Station Wagon Ambulance Questions Your Opinions Please!

Bill Marcy

PCS Member
Let me start off by saying that I am not trying to irritate, offend, or disrespect the professional cars we all love, the PCS, or its members. I like station wagons, so I like Amblewagons and station wagon ambulances, to me they were part of professional car history. Having owned two ACC Amblewagons already, I like them.

Here are my questions, especially to those of you who have worked with these cars, but I value everybody's input. So, here they are;

1 What do you think about making a station wagon ambulance out of an old wagon that was not necessarily an ambulance back in the day?

2 What might have gone into deciding which cars to use, back in the day?

3 What obstacles would I encounter in trying to assemble one?

4 Would it be cost effective?

5 Do you think it would be technically wrong to do this, if the car is clearly identified as a replica?

6 What about bringing such a car to a PCS Meet?

I would prefer to buy a legit station wagon ambulance, if I could. But, I really like The Hamlin's Studebaker station wagon ambulance, which is superbly done and I doubt I could attain that level of correctness, but what do you think? Again, I would never try to trick anyone about its authenticity.

Thank you for your thoughts and opinions.
 
Bill; Number one I agree George did a fantastic job making his I think it is great creation. Remember it was done several years ago. In todays world such a creation would cost serious money. If my memory serves me George did a good part of the conversion himself. I have never heard a cross word about it so I too support your idea of following George and making your own. BUT in the area you live and the prices charged in that area and the sloppy work I see coming out of that area. I think you would spend a lot of money for a big disappointment. I think a few wanted ads on line and in publications might yield something you would like without the grief factor. For that matter the Chevrolet that showe up recently could be converted to Powerglide easily. But you would still have vehicle that has trouble keeping up with todays traffic and again no Power Steering. From my view the easiest route would be get a 77 and up Cadillac Hearse with a gray interior repaint red & white, Blue & White etc.add roof lights and siren a stretcher bar and stretcher and you are good to go. If you want to gild the lilly add red high beams to the headlgihts. You would have a vehicle Lucille could drive easily had AC and power accessories. Just my thoughts.
 
Thanks for your well thought out answer to my question Pete, I agree with most everything you said. The fact is, I would like to buy a car like that little Chevy, but not for $22K. I have a conversation going on an Amblewagon, but it needs some finishing, so I am having trouble deciding whether we should go with it. As I said, I am just exploring my options. A regular ambulance is still an option, too.
 
From my view the easiest route would be get a 77 and up Cadillac Hearse with a gray interior repaint red & white, Blue & White etc.add roof lights and siren a stretcher bar and stretcher and you are good to go.

Along those lines, a mid-90s Buick Roadmaster wagon would make a good start. And would be mechanically sound.
 
Wagons

Hi Bill, I also love the old wagons and worked in a few. I have considered over the years to buy a wagon and do an ambulance conversion to it, and like you not to try fool anyone, I just like the old wagons. I say go for it !! doug
 
Bill, here are my 2 cents.....

1. What do you think about making a station wagon ambulance out of an old wagon that was not necessarily an ambulance back in the day?

Back in the days not every community volunteer group or small FD had the money to purchase a “real” ambulance, so many of them built their own. I know that this was the case around here. The quality of these homemade ambulance varied depending on the group’s attention to detail and craftsmanship.

2. What might have gone into deciding which cars to use, back in the day?
Either a donated wagon or Based on their budget they may have enough money to buy a new or second-hand waggon and volunteer the conversion.

3. What obstacles would I encounter in trying to assemble one?
Naysayer, sourcing parts, photos of homemade units, imagination.

4. Would it be cost effective?
All depends on your project. From my experience if you are bound by having to source the correct parts for your car, then it can, but since you oversee the built, you make it as cost effective or expensive as you want.

5. Do you think it would be technically wrong to do this, if the car is clearly identified as a replica?
Absolutely not. This is part of the history / evolution of EMS

6. What about bringing such a car to a PCS Meet?
I think that it would be great to have homemade units at a meet. I think that they are part of the history of not only EMS, but I bet you that at the beginning the Superiors, MMs, S/S started with a guy that built ambulances out of his garage. I know that here in Canada that is hoe Demers and Malley Industries started.
 
I see nothing wrong with converting a wagon to a ambulance. The Oneal Ford they hauled Jack Ruby off in was a example most would remember. In house conversions were not uncommon. But finding a used one is. Most went the way of fishing rigs or second cars. There would be no standards to go by but finding the s split back seat wagon might be just as hard. Spitting a rear seat would be the big expence. Then as you say the only crime is not saying you did it. Same as a combo converted to a stright ambulance or a Hearse converted to a ambulance. We have see these rigs at a meet. A number of times.
 
Wagons

The white one I, am keeping , purchased from the original owner . I would sell the brown one.
 

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We took our 1995 Chevrolet Superior to Hearsemania at Moundsville, WV a few weeks ago. (Not a PCS meet, of course, but I did see that PCS had a presence there).

I was interested to see a funeral car built on a Chevrolet Caprice wagon, not stretched at all. The owner said it had been a coroner's car.

I don't think I can post pictures here, but I'll try to post some pictures on the PCS Facebook site tonight.
 
I realized after I made my last post that I was getting a little off topic. Sorry about that. If I can do this correctly, I'll post pictures of the normal wheelbase coroner's wagon. I know that is not the same thing as the station wagon ambulance that this post started with.
 

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I realized after I made my last post that I was getting a little off topic. Sorry about that. If I can do this correctly, I'll post pictures of the normal wheelbase coroner's wagon. I know that is not the same thing as the station wagon ambulance that this post started with.

Any ida who did the conversion?
 
I have no idea, but I was wondering if this group would know. Those are the only pictures I have of it. The owner said it came from Maryland.
 
In the 80's the fire department I was with had an ex-ambulance utilized as the Chief's car. 1970 Chevy Suburban. Rear floor was raised to allow storage of full backboards, second seat removed, cutout in the added floor adjacent to the third side door but no seat there, could have been one there but never pulled the floor mat up to check. no cabinets or compartments in the back. No divider or evidence of one at any time. Stock height roof, cot locking bar was still installed. Lighting was four lollipop lights, one on each corner of the roof and one Federal beacon in the center of the roof.

I don't know if this was a factory conversion, a homegrown conversion or a combination of both of these. There were enough details either way to support any of the three scenarios. It did have a step in the factory rear bumper also. No nameplate or certification tag from the conversion company either.

I was waiting for it to be auctioned off as surplus when it was removed from service but it was donated to a smaller department for use as a rescue vehicle.
 
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