Buying & Building a Medium Ambulance into an RV – The FAM-BULANCE

[rlrenz]

My spare tire installation project is moving along - slowly, but forward. The weldment is done, the pieces needed to install it are done, and the unit has been painted with epoxy primer and a 2-component color coat. I had thought about making the mount from aluminum, but the costs convinced me that steel was just fine (decided long before Ross's kind offer). The weldment will have a clamp-bar to hold the tire in place once I find the right clamp-bar material in my inventory.

 

[rlrenz]

Some time ago, a friend of mine who is an ambulance electrician showed me wire ferrules - I'd run into them before and didn't know what they were. These are a thin tin plated copper sleeve that can be slid over stranded wires and crimped before the wire is terminated in a clamp-type connection (terminal blocks, circuit breakers, etc). I bought a crimper from Amazon, and the ferrules from McMaster. I used them on some stranded connections to Square D circuit breakers in the shop, and then on some 30 amp plugs. Worked like a charm.

 

[rlrenz]

If any of you will be doing any wiring on your projects (which means everyone who doesn't use kerosene lamps...), you will see that many of the projects on these pages use Blue Sea panels and components. Blue Sea makes really excellent equipment, and you can get it at about 40+% off retail from Amazon.

The easy way to find it at Amazon is to look at Blue Sea's web page, or in their catalog, find the part number, then search for it on Amazon.

You can get a paper copy through the Blue Sea web site, and I really recommend a paper copy. There are many guides and tips on paper that don't show up on line, and it's an easy way to look at your options for your planned wiring

 

[Ozrockrat]

You can also get those so they are like a crimp lug but the insulated jacket can hold labels. Not sure what the brand would be over here.

http://www.wiremarkers.com.au

 

[rlrenz]

You can also get those so they are like a crimp lug but the insulated jacket can hold labels. Not sure what the brand would be over here.

http://www.wiremarkers.com.au

I think Amazon and McMaster also have something kinda similar - referred to as "insulated ferrules". There's enough room on the insulated portion to wrap on a wire number.

Ferrules really make for a solid connection on cable plugs and sockets - no loose strands floating around, and a LOT easier to just line up a "solid" wire to slide into a plug's terminals instead of twisting the strands and trying to stuff them into a plug without any untwisting.

Amazon lists many different ferrule crimpers - mine was made by Burndy. Prices seem to run about $40 or so, and the ferrules (McMaster) run about $7 per hundred. I have ferrules for 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 gauge wire (one more plastic compartment box)

 

[rlrenz]

I have the garage nearly cleaned out - cleaned out to the point that I can stuff an ambulance in for the winter work season. Years ago, when I was in to military trucks, I had a 2 1/2 ton 6x6 tucked into the garage, but as we all know, nature abhors a vacuum - and that includes vacant space in a garage. With the motto "When it doubt, it goes out!", the garage has been sorted. Stuff that has lurked on a shelf since the day in 1993 when I moved in has been uprooted, and tossed into the trash. Some stuff was too good to throw away, but not good enough to keep -- well, it's number was up, and out it went.

In the mean time, I've been planning my next steps, and building parts and components - and occasionally prowling through EBAY for ambulance goodies. I scored a decent one last week - A new in the box Stryker Golight remote control spotlight for less than 1/4 Amazon's price. The remote control is wireless, so the light will be straightforward to install - I just need to set up a 10 amp circuit that's on a console switch, and then screw it to the cab roof.



Next in line is installing the spare tire rack - I'll probably get started this weekend. Then, back to the cooktop.

 

[patoz]

That will make a very nice addition to your rig!

I have a very old version of one like this one, but the housing is cracked. The last time I checked it, the motors still worked but it's missing the switch controller. I've hung on to it all these years because I thought it might make a good platform for a video camera. Of course now days, you can buy video cameras with all that built in, and miniaturized to boot!

 

[rossvtaylor]

Wow, it must be spotlight season! I just bought one for our rig. But, I'm almost embarrassed to show what it is. This light progression's gone from the super-cool, high-tech remote controlled light, to a slightly more old-school version, to this... two beat up military surplus lights for $20 (plus $17 shipping)...



Between the pair, I hope to get one working light. It will remind me of my police days... But, I'm jealous of that Stryker! That's very cool.

 

[patoz]

Ross, those look like a couple of old 'Unity' brand lights.

 

[rossvtaylor]

Ross, those look like a couple of old 'Unity' brand lights.

Exactly! The same as on every patrol car I drove, except painted olive drab... Most of the listings have the sharply angled mounting bracket, for the A pillar of an automobile. I liked that these look like perpendicular mounts, so one should work on our rig. Old school, in the extreme, but they do work well.

 

[patoz]

Mounting them on the 'A' Post really limits their range of movement, but if you can find a roof mount flange and mount it on the roof, in the center near the windshield, you will have great coverage. I had one mounted like that in my POV when I was in the VFD, and we had them mounted like that on a lot of our Fire Trucks also.

 

[rlrenz]

When I had a vertical-mount spotlight in the roof of my 1972 IH Scout, it was challenging to keep it rain tight. I finally made a tighter rubber gasket to fit around the light's stem.

 

[rossvtaylor]

I also like the roof-mount, but we'll have a rack there...

 

[rlrenz]

And now for something completely different---

I was driving back from a pilgrimage to NAPA today, and I saw a fiber-optic splicing trailer. The trailer was complete with recessed flood lights, a generator on the A frame, and lots off hatches. A google search showed that they are a fairly standard trailer, with lots of options available. The recessed light housings are probably made by CPI (Cast Products Incorporated: http://www.getcpi.com)

The options and designs are all food for thought:

 

[patoz]

They are pretty tricked out, but still not built anywhere near as stout as an ambulance. Did you happen to see any prices while you were looking?