Rambo - GMC Ambo Conversion (Roof Raise)

[TheRealPapaK]

I’ve been doing lots of little things that have no visual progress. Today I got the the dryroom/shower walls in. They are going to ge ya layer of rigid foam and then acrylic paneling

I used .3/4” on the wall because I’m mounting a piano hinge to the other side for a folding bench seat. Does anyone have any words of advice for making that connection tough enough so I don’t have issues with the hingedown the road?

 

[Abitibi]

Just back it up with a full strip of 1/8" aluminum (instead of washers) to spread out the load...

 

[iggi]

Would it make sense to use a quality adhesive to glue the aluminum to the plywood?

Just back it up with a full strip of 1/8" aluminum (instead of washers) to spread out the load...

 

[Abitibi]

Would it make sense to use a quality adhesive to glue the aluminum to the plywood?

Not really if I understand correctly. One the inside is the piano hinge bolted through the 3/4" plywood and on the outside of the plywood is either large washers or as I suggested a wide piece of 1/8" aluminum where the bolts run through then the nuts.

 

[iggi]

Not really if I understand correctly. One the inside is the piano hinge bolted through the 3/4" plywood and on the outside of the plywood is either large washers or as I suggested a wide piece of 1/8" aluminum where the bolts run through then the nuts.

That's what I was envisioning. Wondering if using glue to create a laminate of the plywood and aluminum plate would result in greater strength and less potential for the hinge bolts to wiggle loose.

 

[TheRealPapaK]

I got the ceiling up today, wired in the kitchen lights, and got the first part of the hanging bed frame in place. The bed frame needs some tweaks but I’m confident it’s going to turn out well. Right now it’s lifting slightly unevenly so I need to have the 4 cables connect to one to be pulled up by the winch drum. Right now all 4 cables are on the drum and if the cable wraps over already spooled cable it starts lifting un evenly

 

[TheRealPapaK]

Cabinet building has begun. This is new for me so it’s been both fun and frustrating! There a couple sketches of what should be pretty close to the final design. Now the toilet will have a bit of privacy. Ignore the brackets on the toe kick. Those were temporary to keep everything aligned.

 

[iggi]

Great progress! I'm now counting you as one of the bad influences that will likely result in me doing a roof raise and new interior in mine.
Looking forward to seeing the completed bed!

 

[TheRealPapaK]

You should! Honestly it wasn't that bad at all. Now the interior is a hole other animal. I'm really learning how not to build an ambulance lol. I feel like I have two steps forward and one back everyday. That being said, mostly its me changing my mind about the *best* way to do something. The cabinet building is new and I stand around a lot looking at a problem thinking about, "if I do this, will I be able to get at what ever is behind there if I have to later" etc. Because of that I've pretty much put all the cabinets on hold and I'm going to try to get EVERYTHING installed.

The bed is seeming like it's going to work out really well! I have to make those changes mentioned before but I have a plan in place.

 

[TheRealPapaK]

It feels like I’m getting nothing done even though I’m out there every day. I did get some visual progress when I did the walls. I took down the thin ply wood as it warped so easily and replaced it with this fairly light pine. It’s starting to feel more like a sauna than an ambo

 

[TheRealPapaK]

Not much to report. I started on the plumbing and ended up changing my whole plan once I started actually fitting stuff in there so I ran out of crimps already. I’m going to rough in some lines for a potential future indoor shower and return to tank line so I can prime the line with hot water without drawing my tank down. I need to also install a vent on the tank

 

[cjken]

I got the pulleys and the winch mounted for the bed. Hopefully it will work out as I’ve planned it!

This bed will stow all the way up against the ceiling above the dinetteView attachment 619832View attachment 619833

What are the specs on that winch? I’m planning on a elevator bed as well and am trying to source an appropriate motor/winch.

 

[Bikersmurf]

What are the specs on that winch? I’m planning on a elevator bed as well and am trying to source an appropriate motor/winch.

Did someone say winch...

Sherpa 'Brumby' - 10,000Lb High Speed Winch

The Brumby 10,000lb Winch by Sherpa Winches. Shipping to Canada. Great for larger SUVs and trucks. Jeep, GM, Ford, Chevrolet and more. Available in 12V or 24V and with steel cable or synthetic rope. Warn, Badlands, Ramsey.

canada.sherpa4x4.com

Oh wait... to lift the bed, rather than the Truck. 8.9 hp would be excessive to lift a bed.

Edit... although this would be better for our rigs.

Sherpa 'Mule' - Dual Motor Winch

'The Mule' - 17,000Lb 4x4 Dual Motor Truck Winch. A massive 12.6 HP of power, full motor redundancy, long life, heavy pulls, tough and durable. Shipping to Canada. Great for SUVs and trucks. Jeep, GM, Ford, Chevrolet and more. Available in 12V or 24V and with steel cable or synthetic rope.

canada.sherpa4x4.com

 

[TheRealPapaK]

It’s just an cheap 2000# atv winch. The gear boxes on a winch are noisy but since the duty cycle will be so low I’m just going to try to load insulation around it. The speed on it is perfect.

 

[TheRealPapaK]

I installed a vent off the water tank today that goes up and into my dry room. Probably over kill but I know how far hydraulic pressure can send water sometimes. The vent line also doubles for the hot water prime return. You can turn a valve so the hot water will recirc back to the tank so you don’t have to waste water down the drain waiting for the lines to prime. It might be a little much but I wanted this feature anyway so I could raise the temperature of the water tank as a big thermal mass if I ever wanted too. Gives a back up if the diesel heater kicks ou



I changed my mind about my hot water heater. It originally was going to be a portable camper one that hung out in the dry room and I was going to setup ventilation etc but I found an LP direct vent on demand hot water tank that I ordered to install in the living area. The pros to this are not having it in properly vented cabinet where the temps can be a lot cooler due to proper ventilation and having freezing issues. The con is that this set up needs 110v so the inverter will have to be on to use it. Probably not a big deal but my inverter is pretty small. I suspect it’s only using the 110v for the internal fan so it shouldn’t be a issue if it kicks in while I’m making coffee. Because of these changes the plumbing is on hold until the unit arrives.