**I'm listing this to give a heads up to anyone searching for one. Weather and my schedule hasn't given me the time to take some recent pics. I should have them up soon**
Located in Portland, Oregon
Well... I'm putting the lunch box up for sale and hoping someone will take it on the expedition adventure it needs to go on. Recent life changes have me not being able to drive this to S. America anytime soon. You've heard of #vanlife, but #ambovanlife is next level...
I've owned it for 3 years and had a lot of fun with it. I bought this from a neighbor, who bought it from a fire department in the Medford area. Prior to that it was owned by Mercy Flights. As far as I know it's spent it's whole life in Oregon, and most of that in the dryer, Southern Oregon area. What's good about all this is that the relatively low miles on this unit aren't all short & fast city trips. I disconnected the hour meter at 170k/7000 hours because it got a bit noisy. Ford rates diesel idle hours to equal about 25 miles/hour. So this is right at that average. The higher the # the more highway driving. There are lots of ambos out there with low miles but 10000+ hours, so you know they were parked and just idling away at events, etc.
The basics:
-1997 Ford E350 Cutaway w/ 138" Wheelbase & Single rear wheels. 4.10 rear axle with limited-slip
-7.3 Liter POWER STROKE TURBO DIESEL motor. Runs great, no smoke at cold startup, no issues I know of.
-Horton Emergency Vehicles Mini Module "Minimod" rear box. This box is a bit narrower than the usual ambo, so it'll fit down those narrow dirt roads that much better. Body exterior is 84" wide, 145" long, interior height is 64"
-GVWR over 8500lbs, so DEQ-exempt in PDX metro area. Pre-1998 and GVWR under 14k for all you California buyers, so emissions exempt.
Details:
-Dual Airbags
-Power Locks
-Power Windows
-Anti-Lock Brakes
-Power Brakes
-Power Steering
-Air Conditioning
-Cruise Control
-Auto idle-up for diesel engine through Ford controller to handle power needs.
-IPD sway bars front & rear.
-Rear airbag helper springs w/ valves on either side of body.
-E40D auto transmission shifts smoothly. It came factory wired to default to "OD off" to extend it's life. Somewhere on the trans I saw a faded rebuild sticker, but I know nothing of the timing/history of that. I can only assume it had the trans. swapped at some point.
-Red lenses swapped for hard to find, and expensive, clear lenses.
-Side/rear scene lights will light up any campground. Emergency lights disconnected, but should work if reconnected. PA and siren work great.
-Stock ambo interior. No half-assed gut or rebuild. Horton is a top ambo builder, the fit & finish is great. All aluminum, welded and powdercoated metal construction. SUPER strong and sturdy. Every time I thought about changing it, I didn't.
-100W(?) Solar panel on roof keeps the two large batteries topped up. There's room for many more panels up there.
-1000 Watt Vanner Inverter powers internal 110V plugs.
-Battery Charger that runs when unit is plugged in
-Shore power connections for Block Heater/Battery Charger and Interior 110V Outlets/110V Heater
-Digital readout on control panel that shows charging status, battery voltage, amp usage, etc.
-Small sink installed, w/ hand pump and 5 gallon clean & dirty water jugs.
-Bench converts to fold-down queen sized bed.
-Motorcycle ramp included (Steel, not the 2x6 in the pic. I was in a hurry that day...) This makes a great moto van. Bed is sized to allow moto inside and single person to sleep.
-Small pop up Ventline Vanair fan installed in roof.
-Paint is in decent shape for being 20+ years old. The roof of the ambo had the usual late-90s Ford peeling paint problem in spots. I sanded, primed and painted those areas. The box has some chips from previous agencies' removal of vinyl decals/lettering. They always rush and gouge the paint. I'd been planning on repainting the roof of the box and the cab with some kind of RV heat-reflective roof paint, or just having the whole rig re-sprayed.
Maintenance:
I've got a pile of receipts going back ~10 years. Nothing too major in there, mainly routine maintenance. Fuel pump replaced 2011, CPS recall done, siren fixed... PO had the water pump replaced in 2014.
In the time I've owned it the following work has been done:
-Had a local Power Stroke shop check it out & they said it was in great shape. It had the usual tiny oil leaks/seeps, etc. but nothing to worry about. Vehicle does not burn/leak/drip any fluids.
-Oil, Air, & Fuel filter changes as needed
-Rebuilt rear axle & Limited Slip clutch pack. New fluid & additive (6/15)
-4 BFG All Terrain T/A KO2 Load range E tires & stems. I kept the best, old tire as a spare. It's mounted in the driver's side compartment. (6/15)
-Had the 215 amp Mitsubishi Alternator rebuilt at Auto Battery Electric on Hawthorne. Stout. Weighs ~35lbs... (4/16)
-Disconnected/Cleaned/Reattached all body/frame/engine grounds. About a dozen. (4/16)
-New radiator, hoses, flush & fluids (6/16)
-New Upper/Lower Ball joints, new outer TRE, front rotors machined, new front L&R calipers/pads, rear brakes adjusted, front wheel bearings repacked, tires rotated, wheel alignment. (8/17)
-New brake master cylinder & remanuf. booster (8/17)
-AC system troubleshooting/parts replaced, and AC now working! (8/17)
I had a lot of plans for changes to make to this rig, I'll gladly share those with the buyer. The next item on the list was to remove the wall behind the pass. seat and add a swivel to the seat. That one change opens up the interior a ton and adds a lot of usability. There are some build threads online with the same ambo from the same manufacturer that will give you an infinite amount of ideas. Obviously the 4WD conversion would be amazing...
I've managed to find digital copies of the original build sheet, owners manual, etc. I'll gladly share all this with the buyer.
CA buyers, fly in to Portland, ride the MAX train on over, and drive this home.
I'm sure I've missed something, so feel free to email with any questions related to your purchasing this ambo. Price is what it is, I'm open to offers, but how many other mini mods do you see for sale? Yeah, they're a rare bird. I really don't want to part with this rig, it's a keeper that'll last just about forever.
Possible trade for the right AWD Chevy Express or GMC Savana Van.
WAY cooler than any Sprinter, Transit, Delica, TownAce, HiAce, etc.
Located in Portland, Oregon
Well... I'm putting the lunch box up for sale and hoping someone will take it on the expedition adventure it needs to go on. Recent life changes have me not being able to drive this to S. America anytime soon. You've heard of #vanlife, but #ambovanlife is next level...
I've owned it for 3 years and had a lot of fun with it. I bought this from a neighbor, who bought it from a fire department in the Medford area. Prior to that it was owned by Mercy Flights. As far as I know it's spent it's whole life in Oregon, and most of that in the dryer, Southern Oregon area. What's good about all this is that the relatively low miles on this unit aren't all short & fast city trips. I disconnected the hour meter at 170k/7000 hours because it got a bit noisy. Ford rates diesel idle hours to equal about 25 miles/hour. So this is right at that average. The higher the # the more highway driving. There are lots of ambos out there with low miles but 10000+ hours, so you know they were parked and just idling away at events, etc.
The basics:
-1997 Ford E350 Cutaway w/ 138" Wheelbase & Single rear wheels. 4.10 rear axle with limited-slip
-7.3 Liter POWER STROKE TURBO DIESEL motor. Runs great, no smoke at cold startup, no issues I know of.
-Horton Emergency Vehicles Mini Module "Minimod" rear box. This box is a bit narrower than the usual ambo, so it'll fit down those narrow dirt roads that much better. Body exterior is 84" wide, 145" long, interior height is 64"
-GVWR over 8500lbs, so DEQ-exempt in PDX metro area. Pre-1998 and GVWR under 14k for all you California buyers, so emissions exempt.
Details:
-Dual Airbags
-Power Locks
-Power Windows
-Anti-Lock Brakes
-Power Brakes
-Power Steering
-Air Conditioning
-Cruise Control
-Auto idle-up for diesel engine through Ford controller to handle power needs.
-IPD sway bars front & rear.
-Rear airbag helper springs w/ valves on either side of body.
-E40D auto transmission shifts smoothly. It came factory wired to default to "OD off" to extend it's life. Somewhere on the trans I saw a faded rebuild sticker, but I know nothing of the timing/history of that. I can only assume it had the trans. swapped at some point.
-Red lenses swapped for hard to find, and expensive, clear lenses.
-Side/rear scene lights will light up any campground. Emergency lights disconnected, but should work if reconnected. PA and siren work great.
-Stock ambo interior. No half-assed gut or rebuild. Horton is a top ambo builder, the fit & finish is great. All aluminum, welded and powdercoated metal construction. SUPER strong and sturdy. Every time I thought about changing it, I didn't.
-100W(?) Solar panel on roof keeps the two large batteries topped up. There's room for many more panels up there.
-1000 Watt Vanner Inverter powers internal 110V plugs.
-Battery Charger that runs when unit is plugged in
-Shore power connections for Block Heater/Battery Charger and Interior 110V Outlets/110V Heater
-Digital readout on control panel that shows charging status, battery voltage, amp usage, etc.
-Small sink installed, w/ hand pump and 5 gallon clean & dirty water jugs.
-Bench converts to fold-down queen sized bed.
-Motorcycle ramp included (Steel, not the 2x6 in the pic. I was in a hurry that day...) This makes a great moto van. Bed is sized to allow moto inside and single person to sleep.
-Small pop up Ventline Vanair fan installed in roof.
-Paint is in decent shape for being 20+ years old. The roof of the ambo had the usual late-90s Ford peeling paint problem in spots. I sanded, primed and painted those areas. The box has some chips from previous agencies' removal of vinyl decals/lettering. They always rush and gouge the paint. I'd been planning on repainting the roof of the box and the cab with some kind of RV heat-reflective roof paint, or just having the whole rig re-sprayed.
Maintenance:
I've got a pile of receipts going back ~10 years. Nothing too major in there, mainly routine maintenance. Fuel pump replaced 2011, CPS recall done, siren fixed... PO had the water pump replaced in 2014.
In the time I've owned it the following work has been done:
-Had a local Power Stroke shop check it out & they said it was in great shape. It had the usual tiny oil leaks/seeps, etc. but nothing to worry about. Vehicle does not burn/leak/drip any fluids.
-Oil, Air, & Fuel filter changes as needed
-Rebuilt rear axle & Limited Slip clutch pack. New fluid & additive (6/15)
-4 BFG All Terrain T/A KO2 Load range E tires & stems. I kept the best, old tire as a spare. It's mounted in the driver's side compartment. (6/15)
-Had the 215 amp Mitsubishi Alternator rebuilt at Auto Battery Electric on Hawthorne. Stout. Weighs ~35lbs... (4/16)
-Disconnected/Cleaned/Reattached all body/frame/engine grounds. About a dozen. (4/16)
-New radiator, hoses, flush & fluids (6/16)
-New Upper/Lower Ball joints, new outer TRE, front rotors machined, new front L&R calipers/pads, rear brakes adjusted, front wheel bearings repacked, tires rotated, wheel alignment. (8/17)
-New brake master cylinder & remanuf. booster (8/17)
-AC system troubleshooting/parts replaced, and AC now working! (8/17)
I had a lot of plans for changes to make to this rig, I'll gladly share those with the buyer. The next item on the list was to remove the wall behind the pass. seat and add a swivel to the seat. That one change opens up the interior a ton and adds a lot of usability. There are some build threads online with the same ambo from the same manufacturer that will give you an infinite amount of ideas. Obviously the 4WD conversion would be amazing...
I've managed to find digital copies of the original build sheet, owners manual, etc. I'll gladly share all this with the buyer.
CA buyers, fly in to Portland, ride the MAX train on over, and drive this home.
I'm sure I've missed something, so feel free to email with any questions related to your purchasing this ambo. Price is what it is, I'm open to offers, but how many other mini mods do you see for sale? Yeah, they're a rare bird. I really don't want to part with this rig, it's a keeper that'll last just about forever.
Possible trade for the right AWD Chevy Express or GMC Savana Van.
WAY cooler than any Sprinter, Transit, Delica, TownAce, HiAce, etc.
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