Ambo question

[rubberduck]

I have a question for the ambo guys that have gutted the interior. What did you do with the doors? Screw them shut and seal them? Weld them closed? We are about to rip out sections of our interior and are looking for ideas. Thanks

 

[Brewdiak]

if you're tearing out the boxes that make up the compartment, you can either leave the doors in place but functional / or leave them in place but disconnect the latches. For mine - I have one door that when opened it just shows the backside of the interior, one door that is half blocked but the bottom half is still a compartment (under the shower basin - the water drains into it and is then pumped over to the gray tank), and another compartment that has double doors where the inner door is no longer functional because the heater and hot h2o vent go through that door. on the 3rd door with the heater vents attached - I removed the paddle latch and patched it with a section of matching painted aluminum from where I cut out for a window (using 3M metal adhesive).

basically...whatever works for you - welding/body work is obviously the cleanest way but a lot of work for sure! If you're worried about leaks etc but don't want to bother with making the doors disappear entirely you could disable them, then silicone the opening ... or pack the gap with some closed cell foam and put some heavy decals over them? just some ideas - but personally i'd just leave them locked but otherwise functional... you never know what you may do later that having the access will make easier

 

[The Punisher]

I left mine and over time I found that the outside cabinets come in handy and useful. Now where I’m going to put a shower/ bathroom that door will be lock and left alone, it’s aluminum and I’m not worried about rust or dust.

 

[The Punisher]

The door next to the cab

 

[rubberduck]

Sounds good. We are going with a rear bed to free up floor space. The two rear cabinets will be cut in half and the bed platform will go on top. Some day I'll start a thread. Thanks for the tips.

 

[rlrenz]

Instead of removing a compartment door, I prefer figuring out a way to reuse it as-is. If there's no chance it will ever be needed, remove the door & frame, then install a piece of 1/8" aluminum in its place. Using 3/16" aluminum pop rivets with 3M 5200 will definitely do the job (plus it's a great reason to buy an air operated riveter ). Epoxy adhesives are another option, but I prefer pop rivets since they hold the panels together tightly.

 

[patoz]

Personally, I would never permanently disable or remove the rear doors. If you are involved in an accident and roll that vehicle, it may land on the right side and block that door. I realize most of you have a pass-thru between the cab and the back, but that is not a guaranteed means of escape either, since it only goes into another part of the vehicle. All living quarters are required to have a least two exits for a reason. Since your vehicle is privately owned and as long as you don't hire it our, you don't have to meet those requirements, however a little common sense goes a long way here.

And what about if you want to upgrade or modify your interior, or even get to some of your systems for repair or replacement, access through the rear doors could be very helpful.

I would just close the rear doors and lock them, making sure they can be opened from the inside without having to use a key or any tools. I taught Vehicle Extrication for 30 years, and I have seen some weird stuff in my career in the Fire Department, so I know how easy entrapment can occur..

 

[rubberduck]

Personally, I would never permanently disable or remove the rear doors. If you are involved in an accident and roll that vehicle, it may land on the right side and block that door. I realize most of you have a pass-thru between the cab and the back, but that is not a guaranteed means of escape either, since it only goes into another part of the vehicle. All living quarters are required to have a least two exits for a reason. Since your vehicle is privately owned and as long as you don't hire it our, you don't have to meet those requirements, however a little common sense goes a long way here.

And what about if you want to upgrade or modify your interior, or even get to some of your systems for repair or replacement, access through the rear doors could be very helpful.

I would just close the rear doors and lock them, making sure they can be opened from the inside without having to use a key or any tools. I taught Vehicle Extrication for 30 years, and I have seen some weird stuff in my career in the Fire Department, so I know how easy entrapment can occur..

The rear doors will remain in place and fully functional. The side doors to the exterior compartments are what I'm asking about. I totally agree with having multiple exits.