It's not really a wagon...

Discussion in 'The Welcome Wagon' started by wallawallabob, Jun 16, 2011.

  1. wallawallabob

    wallawallabob Active Member

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    But it used to be before it became a hearse!

    Greetings, all - Bob here. I have a 1990 Buick Estate Wagon Hearse under reconstruction. It is a long story, but I have a few pics..... I plan a very mild customization, mainly just painting the roof and padding the deck inside for hauling my string bass around.

    Mechanically she is really good (72K miles), with navy blue velour interior, white paint, spoke hubcaps. The vinyl top was leaking a bit when I got her so I tore it off and let the fun begin! I decided I would paint the fiberglass top white also, so I started prepping:

    First the removal of the vinyl, padding, and glue. The glue was a PITA, but 60 grit took it off eventually.

    The windshield ring had a rust hole about the size of a bean until I removed the really thin stuff to reveal a hole about 3/4in high by about 1.5in wide. I didn't want to take the interior out of the car to weld, so I JB welded the biggest chunk of steel I could get into the hole, then filled the hole with JB.

    At this point, I've got the screws mudded over, long-boarded the fixed areas, and I'm almost ready to paint. DSCN1335.jpg

    DSCN1331.jpg

    I'll post some more pics later. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a before pic!

    DSCN1327.jpg
     
  2. CapriceEstate

    CapriceEstate Yacht Captain

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    Welcome and best of luck on your resto!
     
  3. Jim 68cuda

    Jim 68cuda Well-Known Member

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    Welcome aboard. Looks like your bring that one back to life.
     
  4. tbirdsps

    tbirdsps New Member Charter Member

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    :Welcome: wallawallabob. Dang that's a long name. How about Bob?

    It looks like you removed that padded top just in time before any damage was done. It's pretty cool. Keep the posts coming as I don't think we've seen anyone restore a hearse. What I find interesting in a hearse is the interior floor. Most are well engineered and well crafted.:cheers:
     
  5. silverfox

    silverfox New Member

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    :Welcome:to the wagon train, Bob. It IS a wagon. It was just put to a specific use.:yup:
     
  6. wallawallabob

    wallawallabob Active Member

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    A few more pics

    Here are a few more of the initial top removal
     

    Attached Files:

  7. wallawallabob

    wallawallabob Active Member

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    Actually, there was a rusted out spot on the windshield ring, but other than that, no damage.
     
  8. Xavier

    Xavier Classic Goth

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    :welcomewagon: Welcome Bob! This place is great! Nice hearse... a good one in good condition needing only a little work is hard to find. :thumbs2: I love both wagons and hearses and I have found this place to be the greatest. I feel I must warn you that once you get a wagon/hearse your addicted and being here... welll there isn't a wagon/hearse owners anonymous.
     
  9. fannie

    fannie Well-Known Member

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    :tiphat: Hi WWB, great to have you aboard. Nice pics of your hearse. Good luck with the resto keep us up dated.:)
     
  10. 1tireman

    1tireman Well-Known Member

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    Welcome wallawalla!
     
  11. ModelT1

    ModelT1 Still Lost in the 50's

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    Wallawallabangbang

    :Welcome:wallawallabob---Or wally or bob. Glad to have you with us :clap: My wife lets me have many things I don't need. But never ever would she let me bring a hearse home. :idea: On the other hand, I haven't found one yet. I believe I could get by with it now at my age. Won't be long before she'll be needing one for me! But, I am in no hurry. :29: Good luck on fixin that one up.
     
  12. wallawallabob

    wallawallabob Active Member

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    Well, she thinks I'm a bit off my rocker and she hasn't gone for a ride in her yet, but I think after I get 'er all done she might warm up to the idea.:evilsmile:
     
  13. Fearlane 65

    Fearlane 65 New Member

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    Nothing like a "last ride" ! Nice to see another one being fixed up !
     
  14. J2H

    J2H New Member

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    I got a lead on a rough-ish hearse that needs tires and an ignition coil just miles from my home, but I am NOWHERE near mechanically saavy
     
  15. wallawallabob

    wallawallabob Active Member

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    Usually, hearses are not for the weak of heart. A third party takes a perfectly good vehicle and hacks it in half, extends it, and welds it back up again. The older hearses were extremely heavy, so the drive train that was designed for a car now pulls a vehicle that easily weighs as much as a modern pickup.

    Hearses are notorious for rusting out. Any vehicle covered in plastic that leaks will rust. People buy hearses because they think they will be fun (they are!) but mine is as long as my pickup - and most people don't have enough garage space to park that large of a car in, or if they do, they get tired of it stretching all the way from one end to the other, so they park it outside, sounding the death toll of most hearses.

    Working on the interior of a hearse (other than the front seat area) is a nightmare. For example, to get under the "table" in the back, the entire interior must be removed.

    In my opinion, these vehicles were never designed to be on the road for long, so rust preventing measures that could be done weren't. After all, the undertaker wouldn't be caught dead in a dated looking hearse......
     

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