Freightliner ambulance conversion project.

[Ozrockrat]

We managed to make Tuscon after 18 hours and a little less than 900 miles. The detour we took up through Carlsbad to avoid the El Paso traffic and the border (i suspected the combination of being a foreigner and the vehicle would raise the curiosity level).

Foam in the drivers seat has basically collapsed making it a bit of a literal PITA to drive.

 

[CLynn85]

Looking forward to this!

 

[hobietony]

Great seeing you as you passed through, congrats on your new rig and on getting home safely!

 

[Ozrockrat]

As Hobietony said above. We made it home fine after checking out his rig. It is a fine example on how to do a conversion and for those who have not seen it check out his build thread AmboVan-Restarted

Now after I catch up on the home chores I will grab some more detailed photos.

 

[Ford Prefect]

IF I may...

No need to convince the wife that the boat is a safe color, just remind her that it is a terribly unique color, and it is always fun to have a soft, simple, yet unique color in an Expo camper! I LOVE the color! Totally awesome.

If I were about a foot shorter, even just eight inches shorter, and I could actually stand upright in an ambo I would be on the hunt for one just like yours.

 

[DocGary]

Definately subbing to this! Always wanted to do a FULL size Ambo conversion

 

[cowboy4x4]

You know......... Freightliner does have a 4x4 front end for these...... just sayin..

 

[loren85022]

Get busy, amigo.
ExPo is a mere 5 months out.

 

[Ozrockrat]

You know......... Freightliner does have a 4x4 front end for these...... just sayin..

Actually hoping to get away without 4WD but if I do need the extra drive we are considering one of these. http://www.eztracaxle.com/

EZ Trac Hydraulic AWD System

Engage EZ Trac™ Hydraulic AWD, and give your delivery truck, material hauler, utility truck or emergency vehicle the control and traction you need to go from on-highway to off-road with the flick of a switch. EZ Trac™ is an auxiliary hydraulic drive system that seamlessly installs in place of your front steering axle, and is easily activated with a cab-mounted switch. Traveling off-road, EZ Trac™ is available on-demand, for additional traction and mobility. Back on-road, it's easily switched off for high-speed freewheeling. Using EZ Trac™ will immediately increase your vehicle's driveability, range, and safety! EZ Trac™ lets you reduce fuel consumption, lower your vehicle center of gravity, and engage and disengage on the go.

 

[java]

That axle is pretty slick. Havent seen one before.

 

[Ozrockrat]

Found another interesting bit of gear in the rig.

Found this when I finally got a locked cabinet open. Now to check and see if it can be a freezer. Maybe even move it so it is top opening instead of front opening.

OK something is happening and I cannot post photos at the moment. So you need to use your imagination. It is a compressor type cooler. Danfoss compressors, condenser and fan all in a small cabinet with the hoses going into a fiberglass cooler box. Fairly small and I think it was used for keeping drugs cool.

 

[mk216v]

Subscribed!

 

[Ozrockrat]

Finally got some time to work on the rig.

First thing was to remove all the stretcher fitting from the floor. Left the mounting points just in case I want to use them as mounts for a motorcycle wheel chock.

Then to fit the sofa/bed. We went with the same basic unit we had in Ambo1. But this time there is a very handy outside drawer that I want to keep which will run under the bed. This will make the sofa/bed sit about 7" higher than optimal. Still need to work out how to put in some footrests but that will follow later.

I also had to chop out a section of the interior. Our philosophy is to do as few interior modifications as possible and minimize the build time. But to get a bit longer bed than last time I decided to sacrifice some of the rear upright storage. This would not of been much of an issue except it was external storage. With a bit of help from a traveler staying at our place at the moment we chopped into the aluminum cabinet and the internal plywood/laminate lining. Bit of a bugger of a job especially as I was only notching into the storage not removing it all together. Anyway the photos should tell the story.

 

[Ozrockrat]

Finally got some time to work on the rig.

While chowing down at Five Guys a mini-me parked beside us. Thought it was a bit strange until I noticed the driver was female. Totally not ego'd out by the bigger rig.

First thing was to remove all the stretcher fitting from the floor. Left the mounting points just in case I want to use them as mounts for a motorcycle wheel chock.

Then to fit the sofa/bed. We went with the same basic unit we had in Ambo1. But this time there is a very handy outside drawer that I want to keep which will run under the bed. This will make the sofa/bed sit about 7" higher than optimal. Still need to work out how to put in some footrests but that will follow later.

I also had to chop out a section of the interior. Our philosophy is to do as few interior modifications as possible and minimize the build time. But to get a bit longer bed than last time I decided to sacrifice some of the rear upright storage. This would not of been much of an issue except it was external storage. With a bit of help from a traveler staying at our place at the moment we chopped into the aluminum cabinet and the internal plywood/laminate lining. Bit of a bugger of a job especially as I was only notching into the storage not removing it all together. Anyway the photos should tell the story.

Storage we need to notch into.

Chop job sort of finished. (yep it was getting dark).

Bed in place. Now to pull it back out.

• Replace the seat belts with non retracting lap belts long enough to fit through the back.
• Clean off the existing velcro and seal the old hatch.
• Rebuild the aluminum of the external storage.
• Reline the interior with ply.
• Line this section with something so when my ******** hits the wall it does not freeze.

 

[CLynn85]

Nice to see some progress. Where did you source your sofa/bed from? We had an extremely hard time trying to find one that would fit our needs on our Ambo build.