hey dr. chop, u havent responded 2 my emails or PM's so i thought ide post this , im intrested in buying that hearse still off my aunts boss, i was woundring if the rollers for the casket (the hole big thing) if it was bolt on or welded on? is it hard 2 take out? how hard would it be to get this thing light a nuff go go decently fast (i know its no dragster lol) also it comes with the stock 368 BB is there anyway i can get a nuff power out of this to smoke the wheels with out spending big bucks? i also just for kicks woundring how much u would charge 2 do a chop top on it , thanks

I've had some recent trouble with my Hotmail account, to where I could not access my Inbox for several days. I finally have it straightened out somewhat. Yours are not the only Emails I have to find time to answer.

My computer time is also going to be a bit more limited than it has been. With 3 kids in the family and 2 of them needing to use the box for homework stuff, I have to let them use it up until their bedtime.

I had a buddy of my Dad get a hold of him 2 days ago. Looking for me. He needs someone to turn wrenches for him, he does body/paint out of his garage,and some light mechanical also, and he was having a problem with the last guy he hired.

Needless to say, I now have an evening/weekend job, the money is well worth the lack of free time, that I'd otherwise spend either online or watching the boob tube...

The casket rack should be a bolt-in deal, but be prepared to spend a little time soaking the fasteners with PB B'laster or similar. Also, they are quite heavy, somewhere around 200 pounds or so, you'll need help getting it out. It's worthwhile NOT to mangle it up, the casket racks are worth a C-note or 2 for someone who is building a hearse back to fully operable condition. I would either E-bay it, or contact Grimrides hearse club and see if a member might want to buy it from you. Do a search on Google or so for 'hearse' and I'm sure Grimrides.com is not the only online hearse club. You might also check out the 'Dark Side of the Net' at www.darklinks.com and go to 'Hearse clubs' and find sites that do not show up quickly on a regular web search.

The 368 is a late-model dog of a Caddy motor, the only one worse than this is the 4100 aluminum block abortion.

The good news is that the 368 uses the same basic engine block casting as the earlier 425, 472, and 500 CID motors. This means you can simply unbolt the trans/torque converter, and the motor mounts, and a decent Caddy motor will drop right in place like it belongs there. Personally, I'd then rework the fuel system to use a stock mechanical pump/lines, and open up the fuel tank and remove the in-tank pump. You can connect a 8"-9" length of 3/8" rubber fuel hose to the stock sender pipe, and let the end sit at the bottom of the tank. Keep the existing filter setup for the fuel injection, those filters take a long time to get plugged up, much better than most aftermarket filters that are smaller. I would put a fresh filter on though...

Clip the fuel pump electrical wires off flush with the pass-thru fitting on the sending unit, tank side. You don't need a 12 volt wire running into the tank with a stock mechanical pump. If the wires are cut off flush, they should be just fine in the tank. Don't cut the sender wire, and make sure the sending unit has a good ground so the gauge stays accurate.


Whack the roof down? Have'nt thought that much about it. Could probably do it in a weekend, minus the glass cutting and finish bodywork/paint, for little more than the cost of materials, I think it'd be pretty fun. The guy I'm working for now after hours is a hell of a good painter, if you'll be wanting to get that done as well, I don't know the shape of the car body of course, or whether it needs any rust/dent repair. The actual metalwork is pretty straightforward. Bear in mind I don't do this for a living, mostly for fun, so if you're expecting a business-like quote i cannot give you one. Does'nt mean I'm not interested though. Mostly a matter of finding some free time to whip it out.

Whereabouts in Michigan are you? I'm in Valparaiso, about 12 miles inland of the southern-most tip of Lake Michigan. Ever been to K-zoo Nats? I missed this years, but have been to the 2 previous...I hang out/BBQ with my RRT (www.roddingroundtable.com)buddies, I'm the one with the 55 gallon oil-drum barbecue.

I also make it a habit to attend the Indy Goodguys show every year, even if just as a spectator. The free drag racing all weekend is worth the $$ for entry.

Again, sorry about the delayed response. It was not intentional...

Doc

hey, i understand ive had trouble with hotmail too , also im not 2 sure about a chop top sounds real expensive for custom glass also my dad will be painting it , well me and him anyway. i just wanted some pointers befor i decided 2 buy it , im gonna call him 2marro and ask him if hes ready 2 sell if he feeds me bull ill just drop it and get somthin eles but a caddy 500 is my dream moter so im still gonna try and get one of them , i think a hearse would be a kool cruser, lots of room for subs and everything eles lol also the only things that need fixed i could see is it needs new key (they dont have it) and the passenger door has about a 5 inch hole in it that i would repair for now and replace later, will reg caddlac parts say if its a fleetwood will a fleetwood door off a reg caddy fit it? i have alot of qestions so sorry lol , also what u think this would be like (dream list)

black w/flames

backend jacked up w/street mickys

below the window on the back door little tombstones and in blood drip letters "Dead Body Man"

ive never been there, ive been up by lake michigan befor, i ive by coldwater/battlecreek in a small town named sherwood.

dont bother replying he sold it

buy i would like to know if "rice" or fwd POS can actully be made 2 compete with chevells ect..? there are alot of fwd cars around me but not many RWD i dont like rice im more of a hotrodder low rider type guy , what ya think?... thanks

any car can be made to extremely fast. it just depends on how much money you have in your wallet. i hate rice just as much as anybody, but i dont really have a problem with FWD cars as long as there not a rice project. besides, reverse donuts are fun as hell in an FWD.

BTW: lowriders are almost as bad as rice.

Mike have you seen the Second POTW here? My '54 Ford is pretty much a lowriding sled. If you dig it that's cool, if not, that's OK too, just did'nt know if you saw it yet or not.

FWD cars can be made pretty quick, and are a lot of fun to boot. I had a stable off and on of about 30 VW Rabbits, with the occasional Scirocco or pickup tossed in for good measure. Rabbits are tough, you can beat hell out of them and not break stuff all that much. The CIS injected motors are easy enough to modify for more power, the 1.7 Liter motor that was in the Omni and Horizon was a VW water-pumper. VW also made diesels out of the same basic block casting as the common 1.6-1.8 L motors, with different head/pistons. The diesels are plenty tough and get good mileage, both for fuel economy and longevity. A couple of my Rabbit diesels had over 200k on them and still going strong.

You want fast? Get 2 Rabbits with identical 1.6 motors and 5-speeds, cut the entire front clip off of one, and graft the entire front powertrain and suspension up into the rear of the other one. 4WD burnouts are lots of fun with one in first and the other in reverse. Fry the tires till they pop...

Doc

Is that the Hurst Hairy Rabbit? I told a friend who totalled his Sonata V6 to get another one & do that to it, but he just looked at me funny.

DrChop, i like your car alot. i like almost any old car. i dont really hate low riders all that much. i was just trying to piss kenny off. he's my brother. lol.

i dont like rice atall really i would drether have a big caddy but cant find one of them eather..., right now im trying to look for trucks... like s-10's or ranger's