2009 Chevy Medium Duty 4x4 Kodiak Ambulance conversion

[rlrenz]

I have a LOT more Hoseline data - as you get farther into it, let me know if you need more information. I had a chance to pull some photos together, and these may help:

Standard Heat/Cool thermostat


Digital thermostat with relay box - this will provide automatic switching between heating and cooling, plus adjust the fan speed as needed


Hoseline vacuum pump and valve. This opens the hot water valves when heating is called for

 

[Ozrockrat]

Also check and see if the engine fan is set to come on whenever the AC is on. Not sure about the GM stuff but on the other medium duty trucks the engine fans sucks about 15hp and makes a hell of a noise.

With Freightliner it is just a setting in the engine configuration.

Thanks I'll watch for that. How does one go about changing this if it's in the computer only. I'd also like to turn the idle shut down feature that was disabled by the previous owner. Is this all dealer only stuff?

Usually dealer only type stuff. I have never worked on the GM line of products so I cannot really offer granular advise on them. But on most of this stuff you would be amazed at the configuration offerings. Trouble is the more things you can change the more things you can stuff up. Like when my engine braking on service brake was turned on accidentally, took me a long time chasing problems with the engine brake switch and scratching my head because it was working perfectly before I chased back through the configuration to see the problem.

 

[Mattersnots]

I have a LOT more Hoseline data - as you get farther into it, let me know if you need more information. I had a chance to pull some photos together, and these may help:

Thanks again Bob. I knew I found the right guy. Do you know of an easy way to tell which way the flow is going near the ball valves and pump? Will there be an arrow on the pump maybe? You think it will be ok if I just tee in right before the ball valves?

 

[Ozrockrat]

If the pump is the same as mine the inlet comes straight into the end of the pump and the outlet comes off the side on a tangent. I will be pulling mine out later today and will try to get you a photo of what I am talking about.

 

[Mattersnots]

If the pump is the same as mine the inlet comes straight into the end of the pump and the outlet comes off the side on a tangent. I will be pulling mine out later today and will try to get you a photo of what I am talking about.

Thanks, I'd appreciate that. I did just realize though that it shouldn't matter which way the water circulates in my heater. I'll look and post if it's directional.

 

[Mattersnots]

Thanks, I'd appreciate that. I did just realize though that it shouldn't matter which way the water circulates in my heater. I'll look and post if it's directional.

Confirmed, not directional on the water heater.

 

[Mattersnots]

I had to put in a window. It's still a bit early for them but I wanted to see some visual progress and needed to see exactly where they would go for planning purposes.

Step one was to finish the light holes. The right way and hard way to do the windows is to fill and finish the light holes first then cut most of them right back out. Next step was to peel the insulation away. Yes I am going to keep this glass insulation. I'll fill the holes and put expanding foam where necessary then put a layer of pink xps on top of everything. Hopefully this will help battle all of the direct thermal transfer with the abundance of aluminum.

Before finishing the light holes and painting them.

The new supports welded back in.

From the outside with the light holes finished.

 

[Mattersnots]

I got a wild hair and attacked all of the light holes. Got them all cut, welded, and finished in two days. It's just spray can primer and paint because I'm not a body guy and I plan to paint the truck in the next couple of years anyway.

I came up with this medieval contraption to hold a steel plate flush with the wall outside. I could then hold the aluminum piece flush for welding inside the frame. This worked great because I could just feed the wire into the gap to weld. The aluminum wire didn't stick to the steel so it had to melt the two pieces together. I don't have the skill to fill an 1/8th inch gap in two pieces of 1/8th inch aluminum without carnage.

The welds aren't pretty but they are flush and made for easy sanding and little bondo.

I don't have much experience with bondo and was again surprised at how easy it is to work with. I used the glass infused type since there were a few 1/8th inch holes to plug. The bondo squeezes through the gaps and gathers on the back creating extra strength to hold the plug in. I also filled in the rear vent outlet. I was considering keeping this little 4" vent until research showed that this vent moves 90 cu feet of air and the maxxair moves 900.

Only 4 red lights away from ambulance to utility truck. Next body work project is to remove that horizontal window, fill the gap, then install a larger one above it.

 

[Mattersnots]

Tires and Wheels!!
These monsters arrived last week. First problem, how to unload a 225lb tire that is 10 feet off the ground.

So you think these tires will stick to the rocks? The ladder was at around 55 degrees and the tire wouldn't slide.

The tires are goodyear G275's in size 335/80-20. They are 40.5 inches tall and 13 wide. I was hoping to go with 37 or 38 inch tires but these were the smallest I could go and still have the weight rating. Wheels are double beadlock split rim 20 x 10.5 made by Stazworks. The offset should (better) allow for front to rear swapping and a track within an inch. I'm counting on ceramic beads for balancing which I really hope works. Wouldn't be surprised if I need more though.

And here's the teaser picture. I won't mount them for another month because I still have to pass a motor vehicle inspection to convert the title to an RV. I think it best not to give them any extra reason to squak.

 

[cjken]

Wow!!
It’s is going to be awesome!!!

Probably a good call holding off on the tires and rims till after the conversion inspection.

I have some centramatic disks that seem to help with the balancing.

 

[Ozrockrat]

I have some centramatic disks that seem to help with the balancing.

I used the centramatic disks on the front of the Yella truck and they seems to work well. Not sure about helping long term wear but they did help with front end vibration.

 

[eporter]

Looking great. I keep hoping one of these days someone will replace the lights with portlight style covers/hatches. They really do let some nice light in.

 

[rossvtaylor]

I used the centramatic disks on the front of the Yella truck and they seems to work well. Not sure about helping long term wear but they did help with front end vibration.

Did you get the 600-640 item number from them, for Ol' Yella?

 

[Ozrockrat]

Not sure of the number and Old Yella had 8 lug axles not like that fancy baby pray of yours

 

[charlieaarons]

Are your beadlock wheels going to have internal inserts so that you can run at low psi without de-beading? They may need to be custom made since you have picked an odd wheel width of 10.5", perhaps out of black
ABS. If you do that drill 2 x 1" holes thru the center of the beadlock 180 degrees opposing so air can get in and out.
I hope you contacted "diplostrat" re his experience with Stazwork wheels. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RCLRPT-17V486-6272.pdf
My experience with new 395/85R20 XZLs, Hutchinson alloy wheels and internal beadlocks is that no balancing was required, no vibration at any speed. You might luck out in that regard without add-on beads or balancing rings.
Good choice of tires but you might want to carry a 2nd spare mounted or unmounted since they aren't exactly common.