A classic hearse may be a slightly strange or ominous vehicle to take on as a project, but the Packard Henney converted ambulances and hearses are sleek looking wagons, that aren’t that common to see running, or otherwise. The seller is throwing in two Packard sedans with this hearse, and they all have titles! I am sure you are wondering, how much is this bargain lot of classic Packards? Brace yourselves as this small collection is offered for just $2,500! Take a look here on craigslist out of Puyallop, Washington.
Little is offered on this smorgasbord of early 50’s Packards other than the fact that the seller has titles for them, and that the Hearse is not running. The two sedans look fair enough, and appear that they may be somewhat solid. The white sedan wears the Hearse’s hood which was apparently swapped in favor of making the hearse nicer. With shiny chrome and fairly straight bodies, these sedans seem worthwhile for the $2,500 asking price.
With a mighty wheelbase, interesting suicide doors, and some fins, this Henney Hearse looks like a good starting point for a restoration. With various surface rust scattered all over the body, rot appears to be a minimal concern, or well hidden. Also there are a few blemishes to the mostly straight body. The lower section of the driver front fender is bent and ripped, and the driver side rear door and fender are dented as well. Beyond those areas of concern, the body appears quite reasonable. The trim appears to be all accounted for, although the rear side glass trim is starting to pop out, likely due to failing window seals. Sadly there are no photos of the interior on the hearse, but I would guess it may need some help, as the headliner is ripped and sagging. Perhaps a bit odd, but this Packard could possibly be a neat camper with its long wheel base, or it could be re-purposed in another useful way. Would you bite on this 3 Pack’ of Packards?
Believe it or not when Henry Ford died (I believe it was 1947) he was taken to his final resting place not in a Ford Hearse but in a Packard. Ford did not make a vehicle at the time that was suitable for a retrofit to a hearse. Read that years ago in a book about the Ford motor company.
I dont think the white hood made the hearse look any better. :) I always thought these later Packard hearses looked like they were built by committee. There’s no flow to the design. The rear section side window looks grafted on. A million years ago as a kid I went to Hershey not long after I got my ’50 Packard. I saw a ’50 Packard hearse, must have been a Henney, the owner demonstrated the self leveling feature and the either side swing out of the coffin. Never forgot it..obviously
I would use the 2 sedans to restore the hearse. Modifying the hearse for a camper conversion would be an utter waste! Packard sedans are easily found, but hearses are rare in comparison. Commercial Chassis vehicles are sought after and admired by many. professionalcarsociety.org is a site of pro car enthusiasts. That Packard hearse…maybe a hearse ambulance combination…should be saved!
Now this is pretty cool. The windows in the back give it a “not-so-hearse” look to it. I guess you could make a camper out of it, if you don’t mind sleeping in a hearse. I wouldn’t use any of the mechanical’s for today’s roads.
Suicide doors on a hearse cool 👻
Nice catch Don!
These cars have been for sale for a long time. Years at this point. Really sort of surprised they haven’t moved because they are pretty unique. Huge project though. There’s two 1956 Superior Cadillac hearses and a sedan parts car at my parents place that have also been for sale a while, still sittin’ behind the barn.
I had a 59 caddy ambulance, Bought it out of a junk yard for $75 and drove it home. drove it around awhile til someone bought from me. Would love to find another or similar.
I had bit of the same luck, John, when I had my standby ambulance service many years ago. I bought a 1967 short National Buick ambulance for $100 in 1975 and a 1971 Cotner/Bevington Oldsmobile Seville ambulance in 1977 for $100. But our best deal was a well-equipped 1971 Chevy Suburban ambulance with only 60K miles on it for $500 in 1981 which we ran until 1989, when anything that could go wrong, did.
Here’s a one-of-three custom ’51 ‘El Paso’, currently on eBay. This hearse, in the hands of a talented metalworker, could be turned into a wildly beautiful wagon if that roofline was lowered and the rear window brought forward toward the C-pillar.
And – because I can’t resist playing around in Photoshop – here’s a rough idea how it would look with a few modifications to un-hearse it. Now, where’s my vintage Airstream?
Nice job Brad C 😎
I believe the city is spelled Puyallup, Washington. I had an opportunity to buy a Cadillac converted flower car that drove and had a hot tub mounted where the flower drain pan would be. $3500. Didn’t last long, even in the recession-era 2008 timeframe I spotted it, it was gone immediately from a Craigslist ad.
Are there any pix of the hearse’s interior? Just curious to know if it might be a combination and not just a straight hearse. Combos were quite common back then.
Put a wagon rear seat in or two rows of bucket seats and turn it into a cool family ride.
the rear/side window change is the mod – rest same/unmodifled.
how easy is it to get a window made up like that… never done it – I seen a split windshield fabed up for a single piece – what’s involved in creatin the above?
the early 50s straight 8 is another plus…
Ford had a hearse in the years after the war…46/48….seen many and a friend had one….sadly wasted…
Hmmmm. Swap the rear sections, use both sedan roofs to make a limo on the hearse chassis and the rear section of the hearse grafted onto one of the sedan chassis to make a pick-up!
Ooops! too much medication tonight.