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1963 Dodge Polara Hearse
- Thread starter Turboomni
- Start date
JC68vert300
Senior Member
How appropriate...a hearse on Halloween! I've never seen a Dodge hearse before.
Nothing about this says "hearse" to me... the article at least mentioned the term "sedan delivery" which seems more accurate. Regardless, not produced by the factory or one of the known conversion companies... based on the simplicity of the build.
IMO, this one looks to be a wagon that someone put sheet metal over the rear windows. Maybe done early in her life, but would make sense to me as a workaround for broken, hard to find glass. Without any history, proving when and how this was done... it should detract from the value as a wagon. A shot of the floor, or "bed" area should show rollers or gurney tie downs if it was done as a budget coroner's car.
IMO, this one looks to be a wagon that someone put sheet metal over the rear windows. Maybe done early in her life, but would make sense to me as a workaround for broken, hard to find glass. Without any history, proving when and how this was done... it should detract from the value as a wagon. A shot of the floor, or "bed" area should show rollers or gurney tie downs if it was done as a budget coroner's car.
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
I saw the listing earlier in the week and couldn't get out of the link fast enough.
65Fury440
Senior Member
My dream car would be a 64 Polara wagon with a BB/ 4 speed.
63 would be ok too.
The sedan delivery treatment looks like a lot of work to undo. I cant believe there would be anything easy or cheap about it.
63 would be ok too.
The sedan delivery treatment looks like a lot of work to undo. I cant believe there would be anything easy or cheap about it.
Looks like it was well used.
The hearses I've seen are pristine and show minimal wear.
This one looks like it hauled cargo.
The hearses I've seen are pristine and show minimal wear.
This one looks like it hauled cargo.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
I wouldn't be caught dead in that thing.
MarPar
Meat Man with a Hat
An easy "sedan delivery" mod would be to do what the Vegas did. Have sheet metal panels which went in place of the normal Kammbak quarter panel glass. Pretty slick!
I suspect the factory pinchweld is the backing for the installed panels, on the Polara. Might take a pneumatic chisel or similar, but it probably could be "done right" with some optical grade Lexan (tinted, of course). Might "save" the wagon, if desired. Might make it into a "Grandfather of Magnum" car?
CBODY67
I suspect the factory pinchweld is the backing for the installed panels, on the Polara. Might take a pneumatic chisel or similar, but it probably could be "done right" with some optical grade Lexan (tinted, of course). Might "save" the wagon, if desired. Might make it into a "Grandfather of Magnum" car?
CBODY67
Dan Scully
Well-Known Member
With its location probably was a Abbott & Hast car.
The Abbott & Hast Company of Monterey, California was formed in 1957 by Allan Abbott and Ron Hast to assist funeral homes in the transportation of floral tributes and equipment from the mortuary to the gravesite. By the end of the year, the pair began offering a livery service that included both limousines and funeral coaches as well as local and long distance decendent transportation.
The company grew to become the largest funeral support company in the western United States, employing over 50, and operating in excess of 50 funeral-related vehicles. Abbot & Hast also provided funeral coaches and props to movie studios and television production companies. They estimate that Abbot & Hast-owned equipment has appeared in over 300 movies, television shows and commercials.
Because they purchased new vehicles every year, they always had the latest models, and when a local funeral home was chosen to direct the services of a VIP, Abbot & Hast would usually provide the cars and drivers. Between 1957 through 1985, Abbott & Hast vehicles participated in the funeral services of Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Clark Gable, Jack Benny, Gary Cooper, Ernie Kovacs, Jack Warner, Mario Lanza, David O. Selznick, Karen Carpenter and Los Angeles Police Chief William H. Parker.
A marked expansion commenced in 1973 and Abbott & Hast acquired a number of funeral homes in the greater Los Angeles area. Two years later they purchased Berg Publications Inc., the publisher of Mortuary Management magazine. The firm had advertised its "junior hearse" conversions in the magazine since the 1960s with large ads that featured Dodge-based coaches using either Monaco or Coronet wagons. Later ads dating from the mid-1970s featured Ford-based conversions.
In 1960, the partners created their first "junior hearse" a formally converted Dodge station wagon. A typical Abbot & Hast conversion consisted of an all-black, but otherwise stock station wagon outfitted with a frosted tailgate window with a large cycas leaf pattern in it, and fixed, side door drapes in a rayed pattern made of a sheer material that allowed for one way vision.
Abbott & Hast stopped offering their station wagon conversions in 1985 and the name of the company was eventually changed to Abbott & Hast Publications, Inc. and in that form it continues today.
Pictures
References
www.abbottandhast.com
The Professional Car, Issue # 51, First Quarter 1989
Gregg D. Merksamer - Professional Cars: Ambulances, Funeral Cars and Flower Cars
Thomas A. McPherson - American Funeral Cars & Ambulances Since 1900
Walt McCall & Tom McPherson - Classic American Funeral Vehicles 1900-1980 Photo Archive
Walter M.P. McCall - American Funeral Vehicles 1883-2003
Thomas A. MacPherson - The Dodge Story
George H. Dammann - 90 Years of Ford
The Abbott & Hast Company of Monterey, California was formed in 1957 by Allan Abbott and Ron Hast to assist funeral homes in the transportation of floral tributes and equipment from the mortuary to the gravesite. By the end of the year, the pair began offering a livery service that included both limousines and funeral coaches as well as local and long distance decendent transportation.
The company grew to become the largest funeral support company in the western United States, employing over 50, and operating in excess of 50 funeral-related vehicles. Abbot & Hast also provided funeral coaches and props to movie studios and television production companies. They estimate that Abbot & Hast-owned equipment has appeared in over 300 movies, television shows and commercials.
Because they purchased new vehicles every year, they always had the latest models, and when a local funeral home was chosen to direct the services of a VIP, Abbot & Hast would usually provide the cars and drivers. Between 1957 through 1985, Abbott & Hast vehicles participated in the funeral services of Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, Clark Gable, Jack Benny, Gary Cooper, Ernie Kovacs, Jack Warner, Mario Lanza, David O. Selznick, Karen Carpenter and Los Angeles Police Chief William H. Parker.
A marked expansion commenced in 1973 and Abbott & Hast acquired a number of funeral homes in the greater Los Angeles area. Two years later they purchased Berg Publications Inc., the publisher of Mortuary Management magazine. The firm had advertised its "junior hearse" conversions in the magazine since the 1960s with large ads that featured Dodge-based coaches using either Monaco or Coronet wagons. Later ads dating from the mid-1970s featured Ford-based conversions.
In 1960, the partners created their first "junior hearse" a formally converted Dodge station wagon. A typical Abbot & Hast conversion consisted of an all-black, but otherwise stock station wagon outfitted with a frosted tailgate window with a large cycas leaf pattern in it, and fixed, side door drapes in a rayed pattern made of a sheer material that allowed for one way vision.
Abbott & Hast stopped offering their station wagon conversions in 1985 and the name of the company was eventually changed to Abbott & Hast Publications, Inc. and in that form it continues today.
Pictures
References
www.abbottandhast.com
The Professional Car, Issue # 51, First Quarter 1989
Gregg D. Merksamer - Professional Cars: Ambulances, Funeral Cars and Flower Cars
Thomas A. McPherson - American Funeral Cars & Ambulances Since 1900
Walt McCall & Tom McPherson - Classic American Funeral Vehicles 1900-1980 Photo Archive
Walter M.P. McCall - American Funeral Vehicles 1883-2003
Thomas A. MacPherson - The Dodge Story
George H. Dammann - 90 Years of Ford
mr. fix it
Old Man with a Hat
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