After seeing recent projects pop up here and certain comments regarding them, it got me wondering. What really makes an Ectomobile? Is a roof rack a prerequisite? What about blue lights? Surely if I slap on some no-ghost logos and caution tape I’ve made one right? What if my vehicle isn’t white? So, let’s use this thread to discuss what exactly is needed before we can call anything an “Ectomobile”.
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Completely subjective.
When looking for pictures of replicas spotted in the wild, I often come across pictures like this being labeled “Ghostbusters car.”
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To any one on the street? Literally out of the norm. And even if you bust your ■■■■■ trying to make a decent Ecto, you’ll still get people who hate it.
To us? Loads to consider: make/model, feasibility of said make/model, paint, decals, lights, roof rack.
To you? Well, how low are your standards?
Like boomer said, its subjective. I once saw a Honda Civic with nothing other than an off center spoiler and a license plate that read “Ecto-”… does that make it an ectomobile? To them, possibly. To me? Hell no.
If you make a Wrecto, and are proud of it; then what do others opinion’s matter? I would like it if people didn’t come here and post things with minimal effort and expect us all to love it… Asking for help? That’s something totally different. But if its a vanity thing, well, then gtfo. 
I’m mainly gearing this question towards us, the “in the know” crowd. While Boomer has a point about it being subjective…I think that more or less applies to the lay people. I believe that we can objectively quantify what must be present beore we can actually consider it an Ectomobile, which is why I started the thread.
I just want to say that Dodge ambulance looks awesome. The front bumper on it is insane. I love pedestrian-friendly bumpers like that 
From an automotive enthusiast standpoint, the only Ecto’s I consider worth doing are ones that look professional and would likely draw a crowd at a car show - to admire, not to criticize as being dorky or geeky. My personal favourites are obviously AZGB’s, Fifthrider’s, Sean’s, and Boomer’s, and I look forward to seeing the results of the boys on Ecto-1 Forum that are fortunate enough to have 59 MM’s and similar pro-cars.
To put it another way, you wouldn’t build a Time Machine out of anything but a DeLorean. You wouldn’t build a KITT replica using a Toyota. Why bother building an Ecto-1 unless you had a decent car to do it on? I know it’s an opinion not shared by most of you, but that’s how I see it.
Man. This is EXACTLY the conversation I wanted to have in the Ecto Archive threads.
Damn you, Loren. DAMN YOU AND CHISELED ARMY LOOKS.
I know a lot of you chuckleheads are going to use what I’m about to say as ammunition for claims that I am snooty, elitist, and that I look down my nose at all other Ectomobiles that haven’t felt the golden touch of Weird Al Yankovic. But that’s simply not true. There are cars that are not wagons that I love and there are cardboard Ectos that I would absolutely drive the shit out of, so you can take the whole “waaaah, Boomer hates every Ecto” attitude shove it up your ass. Just as a disclaimer for those incapable of understanding the last sentence, this is all just my perception. This isn’t a “law of the land” or standard that everyone else should have to meet. This is just the rule of thumb that I have followed with my most successful projects and, frankly, I’ve been very conservative with my projects stifled my own creativity in exchange for making something that appeals better to the average person. What I am saying is that there are creative liberties I have not taken out of fear of them falling flat on their face.
Anyway, the Denver guys and I talk about this all the time actually, and I think I launched into it at length in Sean’s backyard, but lemme see if I can articulate this.
From what I’ve observed, there are several things that you will find on almost all Ecto replicas these days, be they based on Cadillacs or Corollas.
1 - no-ghost logo
2 - emergency lighting
3 - hazard tape
4 - some sort of facsimile of the 59s red fins
5 - shit on top
These are all the “Universal” things, the ones that -once mounted to your car- will make anyone go “holy shit, it’s the Ghostbusters!” As I mentioned above, any kind of hearse or wagon-shaped car with lights on it will probably get someone shouting “Ghostbusters” or uploading a picture to twitpic with some Ghostbusters caption. Hell, Zach Helm’s end-of-the-world hearse gets people screaming “Ghostbusters” so much that, when he is riding around in my car, he forgets which one he is in and starts shouting obscenities at the offending passersby.
To me, there are several classes of “Ectomobiles.” Starting from the bottom and working our way up:
The Weekenders - “Holy ■■■■, there’s an 80s party this week/Halloween contest at work, let’s duct-tape some super soakers and vacuum hoses to the top of your Beetle, grab some coveralls, and go as ghostbusters!”
These are the guys at the bottom. They aren’t members of GBfans.com, they don’t have a prop den, they just know an iconic 80s movie when they see one. These are the normal guys.
The Themers - “We have this ramshackle rally/track night/parade coming up, what should do? I know! Everyone loves Ghostbusters!”
These guys are usually a little more dedicated. I think a Weekenders Ecto becomes a Themers Ecto when it gains the ability to play the song through some form of external system. These guys are either in regular vehicles (minivans, pickups) that are pulling a Ghostbusters float in a parade, or they are in $800 POS LeMons beaters, rallying across Europe - which is totally ■■■■■■■ awesome.
The Casual Fans - “It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough for me.”
Not accurate at all, but they have all the Universal items and can illicit the reactions. Usually removable, usually temporary, usually on a car that isn’t white.
The Insane Fans - “Yes, I do get my groceries in an Ecto-1.”
We’re the Lifers. We’re the guys who set out going, “I want this all to come on and off really easy” and end up going, “What happened to my warranty?” We’re the guys that shine our wheels before going out on Friday nights and know the lightbar laws of every adjacent state. We’re the guys that make people second-guess whether or not they just saw a production vehicle for GB3.
The Replica Builders of Val Halla- “I finally found the correct bolts for the license plate holder and the same steering fluid they used in the movie.”
Wait, maybe these are the Lifers. Probably. These are the guys living the dream -and nightmare- of owning and maintaining colossal classic cars identical to or from the same family as the original 1959 MM duplex. There may be some variations, but they are small. And they are made up for by the fact that their Ecto replicas are twenty-one pillow-biting feet long. These are the guys that secretly laugh at the rest of us, but are decent enough to put their hands on our shoulders and go, “no, no, I like yours, too.”
That’s how I see the “Ecto Pyramid.” There is nothing inherently wrong or bad about each level, these are just defining characteristics that I’ve noticed. This is how I classify them.
Wait, I forgot about the shriners. The shriners are the "bad level’ if there is one, and they constitute the bottom of the barrel. ■■■■■■■ SHRINERS.
So those are the types that exist, but I’ve always had a more refined view of “what makes an ecto replica an excellent one.”
1 - white
2 - wagon-shaped
3 - no-ghost logos
4 - emergency lights (at least 1 bar)
5 - white roof box with black frame
6 - two yellow tanks on the driver’s side
7 - one long yellow tank on the passenger side
8 - variations of the top greebles (red and white sonar “pill”, red sniffer tower, at least one antenna, a/c unit or other largish device
These are all things that I have found make the difference between people going “hey it’s the Ghostbusters” to “Holy SHIT you should have seen this thing, it looked exactly like the one in the movie!” These things are what most-vigorously invoke the memory of the original movie. Having a no-ghost on your door will identify you as Ghostbusters, but only by having the above items will you trigger an unstoppable avalanche of nostalgia in the mind of they person staring at your car. I didn’t include the red stripe because it can actually work against the look of a given car - very few non-59 Cadillacs look good as 59 Cadillacs, if you know what I mean. If done right, the red accent can make make your whole car into a Tour De Force of Ecto-Recollection, but it’s really hard to achieve. I’m still working the kinks out of mine. I also didn’t include caution striping because the original Ecto didn’t have any, so it shouldn’t be a pre-requisite, although it can be tastefully applied.
What I have found to be the most important aspect of what makes an Ecto an excellent Ecto is the quality of construction and the overall appearance of the car. The type of vehicle or logo variation aren’t nearly as important as having a vehicle that doesn’t lose any of it’s moxie up close.
“Does the roof box look like it’s made of metal?”
“Are those PVC parts painted so they don’t look like PVC?”
“Does the tank on the back made of trash cans look like it’s a tank, or does it look like it’s made out of trash cans?”
“Does the dish still have the DirecTV logo on it?”
“Is that a ■■■■■■■ Christmas tree stand?”
These are the things that make or break the illusion, sending your Ecto into the imaginations of people wondering if the ■■■■ on top really works, or whether your mother may have dropped you on your head… repeatedly.
Lastly, as I said before, this is ALL subjective. The reason I haven’t written up a giant post about “The Recipe For the Perfect Ectomobile” and stickied it at the top of the Ecto forum is because each person has their own idea of what makes the perfect Ectomobile. I’ve been successful (lucky is more like it) with my car, but it certainly isn’t the only road to go down. And, to end this tirade on a note of cheesey endearment, I want you all to know that the most influential thing in making a good or incredible car is not any of the stuff I mentioned above… It’s the nut behind the wheel.
Also: 
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Thanks Boomer. That is one hell of an article.
After reading your thoughts, I think I am between the level 3 and level 4 fan.
Basically between the Casual and Insane Fan.
I love going to the grocery store and getting things.
Thanks again Boomer.
Boomerjinks ladies and gentlemen, Boomerjinks. I can’t let you have **all** the Ectomobiles forum thunder though Kevin, I’m trying to make a name for myself around these parts too yuh know
Loren, the go-to middle man for dealing with Mexican car cartels, and finder of old ambulances for sale, hehe. You do your bit, mate.
Pssssh, whatever. It took a mere 10 seconds of you talking about finding parts for your MM before I realized that I was way out of my league at that moment.
If you posted only 10% of your knowledge, you’d be the goddamn KING around these parts.
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Does an Ecto absolutely have to be white? Granted some colors look ridiculous on an ectomobile, but if done correctly, whats wrong with a black paint job?
Yes. It absolutely has to be. Didn’t you read how many times I said exactly that in my big long post?
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Well thank you Rick and Kevin for those kind words. I’d love to share my depth of knoweldge with everyone, but I only get the good questions over on theecto1.com. Now as for what I think constitutes an Ecto…
To me there are many different subtle levels of Ecto. Kevin you hit the nail on the head with naming the major groups, but within those groups are subgroups based on the type of vehicle. Allow me to elaborate:
- Two wheeled vehicles (bikes, mopeds, motorcycles etc…) We’ve seen various methods of creating these. The overriding factor here is what can you do with what you have. How can a white and red paint scheme fit and blue lights with a logo and some caution tape fit the motif? Obviously you can’t put any sory of rack on, however you could get creative and make some sort of saddle bags or the like to take the place of a traditional rack. Also since these vehicles are smaller, white should be the color since it’s more easily painted. Most likely you can’t do much with this one, but be forewarned…
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Coupes-this is kind of tricky. You don’t have much roof to work with and chances are your lightbar(s) might take up too much room for a decent looking or even worthwhile one anyway. That gawd awful green mustang with the amber lightbar is a perfect example of Ectofail. With coupes EVERYTHING must be proportional. I feel that on coupes, complete roof racks are optional. So for that authentic Ecto roofrack look, you have to think outside the bun. Something to the effect of a makeshift sniffer and radome along with the tanks would be more than plenty, blue hoses are a NO NO!!! Unfortunately since these are cars, getting that white paint job is unlikely, which in the end winds up detracting from the overall effect.
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Sedans-okay, so we have a little bit more roof to work with, but again, things must be proportional or else it’ll look silly. TSACaptain’s car has, imo, achieved this look. However I have conflicting feelings about roofracks on coupes and sedans which brings me to one of the core issues of this thread. Is a roofrack completely necessary for a car to be considered an Ectomobile? To me, I feel that coupes or sedans shouldn’t be Ectofied because they don’t meet the original intent of the car, and that’s to be a crew and equipment hauler. Now, coupes and sedans could be used as “command” vehicles, or as first responder vehicles (the latter requiring some sort of equipment to make it appear capable of handling a response). See above regarding paint.
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Wagons and larger-this is where we step into a whole new realm of possibilities and standards. Bottom line up front, for the larger cars, at a minimum a blue lightbar or two, a roofrack, logos, white paint with some form of red (to me that is a must) stripe or two-tone effect complimenting the feature/body lines are a must for a wagon and larger to appropriately be called an Ectomobile. In terms of the roofrack, like Kevin said, two oxygen tanks and one long pvc pipe are musts. Most people like to use a radar dish, but I feel that should be only used when making a 1A-style rack. You’d also need some sort of dome or of similar shape sticking up in the air. NO LIGHTBARS USED AS SPOILERS!!! Parts inside and on top of the rack are builders taste specific but should at least pay homage to the original rack. Also let us not forget the blue hose, while this is not a deal breaker, a lack of hose to me constitutes lack of due dilligence. No sense in making an Ecto and omitting a rather glaring detail such as that. Same applies to the ladder.
I realize that is probably a different breakdown of how poeple would view things, but in summary, what you put on should be proportional and complimentary to the vehicle you’re trying to make an Ectomobile from. And EctoDeath, the answer to your question depends on how easily recognizeable (read “from a distance”) you want your car to be. Using your example of black, since the car was originally intended to be black, it’s possible that the end product would be sufficient.
I’m sorry Kevin, now because of you I can’t edit my thesis anymore!
So, Loren,
By your description and what you perception of what you feel is an Ecto, then mine doesn’t qualify.
I don’t have Blue Light bars, the tanks, tubes, the hose or the ladder on my vehicle.
I have a large container that I call my slime tank and I have other things I will add to make it a modular system for conventions and such.
I do fit the Ecto requirements for Dragon*Con that was listed for the parade.
So, I am at a loss on how my Ecto could fit in this community now.
I have always been proud to be part of GBFans, proud of promoting Charities and the positive image of Ghostbusters.
I drive my Ecto every chance I get and I always have the recognition that I hope my car would get when I built it.
I hope to continue my fun and still provide a positive image for GBFans and Ghostbusters.
Thanks for writing a great response.
Well, there are exceptions to every rule. I was actually thinking about yours while I was writing my response. Yours definitely meets enough criteria to meet the threshold of what an Ecto could be. I wouldn’t say yours isn’t an Ecto at all, despite not having the hose or the ladder, the intent is there. I would consider it more of a continuous WIP than a finished product. Like I said, the rack can be builder’s taste specific even though you don’t have the yellow tanks. Honestly, I like the green lights since you don’t see those hardly ever. You’ve dared to be different with your roofrack and because of that it doesn’t exactly fit into a nice niche that I’ve described. So, don’t worry…you have an Ecto
Wow, thanks for the kind words Loren.
The intent with the current top was for aerodynamics and travel purposes for carrying clothes and such to out of state conventions and leaving the back cargo room open for putting proton packs in it when I finally get them built.
I still have plans for a traditionally top when the resources come available.
Thank you again for the kind words and you’ll be seeing more stuff in the future. 
I see it the same, and A-team van is an old GMC van, a Time Machine is a Delorean, and Ecto is a 1959 MM (or close variant), anything completely different car is an imitation.
I can understand the tacky clip on tape on ectos for one off parties, then returning the car to normal, and the cars for demo derby’s etc, but the non 1959 MM’s that get made and driven as a daily driver car, or are permanently left like that, just don’t seem or feel right to me, I look at mini-vans, sedans etc and just feel embarrassed by them and for the them, there the things that should be done in fan art. I don’t mean to offend anyone by that but its how i feel about it, its just not to my taste, but its within people’s rights to make them and you don’t see me complaining about them or telling them not to, kudos to them if they can do it and be comfortable with it good on them
there is room for exceptions though, some Magnums (is it magnum’s?) look like nice modern updates and possibly like something you’d get as a modern update in GB3, and a suitable ecto variant