Here is yet another time-capsule grade example of a vehicle purchased for a municipality that apparently saw very little use as a rescue rig. This 1970 Chevy Suburban Ambulance has just 38,568 original miles and was used by two fire departments in Washington State. The mint body, original ambulance equipment, and sharp colors make this Suburban ambulance here on eBay a jewel of a rig among the many low-mileage rescue vehicles we’ve profiled.
The sellers notes the Stoner Corporation of California performed the conversion of the Suburban back in the day, one of likely several companies tasked with this job. The interior is not only in perfect condition but also quite handsome with its sand-colored seating surfaces and door panels. The various lights and siren controls are mounted on the upper console, but no word if the auxiliary equipment still functions.
The seller notes the mag wheels were added after the fact and that the original steel wheels and hubcaps will come with the Chevy. Personally, I would have put those back on, as the steelies are the ultimate look for a workhorse like this Suburban. The white body with black stripe is quite sharp, and I’d love to know what prompted the original community that purchased this Suburban to go with such a color scheme – normally, ambulances seem to follow the fire truck’s lead by getting painted red.
The seller notes the 350 V8 / Turbo 400 combination works as it should, although more info on its maintenance history would be nice. The various extra wiring is there to support the added emergency equipment, which gets a helping hand from the dual batteries the Suburban was equipped with. With plenty of papertrail to back up the mileage, this survivor-grade Suburban Ambulance is a rare treat for the collector of fire and rescue vehicles.
Canonball Run anybody? This one just screams Leno mods.
Red lights and sirens means I’m never going to be late for anything again, ever.
The truck came from the factory painted overall white. That black stripe referenced is on the lower body molding which is again straight from the factory. BTW, ambulances of the era came in all sorts of different colors, not just red.
95% of ambulances I’ve ever seen are white. I don’t recall the last time I saw a red one.
Jeff where I live just north of Kansas City all the surrounding communities use red ambulances. Most are not the bright fire engine red but more of a maroon dark red and they are box trucks with the van front ends.
Grew up close enough to Lincoln Speedway outside Abbottstown, PA to watch the 4th of July fireworks from our patio if we weren’t at the track… earliest ambulance I can remember at the track, probably late 60’s to early 70’s, was a mid-60’s Cadillac & I’d almost bet the house it was white. You never wanted that thing to move until the last feature was over when they packed it in & went home but when it did… all that glass… you always waited to hear later on the call came from the hospital & the guy was fine. Was never there for a serious injury or death & never wanted to be.
We have one in Bowling Green KY very similar that is orange and white that has been on a used car lot.
This is an awesome truck, but I must admit that I’d remove the lights and use it as a family travel/camping vehicle.
yup, hi-top makes it perfect for this!
Two very healthy or very small community’s.
The vast majority of Central & Eastern Washington are pretty small. Even Oregon, east of I-5 is pretty sparse
There is one use for a “Stoner” conversion is…drum roll…medicinal marijuana/cbd oil delivery truck!
1972 K20 Ambulance
I first remember seeing these ambulances on the old Emergency TV show and it stuck as before that you just saw the big Cadillac ambulances or the like.
Municipalities usually went with White because they are more cost effective to buy over any other color. I agree this is one nice truck.
The blood stains in the rear are a cool touch. I’d love to have this. I remember the apartment my grandmother lived in was on a route to a big hospital. Saw a lot of Caddy and Pontiac ambulances go up the hill in the late 60’s
In the early 70s the Federal Government
was starting to mandate all ambulances
had to be white a lot of communities had to apply for waivers if the vehicles were not white. Eventually the regulation was dropped.
The vast majority of Central & Eastern Washington are pretty small. Even Oregon, east of I-5 is pretty sparse
Why no price?