2009 Chevy Medium Duty 4x4 Kodiak Ambulance conversion

patoz

Expedition Leader
Tom, I would go to the compressor itself and see what power leads you have going to it. Identify the hot (+) wire and see what is printed on it. Then go back to the controller and see if you can locate it there. That is the wire I would add the switch to.

Keep in mind though, the Air Ride electrical system has several interface systems also, i.e. the vehicle won't squat in certain conditions such as open doors or compartments, or if you have an O2 cylinder lift and it is deployed in the down position. These conditions won't stop the air compressor from running, but low or no air may affect other things or give you warning lights/buzzers. But in that case, all you would have to do is flip the switch and restore power to the compressor to see if that corrects the problem.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
Tom was kind enough to bring the vehicle over for me to look at while he passed through Portland. Extremely nice work with many nice features and clever details.

Perhaps the most impressive thing to me was how well he did at making the "ambulance" vanish. From the side profile, all the windows and the plain sides make it look like an expensive custom-built off-road truck with exceptional exterior storage. It's the sort of truck that most anyone would be proud to have sitting in the drive. It certainly does look the business now.

Lots and lots of work, but he's made quite the vehicle for himself. Well done, Tom.
 

cjken

Explorer
Yes very impressive!

Has your rim situation worked out?
Hopefully the larger bolts did the trick!

Somewhere I think you said you were getting 10mpg. Not bad for such a big truck.
I just calculated my mini-mod mpg towing a boat and am around 9.5mpg

12 ish not towing.
 

Mattersnots

Adventurer
Big updates coming. I'm about to head into the boonies for a 5 day bike packing trip. When I get back I'll have time to update this build and bring in some serious wheel drama. For now all is going well and the truck is working great. Currently near Bend, OR.
 

mk216v

Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Big updates coming. I'm about to head into the boonies for a 5 day bike packing trip. When I get back I'll have time to update this build and bring in some serious wheel drama. For now all is going well and the truck is working great. Currently near Bend, OR.

Love Bend, and Bend loves bikers! :)
 

Brewdiak

kodiak conversionator
hope you made it back home Tom, sorry I missed you coming through my area! so...what are the updates and wheel drama? mine's at the shop now to get the front air suspension installed and de-fubar the rear suspension (airbags/swaybar issue). also hoping the studs are long enough for the spacers but i don't think they will be unfortunately.

anyway, can't wait to hear your reviews of the trip. BTW, got a efiLive tune for my rig - just the 30+hp 'eco' tune .... wow even just that minimal power increase was immediately noticeable. Also finally installed the air dog lift pump/filter which will also hopefully help mpg's ... baby steps towards the finish line for my truck
 

Brewdiak

kodiak conversionator
Tom's in/near Moab - sounds like his truck is doing well i'm sure he'll put in an update when he gets home
 
No plans for that yet. It's a good idea. There isn't much room for anything else to go in this cabinet. We shall see, if I try to cram other stuff in there then I might use your idea. Most likely it will stay as is for easy access. A guy on instagram had a great idea of putting a top rail on the toilet rollers to keep it in place. Love this idea and will use it.

Haha that guy was me... following along on two platforms


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Brewdiak

kodiak conversionator
no - check the build thread, Tom designed a system to roll his composting toilet in and out of the side compartment. The top rail would just keep the rollers captured in the track. FWIW though, as cool as the design is Tom emailed he's probably going to change it to a fixed mount for better useability.

I just found him on instagram - hah, I suck at the internet - i'm going to join and follow, that's where he's been updating on his roadtrip and his wheel woes...holy crap what a pain in the rear he's had with the staz super singles and bolts breaking!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,528
Messages
2,875,553
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top