'Ghostbusters' Ecto-1 replica to get engine transplant: 'She will live again,' owner says

LANSING — A damaged "Ghostbusters" Ecto-1 replica car, one of the most well-known rides in the city, may return to the road as early as Monday, its owner said. 

Owner Aaron Aikman said Friday he's found an engine donor so his Ecto-1, a 1984 Cadillac Hearse, can undergo a transplant. 

"She will live again," Aikman said late Friday morning in a Facebook message. "...I have $175.00 worth of new parts for the engine to pick up today after work."

Aikman's Ecto-1 is one of the most recognizable vehicles in the Lansing region. It makes appearances at community events including parades and charity fundraisers.

Aikman's replica car broke down Saturday on Interstate 96 in Lansing after it made an appearance at the St. John's Mint Festival Parade. 

Ecto-1's engine overheated and caught on fire after the vehicle's cooling fan went out. 

Since Saturday's breakdown, Aikman, a CATA bus driver, has been tinkering with the engine of a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme he received free from a St. Johns resident. 

"The new engine is actually running," Aikman said. "I had to cobble it with new wiring."

Aikman said he will have to modify Ecto-1's exhaust system and engine mounts so it can accommodate the Cutlass Supreme's engine. 

Just getting the Cutlass Supreme from St. Johns to Aikman's Lansing home was a stressful undertaking. 

The car had been sitting in St. Johns resident Dave Burk's backyard for 10 years.

When Aikman went to go get it Sunday night, he and Burk had to clear an area around the car because trees had grown around it over the years. 

They also noticed the vehicle had four flat tires, so it took about four hours to get it on a trailer. 

Assuming Ecto-1's engine transplant is successful, Aikman said he's confident the vehicle resembling the one used in the "Ghostbusters" movies will make its next scheduled appearance in early September. 

"I will be busting my tail to get it done," Aikman said of the Ecto-1 repair work. 

A group Aikman is part of called Lansing Ghostbusters has plans to have Ecto-1 appear Sept. 7 at "A Festival of Oddities."

The event is described on Facebook as "a day-long celebration of all things weird and macabre in Michigan" and will be held at Lansing's Turner-Dodge House and Heritage Center, 100 E. North St. 

For more on the Lansing Ghostbusters group and its scheduled appearances with Ecto-1, visit facebook.com/pg/LansingGhostbusters/events. 

Aikman bought his 1984 Cadillac hearse for $1,500 in 2013 from an Alpena resident who acquired it from a funeral home in Missouri. 

He's spent about $3,000 to transform the vehicle into an Ecto-1 replica.

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal and Lansing native. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.

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