Was on vacation this weekend visiting my Grandmother and Mom for Mother's Day in Boulder, MT (think 1000 people, mountain town). My cousin who is a few years younger than me and also into cars mentioned that he knew where an old Cadillac Hearse was in the woods. I had him take me up to it. It's basically up a goat trail and then pulled off into the sticks like they were trying to climb a serious hill and got stuck or blew it up. It's been there ever since (which near as we can discern by the plates is the early 70s), so it's endured forest fires, floods, all kinds of things. All the chrome is either still on the car or in the "luggage area" and in excellent shape. The interior is all there and decent other than the seats themselves. The glass is all perfect. Really weird where it's at, we figure somebody probably stole it and took it for a joy ride then bailed. The valve covers are just sitting on the engine and the hood is open. I didn't get in it, obviously, but I think a guy could probably get it for "free". It's behind a gate and there is a shack on the property, but it hasn't been inhabited for years.
Abandoned cars are fascinating. Too bad we can't get the full story of how it ended up in it's current resting place.
I know....if I was in my younger less honest days, there'd be a fortune in stainless and chrome sitting in the back of my truck right now.......
Contact the authorities and see if you can salvage it legally? It would make an awesome resto rat rod.
That occurred to me, but holy cripes, where would a guy store it? I'm sure the neighbors would probably draw the line at a creepy Hearse in my driveway......I figured it probably needs a new chassis, was thinking 2wd square body Suburban should be about the same length.
Lee makes a good point. Applying for a lost title on the vehicle if the vin can be read will reveal a lot to a person. If It comes back clean then the car can be yours. Ive gotten new titles to cars that were not originally in my name twice like this.
If anyone really wants the leg work done, and they were completely serious, I'd be willing to try to help in my spare time to save it. By spare time, I mean you'd probably have to wait a year, but I will help figure out how to go about taking it over. Getting a new title in Montana is cake. It's the legalities of where it's at behind an actual gated area that is the issue..... Not to mention, you're going to need permission to cut down trees and at least a 4WD or tracked front end loader to get to it and pull it out. You're not going to get up to it with a pickup and trailer, I'll say that.
Call up those College kids that took apart a police car and rebuilt it on top of a building!!!! Im sure they will get it out of the woods some how.
Those suicide doors make it a side loader as well. DO IT LUKE!! ws https://www.google.com/maps/place/B...65fa4adf4a52d!8m2!3d46.2365947!4d-112.1208336 http://s958.photobucket.com/user/gcs005/library/1957 Cadillac Superior Hearse?sort=3&page=1
Not a 2wd Suburban chassis, a 4wd one lifted with 44" on it would be WAY cooler if in you have to change the frame anyway! Just make sure it is powered by a big block Cadillac stroked 500 to at least a 547! That would almost make Grave Digger envious.
Its ok but I think the one you took the pics of would look a whole lot better with that setup but yeah that's the idea. The wheel skirts and the more bulbous body style of that older one really takes away from the right look when its lifted. IMO anyway. A friend has an '81 Caddy hearse with the Caddy 368 that would be a direct swap for a Cadillac 500 because the 2 are basically the same platform that would also look great with 44"s as well! (the '81 is for sale if anyone is interested, no lumber jacking or title searching or applying required)
I don't understand why anyone would find a hearse creepy. The commercial Jet that you either have or are about to fly on has probably carried a hundred dead people. I watched them load a casket onto the last Jet Blue flight that I took. What's the big deal?
