dstone
Well-Known Member
I should probably stay off Facebook Marketplace for a while. I was thumbing through some listings and stumbled across a Cadillac hearse and thought, hmm, that would make a fun Ecto-1 tribute vehicle. I sent the listing to my dad and told him to talk me out of it (he didn't). We sent it to a family friend who specializes in car restorations and told him to talk us out of it (he brought his trailer over). So, after a fast and furious trip down to Houston and back, I'm now the proud owner of a 1963 Miller-Meteor Duplex.
The 63 still has many of the design cues from the 59 used in the films but has the added benefit of being easier on the wallet (well, as much as a 59-year-old project car can be). I briefly kicked around the idea of transplanting fins off a donor 59 Caddy but I really like the smaller, sharper fins that are on there. I also won't feel the need to track down all the hard-to-find screen accurate bits since this is a tribute; I'm approaching with the mindset of business is booming and the boys in grey need some additional support vehicles for other franchises and are using what they can find with minimal modifications to existing equipment. I think my end goal will be something similar to the Ecto-1B from the 2009 video game - the majority based off the Ecto-1 with a few graphics cues from the Ecto-1A and the addition of the slammer trap in the roof rack.
The vehicle has had a number of modifications done to it over the years. The interior had been somewhat redone, a sound system and monitors added in the back, original air conditioner removed, air suspension added, fuel tank replaced with a custom aluminum one, front end suspension/steering/etc replaced with a Ford (and disc brakes) and the engine swapped with a crate zz502. Rodents had chewed away most of the wiring under the hood and it supposedly hadn't run for around 10 years or so.
The next steps are to get the engine running again and go through the cooling and braking system to get it roadworthy. Then it's on to stripping off all the chrome parts to have them re-chromed and my body guy can start working on the sheet metal. I still need to source a replacement hood (the lip at the front has rotted out enough to where there's no way to latch the hood closed or attach the upper grill piece) and maybe a trim piece for the bottom of the rear driver-side door window (might be able to fabricate one from another trim piece I'll probably delete from the back). I'd also like to add in the rear windows but the odds of me finding the correct trim are very slim. This will be a very slow moving project due to the scale and financial requirements (classic car restoration + movie modification, plus the Jurassic Park Explorer conversions that are underway) but I'm super excited to see it take shape.
The 63 still has many of the design cues from the 59 used in the films but has the added benefit of being easier on the wallet (well, as much as a 59-year-old project car can be). I briefly kicked around the idea of transplanting fins off a donor 59 Caddy but I really like the smaller, sharper fins that are on there. I also won't feel the need to track down all the hard-to-find screen accurate bits since this is a tribute; I'm approaching with the mindset of business is booming and the boys in grey need some additional support vehicles for other franchises and are using what they can find with minimal modifications to existing equipment. I think my end goal will be something similar to the Ecto-1B from the 2009 video game - the majority based off the Ecto-1 with a few graphics cues from the Ecto-1A and the addition of the slammer trap in the roof rack.
The vehicle has had a number of modifications done to it over the years. The interior had been somewhat redone, a sound system and monitors added in the back, original air conditioner removed, air suspension added, fuel tank replaced with a custom aluminum one, front end suspension/steering/etc replaced with a Ford (and disc brakes) and the engine swapped with a crate zz502. Rodents had chewed away most of the wiring under the hood and it supposedly hadn't run for around 10 years or so.
The next steps are to get the engine running again and go through the cooling and braking system to get it roadworthy. Then it's on to stripping off all the chrome parts to have them re-chromed and my body guy can start working on the sheet metal. I still need to source a replacement hood (the lip at the front has rotted out enough to where there's no way to latch the hood closed or attach the upper grill piece) and maybe a trim piece for the bottom of the rear driver-side door window (might be able to fabricate one from another trim piece I'll probably delete from the back). I'd also like to add in the rear windows but the odds of me finding the correct trim are very slim. This will be a very slow moving project due to the scale and financial requirements (classic car restoration + movie modification, plus the Jurassic Park Explorer conversions that are underway) but I'm super excited to see it take shape.
