Ford E350 7.3 Ambulance vs. EB Cargo Van, which one to buy and convert to 4X4 camper?

[4wheeldrivevan]

I'm looking for input from anyone,

What are the advantages of the 7.3 ambulance over the standard E350 extended cargo van. My guess is primarily extra space.
Does anyone have interior dimensions for the short wheelbase ambulance?

What are the disadvantages of going with the ambulance over the cargo van? My guess is extra weight, haunted by dead people, girth, turning radius and slightly lower mpg?

I've been camping in my regular length E250 with the puny 4.2L 6 cylinder for a few years but with my wife and 5 year old daughter it's getting a bit cramped and under-powered. I've taken it some places where 4WD would have been a smart option and have almost got stuck on a number of occasions.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to choose the Ambulance unless someone here talks me out of it.

If I go the ambulance route should I leave the dually in the rear or convert to single wheels? I've read opinions both pro and con. I don't plan on doing much towing but I will have a 500lb motorcycle strapped to the back along with another 500 lbs of camping gear.

Other than Ebay are there any places I should be watching for good deals on used ambulances?

 

[NEPolarbear]

Been searching for an ambulance myself to turn into a traveling office / RV.
Some are walk through, just a window, or separate from the box.
See below.

http://www.globalemergencyvehicles.com/
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...5.TR11.TRC2&_nkw=ambulance&_sacat=0&_from=R40
http://ambulancetrader.com/

Good luck

 

[steelheadbum]

I say buy a E350 EB with a 7.3 or v10 that is already 4x4 less money and usually have less miles+ no dead people. It would be hard for me to convince my wife to sleep in something that someone died in.
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[Abitibi]

Or something that helped save many lifes....

For one, you can sleep sideway in an ambulance. Mine are 78" across of useable space and those like Hobietony are even wider. They are often very well maintained, taller inside, very well insulated (2"), they often have good quality cabinets that can be incorporated into your conversion and the walls are not curved (way easier to build cabinets).

Check the classified on this forum, I bet there will be a nice one for sale

Cheers
Mr. D

 

[hobietony]

^^^ What he said. My outer dimensions of the ambo box are nominally 8'x12', I have a short (138") wheelbase. Interior dimensions are something right around 7'-6"x 11'-6". If you don't need standing room, and can use the interior millwork, you can be camping with WAY less work than I have put into mine - see here for an example - http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...t-Poor-man-s-EarthRoamer-quot-Ambulance-Build.

I think that whole worrying about dead people thing is silly, I think more about the people saved, when it crosses my mind at all. Got to make your sleeping partner happy though... Turning radius is the same, same parts as the regular van. Mileage is worse, more air to push. Duallys, your preference, most like singles, I like my doubles. They also look even more ************ converted to 4x4 than the vans do, so there is that. They have big asses, which you will be prone to dragging without a little surgery on the bumper. Lots of room for your solar panels. Plus, you will be 'that ambulance guy'

 

[r_w]

Biggest ambo issue is seating for the kid(s). For a couple it is easy, but adding the third seat without them feeling "locked in the back of the paddy wagon" can be a challenge, even for a walk-through.

Other challenge is HOA's and parking the things--they are NOT stealthy.

But for a good tough small camper platform, they are a pretty good starting point.

 

[4wheeldrivevan]

Other challenge is HOA's and parking the things--they are NOT stealthy.

It's not just the HOA, my wife won't let me park the van I have now at the house. Luckily the office I work at has a huge parking lot and the owner lets me keep it there.

 

[4wheeldrivevan]

Is there any reason to stick with the later 1999 - 2003 7.3 rather than the earlier models? Chris from Ujoint said he likes the newer dashboards

 

[Ozrockrat]

Later ones have a better dash and the onboard diagnostics are a bit better. Ambo much better size but getting the 3rd seat is a pain.

 

[witt]

Seating for three is definitely tough. Here's what we did:



But of course this will only work for a van with a pass through, and it definitely eats into space for the camper build.

I've seen Uhaul trucks based on E-Series chassis that say, "Seating for 3!" on the side. I assume that's a bench seat in the front instead of two buckets. I wonder if it would be possible to find one of those bench seats and install it. If you don't have a pass through to the ambulance body anyway, you won't be loosing anything.

 

[tribeof5]

Go for the ambo. We have an extended e350 diesel 4x4 van and we love it. Chris just posted a pic of it on his build page Monday. However, we just picked up a retired 01 diesel ambo with the 7.3 in it back in January. We will be adding the Ujointoffroad kit to it as well as a complete interior build out. The ambo offers so much more space inside for those rainy days and just travel in general. My family is a bit larger than yours as we have 5 boys. Because of that, we are opting to keep with the dually setup in the rear simply for better stability and sway control. I will be starting a build thread for it once we start putting it back together.

I found my ambo on a Craigslist ad. It was being sold by the EMS unit that had been using it since new. Good luck in your making your decision and with your search.

 

[steelheadbum]

The reason why I choose the E350 EB vs an ambo is that I wanted 1 rig that would do it all, it replaced my 2007 4dr jk..it would be my daily driver/camper/hunting rig/and tow rig, If your just going to use it as an RV then why build an ambo? buy a nice Chinook and call it done its bigger, has everything you could possibly want, just add a 4x4 conversion from ujoint!
Its just a question of what "you" plan on using it for.

Steelheadbum

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[4wheeldrivevan]

The Chinook looks pretty nice and would do 95% of what I'd like it to. I know my wife would like it more than the ambo. Having said that, for me the build is half the fun. Maybe I'll pick up one of each.... I did a quick ebay search and found a 99 V10 Chinook for $20k

 

[Abitibi]

If you build your interior similar to a Westfalia there's no reason the ambulance couldn't accommodate 4-5 person, even more if you add a side bench.

If you're patient I'm just starting to build mine and it will have extra seats for my two boys...

Cheers
Mr. D

 

[r_w]

I've seen Uhaul trucks based on E-Series chassis that say, "Seating for 3!" on the side. I assume that's a bench seat in the front instead of two buckets. I wonder if it would be possible to find one of those bench seats and install it. If you don't have a pass through to the ambulance body anyway, you won't be loosing anything.

You can get the F450 center jump seat console (with integrated seatbelt) that can be made to fit there, if you don't want a passthru. Or minivan jump seats from Odyssey's or Sienna's work well, too; but are pretty narrow.