Black Friday Ambo

patoz

Expedition Leader
Yeah I have tied mine together to do that, but my stock reverse lights are all that came on before. Not sure if the lights have be a set height from the ground...
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Here ya go Alex...

49 CFR 571.108 - Standard No. 108; Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.

S5.3.2Except as provided in S5.3.2.1 through S5.3.2.4 and in paragraphs S5.7 and S7, each vehicle must conform to the following requirements:

(e) Backup lamps must be mounted on the rear so that the optical center of at least one lamp is visible from any eye point elevation from at least 1828 mm (6 ft) to 610 mm (2 ft) above the horizontal plane on which the vehicle is standing; and from any position in the area, rearward of a vertical plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, 914 mm (3 ft) to the rear of the vehicle and extending 914 mm (3 ft) beyond each side of the vehicle.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/571.108

So, as long as you have at least one that meets this requirement, you can put the rest anywhere you want.


As far as bobbing the rear, have you seen how hobietony (AmboVan) did his?

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/63380-AmboVan-Restarted
 

cjken

Explorer
The light hole access sounds like a good plan.
I used a hole saw to drill some small access holes on the inside. I did not have patience to fish the nuts through any other way.
 

patoz

Expedition Leader
Ambulance framing is set on 18" spacing I believe, but beware of horizontal framing also. It's not a big vertical open space like the walls in your house.

Here is a picture of an 'Excellance' ambulance being built to give you an idea. Excellance is one of the best you can get, so other brands may not have this much bracing. This is a good thing when it comes to strength, but makes it a ***** when you need to run a wire from the ceiling down to a cabinet, i.e. to install an outlet or light.


mod_mvc004af.jpg


http://www.excellance.com/construction/modular-body
 

flightcancled

Explorer
Oh man I wish I saw that so so long ago. Very cool find Pat!

A quick look inside before I started putting the floor back in today.

df1baf77e68a8f57b4e83075dbbded3e.jpg


Those LEDs in the ceiling sure made a huge difference!

My plan was to utility carpet the box to match the cab. While I was waiting for an attendant to not show up and cut a continuous piece big enough to do the whole box I noticed that the interlocking foam workout flooring was 19.95/ 16sq ft. So 4 containers would do the whole back for $80 vs. $100 for two layers of aluminum/foam/aluminum underlayment and another ~$38 in carpet. Hey, what the hell!

I told myself I would never go this route 100 times. Too easy, obvious, low hanging fruit, etc. Well it actually looks good so far, insulates very well, and seems to be putting up with abuse. I also really like the fact that I can easily add and remove sections since I still haven't finalized my floor plan. When I have stopped making changes I can just throw down whatever flooring I want on top.


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patoz

Expedition Leader
Oh man I wish I saw that so so long ago. Very cool find Pat!

Alex, I talked to a Sales Manager at Excellance (six emails each way) about a month before I found the one I bought. He was trying to find me just the rear body of one that had been rebuilt or wrecked, but no luck. In the process, I learned a lot about the 'good' and 'bad' of ambulance construction. He didn't have much to say about the Wheeled Coach units (mine), but that's like a Mercedes dealer talking about a Chevy Vega.

I've ordered some LED panels to test out in mine also. The shipped today, so should be here at the end of the week sometime.

My welder buddy bought those same foam squares to use in his floundering boat he's remodeling.

Flooring is probably one of the last things I'll put in mine. I've decided against any kind of permanently installed carpet due to possible mud, sand, and water damage. Since I don't normally have the temperature extremes you do, insulation is not a real high priority for the floor. I will probably replace the very expensive Lonseal Flooring that's in there now with something more suitable to my liking, possibly even hardwood flooring. Then I'll have a one piece non-skid, marine carpet 'rug' with the edges finished with carpet binding, that will sit on top when I want something nicer, or need extra insulation. Since the carpet is removable, it will be easier to clean if it gets messed up.
 

flightcancled

Explorer
Personally I think the corner lights on those boxes are awesome. Probably hell to replace and miserable if they leak though.

Pat considering the humidity and sand down there I would recommend using one of the newfangled heavy duty deck treatments. No where for water to hide or condensation to occur.

I don't know if your rig is the same, but I was stunned by the gorgeous fitted aluminum trim at the doors. I have to clean the carpet adhesive off of them before they go back in, but wow.




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patoz

Expedition Leader
Alex, I love the recessed corner lights also but guess what? The lights are proprietary to Wheeled Coach and replacement lens kits are $22.00 each. I already have them and they come with a gasket, a new socket, and a bulb which I have already ordered LED replacements for. I also only found two places on line that sell them also.

What kind of deck treatment are you referring to? Something you paint on or what?

Over all, my doors are pretty well designed also, with the exception of the cable system on the locks which we already discussed. Although, they show no signs of failure or even any wear so my concerns may be completely unfounded. I will probably need to do a little more adjusting and replace a few of the seals to achieve a true 'airtight seal', but dang they're 21 years old and have see some hard use.

Wheeled Coach is the largest ambulance manufacturer in the country, but they are known for quantity, not quality. They look great inside and out, but when you open up walls and doors, look behind cabinets, above the ceiling, and any other places you don't normally see, you find metal filings, hole plugs, wire skinnings, pieces of electrical tape , and outright trash. Carl, the original builder of 'Belafonte' even found messages about sex and drug use written with a Sharpie on the edge of the plywood under the piano hinges on the crew bench. In other words, 'If you can't see it, it don't matter'! These are not the work ethics of true craftsmen, they are the results of hiring workers with minimum standards and skills. And considering WC is located in Winter Park, FL, you can guess who a lot of those workers are.
 
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flightcancled

Explorer
You know what that's half of what I expected.

Yeah I have been nothing but impressed with MedTec. Well until today when I tore out the rest of the front passenger cabinet unit. What junk. Must have been a new guy.

Hopefully I will be putting the floor and cab completely back together in the next few days +/- some improvements. Following that I will be cutting in the new tail lights and switching over to preparing for the bob. Once the snow starts piling up I will be putting in the kitchen elements.


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flightcancled

Explorer
Part of the cab overhaul has become rebuilding all the padded trim as I go. The plywood backing on them has deteriorated into junk from time and water exposure. Especially the ones by the windows.

Cutting new sections and painting them before padding and carpet.

Here's the roof:

aac018dde76af6f1d744e63148c29c90.jpg


Floor is all done except for one section which is waiting to go in until I cut out a stretcher holder. These things have been a nightmare. I suspect they are the entire reason the floor wasn't ripped out more by the PO. Presently I am attempting to dig down with the angle grinder in such a way that I can decapitate the heads of the Allen bolts on this last one. No amount of torching would free them (at least that I was comfortable with 4" from the fuel tank). If Plan D doesn't work I am going to have to cut the top of the unit off as flush as I can or cut out a section of the floor.

I did manage to clean up the rear door trim piece. A 3 hour bubble bath and a razor scraper got all the carpet adhesive off perfectly. It still would only come off when scalding hot, as soon as it cooled it had to be reheated. I would up doing most of the removal under water. A "Magic Eraser" got all the paint overspray off and gave it a little shine.


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patoz

Expedition Leader
Alex, did you check the Allen head bolts underneath the floor?

Mine has nuts and lock washers on them, and are also rusted very badly. It looks to me like the easiest way to remove the brackets is to just cut the nuts off with a small grinder and cut-off wheel from underneath. Then take a punch and hammer and drive the remaining bolts upward.


On a side note...I just got word my axle and brakes are here finally. Next week is going to be very busy, but a good kind of busy!
 

flightcancled

Explorer
I was hoping for such a simple solution. Instead mine meet threaded holes in a 1/4" steel plate. Added bonus? The plate sits offset from the mount, so removing the section of floor is a headache too.


Sweet! Looking forward to it.

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patoz

Expedition Leader
Mine go through the floor and then through some 4" aluminum channel with lock washers and nuts. It could be fun too!
 

flightcancled

Explorer
Finally here during the day. Here's a quick shot.

61d57d67554b73bf877682402e1e66bc.jpg


I'm ok with the floor as is. Easy to kneel on and do work. My feet are finally warm in here. And being able to sweep out all the debris I generate instead of using the shop vac is nice. Looks.... ok. I'm not the biggest fan. Certainly more of a utilitarian expo feel.


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patoz

Expedition Leader
Is that stuff pretty solid, or does it feel 'bouncy' when you walk on it?

Also, will that stuff hold water if it gets wet? Might need to test a scrap piece to see what happens.
 
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flightcancled

Explorer
It's solid. Things sink into it and leave indents, but they go away again. So the opposite of bouncy. A dropped tool pretty much stops dead on it instead of bouncing.

I've been tracking in rain and snow. So far it all pools on top.

My concern would be scrapes and tears. So far so good considering I was grinding and prying those plates up.




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