Black Friday Ambo
- Thread starter flightcancled
- Start date
flightcancled
Explorer
Thanks! I was thinking of your and Tony's approach of rolling everything out and starting over as I was wrestling with the door. My way might be quicker to the finish line, but damn is it annoying trying to cut metal without burning up your interior!
I have no previous experience with diesel, but damn is this annoying to try and start in the winter! Is it really supposed to be this impossible!? I am going to have to sell a kidney for a diesel heater unit and use it for heat and to get the engine running for winter use.
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I have no previous experience with diesel, but damn is this annoying to try and start in the winter! Is it really supposed to be this impossible!? I am going to have to sell a kidney for a diesel heater unit and use it for heat and to get the engine running for winter use.
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flightcancled
Explorer
Not sure what I should be running for amps with the idle controller on. I would be eager to hear what others have for comparison.
Working on finishing up the walk- through. I have something cool planned. Once again saving what I pulled out saved me. Hopefully I will be finishing that tomorrow night.
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robert
Expedition Leader
Cool project; some random points:
I'm not sure where you are on your insulation project but I'd recommend putting vapor barrier in before you close the walls; there is a lot of moisture in respirations, non-electric heaters i.e. propane and especially if you do any cooking inside. The fiberglass will trap moisture and you can get rust and mold issues.
The holes on the top were for NMO antenna mounting; you can buy plugs made to fill the hole left after they are removed.
If you want to keep the fiberglass piece over the cab I'd just re-fiberglass it then cut the opening that you want.
Your ambulance should have come with a dual alternator package from the factory; I can't recall that year specifically, but some were mounted lower and weren't as obvious. There should be a decal under the hood or in the driver's side door that says, in effect, it's an ambulance package. At the time it was built I believe KKK specs still listed dual alternators. While there's a chance it didn't have one, it's more likely that it got taken out at some point. Hopefully the mounting bracket and wiring are still there.
Try cycling your glow plugs a couple of times when it's really cold, if that doesn't work check to make sure they're functional and don't need replacing. I'd look around under the hood and under it to see if you can't find the heater plug; every ambulance package I've seen had them standard.
Instead of a door in the walkthru I'd go with a heavy curtain that also blocks light- easier to use, takes up less space, lighter weight and easier to install.
Double check where your wiring in the box goes; most of the wiring was pretty standard by company and then options were ordered by the departments. Usually the doors will have a light and a buzzer in the cab to warn the driver when they aren't closed. During the time yours was built it wasn't uncommon to have a blue light above the pt (it supposedly calms nuts) so there may be additional separate wires that were never connected. If you had a picture of the switch panel I could probably give you more info although most come standard with extra blanks. Hopefully your inverter works; a lot of them seem to give up the ghost after a couple of years. The older heavy duty style are stupid heavy too so if it's mounted be careful if you remove it.
The vent on the back is usually for a powered exhaust fan to ventilate the back. No telling if any of that equipment is still there but there should also be a vent opening either over the pt. or possibly on the driver's side.
The black panel on the upper left (looking from the back doors) usually has the rear a/c system behind it and sometimes/usually the heater. There should be valves under the hood (2) or under the side of the cab or box (usually the passenger side) that you can open and close to allow heated coolant to the heater during cold weather.
If you're going to mount propane anyways, the Olympian Wave series is popular with a lot of the folks I used to camp with since they're quiet and efficient; most of them were using the Wave 3 in various VWs and other conversion vans. They're not great at altitude though so that may not work depending on where you ski.
I'm not sure where you are on your insulation project but I'd recommend putting vapor barrier in before you close the walls; there is a lot of moisture in respirations, non-electric heaters i.e. propane and especially if you do any cooking inside. The fiberglass will trap moisture and you can get rust and mold issues.
The holes on the top were for NMO antenna mounting; you can buy plugs made to fill the hole left after they are removed.
If you want to keep the fiberglass piece over the cab I'd just re-fiberglass it then cut the opening that you want.
Your ambulance should have come with a dual alternator package from the factory; I can't recall that year specifically, but some were mounted lower and weren't as obvious. There should be a decal under the hood or in the driver's side door that says, in effect, it's an ambulance package. At the time it was built I believe KKK specs still listed dual alternators. While there's a chance it didn't have one, it's more likely that it got taken out at some point. Hopefully the mounting bracket and wiring are still there.
Try cycling your glow plugs a couple of times when it's really cold, if that doesn't work check to make sure they're functional and don't need replacing. I'd look around under the hood and under it to see if you can't find the heater plug; every ambulance package I've seen had them standard.
Instead of a door in the walkthru I'd go with a heavy curtain that also blocks light- easier to use, takes up less space, lighter weight and easier to install.
Double check where your wiring in the box goes; most of the wiring was pretty standard by company and then options were ordered by the departments. Usually the doors will have a light and a buzzer in the cab to warn the driver when they aren't closed. During the time yours was built it wasn't uncommon to have a blue light above the pt (it supposedly calms nuts) so there may be additional separate wires that were never connected. If you had a picture of the switch panel I could probably give you more info although most come standard with extra blanks. Hopefully your inverter works; a lot of them seem to give up the ghost after a couple of years. The older heavy duty style are stupid heavy too so if it's mounted be careful if you remove it.
The vent on the back is usually for a powered exhaust fan to ventilate the back. No telling if any of that equipment is still there but there should also be a vent opening either over the pt. or possibly on the driver's side.
The black panel on the upper left (looking from the back doors) usually has the rear a/c system behind it and sometimes/usually the heater. There should be valves under the hood (2) or under the side of the cab or box (usually the passenger side) that you can open and close to allow heated coolant to the heater during cold weather.
If you're going to mount propane anyways, the Olympian Wave series is popular with a lot of the folks I used to camp with since they're quiet and efficient; most of them were using the Wave 3 in various VWs and other conversion vans. They're not great at altitude though so that may not work depending on where you ski.
flightcancled
Explorer
Already finished but It didn't come from the factory with any vapor barrier and I am not too worried about it given the number of holes left from removing stuff and no issues after 20 years.
I do glass and carbon fiber work and this is a lot more involved than that. I am missing too much to even make it worth the effort. Right now the lights would be shooting into the sky
I think the sticker said it is dual rigged with alternators. It would be a lot of effort for not much gain to remove one and doesn't really match with the rest of the sloppy gut work I have seen from the prep before the truck went into auction. I'm thinking maybe one is just dead.
The vent in the back is intact, it was just pushed inside when the vent was pulled off. I just need a new vent cover and I am in business.
So here is what I came up with to finish up the walk through. I wanted to make sure no one hurt themselves on the exposed metal edges. With that in mind I wrapped the carpet around on one side and used leftover metal trim to clean up the edge. For the top and drivers side I pulled apart the padded trim from the big cabinet that used to be wall mounted above the bed. I cut it down and re-wrapped the fabric to make it fit nice and snug.
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I do glass and carbon fiber work and this is a lot more involved than that. I am missing too much to even make it worth the effort. Right now the lights would be shooting into the sky
I think the sticker said it is dual rigged with alternators. It would be a lot of effort for not much gain to remove one and doesn't really match with the rest of the sloppy gut work I have seen from the prep before the truck went into auction. I'm thinking maybe one is just dead.
The vent in the back is intact, it was just pushed inside when the vent was pulled off. I just need a new vent cover and I am in business.
So here is what I came up with to finish up the walk through. I wanted to make sure no one hurt themselves on the exposed metal edges. With that in mind I wrapped the carpet around on one side and used leftover metal trim to clean up the edge. For the top and drivers side I pulled apart the padded trim from the big cabinet that used to be wall mounted above the bed. I cut it down and re-wrapped the fabric to make it fit nice and snug.
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flightcancled
Explorer
flightcancled
Explorer
Besides I am going to have to sell a kidney for one?
My thoughts are that a cabin air heater is cheaper and an easy option for tapping into our existing systems. Find the (mandatory) exhaust vent and use the outlet as an inlet and visa-versa. Done!
Whereas the coolant heater means a bit more engineering. Also, as I see it, more power draw because you will need to power the coolant heater, the electric blower system and thermostat. Also I can't help but wonder how the thing won't loose all the heat straight out of the lines themselves running to the block. I think that's why you see control units that let you heat the block or just the cabin system.
Ultimately until I have it registered and gone through by a pro I am not pulling the trigger on either. My intuition is that if I am really going to use it year round that a coolant heater with a valve to allow me to isolate the cab from the engine and maybe a 7 day timer will be the way to go. I will not be using camp sites or plugging in so I have to be able to start even in the bitter cold without shore power.
FYI I've been watching for a mini-mod, but I haven't seen anything come up at a price that would work for just the box. The regular type III I wanted up by Canada finally came down to my asking price though lol!
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My thoughts are that a cabin air heater is cheaper and an easy option for tapping into our existing systems. Find the (mandatory) exhaust vent and use the outlet as an inlet and visa-versa. Done!
Whereas the coolant heater means a bit more engineering. Also, as I see it, more power draw because you will need to power the coolant heater, the electric blower system and thermostat. Also I can't help but wonder how the thing won't loose all the heat straight out of the lines themselves running to the block. I think that's why you see control units that let you heat the block or just the cabin system.
Ultimately until I have it registered and gone through by a pro I am not pulling the trigger on either. My intuition is that if I am really going to use it year round that a coolant heater with a valve to allow me to isolate the cab from the engine and maybe a 7 day timer will be the way to go. I will not be using camp sites or plugging in so I have to be able to start even in the bitter cold without shore power.
FYI I've been watching for a mini-mod, but I haven't seen anything come up at a price that would work for just the box. The regular type III I wanted up by Canada finally came down to my asking price though lol!
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flightcancled
Explorer
That would be awesome!
I am worried that the UJoint install is way out of my range. I'm fine bolting on and whatnot, but that's a massive undertaking for me. However, at least I don't have to mess with the fuel tank!
There is an amazing leaf spring shop in Albany (Albany Spring) I would trust to make hangers and leafs if I handed them the ambo and an axel any day. The issue is talking them into it. They are old school and make everything from scratch including hangers, but they usually replace what was already there, not fab work.
From there I would be able to do the tranny work and hang the shaft in a short marathon assuming northeast laws of frozen bolts and parts don't screw me.
At this point I am going to wait on 4x4 for a while. I am looking forward to actually using the rig and dialing in the systems. I am still debating a lot of things, roof rack vs. tie downs and bed-liner, bob the back vs having paddle storage, etc.
There is also a part of me that is wondering about this vehicle's longevity having already been in NY/NH/MA for 22 years. Would it really be worth the investment or will I build it up to see it rot away? I doubt it but I have to wonder. At least the box can be picked up and dropped on another platform.
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I am worried that the UJoint install is way out of my range. I'm fine bolting on and whatnot, but that's a massive undertaking for me. However, at least I don't have to mess with the fuel tank!
There is an amazing leaf spring shop in Albany (Albany Spring) I would trust to make hangers and leafs if I handed them the ambo and an axel any day. The issue is talking them into it. They are old school and make everything from scratch including hangers, but they usually replace what was already there, not fab work.
From there I would be able to do the tranny work and hang the shaft in a short marathon assuming northeast laws of frozen bolts and parts don't screw me.
At this point I am going to wait on 4x4 for a while. I am looking forward to actually using the rig and dialing in the systems. I am still debating a lot of things, roof rack vs. tie downs and bed-liner, bob the back vs having paddle storage, etc.
There is also a part of me that is wondering about this vehicle's longevity having already been in NY/NH/MA for 22 years. Would it really be worth the investment or will I build it up to see it rot away? I doubt it but I have to wonder. At least the box can be picked up and dropped on another platform.
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flightcancled
Explorer
flightcancled
Explorer
As predicted progress has slowed to a crawl thanks to the snow. I spent a night shoveling it out and re-sealing the plate on the front hiding the butchering of the light slots. The next day I came home to all the snow from the barn roof on top of the ambo!
I did make myself an insulation curtain to seal the cab off on winter nights, and act as a sun shade in the summer: 1 roll of 16" cut into fourths, doubled the width and made a second layer. After lining up the edges and taping them I used spray glue to hold the two layers together. (This makes it much more pliable.)
My plan was to use Velcro to hold the curtain up but I failed to notice the blue carpet strands aren't looped so the Velcro has nothing to hook into. Damn!! Now I have to decide if I want to add snaps/magnets and suffer a draft, or rip the carpet off the wall and switch to the thin grey utility carpet which the Velcro grabs very well.
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I did make myself an insulation curtain to seal the cab off on winter nights, and act as a sun shade in the summer: 1 roll of 16" cut into fourths, doubled the width and made a second layer. After lining up the edges and taping them I used spray glue to hold the two layers together. (This makes it much more pliable.)
My plan was to use Velcro to hold the curtain up but I failed to notice the blue carpet strands aren't looped so the Velcro has nothing to hook into. Damn!! Now I have to decide if I want to add snaps/magnets and suffer a draft, or rip the carpet off the wall and switch to the thin grey utility carpet which the Velcro grabs very well.
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flightcancled
Explorer
Evening shift is awesome! Finally working in the daylight!
So seeing as the polar vortex is coming back and temps are about to plunge it is now or never for the adhesive curing temps to get the wall carpet replaced. However once again ADD took the reins and I went on a wild tangent of things that could/should be done to make things easier later.
As I was pulling the carpet out it became apparent that the side walls were 1/2" plywood and had a very hollow echo when knocked on the passenger side, but not as much on the drivers side. I couldn't help myself, so off the headliner and panels came.
Passenger side
Driver side
WOW!!! So that's were all the wiring was channeled! The larger lines are actually the coolant lines for the box heater. Awesome! Now I have a bunch of work to do before putting it all back to run my lines for the house batteries to everything else, and resolve ghetto- rigged turn signal lines running under the ambo. Score!
It is too bad I am not a fab guy and I can't bump out the steel expansion piece to make closets or something, there is a lot of wasted space inside the fiberglass.
One decision I have now is do I keep all the step handles into the rig or take the chance to unbolt them? I know my dad and vertically challenged girlfriend would like them to stay. (Input greatly appreciated)
Here they are:
For now I removed the floating wall behind the passenger side front cabinet and the 4" sheet to shed weight and have a peak at the space I am sacrificing to keep the cabinet.
4" from the wall box. Not sure yet, but it is looking like I may tear the box out and put the shelves in the corner facing out. I am definitely insulating that wall though! It is freezing to the touch.
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So seeing as the polar vortex is coming back and temps are about to plunge it is now or never for the adhesive curing temps to get the wall carpet replaced. However once again ADD took the reins and I went on a wild tangent of things that could/should be done to make things easier later.
As I was pulling the carpet out it became apparent that the side walls were 1/2" plywood and had a very hollow echo when knocked on the passenger side, but not as much on the drivers side. I couldn't help myself, so off the headliner and panels came.
Passenger side
Driver side
WOW!!! So that's were all the wiring was channeled! The larger lines are actually the coolant lines for the box heater. Awesome! Now I have a bunch of work to do before putting it all back to run my lines for the house batteries to everything else, and resolve ghetto- rigged turn signal lines running under the ambo. Score!
It is too bad I am not a fab guy and I can't bump out the steel expansion piece to make closets or something, there is a lot of wasted space inside the fiberglass.
One decision I have now is do I keep all the step handles into the rig or take the chance to unbolt them? I know my dad and vertically challenged girlfriend would like them to stay. (Input greatly appreciated)
Here they are:
For now I removed the floating wall behind the passenger side front cabinet and the 4" sheet to shed weight and have a peak at the space I am sacrificing to keep the cabinet.
4" from the wall box. Not sure yet, but it is looking like I may tear the box out and put the shelves in the corner facing out. I am definitely insulating that wall though! It is freezing to the touch.
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