as a hand rail, notice the nail scraches. in lloyd's rig you see the gurney on the left. that's one clue

Hi Ed - I never thought about that - but it seems like an obvious possibility when you mention it... I need to look at it more - but it's permanently up there too - no easy way to take it down without unscrewing it. With that in mind, and since there's not enough room for a second Ferno cot - probably not a "spare." I do see the markings you do - and just noticed that there's a line of scraping extending back from the release handle. Thus, it appears that thing was actually used in some fashion...

Crazy thought - maybe securing a cot/stretcher to the roof somehow? I don't see how that'd work - but would make sense for it to have multiple casualty capability besides just the folding cot going on the bench seat. Maybe even crazier - would that bar be able to hold the Model 54 cot upside down from the ceiling for storage?

As to the interior - unfortunately that's the only photo of a Christopher interior I've found that's circa-1963. The older ones - like this ad from 1956 and the second page of the Lincoln Park FD's - had dual fold-up bench seats - as one feature was you could carry 12 men to the scene if needed. While Mr. Ray's had the cot on the "wrong side," I'm not sure how much that means. The construction of the bench seat, etc. is all so similar to Gerstenslager and mine vehicle except for how the door at the end is latched. I've attached a few more photos of our interior - fascinating that it has a pass-through and extensive equipment cabinetry up front in addition to the side compartment.
 

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cott on the left is only "wrong" by today's standards. Stoner did theirs that way also. so if lloyd's is on the left and it appears factory set up most likely that all chirstopher's were set up that way. but placement may have been a option. that's why it's a clue

the gurney hook was most likely added latter in life, good stout rail could be used to hang IV's and other equipment. it was most likely something laying around they had and it got put to good use. you could not hang a gurney from it. the latch is not destined to hold 75 pounds. but a lot of rescue stuff could hang there.
 
Hi again Ed - all of the Christopher ads show dual benches as "standard" for FAPA and RES-Q. Here's the rest of the ads that I picked up on eBay, plus a recent photo of a known late-1950s/early-1960s Christopher of that era (Just an internet photo that was sent to me - no idea who owns it - wish I did) that shows their squad bench latches better too.

Mr. Ray's interior is the only one I've seen with passenger-side cot mounting - and yet we've only got interior photos of one known Gerstenslager either. My point in "wrong side" was only in comparison to my vehicle, as you note. Again, very similar in construction between mine and the Gerstenslager ad. The passenger-side placement of the cot on Mr. Ray's truck could've been just something that the Riverside Fire Co. No. 1 specified. While it's a "clue" it's not strong evidence one way or the other on its own. The construction and hardware of the squad benches appears to be different - and that's one of the things that pushed me away from Christopher. At this time - the only thing I'm reasonably sure about is that I don't think it's a Christopher...

As to the rail. it surely could have been added later - but doesn't appear to be so. Mounting brackets to the roof are permanent and very deliberately placed. The only add-ons at the moment seem to be the side VHF antenna you noted (not present in original photos), removal of the hydraulic door "hold-opens" on the rear doors, the addition of the oddball CB or other radio bracket up front in the cab, and removal of the side turn-signal/ emergency lights (photo I have shows them flashing on scene - so I suspect they were wired to the emergency lights rather than used as turn signals).
 

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... By the way - anyone know why they'd mount the Ferno cot bar to the roof? Photo below. 1 of the 2 original Ferno mounting brackets for that bar are still on the side where they should be - so maybe storage when you wanted to take the cot out and hold more rescue gear? ...
cot bar was used as a hand rail, notice the nail scraches...
Hi Ed - I never thought about that - but it seems like an obvious possibility when you mention it... I need to look at it more - but it's permanently up there too - no easy way to take it down without unscrewing it. With that in mind, and since there's not enough room for a second Ferno cot - probably not a "spare." I do see the markings you do - and just noticed that there's a line of scraping extending back from the release handle. Thus, it appears that thing was actually used in some fashion...

Crazy thought - maybe securing a cot/stretcher to the roof somehow? I don't see how that'd work - but would make sense for it to have multiple casualty capability besides just the folding cot going on the bench seat. Maybe even crazier - would that bar be able to hold the Model 54 cot upside down from the ceiling for storage? ...

I'd agree with Ed that it was probably a handrail. You could not hold a Model 54 or 30 cot sideways from the ceiling (and where would you even put it when you took it down?) Please remember, not everything you see in your truck is original. After 20+ years of service and another 30 or so sitting around, things have been added or taken off. It seems likely that, when someone needed an overhead handrail, someone found an old cot bar laying around with the brackets, and said "Will this do?" It did.

What logo are you seeing on your truck that compares to ACC? I've not seen any pictures or ads of ACC stuff that involved heavy modification (raised roof, etc.) to a vehicle. So it's likely not an ACC.
 
What logo are you seeing on your truck that compares to ACC? I've not seen any pictures or ads of ACC stuff that involved heavy modification (raised roof, etc.) to a vehicle. So it's likely not an ACC.

1. See below enlarged section of the original 1963 NFD photo. I overlooked it previously - but a peculiar emblem is present on the side of the truck. That is not the Christopher or RES-Q logo seen on Mr. Lloyd's former ambulance of same model year (refer to http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=841898305&postcount=9e) and contemporary Christopher advertising as below from EMSClassics.com. I believe this emblem is similar to what I see on the ACC Rescu-All's pictured at http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showpost.php?p=31812&postcount=37 . I surely wish I had better resolution on any of them - but no dice thus far. I am unsure if ACC made high-headroom rescue-type ambulances like mine.

I too would like to doubt ACC - but emblem raises questions. Gerstenslagers seemed to not have an exterior emblem on any of their vehicles. The only thing I've been able to find that's close to what you see originally on mine - of course with poor resolution - is ACC's.

For convenience - see below for best blow-up I can do of mine in 1963, copied from post 1, and Mr. Loftin's photo of the Bailey's Cross GMC. The Portville truck next to it in his post in the Carryall thread has the same emblem as the Bailey's Cross - but interestingly not the mirrors with chevrons. The two others Mr. Loftin pictures there are raised roof - but not with rescue cabinetry...

I'd agree with Ed that it was probably a handrail. You could not hold a Model 54 or 30 cot sideways from the ceiling (and where would you even put it when you took it down?) Please remember, not everything you see in your truck is original. After 20+ years of service and another 30 or so sitting around, things have been added or taken off. It seems likely that, when someone needed an overhead handrail, someone found an old cot bar laying around with the brackets, and said "Will this do?" It did.

Actually - active service until 2008 with a very small volunteer department in NE... As to just being a handrail someone tossed in later - I would like it to be as simple as that. But, if owning the Rhinecliff Pinner-Chrysler and researching it back through microfilm and all other manner of research has taught me anything - it's that simple isn't always so. The likely nature of "redneck ingenuity" aside - I hesitate to jump to certainty on that when we don't even know for sure who built it...
 

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The logo you are asking about is not coachbuilder-related, it is just GMC's "Custom" emblem used in 1963 on their custom-cab trucks.

1964%201966%20gmc%20custom%201.jpg
 
The logo you are asking about is not coachbuilder-related, it is just GMC's "Custom" emblem used in 1963 on their custom-cab trucks.

Now THAT is indeed useful - I went through the entire Carryall thread and just saw it on the ACC's. Never thought of it being GMC badging. Thanks so much for posting that, it explains a lot - and probably puts us into the greater likelihood of it being a Gerstenslager. Anyone else have further thoughts?

I checked the Ferno "rail" again today... I don't have particularly big hands - but there's not really enough room to grasp it. It's just not that handy - especially if one were wearing gloves. Further there's wear marks in a straight line extending towards the door from the release handle. I have a sense something's up with its presence more than just a grab rail - just don't know what. Oh well - just like random holes in the Pinner-Chrysler, answers may appear when least expected or we'll just have to be satisfied with the inelegant "grab rail." :)
 
they most likely used it as a hanger bar. pulling equipment on and off would account for the scratches. one other company you may not have thought of was armbruster. they would build on anything to your specks. you might check under the seat and under the flooring . Stoner left there build sheet from the factory there and a lot of time GMs were up under the seat springs.

give you a idea were the truck came from. one other company that did this kind of truck also was Frankland.
 
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