T.Low
Expedition Leader
Dude, my grandpa used to tinker. He never managed to tinker up anything quite like that!
Super cool.
The Ute & Intro _ E350
- Thread starter naterry
- Start date
Dude, my grandpa used to tinker. He never managed to tinker up anything quite like that!
Super cool.
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
I know, good thing you didn't warn them!
The roof ideas keep changing and I can't decide! It started with something simple like cutting a hole and attaching a westy pop-top, then ideas.. A usable roof patio became a priority so now whatever happens will need to support it. I'm contemplating using hydraulics to hinge the entire roof or to raise it vertically. I know it sounds crazy but I think it would be cool!
There are deals out there. I picked up the ambulance for $5500 on craigslist. Check out this google custom search that lets you look nationwide on craigslist: http://www.google.com/cse?cx=007695268203510500512%3Amkr2kecxruc&ie=UTF-8&q=ambulance&sa=search+craigslist+click+here
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Cheers man, thanks for the props. I actually broke my finger on day 6 and subsequently winced when that hand touched ANYTHING for the next week. Wrenching heavy metal on a tight schedule with an injured paw sucks!
They were a junkyard score, 100$!
I found the area in the junk yard that had the newly wrecked cars and there was an 08 Pontiac something that hadn't been rained on. They work great. You can see the old seats in one of my posts above, they were pretty nasty..Time to go surfing!
D
Deleted member 1276
Guest
oh. my. gawwwd.
looks awesome! saw the picture of this on chris's site. glad to see more pics.
let us know lessons learned and stuff as time goes on if you would! Love it!
looks awesome! saw the picture of this on chris's site. glad to see more pics.
let us know lessons learned and stuff as time goes on if you would! Love it!
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Cheers, will do! I'm stuck in Washington State for a few weeks so no progress to report. It feels like mid-life-crisis time, but I already have a toy and just want to retire..
This is very inspiring.
I'm curious to see what you do with the pop up idea.
This is a mock up of what I was thinking of doing.
Do you have plans for water? Shower? Sink? Bed?
Thanks! A sink and tank are on the list but no shower or bathroom. I have a black 20gal water tank w/a pvc shower head attachment that will do if necessary. As for the pop-top I'm still undecided. It's tempting to buy an off the shelf top, cut a hole, and bolt it on. That would maintain some stiffness in the plane of the roof.
Bed? Check! It was a little pricey but I like the quality and simplicity of it. Here is a link to the manufacturer: http://www.discountvantruck.com/rvsofabeds/motorhomefurnituresofasDakota.htm
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Cheers!
Minor update:
Had time for a short trip to the mouth of the Mattole. Very interesting area. I set up one of the external storage compartments with a trash bin fastened inside, and then a small door from inside the box that you can open and throw the trash out. Keeps the box cleaner. Very handy, but it drove the critters nuts at night. I could hear the little bastards fingering and knawing on the external doors trying to get in for some trash treats. They were similarly frustrated by the BBQ in the other external box, but not the fridge box for some reason. Least of three smells?
Re: progress. Growing up around westies, I assumed that the vent for the fridge could be internal. It became clear during a test drive that the fumes & CO coming out of the internal vent were not safe. Home Depot had louvered returns for 14$ that fit the bill. You can see the eye-sore vents I added to the door in the pic below:
Form follows function I guess, but function well they do!
Not much to report besides that, throw rugs, stainless counter & backing, molding, seat mount. I'm stuck on the fence about the manual conversion..
Here are some more pics:
Happy Holidays!
Railvan
Adventurer
"I'm stuck in Washington State for a few weeks so no progress to report. It feels like mid-life-crisis time, but I already have a toy and just want to retire.."
You still in WA state? I just saw this thread again. If you are, and anywhere near NW Washington, we could meet up and have your conversion, a Sportsmobile and T'low's AstroMobile get together!
The interior looks great. Really clean conversion work.
Have you considered a side-hinged pop top? Seems like you could get more head room the whole length of the body with the top tilting up to one side. A Dormobile-type accordion fabric set up attached to it might work well.
Brian Rutherford
You still in WA state? I just saw this thread again. If you are, and anywhere near NW Washington, we could meet up and have your conversion, a Sportsmobile and T'low's AstroMobile get together!
The interior looks great. Really clean conversion work.
Have you considered a side-hinged pop top? Seems like you could get more head room the whole length of the body with the top tilting up to one side. A Dormobile-type accordion fabric set up attached to it might work well.
Brian Rutherford
Adventurerider
Adventurer
Naterry,
That is really a great idea, I've seen a lot of converted Ambulances (most for ski bum'in around) and none of them could ever hold a candle to what you've been able to pull off with your build! I also have to agree with DSW, the rear departure angles cut into the box, look great, and again well thought out!! Going with Chris's 44 set up, what is the ride like in your van, I know that everyone tastes are different but how does it do on road, normal driving? An off road? This is something I'm addressing with my build (when the funds are there), wheel travel, with Quigley there's not enough, but still more then SMB and rides much nicer then a stock SMB (my opinion). I'd like to hear your thought's...
You really do have one of the coolest rig's (idea's) I've seem in a long time, you really pulled it off, way to go!! I wish I had your type of vision.. If you ever make it down to the SLC area give me a heads up, I would thoroughly enjoy checking out your rig and grabbing a bite!
Happy Holidays and keep up the good work and posts!!!
Cheers
(Advridr)
P.S. Where was that last picture taken, did you happen to get any info or pic's of that other expo rig parked by you?
That is really a great idea, I've seen a lot of converted Ambulances (most for ski bum'in around) and none of them could ever hold a candle to what you've been able to pull off with your build! I also have to agree with DSW, the rear departure angles cut into the box, look great, and again well thought out!! Going with Chris's 44 set up, what is the ride like in your van, I know that everyone tastes are different but how does it do on road, normal driving? An off road? This is something I'm addressing with my build (when the funds are there), wheel travel, with Quigley there's not enough, but still more then SMB and rides much nicer then a stock SMB (my opinion). I'd like to hear your thought's...
You really do have one of the coolest rig's (idea's) I've seem in a long time, you really pulled it off, way to go!! I wish I had your type of vision.. If you ever make it down to the SLC area give me a heads up, I would thoroughly enjoy checking out your rig and grabbing a bite!
Happy Holidays and keep up the good work and posts!!!
Cheers
(Advridr)
P.S. Where was that last picture taken, did you happen to get any info or pic's of that other expo rig parked by you?
Last edited:
naterry
13 Cheeseburgers
Mucho Gusto for the compliments comrades!
Cheers, I'm actually sitting in the tri-cities airport right now catching up on emails. I wish I was up here in the Ute, but it's for work. The private sector is so slow right now, I'm stuck bouncing around supporting DOE projects..
Something definitely needs to be done about the headroom situation.. It's interesting how early decisions drive a design: -like deciding on the larger fridge for my beer gut, which then positioned the cook-top higher, which then lead to my having to stand while cooking to see what's going on in the pans, and ultimately resulted in the pain in the neck.. literally!
A scavanged pop top from a westy style camper would be the cheapest, and probably easiest. My concern with hinging a segment of the existing roof is weight, and added time in the design work. For reference, the skin on the box is 1/8" thick. It adds up. The aluminum left from bobbing the rear was worth 20$ at the recyclers.. What to do.
Cheers!
I'm very happy with Chris's (ujoint) conversion parts. They were all well made, and Chris was great to deal with. Wheel travel was not an issue on Usal road. That's the only place I've gotten the rig twisted up, and it easily absorbed apposing 2' deep ruts without lifting a tire. More expirimentation is needed here.
I would say that ride quality is acceptable, but needs improvement in a couple areas because of the nature of the Ute. On the road it's fine, if a little under-damped. I don't have any references from other converted vans, SMB's, etc. I wish I did..
By nature, I'm referring to the 5500lb rear axle weight, 4400lb front axle weight, and relatively high CG. Here's what I can think of:
The last pic was at the mouth of the Mattole river: http://maps.google.com/maps?source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&sll=40.211668,-124.04108&sspn=0.404809,0.891953&ie=UTF8&q=http:%2F%2Fworldbeachlist.com%2Fkml.php%3Fbeach%3D833&ftid=38E28C046A9BE245&ll=40.288622,-124.35726&spn=0.012636,0.027874&t=h&z=16
It's a beautiful place, and just hard enough to get to to deter the drooling masses. Funny about the rig: he was a a german guy and wifey on their 5th month of travels through the americas. He came across canada and was headed down to chile I believe. nice guy, we ran into eachother again an a nearby backroad looking for access to a lighthouse road. NIce rig, ex ambulance conversion with a hinged top and typical 1300L camper layout. I actually just returned from a 6mo stint in Deutshland, not too far from this guy's hometown:
-AND I will DEFINITELY be passing through SLC! My best friend is finishing up med school there and we are long overdue for some back country boarding/tele-whacking. I'll keep you posted.
Nate (glad to be headed back to warm SF!!)
Cheers, I'm actually sitting in the tri-cities airport right now catching up on emails. I wish I was up here in the Ute, but it's for work. The private sector is so slow right now, I'm stuck bouncing around supporting DOE projects..
Something definitely needs to be done about the headroom situation.. It's interesting how early decisions drive a design: -like deciding on the larger fridge for my beer gut, which then positioned the cook-top higher, which then lead to my having to stand while cooking to see what's going on in the pans, and ultimately resulted in the pain in the neck.. literally!
A scavanged pop top from a westy style camper would be the cheapest, and probably easiest. My concern with hinging a segment of the existing roof is weight, and added time in the design work. For reference, the skin on the box is 1/8" thick. It adds up. The aluminum left from bobbing the rear was worth 20$ at the recyclers.. What to do.
Cheers!
I'm very happy with Chris's (ujoint) conversion parts. They were all well made, and Chris was great to deal with. Wheel travel was not an issue on Usal road. That's the only place I've gotten the rig twisted up, and it easily absorbed apposing 2' deep ruts without lifting a tire. More expirimentation is needed here.
I would say that ride quality is acceptable, but needs improvement in a couple areas because of the nature of the Ute. On the road it's fine, if a little under-damped. I don't have any references from other converted vans, SMB's, etc. I wish I did..
By nature, I'm referring to the 5500lb rear axle weight, 4400lb front axle weight, and relatively high CG. Here's what I can think of:
- Installing a sway bar from a super duty in the front was a huge improvement, I think that should be a requirement for any top heavy rig at freeway speeds.
- Single dampers all the way around are also insufficient. This became painfully evident on back roads with inconveniently spaced bumps that created a compounding effect on the jounce frequency. I will be doubling them soon.
- The steering geometry can be improved. I'm still investigating what route I want to take to minimize the bump steer.
The last pic was at the mouth of the Mattole river: http://maps.google.com/maps?source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&sll=40.211668,-124.04108&sspn=0.404809,0.891953&ie=UTF8&q=http:%2F%2Fworldbeachlist.com%2Fkml.php%3Fbeach%3D833&ftid=38E28C046A9BE245&ll=40.288622,-124.35726&spn=0.012636,0.027874&t=h&z=16
It's a beautiful place, and just hard enough to get to to deter the drooling masses. Funny about the rig: he was a a german guy and wifey on their 5th month of travels through the americas. He came across canada and was headed down to chile I believe. nice guy, we ran into eachother again an a nearby backroad looking for access to a lighthouse road. NIce rig, ex ambulance conversion with a hinged top and typical 1300L camper layout. I actually just returned from a 6mo stint in Deutshland, not too far from this guy's hometown:
-AND I will DEFINITELY be passing through SLC! My best friend is finishing up med school there and we are long overdue for some back country boarding/tele-whacking. I'll keep you posted.
Nate (glad to be headed back to warm SF!!)
Last edited: