Kaiju the 4x4 ambulance build

[eporter]

Great to see the rig made it cross country! Looks pretty clean and not too rusty. I think 4wd minimods look the best.

 

[PGGRS]

When I started my build, I had a short list of "must haves" 1- bathroom with flushing toilet & shower, 2- big fridge, and 3- large fuel capacity
Spent months visualizing & planning before I tore anything out. Saved & reused as much of the original cabinets as possible (you can't beat the quality)
1- a 1 piece fiberglass unit out of a water damaged truck camper came my way for $100
2- 8 cf RV fridge just fits above the wheelwell, I also use a Norcold 12v fridge/freezer in the passthrough area on longer outings(great for bringing Halibut & Salmon from Alaska!)
3- Adding a van style tank is pretty straightforward(gets you about 30+ gal) & since I disabled the rear doors( bathroom partially blocked one) I had a tank made & vented it into the generator compartment( 55 gal & you'd never guess or smell it's there)

Also, as far as AC units, check out Dometic Cool Cat... 10K BTU AC & heatpump, I installed mine in the top of the tall cabinet behind the driver, a tight fit but, I absolutely love it! Nothing beats a heatpump on chilly (not freezing) days, providing of course you have shore power.

So, get your list together & have fun! Look forward to seeing your progress...

 

[Rockey709]

When I started my build, I had a short list of "must haves" 1- bathroom with flushing toilet & shower, 2- big fridge, and 3- large fuel capacity
Spent months visualizing & planning before I tore anything out. Saved & reused as much of the original cabinets as possible (you can't beat the quality)
1- a 1 piece fiberglass unit out of a water damaged truck camper came my way for $100
2- 8 cf RV fridge just fits above the wheelwell, I also use a Norcold 12v fridge/freezer in the passthrough area on longer outings(great for bringing Halibut & Salmon from Alaska!)
3- Adding a van style tank is pretty straightforward(gets you about 30+ gal) & since I disabled the rear doors( bathroom partially blocked one) I had a tank made & vented it into the generator compartment( 55 gal & you'd never guess or smell it's there)

Also, as far as AC units, check out Dometic Cool Cat... 10K BTU AC & heatpump, I installed mine in the top of the tall cabinet behind the driver, a tight fit but, I absolutely love it! Nothing beats a heatpump on chilly (not freezing) days, providing of course you have shore power.

So, get your list together & have fun! Look forward to seeing your progress...

I followed your entire build. I’m still floored by your bathroom!! My wife wants the same thing, but I don’t think it’s in the cards for mine. I’d be lucky just to have hot water lol.

We actually bought a house last year and I insisted we install mini splits. It was a jump into the unknown at the time, but I’m in love with the units and the utility bill is 1/5 if it’s former self. I’ve been exploring vehicle friendly units all week. I’m still a bit undecided on solar/generator/shore/ inverter etc. the amount of wiring is pretty intimidating so whatever system I do, will likely stand alone from the existing setup.

 

[PGGRS]

What I was getting at is BEFORE you build it out ,think it out, (just about) anything is doable. Having the family involved in the planning means they actually may want to use it! Possibly take them with you & look at small RV's to get an idea of wants vs needs. Attending Expo East or West would be great for ideas, advice & help, we are a helpful lot. Some things can be done later. I spent weeks at a time in my rig for a couple of years before I raised the roof. Was not even a thought when I started the build.

 

[cjken]

Yes. I yanked it out. It never really worked well to begin with. The front cab ac works great. With the fan pulling hot air out the top it stays reasonably cool when driving even with out the rear ac.
When camping I run the window ac.
I may add a low profile roof top unit soon. Trying to avoid making it taller, but it may be my best option.

you can always make an outside shelf on back of rig to sit a roof AC on. Then duct air in. Granted one could do that with a window AC unit too. Unconventional...... but if it works.... who cares. Maybe you'll start a fad lol.

I actually looking at the Coleman Mach 8 9200BTU it is apparently only 8” tall.
I could get by with that additional height and save interior space in the process.

 

[Rockey709]

Did a bit today. The wheels looked pretty ratty, so I spent $10 on Black plasti dip. It’s not my favorite choice for durability, but for $10 you can’t beat the outcome. I also did the red lights on the box since I believe it’s illegal to retain them.

 

[Rockey709]

Great call on expo west. I’m planning on attending this year and may go with a small convoy from San Diego. Has anyone on here been?

 

[Ozrockrat]

Great call on expo west. I’m planning on attending this year and may go with a small convoy from San Diego. Has anyone on here been?

Yes on the Expo West. I have been to everyone. Thinking I must be pretty thick to need all that edumacation.

We will be running some DIY classes in the “DIY” area this year. Keep an eye out for them and drop by and say g’day. Look for the boxing kangaroo flag.

 

[eporter]

Nice work on the wheels. I just finally cleaned the last duct tape off my red lenses and replaced with clear. I wish the PO had just pulled them off and spray painted white. Would've been so much less work!

 

[Rockey709]

Nice work on the wheels. I just finally cleaned the last duct tape off my red lenses and replaced with clear. I wish the PO had just pulled them off and spray painted white. Would've been so much less work!

I’m blown away at how hard those lenses are to find (not in red). Seems that the clears go for a fortune if they can even be found. Plasti dip was again my salvation. If I change my mind or stumble across some clears, I’ll just peel it off ?

 

[eporter]

Yeah, I kept an eye out and checked eBay constantly. I bought lights from two sellers. Some are the older "optical" style, the others are newer and have a grid pattern on them. Both times I think they were 20-30 a lens.

 

[rossiter78]

Mine came with code3 brand lighting. Replacement lights from local distributor were over $300 each! But lenses were only $17. It still has red LEDs apparently but I think this will get me legal. I haven't been harassed at all. In 3 months of ownership I've stopped and chatted with forest rangers and local police while driving my ambo.

Expo west? Ummm that sounds like something to know about.

 

[Rockey709]

Overland expo west.

There’s an east too if you’re that side of the Potomac.

Awesome event for our kind

 

[Rockey709]

Does anyone have experience building a bed like this?

 

[eporter]

I think those slat bench/beds are popular if you don't already have a base/bench, and if you don't want to block windows. Access is through the cubby hole on front, which is nice as it also works while the bed is setup, but means stuff in there can fall out.

I've been really happy with my bi-fold bed/couch. I use the existing bench, and fold down the back to make the bed. There's room for improvement, but so far it's worked real well. I've been thinking the next step would be to remove some drivers side cabinets and make the bed longer so it runs across the ambo. This would open up some interior space while camping with the bed setup. That way there's a little more room inside if it's cold/rainy out. I bought the folding legs on Amazon, but I've been happy with the hinged plywood center support I made. Maybe a few of those with some kind of hold-open cabinet hardware.

https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...e-ambulance-1997-e350-horton-mini-mod.151852/