1960 Cadillac Superior custom

I am not one for modified hearse's or ambulance's..most likely because they usually are done badly..without any vision of what they are going to end up with. This car is different. There has been a number of changes but they have kept the style and proportions intact (in my opinion)
Purists should languish on the fainting couch before viewing this video..

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aus7O2GNjvI[/ame]

Cheers,Pat
 
I prefer stock when it comes to professional cars, but this was done well as a hot rod. The shop's also not far from me, and I had wanted to take a trip up there while it was being built but never got the time. I may make the trip now that it's done though, so I can see it in person. My only complaint is that I wish they had started with a lesser coach. As it was, and with as much fabrication as was needed anyway, it could have been an easy restoration to an original and rare coach.

unalt1_detail.jpg
 
anything done tastefully is nice. it's neat. one more hearse converted to a limo. man might as will have started with a limo to begin with. sectioned a couple old caddies together any thing I have seen them all done . seams the wagon look is in today. at least they took the bars off. by making everything out of a stock pieces and period correct it looks right. be tight in the back for 6 people knees and legs all tangled
 
We have all seen the very poor limo conversions that show up all the time for sale. I have to admit, someone finally did it right
. Yes, its too bad they did this to a pro car but I think even the purists can appriciate the craftsmanship done to this one, and it is nice to see it not "ghouled up", as many become.
You have to keep in mind to most people its just a old car that no one wants, and custom hot rods have always been in style in some form or another since the begining of the auto.
The only thing Im worried about is how many backyard people are going to hack up more of these rare cars thinking they can do this. We already see enough ones meet this fate.
I like my coaches stock or close (I do have some minor mods on a couple of mine), but I would be proud to own this one.
 
Guys, keep in mind this was a commissioned customer build. Owner had two coaches, the other is stock. Transformation into Thundertaker started more than 2 years ago and was built for owner to take his children out for Halloween. (What a cool dad!) Bryan used to have a build thread with about 60 images on his site. Although that link is no longer active, many of those images can be found scattered throughout his automotive photo gallery:

http://fullerhotrods.com/?page_id=283
 
on the fence

do i like it? you betcha! would i have built it? no would i have restored a 60? yes but to this guy(i'll call him mr. deep pockets) it was probaly just a old hearse that he saw something he wanted under the rust and being that he probaly spent 100k+ to build it(i'm guessing) more power to him. i have a friend that really, really got upset when i bought a 59 vette and made it into my interpretation of what it would be if it was built in 1998(when i built it). i installed a lt-1 motor, 5 speed and all the goodies like a/c and modern stuff to make it driveable for me. he was and is a purist and a somewhat vette freak and HE beleives in returning those cars to stock only. boy he was mad and would not help me one bit. and he is a good friend. and siill is. it didnt matter to him that i bought it with no motor or driveline. stress cracks everywhere and just plain beat up. some people only see what they like i guess. i drove that car for 3 years after it was done and spent, well a lot on it and the fella who bought it wanted a 59 he could drive with a/c and such so it worked out great. he still has it and it's now his wife's car. still looks great tool
 
For many of the vehicles I see on this site originality is the way to go. Once you purchase a vehicle it's your right to do what you want. I love the originality as well as the people to tastefully customize to their choice, as long as they finish what they start!
 
FYI...the Thundertaker is a multi-page feature in this months Hot Rod magazine. Not everyone's cup of tea, but interesting reading, and they do attempt to explain pro cars and coach building to the hot rod masses.

Interesting to note, the top was chopped 5 inches, but the rear glass could not be cut because it is tempered, so they sunk it into the rear body panels.
 
more then one way to skin a cat. I would like to see how they gained 5 inches with out a fight with the wheel well. but that may have been the limit they could go down.
 
This recent article hit me like a brick. Craig and Jesse Lamond have had several coaches on CL of late. Two of them sold back in '05-'06 were '60 Superiors. (Neither was a Crown and I wasn't interested at that time. Since then, another '60 Superior owning friend and I have wondered what happened to those cars. Jesse couldn't put names to sales, merely locations of country they went to.) Kudos Jesse for recognizing your old coach! Never crossed our collective minds that it could have been one of them.

http://fullerhotrods.com/what-you-didnt-read-in-hot-rod-magazine/

From Iowa to Oregon and then back across country to GA before running under its own power...
 
For those that have not yet read Hot Rod's May article on Thundertaker, it is well written. I enjoyed that both hearse and Superior stats were included at the end, probably skimmed from the Superior book.

Only one minor error found - stated windshield used was that of a shorter Fleetwood. Not considering a 5.5" chop it wasn't. Cadillac used 4 different height windshields during '59-'60. In order from shortest to tallest: flattop/convertible, coupe/sedan, Fleetwood, then commercial. Given profile shots Fuller used a flattop/convertible windshield.
 
Cadillac used 4 different height windshields during '59-'60. In order from shortest to tallest: flattop/convertible, coupe/sedan, Fleetwood, then commercial.

Close... There were 3 different windshield heights in those years - Coupe, Conv. and Four Window Sedan (flattop) models all share the lowest windshield, Six Window Sedans including the Fleetwood 60 Special have the slightly taller glass and lastly the Fleetwood 75 and CC cars share the tallest windshield.
 
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