Since it’s the Halloween season here in the US, we thought you might like some ghoulish finds like this hearse. Or at least it used to be a hearse…the lines on this one mean you could pass it off as a “sedan delivery” if you wanted to. The converted 1963 Dodge Polara is for sale here on eBay with bidding at $1,500 but the reserve hasn’t been met. The car is located in San Carlos, California.
While the car has certainly suffered a bit of weathering, it does look pretty solid. The seller doesn’t really discuss the condition of the body but honestly, it doesn’t look that bad (although something’s going on in that passenger rear quarter panel based on this picture).
What I find really attractive about this car is that it doesn’t have the usual bulging back that screams “hearse” when you see it. I’ve also never seen a hearse based on a Polara before although there were some that showed up during an image search.
Do you think you’d get away with coating the surface rust here with POR-15 or something similar? There never was a back seat as this was constructed as a professional vehicle from new. The seller theorizes that it may have been a county coroner’s vehicle when new, and the title is still in the name of a mortuary.
There’s actually less rust on the underside of the car than there is on the underside of the roof!
Although the odometer is showing 16,191 miles it’s obviously at least 116k, possibly 216k. Getting seat covers or even custom upholstery for this seat shouldn’t be that hard, though, and you only have one to cover unless you install a rear seat.
The 318 cubic inch V8 is equipped with factory air conditioning, although it’s non-functional. The sellers have had the car for a while and have made it able to run and drive well, although (rightfully so) they recommend that a mechanic inspect the car before returning it to the road. Does anyone else see a custom parts wagon out of this very functional classic car, with some nice sign writing (real, not vinyl) on the side panels advertising your local restoration shop?
This is one rare hearse. Google “1963 Polara hearse” and this is the only one that comes up- could well be the only one left. Probably 100 Cadillacs built for every Dodge. Creepy as it may be, I would embrace hearse status on this one, restore it to a high standard and join the “Professional Car” club.
So this is a for real hearse? I’d say it’s rare, never knew such an animal existed.
More likely that this Polara was a Coroner’s wagon, not a hearse. Yeah, I know .. splitting hairs. Tho the White paint, if original, throws a wrench into it being used for either purpose
If it were closer, I’d bid on it. My wife wouldn’t let me buy a Ford Flex because she said it “looks like a hearse”. I’m itching to bring home a legitimate classic hearse just to tick her off.
My wife calls Ford Flexes…”the midgets hearse”…lol.
I’m not fond of them either..haha
Quick story: While leaving Storyland in NH when my son was little, I spotted a black Flex in the back of their parking lot and said “Look. A hearse.”
After a few seconds, my wife says “Why would a hearse be at Storyland?”
Yes, she was serious and that’s probably why like so many others, I’d love a black Flex for that reason.
Damn nice looking vehicle and not at all hearse-like. I’d take that over a pickup or a van any day. Very cool.
Not a hearse, just a standard Dodge Polara station wagon that someone welded on some sheet metal over the rear wagon side windows, to make it a sedan delivery style vehicle.
If it had been built as a hearse it would have had a full flat bed with casket rollers and beir pins to hold the coffin in place while the vehicle was in motion. The interior would have been tastefully finished off in subdued darker fabric/materials.
If it was a coroner’s wagon or ambulance, it would have had the attachment hardware to hold a collapsing gurney in place, and likely would never have used the fold down second seat, it would have been removed and a one-piece flat floor installed. And again, the interior side panels would have been finished in matching vinyl material.
In NEITHER case would they have used a standard tailgate with roll down rear window. There are 2 reasons hearses either have a side opening door or an overhead door: The casket weight could do serious damage to the tailgate if the entire weight was allowed to sit on the leading edge of the tailgate! And it would be very difficult for the pallbearers to gracefully reach inside to pull the casket rearward. Plus, let’s not forget the massive weight of a casket, that poor car’s rear axle would be hitting the rubber snubbers, with a loaded casket sitting inside.
Not a hearse, funeral home’s “body removal car”, or a coroner’s car. Perhaps created for a mobile locksmith or similar use, where the interior condition was of little concern.
Yes, agree. Our local fire department, Portage Indiana, had a 3 seat Polara wagon back in the day. It could accommodate a gurney with the third seat being a folding jump seat.
Cool wagon…build the engine, 4 wheel disc brakes, AC with understated paint and a nice leather interior…cruise off into the sunset.
The ebay ad states the title is still in the mortuary / cemetery’s name.
My guess would be a body removal / flower car.
A friend of mine whom had a funeral home, would never use his hearse for body removals. Said “People don’t want to see a hearse parked in their driveway.”
Instead always used a Buick wagon (or later mini van). That had a removable piece of ply wood with stops and anchor points to secure the gurney. The loading end had a hinged piece added that would cover the gap between the floor and end gate. This was easily removed between uses.
This is a respectable looking sedan delivery.
C. Jay,
It’s possible this was used by the cemetery to move items associated with a burial; Flowers, chairs, “grass” mats, etc. But to use as a removal car it’s too “unfinished”. Remember that back then, most deaths happened in the home, and the family could see the vehicle parked outside. No respectable funeral home would use a crudely finished vehicle like this one.
Bill, back in the ’60s, funeral homes used dedicated first call cars that looked like first call cars.
I don’t think seeing it in front of somebody’s house was a concern.
I would like to see the rear window up to see if it is etched.
If it has its beginnings as an A&H car, it would be worth much more to somebody that knows.
They did build on the Dodge wagons back then.
Miguel,
As a young man in the 1960s, I worked for a funeral home, and went on many “first Calls” to pick up the body. It was the LIVING family members who would see the vehicle in the driveway, and believe me, the funeral home wanted to make sure that first impression was a good one, and they wanted a tasteful and somber vehicle that looked like new and was very clean, inside & out.
The funeral home even sent me and a friend to a 4 hour course on handling first calls, put on by the local S&S hearse supplier. It tought us how to present ourselves in a gracious manner, and how to carefully handle the body, especially when leaving the family home, going down down steep stairs with the body.
Yeah, well. That’s all pretty obvious if you look at it but it’s still a pretty cool vehicle – even better probably than if it were an actual hearse.
1st peak on the BF home page (all the lill pics) I thought it might B my ol “Dart”. That grill looked familiar. Opening 2 this page reminds me of the Custom 880 or Polaris 500. Bein a ford guy I’m not sure but don’t think there were wagons in the “330” as seller states (the 440 dart did). At any rate – all made at the Hamtramck plant I bet.
I can C this as the 4dor wagon or 4dor hard top wagon. Appears blk paint under the white (coroner’s? ie kinda antiseptic like some white ambulances) and over the red primer. It coulda been anything – what’s important is now & the future.
I like the rust conversion or POR treatment idea U mention. Also like the visibility of 6 windows & wouldn’t change that. Might panel the inside rear w/metal & a tough paint or low crumb count bed liner (Raptor). 318’n auto is fine, may B put some discs up frnt?
Its a Abbott and hast I got one to its a 67 coronet. That is a cool ride no rollers or tie downs because a coffin never went inside of it body bag with body the side windows that’s the same way they did the 67 also it was not built to impress or stand out just made to get the body to the mortuary.
Man you’d have to be one poor broke sole for your final ride to be in a Polara hearse.
Andre, when you’re dead you wouldn’t give a rat’s arse how you got to the cemetery, as long as they didn’t screw castors on the coffin and drag you !
Andre you should see some of the new crappy cars made in Mexico for funeral service.
Look at this one.
http://www.vacalimo.com/content.php?id=46
It would be extremely good DIY custom work to take a wagon and make it look like a “factory” hearse Bill, I normally agree with your assessments — because you are a wise old sage– but I feel this was built by some coach company. Dangit, though, that tailgate opens the normal way. Are there photos of the cargo floor somewhere?
That car is simply not large enough to be a hearse. The roof line is too low.
In the town I grew up in, one of the funeral homes had a matching hearse/limousine set – two black 1962 Pontiac Catalinas. Unfortunately, my brother and my mother took their last rides in the hearse, three years apart, so I rode in the limo twice. That was over 35 years ago.
Despite that, I do have to say, those cars were pretty cool. Funeral homes don’t have cars like that anymore. Most of them use nondescript vans now.
They still used the 62 Pontiacs for services in 1983? That was one cool, but frugal, funeral home! Sorry for your loss, three years apart must have been rough on the family.
‘ The original California title is still under the name of a mortuary/cemetary in Marin County.’ My guess is it was the grave diggers yard car. Throw your pick and shovel in the back and off to work you go. Cool ride.
No such vehicle, Polara. Serial prefix explained. 6535. First number, 6-Dodge fleet 8 cyl. Second is a 5, a 330 wagon, not Polara. Third digit, 3, year. Fourth digit, 5, Los Angeles built. Not a Polara. Not a Polara. Also, not a Polaris, duh.
Thank you , Chairman of OCD of America. Who cares if it’s technically a 330, 440, or a Polara– they’re the same car, except for some trim pieces and options, and this is 55 years later. It’s a label. The cars are virtually the same. The seller probably referred to “Polara” just so readers would know the car. In fact, beyond the header, they actually call it a “1963 Dodge 330 Hearse Conversion”. Meaning, it was a converted 330 wagon.
Jeez. Go iron your underwear, or something.
Who cares, those of us that buy and restore. We do not spend a lot of time here pretending to have a better idea or what to pay for something you will never have.
Polara is a bigger cubed engine. List goes on.
Educate yourself before opening your speaker. So what I like correct facts. Help keep dumb people off here.
I think most people appreciate the education, so long as the “teacher” leaves out the condescending tone. I’ll take dumb over pretentious, any day.
I agree with Bill.
Not a hearse.
Never carried a dead body ever..
Sort of a wagon-delivery thingy.
Buy it and change it back to a Ghost Busters Wagon. ☠
It’s obviously the Munster’s grocery go-getter.
Despite all the previous comments I’m betting this would look far more hearse-like if it where painted black.
Now if it’s a really a hearse and came with a hurst, then you have something to scream about
Title says it’s still has the funeral home on it so who’ doesn’t know what they’re talking about ? Maybe the only dealer in town was a Dodge dealer that made a good down on his funeral ?
Fleet sale vehicle. Period. Not for general public sale. Period. It is a real service made vehicle. Not a public wagon converted. Built to specs per the Funeral home that ordered it new. Flowers, or whatever. Proper vehicle for that era. Done. Simple, not complicated. Now back to restoring real cars is what we do. Gotta get a Ridler winning car out and put in trailer for this weekend. Nite
Amblewagon Conversion
part 2
For as many as they build per year, the featured car could be the same one used for this ad.
Would be fun with a max wedge.
Thanks for clearing the air here PT. I was
pretty sure that this car was instead a
cadaver transport vehicle and not a full-
blown hearse. Bill, Mike, both of you are
correct in your assumptions as to its
intended purpose. A long time friend back home owned an ambulance service
and was using a similar styled ’77 Ford
LTD conversion as late as 1985 or 86.
Although my friend’s car did have a 2-way
tailgate of a wagon, that’s where the
similarity with a wagon ended. The
inside of the car did indeed have a
premium looking interior at the rear
of the car that gave the conversion a
finished look. Looks like someone
tried to hide the car’s purpose and
stripped the interior out on this one.
The headliner will be easy to find,
but the side panels below it will have
to be hand made. And while you’re
there, don’t forget the insulation and
sound deadening material before you
install the headliner and side panels.
I can see the finished car wearing a
dark blue paintjob with a padded vinyl
roof to give ‘er a bit more class. The
318 will work just fine until the opportunity to install a 440 presents
itself. Add an upgraded interior, some
wire rims, and Vogue tires and you’ll
definitely have a one of a kind daily
driver. Wish it was me doing the
upgrading though. Might sketch it
out to see what it might look like.
Kenneth Carney,
The 1977 Wagon you described sounds like it was probably a conversion by Thacker Coach, made in the Washington DC suburbs by my old friend Joe Thacker. His conversions were very professional and finished to a high degree.
Thacker Coach used the Ford wagon because of the dual tailgate [especially for first removal cars], but also offered hearse conversions on the large Chrysler New Yorker chassis. Joe said he shied away from the GM wagons because of the “clamshell tailgate”, as the interior floor was very high compared to the competition, making it awkward to load a heavy coffin by the pallbearers.
Yup. Flower car or some such.
Well, it will certainly be a hearse for its own funeral unless someone buys it and saves it….
Thanks for that great story and info Bill.
For a first removal car, his was very sharp
and even had a certain amount of class to it. Did your friend do conversions on
Grand Marquis wagons too? I recall
seeing one here about a year ago. Like
my friends Ford, it was well-made and
very classy. Hopefully, this one will get
the same treatment.
Kenneth,
Thacker certainly did conversions to the Marquis wagons, probably more than the Ford versions.
As a matter of fact, I had a 1971 Ford Ranch Wagon with 6 doors [built by Armbruster-Stageway], and the seats were badly worn, so I bought the folding back seat and 2 split front seats from Thacker, as he often replaced the Marquis split front seats with a standard Ford front seat when the conversion order called for it, and I probably had the only 6 door Ford wagon with powered front and middle seats! The rest of the car looked like a 250,000 mile airport limo, but it had beautiful brand new seats!
Reminds me of a gremlin from the back.
Yes, Abbott & Hast. Found this photo.
It might just look like they just fills the window space with she metal , but it’s a thick peice of steel. Once in place they lead filled the outside body line vary little body filler what I don’t see. And is very odd is the abstance of landal bars I didn’t see any signs of holes being filled. The bars on the side of a heares are what identify who made it:the rise issue on the quarter panel is due to the flux used .
Richard, I don’t know if you know this, but Abbot & Hast did a lot of wagon conversions for Mexican funeral homes back in the 60s and 70s.
The law in Mexico at the time stated that a funeral car had to have been manufactured in Mexico but there were no hearse manufacturers here.
What people did were to send Mexican made wagons to A&H to have them converted.
I am actively looking for some here in Mexico and I will buy whatever I find.
I knew Allan Abbott back in the ’80s and it was interesting to read his book. It was odd to read some of the stories I had heard directly from him 30 years ago.
(If you are interested there was one he told that wasn’t in his book. Let me know and I can tell it here.)
I was in Navajoa, Sonora where I went to a small car show. I decided to ask a local funeral home about two 80’s hearses they had there.
After that I asked the owner if he knew of any A&H cars. He asked me to come into the office so he can get my information. As I was giving him my information, I looked up on the wall and there was a picture of an A&H wagon conversion that the funeral home used to own. The car is long gone, of course, but it was a weird moment to see what I was asking about.
I have even drawn up a flyer that I am going to leave with some funeral homes as I travel around Mexico. I do expect to find some cars, no matter the condition.
Why doesn’t your car have the etched, or sand blasted rear window?
It does have the echoed window ,,Its just not the normal design. That’s why Ron had recognized it. It was the only one they had made of that design and I can really see why .I basically need to have the window rolled down to see out the back. To make it easier to roll down for me , I switched to a power back window and since there was so much rust and I was curing replacing metal patching I decided on stream lining the tailgate after sand blasting I cut the hump that the crank had been mounted on. Now I was going to originally change the crank to a safe dial one that locks with a key , locking the dial in place but then decided to go power instead. Here’s a pic of the tail gate after. And now I did not know that about Mexico very interesting
Oh I am definitely interested in hearing that
OK Richard, the story he told me was, back in 1960 when he had his livery, he would pick up the cars at the factory and break them in on the way back to California.
He had picked up a 1960 Superior at the factory.
He was driving it back, driving around 100 MPH, on a straight part of the highway that had a post and cable fence lining it.
There were blackbirds, a lot of them, perched on the cable.
When he passed, they flew off. He didn’t think anything of it.
At the next gas stop the attendant, full serve, gave the car a nasty look as he passed in front of it. Allan thought it was because it was a hearse. We have all seen that look before.
Anyway, since he never got out of the car he didn’t know what the look was about.
When he got back to his livery, he pulled in and his employees were giving the car that same look.
He got out of the car and saw that a lot of the birds were stuffed into the egg crate grille those 1960 Cadillacs had. There was feathers and blood everywhere and the blood was dripping down the grille and onto the bumper.
He said to himself, “Ah, that’s what that look was about”.
He told his guy to clean the car as he had it rented out that afternoon.
It was a funny story.
Yes I talked to Ron hast a few years back. He had remembered my hearse in particular from the back window. It was the only back window he made of that design and it was blue. A Mortition in Palm springs had ordered it. I got in touch with the son of that Mortition he had told me about his dad hated the vehicles being black. So he had ordered it in blue and I was just thinking about it. The interior is blue and I found blue under the white on the doors but I don’t remember finding blue on the rest of the body .the car itself came with the back of the car loaded with extra parts , I asumeded they came from a station wagon. The stock photos I’ve seen the car is white ,and black or dark blue can’t really tell because they are black and white photos . you can tell I did a lot of research on my cars history before trying to restore it . it was really rusted by the time I bought it , and had made its way to Florida before I bought it from a guy that had had it flatbeded back to calif. It was so rusty my foot went through the floor pan when I drove it home. I was on a tight budget so I fabricated a floor pan from the sheet metal of an old washing machine . I can tell it had been in a accident at some point in its life that did some damage to the quarter panel on the passenger side of the car. I’m sorry I’m just thinking out loud. Was the car white or blue when it left the factory did that Mortition order them in two colors. I was told back then that there was 3 known to still be on the road one being in Oregon one in Europe and mine. I need to go through some of my old email. I’m sorry I got of the subject. Its been a long time since I’ve talked with these people and I’ve been trying to figure out the exact number a and h had produced of these cars that year I beleave it was ten total of the coronet 440 wagon conversions . if you want I will continue on anther day about my hearse. I really like the body of the other one the curves it makes for stylish hearse as did the 59 cad any ways gotta go.
Richard, you have a hearse as well?
What year and coach company is it?
Its a a and h. Its a 1967 coronet 440
Richard, I don’t call these hearses. For the US market there were made to be first call cars.
Did you car have a flat floor or did it have rollers?
Flat floor. I do have a coffin in it now but that’s only temp it’s just to much weight and space being taken up with it and it’s not made to Carrie coffins anyway. The whole story behind me buy a hearse was.
Ok we were behind on the house payment this was during the housing crash my wife and I were painterswe had are own company (paintparamedix) so I had already been looming into getting a service vehicle. Well it got to the point were I had to sell my car to catch up on the house payments ,so I sold my 1970 charger. I loved that car. I had that car for about 20 years, I brought it back from the grave basically. I paid 300 for it in the 80s. When started it would blow smoke down the street for a few blocks. I put a lot of time in to it. I told my wife that I loved my car more than her , But that of coarse was not true. But when I sold her I felt like a part of me died so with the remainder of what I got from selling the charger I bought a hearse and used it for a work vehicle
Richard, that was a very pretty car. I love that color.
This was my charger
I had planed on having her the rest of my life like my dad and his 35 ford he drove this car across the country when he was in the military he’s in his 90s now and still has her. Well I guess I don’t have any pics of his 35 ford