1987 Antique Buick Hearse, black with ghost flames

Buick LeSabre 1987 Description

When my boys entered middle school we got into Halloween in a big way. We converted the ground floor of our bank barn into a 6,000 square foot haunted barn. We built some amazing props, ooms and mazes. Every year we had amammothparty where the boys and their friends would put on a great show for several hundred of our our friends and neighbors. I bought this hearse for that event, nd to drive a little during October for fun. My boys are finishing high school and have a different concept of a mammoth party. Ihave driven it about 100 miles a year. The hearse has been fun, ut it needs a new home.
I bought this hearse on a whim from Heritage Coach in Philadelphia. It was November and we had just finished a great party. I was thinking about how to make next year better. I went on Ebay and Google looking for a used hearse. I wanted one from the 50's, ut they are really expensive. I wrote to several used hearse and limo dealers. That is how I found Heritage, nd they turned out to be really nice folks. It was the cheapest used hearse on their web site at $6000. I wrote them and said I was looking for a hearse for Halloween, ut my budget was $2-2.5 K max, r my wife would kill me. I asked them to let me know if they got something cheaper in,something in my price range. He wrote back and said I could have the grey Buick for $2.5 K. As he said, No one but a Halloween freak wants a greyBuickhearse. I know I can't sell it to a funeral home. Plus, t has a history that you will love."
The hearse was a trade from an Amityville NY funeral home which bought it new in 1987, nbsp;The business was namedsomething like "Brown Funeral Home", ut I had window signs made that say Amityville funeral, ust to emphasize the history. It still has the NY registration stickers on the windshield. I took a train to Philly and drove the hearse home to VA on the interstate. I stayed at 60 just to be cautious.
I had it repainted black with ghost gray flames on the front. The flames are a little more subtle than I wanted, ut they are still cool in the right light. It is far from a perfect paint job, ut from 10 feet it looks great. The vinyl roof had a couple of holes, hich the painter fixed with epoxy. They are onlynoticeable if you are very close. Some of the plastic trim parts are cracked.
I had about $1k work done on the engine, eat and AC to get it running better. I also had the breaks and parking break systemredone foranother $800. I don't drive this vehicle much, ut I value my life.
This is a Buick LaSaber which was modified to a hearse by Custom Coach.
I have done nothing to the interior. The door seals are all dry rotted. I bought a couple of new ones on Ebay for $30 to try out, ut I keep the Hearse in a garage, o water is not an issue, nd I have yet to install them. It is only outside a few days a year. They come with thevehicle. The cloth interior and carpet are in good shape. It is blue. It has power windows up front which work, lthough somewhat slow. Good heat and AC. The AM/FM radio sucks. If I was going to drive it more (which was my original plan) I would put a Crutchfield sound system in it.It has the original coffin platform in the back. This has a couple of broken parts, ut still looks really good. If you want to transport coffins you will need to fix it.The tires are in good shape.It has a good battery. When I park it at the end of the Halloween season I disconnect the positive terminal and attach a Northern Tools $16 solar trickle charger. In the summer I usually start it once or twice and drive it a little. It starts right up. During October I just park it and start it like a normal car. Never a problem.
I have a Bucky skeleton I put in the driver's seat on Halloween If you pay the buy it now price I will throw it in.