One of our initial thoughts was to rip out the front-right cabinet area and install something there. I don't really feel the need for the heater/ac that takes up the majority of that space since it's only running when the vehicle's running, and we aren't exactly hauling anyone in the back. That's a lot further down the road though. For now, we plan to just keep a small cassette toilet on hand in case of emergency in an area where outdoor restroom opportunities don't exist.
The Belafonte - aka "Poor man's EarthRoamer" Ambulance Build
- Thread starter CLynn85
- Start date
gringorick
Adventurer
Yeah, me too. I just bought an ambulance and started demoing it, and I just couldn't think of any good reason not to remove the heater/AC in the front right corner. How did you cap off the heater hoses and AC lines?
Happy one year anniversary to my build thread!
It's been stupid hot the last couple weeks and I haven't accomplished much, but in an effort to get ready for a couple weekend trips coming up I decided to work on installing the maxxair roof vent, which I've had here for about 8 months now.
My initial thought was to remove the center section of the ceiling, which would open up some headroom as well.
Upon removing the lenses for the lights I found that it's all one piece! 'Oh well, whatever, I'll just remove it all.'
Pull off the little panel adjacent to the lights that I thought was just conduit for the wiring and nope, it actually has terminal strips and such mounted to it! '@#$%!'
So I decided I'd just start by removing a section to allow the installation of the fan and figure out a long-term plan once I knew more about what was actually up there.
I was hoping it was just an open space with evenly spaced cross-members that I could insulate between and put in some integrated lighting, but nope, wrong again! There's a bunch of random chunks of aluminum welded everywhere, some have obvious purpose, others not so much.
To make matters even worse the spacing between the crossmembers is 14" on center. And all standard roof vents use 14" openings. Sooooo, I'm trying to formulate a plan on what to do.
Initial thoughts are that there's plenty of structure in the roof and with 2" .125 wall box tubing, notching two 14" long 1" sections out of two of the crossmembers to allow the vent to fit properly won't be too much of an issue.
On the plus side, there is quite a bit of extra room up there above the ceiling....
My recommendation for anyone building an ambulance would be either that they should be comfortable "half-assing" a few things if they want to do a quick conversion or else they should end up gutting the whole thing and starting from scratch inside, because nothing so far has been conducive to a "quick" retrofit.
It's been stupid hot the last couple weeks and I haven't accomplished much, but in an effort to get ready for a couple weekend trips coming up I decided to work on installing the maxxair roof vent, which I've had here for about 8 months now.
My initial thought was to remove the center section of the ceiling, which would open up some headroom as well.
Upon removing the lenses for the lights I found that it's all one piece! 'Oh well, whatever, I'll just remove it all.'
Pull off the little panel adjacent to the lights that I thought was just conduit for the wiring and nope, it actually has terminal strips and such mounted to it! '@#$%!'
So I decided I'd just start by removing a section to allow the installation of the fan and figure out a long-term plan once I knew more about what was actually up there.
I was hoping it was just an open space with evenly spaced cross-members that I could insulate between and put in some integrated lighting, but nope, wrong again! There's a bunch of random chunks of aluminum welded everywhere, some have obvious purpose, others not so much.
To make matters even worse the spacing between the crossmembers is 14" on center. And all standard roof vents use 14" openings. Sooooo, I'm trying to formulate a plan on what to do.
Initial thoughts are that there's plenty of structure in the roof and with 2" .125 wall box tubing, notching two 14" long 1" sections out of two of the crossmembers to allow the vent to fit properly won't be too much of an issue.
On the plus side, there is quite a bit of extra room up there above the ceiling....
My recommendation for anyone building an ambulance would be either that they should be comfortable "half-assing" a few things if they want to do a quick conversion or else they should end up gutting the whole thing and starting from scratch inside, because nothing so far has been conducive to a "quick" retrofit.
I agree with you, nothing has been quick or easy. I must say I do love mine. Icguess thervis a point you reach where you say it's good enough, or spend real moneycfor a full blown Rv. I still think my ambulance fits better into my way of life right now so, I shall press on. Good luck! Greatly enjoy reading about it.
gringorick
Adventurer
I am on board with that. I have the exact same isuue - bought a couple fantastic fans and thought it would be an easy install because all my wall structural members are about 20" OC. But of course the ceiling only has 12" spacing between them. Did the 1" notching work? I like that plan.
Also, looks like you have made some nice cuts to the ceiling. What are you using to make the cuts?
I also see that you have installed some windows? Do you know of a good source for windows? One of my box walls is already framed out for one.
So far everything has taken about 6x longer to do than originally planned.
Also, looks like you have made some nice cuts to the ceiling. What are you using to make the cuts?
I also see that you have installed some windows? Do you know of a good source for windows? One of my box walls is already framed out for one.
So far everything has taken about 6x longer to do than originally planned.
hobietony
Explorer
Word, brother
Try these guys - http://www.pellandent.com/ - Best I've found so far, just ordered a water tank from them, came fast, taps all in the right place, very easy
hobietony
Explorer
You should be fine. If you have the ability to weld aluminum, you could box back in your notch, or not. Maybe run an aluminum piece between the ceiling crossmembers to fully box the opening for the vent fan - Or not. You are probably not going to be jumping around on the roof on that exact spot.
Haven't started notching yet. At some point this week I'll probably make some marks, drill the corners, and go to town with the jigsaw.
Ceiling cuts were made with a vibrating cutter and a semi-circular blade. Was the best way I could think of to minimize dust and minimize intrusion into the unknowns that lie beyond the ceiling.
I'm thinking I'll be fine with the notches. I can tig aluminum, but I don't think this justifies the effort of vertical welds up in the ceiling of the beast. If I had a spool gun it'd be a diff story. Might thru-bolt some plates on the outside to make up for it. If I was doing it for a customer it'd be one thing, but for the beater camper, probably not.
I've also begun the process of covering the red stripe. If you'll remember, the PO had started removing the vinyl stripes, only to find ugly, faded, ghosted painted-on stripes underneath. Since painting isn't in budget for a while, we made the decision to neutralize them a bit with some gray vinyl over everything.
Note to self - never buy cheap vinyl ever again. This no-name stuff is impossible to work with, poor adhesion, lots of stretch, etc. Granted, the conditions aren't helping any. By the time I get to work on it the exterior is hotter than the sun so it doesn't take application fluid well, and by the time it cools in the evening I'm being devoured by blood-thirsty insects.
Regardless, the results look OK from 10ft and will be passable for the next year or two for about $25 in materials. I plan to outline the gray with either black or orange pinstriping and paint the wheels black to complete the look.
Note to self - never buy cheap vinyl ever again. This no-name stuff is impossible to work with, poor adhesion, lots of stretch, etc. Granted, the conditions aren't helping any. By the time I get to work on it the exterior is hotter than the sun so it doesn't take application fluid well, and by the time it cools in the evening I'm being devoured by blood-thirsty insects.
Regardless, the results look OK from 10ft and will be passable for the next year or two for about $25 in materials. I plan to outline the gray with either black or orange pinstriping and paint the wheels black to complete the look.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
I like the grey stripe. Looks real good in the photo. Need a nearby Tig machine, I know where to find one....
When you get it installed, you'll love the MaxxAir fan
When you get it installed, you'll love the MaxxAir fan
I need to see if mine is framed for a window.
Baloo
"The Bear Necessities"
On the hatch/vent installation, I decided that becuase I was mounting mine pretty far aft, that I could sacrafice one beam in the ceiling. I did run "L" channel from the beam to beam to support the new opening. It has worked out well. I was just on my roof yesterday to wash it (man was it dirty) and it all seems to be holding up well. It does not flex at all, so I guess adding the channels really helped. It did feel funny cutting a hole in the top of my truck. These things are built like tanks!
Dodger
I posted pics of my vent installation in my "Productive Weekend" topic
Dodger
I posted pics of my vent installation in my "Productive Weekend" topic
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