Sigma Safety
Member
Thought y'all might like this...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150978530768145.428833.205671633144&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150978530768145.428833.205671633144&type=3
Restored Cadillac ambulance
- Thread starter Sigma Safety
- Start date
Phoenix_Rising
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Sarge619
Member
plybeep68
Member
Steve0625
Member
Wailer said:
Actually, it is a '71. It's nearly identical to the first ambulance I ever worked in. And, I verified with some online resources to be sure that it really is a '71.
Wailer said:
I agree. The distinct sound of that doubletone siren along with the electronic are certainly attention-getters. We had a 77G doubletone like this one on an ambulance years ago that had been rebuilt. The builder put an oversized motor on the siren, it would really get up and "sing". It was loud enough that when we were coming through an intersection one night we got a report that the siren was vibrating the plate glass windows in a nearby movie theater.
I had a '71 Superior Cadillac ambulance that was very nice. It was equipped with triple beacons on the hightop and a center-mounted Q mounted on the lighted sign "hump" over the windshield, and it had twin 100-watt speakers on each side of the Q. The electronic siren was a Unity SiTron. Needless to say we had no problem getting through traffic.
British Columbia's Cliff Bergum had a nice '72 hightop Superior Cadillac ambulance which he recently sold here in the U.S. It had the lighted Model 78 doubletone on top flanked by CP100 speakers. I'm not sure which electronic siren it had.
I really miss the days of "real" ambulances!
Sigma Safety
Member
Skip Goulet said:
This guy is friends with Cliff. Cliff is about 2 hours north of me and we provided him a number of parts for his Q restorations. The guy that owns this particular ambulance is here in Victoria.
leftcoastmark said:
I would guess that you've seen that pretty blue and white Caddy that Cliff had. A few years ago I traded my EQ2 siren to him for a C5GB and a 888 light that Cliff had. I love the C series and he was pleased with the EQ2.
Wigwam700
Member
ERIC6913 said:
Good catch didn't notice until you mentioned it. They look like Stratolite clear domes. But they still look nice!! :yes: :yes:
Wigwam700 said:
I didn't get to look at the pix of this car when this thread was first posted, as the public computer I was using wouldn't let me on Facebook. Now I've gotten to see those domes. They appear to be some of the aftermarket domes that work with the 184s and Dietz 211s that the late John Dorgan sold. Where the original 184 domes are more squared, these have a bit of a rounded touch to them. Regardless, they don't effect how the lights work, and that the main thing if the ambulance was still in service, or at the light and sound show at a PCS/PCI meet.
You are correct Skip,
The clear Beacon domes are from the Late J Dorgan Jr. Although they are not period correct they are decent clear replacements! Bill also managed to purchase the correct base for his double tone siren.. I'm sure it has been installed already.
I accompanied Bill a couple years back when he picked up his 1973 M&M. I waited at the border crossing in his SUV as he walked into Washington State and about an hour or so later drove his "new" ride back into Canada. It was omaha orange and white. Yuck!
The current colour scheme and hand painted lettering is for "Metropolitan Ambulance" who operated for many years in Vancouver BC, Canada.
So, Mr Left Coast.. Have you asked FS when they are going to build a new and larger version of their old electromechanical "double tone" siren??
The clear Beacon domes are from the Late J Dorgan Jr. Although they are not period correct they are decent clear replacements! Bill also managed to purchase the correct base for his double tone siren.. I'm sure it has been installed already.
I accompanied Bill a couple years back when he picked up his 1973 M&M. I waited at the border crossing in his SUV as he walked into Washington State and about an hour or so later drove his "new" ride back into Canada. It was omaha orange and white. Yuck!
The current colour scheme and hand painted lettering is for "Metropolitan Ambulance" who operated for many years in Vancouver BC, Canada.
So, Mr Left Coast.. Have you asked FS when they are going to build a new and larger version of their old electromechanical "double tone" siren??
Luismariadarlene
Member
ful-vue
New Member
I wish I had some pictures of the Caddies from the first squad I ran with, back in 1977. High-top Miller-Meteors, with Ful-Vues at each corner (high roof in the rear, low in the front), a Power Light in the center of the roof, and a Mars light flanked by two siren speakers on the low roof in the front. From head-on, all lights were visible, so they made quite a show coming at you. (I remember the Mars lights would occasionally get stuck, and we would reach over and whack them with a clipboard to get the moving again.)
A lot like this, but with a Mars light where the Q is. And I don't remember us having Ful-Vues on the front of the raised roof or flashers faired on to the back:
A lot like this, but with a Mars light where the Q is. And I don't remember us having Ful-Vues on the front of the raised roof or flashers faired on to the back:
Luismariadarlene
Member
ful-vue said:I wish I had some pictures of the Caddies from the first squad I ran with, back in 1977. High-top Miller-Meteors, with Ful-Vues at each corner (high roof in the rear, low in the front), a Power Light in the center of the roof, and a Mars light flanked by two siren speakers on the low roof in the front. From head-on, all lights were visible, so they made quite a show coming at you. (I remember the Mars lights would occasionally get stuck, and we would reach over and whack them with a clipboard to get the moving again.)
A lot like this, but with a Mars light where the Q is. And I don't remember us having Ful-Vues on the front of the raised roof or flashers faired on to the back:
very nice pic
DavidDBlog
New Member
retchief721
Member
Luismariadarlene said:
Bet you haven't seen many of the big coaches down in the Valley, Luis! A friend of mine who had a big Hispanic funeral home in Lubbock also had funeral homes in Eagle Pass and Delrio. "In the day" he ran a fleet of Ford and Chevy station wagon ambulances, all a sort of chocolate-brown color.
ful-vue said:I wish I had some pictures of the Caddies from the first squad I ran with, back in 1977. High-top Miller-Meteors, with Ful-Vues at each corner (high roof in the rear, low in the front), a Power Light in the center of the roof, and a Mars light flanked by two siren speakers on the low roof in the front. From head-on, all lights were visible, so they made quite a show coming at you. (I remember the Mars lights would occasionally get stuck, and we would reach over and whack them with a clipboard to get the moving again.)
A lot like this, but with a Mars light where the Q is. And I don't remember us having Ful-Vues on the front of the raised roof or flashers faired on to the back:
Now this has got to be one of the most absolutely gorgeous Cadillac ambulances I've ever seen. My favorite is the '73 hightop Superior Caddie that Reeb Funeral Home in Toledo, Ohio, ran for some time. It's a gold color with the tiara band across the rear roof, with that section being a black vinyl. This unit had three red 184 beacons on the hightop, A Q mounted on top of the front "ambulance" sign, flanked by a pair of 888s, and two CP25 speakers between the front two 184s. And of course, the usual front/rear/side tunnel lights and a pair of red bumper lights. Nice!
I'm am really impressed by the six ful-vue lights on this rig! The first time I actually got to see ful-vues "in action" was in 1968 on a trip to Fall River, MA for my grandma's funeral. We were sitting in an Italian restaurant that overlooks the Taunton River, and the whole place is surrounded by windows. While sitting there I heard a Q and looked out. It was a '67 lowtop M-M ambulance with red ful-vues on all four corners and a red 184 center-rear, and a roof-mounted Q front-center. Ditto on the nice!
Marty1
Member
Now if I had that blue Miller-Meteor Lifeliner (or any post-1972 high top pro-car ambo) it would have a Smith & Wesson Magnum electronic siren hooked up to those dual CP25 speakers. That slow low-pitched 'wah wah wah' yelp would sound awesome with the mechanical Q siren grinding away.
Wailer said:
I agree! I'd like to see a video of that rig all lit up! You would've liked the '72 hightop Superior Caddie I had in Lubbock. It had a Q and a pair of TS100 speakers mounted above the ambulance sign. Up on the hightop were a pair of red 17s and a solid blue Dietz 211-WW. The speakers were powered by a Unity SiTron that was loud and had a reasonably slow wail rate and slowed yelp. It would've been nice if I had had one of the Vista or Sonic sirens that I eventually acquired on that rig. Both of them had very slow wail and yelps and hi-lo sounds that would rattle your brain!