Finally pulled the trigger on an Ecto project. 1971 oldsmobile high top ambulance. Story of the car goes it was originally in service is road island and much later on it found its way down to Florida where it was decorated as an Ecto and used as a rental for business advertisements. Then next guy bought it to restore back to its ambulance self and brought it back up to PA. He lost interest in the project, put it up for sale and now its mine.
Good part is he kept the rack and lighting. Although not movie accurate the rack is very well made from aluminum so ill keep it as is for now and correct some of the add-ons. Light bars were an awesome bonus as well, just have to locate blue lenses.
Shame that there was no ghost logos on the doors he pulled off. Really want to get them back on for re-release of movie but with my work schedule I won’t have time to get to a decal shop .
I love these kind of Ectos. Obviously the Ideal is the 59 Caddy but these kind of cars make good franchise Ectos. Looking forward to seeing progress pics and good luck to you.
Re-did the roof rack and got it partially assembled on the roof. Only thing I’m not sure i like is the positioning of it. Kinda feel like it should be forward more 6-8 inches. Im going by the holes that were already there. This current position also ties into existing roof bracing. Unsure if I should leave it as is with existing holes and bracing or move it forward, have to drill 8 more holes in the roof and figure out new bracing.
Why would the previous owner install the rack way back there? It doesn’t make any sense unless he could only find one light bar. I’d move it forward unless it’s more trouble than it’s worth.
there is factory roof bracing where its at now. If its moved up it wont be tied into it. I debating weather it worth drilling more holes in the roof and adding my own bracing or not
Finally got to work on it a bit more. Mechically fixed brakes sticking, swapped carb out to take care of some driveability issues.
The more I looked at the rack position on the roof, the more i hated it. I went ahead and moved it forward about 8 inches. Put some heat sinks on the front, tanks on both sides, rear light bar and got my blue sewer tube on the side. Finally looking like a real Ecto
Also picked up a gurney/stretcher to convert into a pack rack in the back
I threw some stainless bolts and silicone to fill existing old holes for now. The roof wanted to flex a bit without it being tied into the bracing so i ran two strips of steel across the inside to tie the mounting points to each other. May weld in some more to be a little stiffer.
My daughter’s High School prom is at the end of this school year - June 2015. I would like to know if she can make a grand entrance in your Ectomobile. It looks great!
Her two older btothers arrived at their Senior proms in the 1966 Batmobile and the Back to the Future Time Machine. The Ectomobile is the next logical step.
We live on Long Island, but also have a house in South Jersey, so we travel back and forth quite often. Let’s get together, via email or in person, to discuss specifics if possible.
