Thanks for all the comradery everybody! Ya, I'm really grateful for this forum (and all the ujoint site/videos/etc - inspiring).
It actually came from Los Angeles originally. The previous owner purchased it from the Las Angeles division of
Schaefer's Ambulance (check out
their photos on Google) just over 2 years ago. He intended to send it back to Mexico, where he used to work as a paramedic. Unfortunately for him, some laws had recently gone into effect and the export/import would have cost over $5k in fees... so it sat for 2 years in a parking lot in Las Vegas, until I found it on Craigslist.
Oh ya, we're going in tomorrow morning w/ masks, bleach, gloves and goggles: these things are built to be easy to clean, but we've found some nasty stuff in the few crevices that exist (IV needles inside the bench storage compartment, medical tape in places, several backings for EKG pads, etc.) It's been sitting completely unused for almost exactly 2 years, which makes this a bit less scary. Either way, my wife and I are both biologists by training (she is by profession) with WFR certs, so we know our way around sharps and biohazard. I plan to rip out the floor (my wife thinks it's unnecessary, but we'll see what she says when there's bare metal under where the bench used to be), and dispose of all cushions/fabric from the back part.
I'll see if I can take some photos tomorrow, and I'll definitely update when I add the solar. From what I've seen by peaking through the cabinets, the thing seems rock solid: there are steel cross-members every several feet (not sure exactly how frequently they repeat), and the fiberglass is thicker than I would have imagined (looks thicker than my old Cal-20 sailboat's hull!).
I'm not exactly in a rush to get this completed – I don't need this done for about a year – but I also don't see any reason to put anything off, as I'll definitely be using this on weekends when I have the time. I have a ton of modifications I plan to do myself, but the drivetrain work is outside my abilities.
Some quick questions for the community:
1. Does anyone know of a Southern CA or AZ -based shop that's done a u-joint conversion? @martell06's you mentioned somebody in Inland Empire - do you happen to know of that thread? Chris, if you know of anybody or have any recommendations for what to look for in a shop's previous work, it would be much appreciated!
2. Has anybody here used
Raptor Liner before? LineX would be ideal, but it's about 5x my paint budget... I'd actually prefer doing this myself and the product looks really good.
3. Wiring. If anybody knows some good resources for these ambulances, it would save me tons of time.
