98 Ford E-350 Ambulance Conversion

Hey all. I joined recently at the recommendation of Austin Cabot who's undertaking a similar conversion, and have been creepin hard to soak up info. I live in Charlotte, NC, work full-time, have 3 kids (twin girls, 7, and an 11-year-old son), and undertake various home improvement and car projects. I'm an active High Performance Driving Event (HPDE) coach and am working currently on an '04 base model Corvette. As the Vette gets more track/safety oriented it will become less ideal to drive it to and from the track with my 4x6 trailer. So the ambulance build is primarily for towing and sleeping in the paddock but will also be a base camp and/or camping vehicle for outdoor adventures with the family. While I've owned and tracked lots of different cars, I'm pretty new to vans and the community, so if I say something dumb I apologize in advance. :) I'll post build pics/info and questions if I'm unable to locate something here.

I found the ambo on CL 3 hours from here. The guy bought it from auction and had plans to convert it for camping with his son but had to drop the project since it sat awhile and he was starting to get threatening letters from his HOA that he'd get fined if he didn't move it. It has 470k on it but the 7.3L toorbo diesel everyone seems to prefer. Since it was a non-emergency ambulance it was highly *likely* it was well-maintained and didn't have anyone die in it. I used uShip to get it local and to a trusted diesel mechanic. He went through it thoroughly and replaced relatively basic things: both batteries, intake tube, glow plug relay, fuel filter, oil and filter, and a couple of other minor things. He noted it as being in surprisingly good shape for the age & mileage, that it made good power, and that the trans was "tight." Shew.

The relatively low cost of entry will allow me to address a couple of things soon including tires and suspension. Right now I'm leaning toward the heavier duty Moog CC880S coils and Bilstein 33-187563 front and 33-176840 rear. I haven't weighed the ambulance yet so that may be in order but these seem to be relatively OTS parts for what I need. I'm undecided on tires as it needs a front set at minimum, but need load range E1/2, 16", and will probably choose width based on tire and load rating. Any suggestions are welcome.

Past the basic stuff, I'm cleaning up the inside and removing most of the ambulatory decals. I'm also working on a flood light solution using 12-LED Cree floodlights.
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Renntag

Adventurer
Nice project.
Who do you run hpde with?
Assume at VIR since its so close.

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Renntag

Adventurer
I used to race with NASA, now primarily working with TrackDaze.

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hogasm

Observer
Have you addressed the Mc Coy Miller wiring yet?
I have the wiring harness diagrams if you re interested
 
Have you addressed the Mc Coy Miller wiring yet?
I have the wiring harness diagrams if you re interested
No but that's soon and I'll definitely take you up on that. I need to figure out how to get the 115VAC working in the back among a few other small issues.
 
I'm at the point I could use a little help. Have any of you guys seen an ambulance like mine with a 2" lift? If so, what parts were sourced?

I'd prefer a 4" lift but the primary purpose is to tow so I'd prefer to limit the lift to 2".

TIA,
Andy
 
Hey NC'er I'm up the road from you (Elkin), glad you chimed in with your project......mine is a McCoy Milller also, but a 4x4 class 3 ambo.

My wiring has all the names on it (parking lights say parking lights, ground says ground) but I did a full gut rewired myself. Almost ready to cut a hole in my roof for my ac.
 
Hey NC'er I'm up the road from you (Elkin), glad you chimed in with your project......mine is a McCoy Milller also, but a 4x4 class 3 ambo.
Nice! I'm just south of the NC/SC border. I saw your rear AC/heat thread and it's definitely relevant to my interests. Having to run the ambo to get AC/heat may not be the best for me.

My wiring has all the names on it (parking lights say parking lights, ground says ground) but I did a full gut rewired myself. Almost ready to cut a hole in my roof for my ac.
Where did you find the names? I have diagrams but they're only 75-80% accurate for my model.
 

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