patoz
Expedition Leader
Welcome Elbert, to my build thread!
When I first started on this project, I was looking at doing something similar to what your plans are, but the trailer was only going to be long enough to hold the ambulance module (patient compartment) and maybe a little for a rear deck area.
This is the module I first located on ebay. It was sitting in a junkyard in Florence, AL, which is about six hours from me, and I did not have a trailer big enough to haul it. Plus, the guy wanted $3,000.00 for it, and I had no way of knowing what kind of condition it was in, or how long it had been sitting there open like that. That was just too big of a risk for me to drive all that way, towing a rented trailer, and then find out it was too far gone. I see now, it sold recently for less than $1,500.00.
My plan was to build some raised supports on the trailer bed to simulate the original ambulance frame, and mount the body to those. I was afraid if I just sat the body down on the trailer bed, the stress would eventually crack the compartment framing and sheet metal, and allow them to leak.
I also considered changing the wheel well opening from round to rectangular, and adding a matching door to make additional compartments for storing things like chocks, leveling blocks, and other dirty stuff. And in case you're not familiar with these bodies, there is a 4' wide x 1' high (approx.) 'tunnel' that runs down the center from front to back. This is where the frame sits. That can also be used as storage or a place to locate your water tanks, etc. You'll just have to figure out how to access it, possibly through openings in the trailer bed.
Good luck with your build and post your thread URL on here, so I can subscribe and keep up also. Putting it in your signature line helps too.
Since we're basically headed in the same direction, we'll probably come up with ideas that will help each other out.
When I first started on this project, I was looking at doing something similar to what your plans are, but the trailer was only going to be long enough to hold the ambulance module (patient compartment) and maybe a little for a rear deck area.
This is the module I first located on ebay. It was sitting in a junkyard in Florence, AL, which is about six hours from me, and I did not have a trailer big enough to haul it. Plus, the guy wanted $3,000.00 for it, and I had no way of knowing what kind of condition it was in, or how long it had been sitting there open like that. That was just too big of a risk for me to drive all that way, towing a rented trailer, and then find out it was too far gone. I see now, it sold recently for less than $1,500.00.
My plan was to build some raised supports on the trailer bed to simulate the original ambulance frame, and mount the body to those. I was afraid if I just sat the body down on the trailer bed, the stress would eventually crack the compartment framing and sheet metal, and allow them to leak.
I also considered changing the wheel well opening from round to rectangular, and adding a matching door to make additional compartments for storing things like chocks, leveling blocks, and other dirty stuff. And in case you're not familiar with these bodies, there is a 4' wide x 1' high (approx.) 'tunnel' that runs down the center from front to back. This is where the frame sits. That can also be used as storage or a place to locate your water tanks, etc. You'll just have to figure out how to access it, possibly through openings in the trailer bed.
Good luck with your build and post your thread URL on here, so I can subscribe and keep up also. Putting it in your signature line helps too.
Since we're basically headed in the same direction, we'll probably come up with ideas that will help each other out.
