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1990 Country Squire bought for 390 dollars.

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    #16
    Originally posted by Arquemann View Post
    Is it really that most yank hearses in Poland are outfitted to that general degree? Which is more involved that I've seen in Finland.
    Most american hearses just had the rear seatbacks folded or removed and the coffin rails installed. Some wagons can still be found with divider walls, but those are usually behing the backseats and thus remnants of the van-tax-insanity of times passed.
    I have seen only a few hearses that actually had the hearse-type body modifications with the black vinyl rear half and actual flooring.
    Maybe the hearses with more modifications were phased out so long ago they werent considered useful to convert back...
    Not sure to be honest. As far as I recall, I know more about... 7 hearses?

    -> My own Colony Park, served as a hearse in Białystok. Painted black, no mods.
    -> My own Crown Vic, served as a hearse in Olecko. Painted black, fender masts, tin cross on the roof, polished sun shades in windows, new upholstery, Slaanesh' markings on the windows, and rearranged cargo space, without any serious modifications;
    -> Caprice wagon I sent you, served as a hearse in Strzyżów. Painted gray, cargo space rebuilt anew, windows hidden under fabric;
    -> Caprice wagon I considered buying, similar to the one from an internet ad, but partially rebuilt by the new owner;
    -> Colony Park offered for 5000 Euro, painted black, fender masts, cargo space rebuilt; was later reverted to the original state by its owner;
    -> Whale Roadmaster, also heavily rebuilt;
    -> post-99 MGM, also a complete rebuilding.

    There was also some ~10 Caprice wagons/Colony Parks/Crown Vic I know they got scrapped. I got some parts from them, but none of the offers featured backseats.

    Also, I recall speaking with a guy from the Netherlands who bought a whale Caprice hearse. The company which built it bought some ~20 of them, brand new, and converted them into hearses. 20 backseats, factory new, were sent into garbage dump...

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      #17
      Originally posted by 79lincolnlover View Post
      Pics from 2019:
      Not sure if this poor thing is ever gonna drive again...

      Comment


        #18
        Originally posted by bnw View Post
        Not sure if this poor thing is ever gonna drive again...
        Mice have probably played inside the engine bay for years. Fixing up the body and swapping it onto a rust-free frame, would be one option for someone that wanted to restore this.
        '79 Continental Town Car
        '90 Crown Victoria LTD
        '94 Crown Victoria

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          #19
          "bnw"
          someone offered me a backseat from a pre-1979 LTD wagon... but I guess that would not fit here, am I right?


          "bnw"
          Hmm, the title suggests that the car was bought as a moreover complete one. Maybe only the rear end was repaired? Let's see what lurks under the wooden panels in the cargo space...[/QUOTE]


          On the pre 79 back seat. I doubt it will fit. Pre 79s are wider.
          Regarding the title: The title is different from the shipping and customs documents. Title was given by the insurance company as salvage. At that time the car was whole. What happened after it was sold to the buyer is another story. When a vehicle arrives in a country it is taxed on that country's rules. When "parts" arrive. the tax can be much less. The title from the US may or may not be used to register the vehicle when it is put back together. It is possible that your car arrived as a whole car OR it came as parts. You may never know.

          Comment


            #20
            Originally posted by bnw View Post
            Not sure to be honest. As far as I recall, I know more about... 7 hearses?

            -> My own Colony Park, served as a hearse in Białystok. Painted black, no mods.
            -> My own Crown Vic, served as a hearse in Olecko. Painted black, fender masts, tin cross on the roof, polished sun shades in windows, new upholstery, Slaanesh' markings on the windows, and rearranged cargo space, without any serious modifications;
            -> Caprice wagon I sent you, served as a hearse in Strzyżów. Painted gray, cargo space rebuilt anew, windows hidden under fabric;
            -> Caprice wagon I considered buying, similar to the one from an internet ad, but partially rebuilt by the new owner;
            -> Colony Park offered for 5000 Euro, painted black, fender masts, cargo space rebuilt; was later reverted to the original state by its owner;
            -> Whale Roadmaster, also heavily rebuilt;
            -> post-99 MGM, also a complete rebuilding.

            There was also some ~10 Caprice wagons/Colony Parks/Crown Vic I know they got scrapped. I got some parts from them, but none of the offers featured backseats.

            Also, I recall speaking with a guy from the Netherlands who bought a whale Caprice hearse. The company which built it bought some ~20 of them, brand new, and converted them into hearses. 20 backseats, factory new, were sent into garbage dump...
            Only hearses I've seen with more than the absolute minimum modifications were both the bubblebutt '90s Caprice wagons. Both had the rear half covered with black vinyl and slaaneshi symbols on the sides. The interiors had wood floors and dividers like modern hearses. Other of the two is daily driven by the owner.
            I know a handful of box caprices and a two box vics that were hearses, all of them had just the rear seats folder flat and some coffin hold-down installed. And black paint outside.
            Caprices and box panthers sold new in Finland are often easy to identify, ain't got shit for options: no power locks, crank windows, partial power seats, no AC, no cruise, but it's gotta be a wagon.

            That Caprice you linked, I've never seen such, so much ornamentation. Is that just due to... Catholicism?

            A Colony Park I tried to buy had had to divider walls installed, none when new, then one behind the front seats for hearse use, and then removed and one installed behind the now-bastardized rear seats for registering as a van.
            Due to the van nonsense of the 90's and early 2000's, most caprices and other box wagons are rarely original inside, with the shitty van-spec rear seats or something reinstalled in the place of those. Best examples have 3 rows of seats, each a different color.
            1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
            1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

            Comment


              #21
              Originally posted by Mainemantom View Post
              On the pre 79 back seat. I doubt it will fit. Pre 79s are wider.
              Got it. Nevertheless, the guy has a seat from a sedan, so it does not really help.

              Originally posted by Mainemantom View Post
              Regarding the title: The title is different from the shipping and customs documents. Title was given by the insurance company as salvage. At that time the car was whole. What happened after it was sold to the buyer is another story. When a vehicle arrives in a country it is taxed on that country's rules. When "parts" arrive. the tax can be much less. The title from the US may or may not be used to register the vehicle when it is put back together. It is possible that your car arrived as a whole car OR it came as parts. You may never know.
              Received and understood!

              Originally posted by Arquemann View Post
              Caprices and box panthers sold new in Finland are often easy to identify, ain't got shit for options: no power locks, crank windows, partial power seats, no AC, no cruise, but it's gotta be a wagon.
              As far as I am concerned, same for Poland, when it comes to eg. Geo Metro, or Dodge Neon. As basic as possible.

              Originally posted by Arquemann View Post
              That Caprice you linked, I've never seen such, so much ornamentation. Is that just due to... Catholicism?
              Rather keep up with the Joneses. But it's a part of the Polish version of Catholicism, which is... somewhat special.

              Best examples have 3 rows of seats, each a different color.
              Saw it in case of Volvos, but never in case of amcar hearses. Generally people assume they will use them as panel vans, or something like that. If it was a Mercedes, then getting a set of spare seats is not that difficult as in case of amcars.

              In the meantime!
              Found some ~30 minutes today to fiddle with the CV. Mechs did a nice job cutting all the screws etc. so I could take some of the hearse upholstery down. Managed to dismantle the coffin lift, and all the floor panels. The effect is as below:





              Also, inspected the backseat. Looks like the lower part is original, with new fabric, and that small "backrest" is actually the upper part of the original backrest. The white stuff all over the place is snow.



              I really love the SPARE letters on the spare tyre!

              Next session - on Sunday. I will try to get rid of the hearse fabric from door panels, and maybe dismantle the separator wall.

              Comment


                #22
                Another busy day!

                I started with seeking for the original sticker. It was in place, but heavily damaged. Can we still learn anything from it?


                The second step was to find the the original options sheet. It was in place, damaged, but not that much as in the Colon:


                Those thing were found by the way. Probably gonna keep 'em, they look quite decent.


                Another step was to dismantle the door mats and see if they are still ok, under the hearse upholstery. They are somewhat damaged, but salvageable, I guess... BTW: was the car white, and than repainted to burgundy and THEN to black, or this white-ish colour is the protective undercoat paint? The whole car is painted with that, as far as I have found.




                Now, it's time to say goodbye to the zombie apocalypse protector screen...


                And here we are! There were only two screws that kept it in place. The car looks far more clean now than it was when acquired.


                As most of the unused hearse stuff was already driven to the garage today, I decided to hide the spare parts in the underground compartment. There is still plenty of space inside.


                And two final photos from today. This is what I have at the moment. Hearse upholstery remains on pillars, tailgate cover, left cargo compartment doors, and left rear door mat. I am going to get rid of them during the next visit.



                Found an info how much coolant gas should be ingested. 1.5kg is quite a large amount, I think?


                A close-up of one of the scrapped tyres I got the car with. Probably around 20 years old!


                The plan for the nearest future is to get a working battery for the car, and find a replacement for the backseat. I friend of mine is running a small yard, and we are going to try a few beige seats from EU cars tomorrow. This is quite important as I need to have the rear seat complete with belts if I want to have the car registered for 5 passengers, not just 2.

                Comment


                  #23
                  Hmm. We really need to find you a seat back. I would think you can make one of of a sedan with a fair amount of custom work but having the real thing would certainly make life easier.

                  Can't tell too much from your door sticker. I see that it was originally ordered for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania district. 3.08 open rear axle ratio. The exterior color is on the part that's disappeared.

                  As far as original color, the buildsheet has it if you can read it. Look at the top right above the box that says "seats". There is an H there and something else. EH or 2H would be the medium Cabernet (dark red/maroon). AH would be the pastel alabaster (light tan).
                  1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
                  1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

                  GMN Box Panther History
                  Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
                  Box Panther Production Numbers

                  Comment


                    #24
                    With you finding the white color ever where I would say the car was white from birth. Factory did not add any protective sprays anywhere.
                    ~David~

                    My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
                    My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

                    Originally posted by ootdega
                    My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

                    Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
                    But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

                    Originally posted by gadget73
                    my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




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                      #25
                      That one pic with your wagon cleared out makes it look as if you're getting ready to put out some serious decibels LOL

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
                        Hmm. We really need to find you a seat back. I would think you can make one of of a sedan with a fair amount of custom work but having the real thing would certainly make life easier.
                        No matter how I do appreciate your kind offer of helping me, I am afraid that getting one from the US might not work at all at the moment. As far as I am concerned, the price for the shipping solely would be around 500 dollars, which is kinda high, I guess? The sedan one could be an idea, but panther sedans are even less popular in Europe.
                        An idea we got with a friend is to search German offers, as he has a couple of friends there and someone could pick it up, and arrange sending (price would be around 100 dollars, I guess - getting the Lakeside reed organs from Leiden to Kraków was around that price). If only I were travelling to the Netherlands as I used to, that could also be an option.

                        Originally posted by Tiggie View Post
                        Can't tell too much from your door sticker. I see that it was originally ordered for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania district. 3.08 open rear axle ratio. The exterior color is on the part that's disappeared.

                        As far as original color, the buildsheet has it if you can read it. Look at the top right above the box that says "seats". There is an H there and something else. EH or 2H would be the medium Cabernet (dark red/maroon). AH would be the pastel alabaster (light tan).
                        Thanks! I managed to scan the buildsheet today:

                        I presume it is listed as AH - so pastel alabaster, like this: http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/for...-original.html ? That was certainly a beautiful car once. The interior steel panels, like that of the cargo compartment, are beige, so that would fit...


                        Originally posted by 87gtVIC View Post
                        With you finding the white color ever where I would say the car was white from birth. Factory did not add any protective sprays anywhere.
                        Maybe the body went through a more extensive coating then? Placing a white underpaint, conserving, magenta colour, and then the final black one? Still looks weird to me...

                        Originally posted by packman View Post
                        That one pic with your wagon cleared out makes it look as if you're getting ready to put out some serious decibels LOL
                        Well, that would be a solution to the backseat problem

                        In the meantime, checked a couple of rear seats today. The ones from Passat and Volvo 850 do not fit well, they are too narrow, same for V40, BUT! The one from Lancia Lybra looks moreover the right size, and he just measured the last one, light beige, leather, from Volvo S60, and this one should be moreover the needed width. It is not a perfect one, but the price is around 10 dollars... so I can give it a try. As a temporary seat, it could be a good starter.
                        Also, there are a few stretch towncars for parts, but their seats are expensive, and black. So they wouldn't look much better than the one from Volvo...

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Originally posted by bnw View Post
                          Thanks! I managed to scan the buildsheet today:

                          I presume it is listed as AH - so pastel alabaster, like this: http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/for...-original.html ? That was certainly a beautiful car once. The interior steel panels, like that of the cargo compartment, are beige, so that would fit...
                          I think so. The cargo area in both of mine are body color. So that buried cargo area is probably original exterior paint.
                          1990 Country Squire - weekend cruiser, next project
                          1988 Crown Vic LTD Wagon - waiting in the wings

                          GMN Box Panther History
                          Box Panther Horsepower and Torque Ratings
                          Box Panther Production Numbers

                          Comment


                            #28
                            +1, cargo area sports the original color.
                            I really like that color combo on a wagon, but I'm also a bit partial since that's the color my '88 Country Squire was.
                            Vic

                            ~ 1989 MGM LS Colony Park - Large Marge
                            ~ 1998 MGM LS - new DD
                            ~ 1991 MGM LS "The Scab"
                            ~ 1991 MGM GS "The Ice Car"

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                              #29
                              So, did a few things today, and the results are nice. I drove to my friends house today, and picked up the seats. He prepared two of them: chamois leather, beige, from a Lybra estate, and leather, light beige, from a Volvo S60. I decided to test them both. First, Lybra:






                              Pros:
                              -> good colour match;
                              -> "baroque" style that moreover fits the CV;
                              -> similar shape of headrests.

                              Cons:
                              -> different seat mounting points;
                              -> large, black plastic covers of backrest mounting points;
                              -> pre-installed belt sockets so I would need to find Lybra belts;
                              -> a bit too narrow;
                              -> does not fit the doors/floor well.

                              Therefore, I decided to not unpack them at all, and test the S60 ones:









                              Pros:
                              -> seat nearly the same size, fits well;
                              -> relatively good width;
                              -> cover panels seem to fit surprisingly well with door armrests;
                              -> they are from a sedan, so they operate in similar manner, eg. the seat remains in position, while the backrest is folded down.

                              Cons:
                              -> colour mismatch, beige is too light;
                              -> different headrests;
                              -> different style than the front seats.

                              Nevertheless, I decided to go for them. Getting a proper replacement is not possible atm, and I want to do some progress on the car. I am thinking of doing a slight repaint of the seats, and maybe figuring out a different set of headrests, so they match the front seats. On the other hand, there is a number of CVs/MGMs with TC seats, so... Let's see.

                              The next step is to fill the AC with R-gas, as it turned out to be hole-free. Also, the mechs are going to do the last inspection of the underbelly: if the car passes it, it will receive the protective coating, and the exhaust will be refitted soon. That + interior cleaning, painting, and seat installation + emblems should be enough to start the registration process.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Wagons never came with headrests on the rear seats. You should just do away with them. WagonMan
                                89 Colony Park
                                90 Colony Park
                                70 HEMI Daytona Convertible

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