Buying & Building a Medium Ambulance into an RV – The FAM-BULANCE

[rlrenz]

I'll check on the jack knife sofa - I like all the storage under the squad seat, and I'm going to try to keep it if at all possible, so PLAN-B might be to custom build a frame and get it upholstered - but that is definitely not PLAN-A.

I still want to be able to use the rear doors, but not to load stretchers, so I can get by with a shorter bumper. My bumper is mostly steel with an aluminum skin, which explains the corrosion on the aluminum. My plan is something like 4x8" box tube, probably 3/8" wall, with closed ends. It looks like there is plenty of existing steel support to hang it on. At that point, it becomes very easy to add a CLASS-4 trailer hitch.

In other news:

I've been asked what the ambulance looks like now - the photos I posted earlier were from the GEV website when I bought it. Here goes:


Parked somewhere in VA after loading up nearly 900 Lbs of railroad parts - the side compartment we used is also slated for a future generator, and I don't have ANY worries about the ambulance leaning from the weight of the generator & fuel.


The now-removed attendant's seat - anyone want one? MNtal stopped by the other night, and it didn't take us very long to remove it. The seat and seat base were bolted down with 3/8 bolts, plus a few wood screws to hold the base tight to the cabinetry. Once we used a couple Wonder bars to pry the silicone caulking apart, the seat and base came out, and now I can access areas that I could hardly bend enough to get at before. MNtal is less than half my age, and he bends a whole lot easier than I do - THANKS for your help!!

By the way - the tire partly visible wasn't a spare tire - it was just along for the ride.


A rear view showing the existing bumper - every inch I can shorten it means another inch of room in my garage.

 

[rlrenz]

Our route back to Minnesota (via Richmond) passed very close to West Virginia's Grandview State Park, so we stopped to see the New River Gorge. The park is a few miles from I-64, but the view is well worth it.








My son wheeling along. He's moved enough times in the past with Penske trucks that an ambulance was a natural transition...


Before the trip, I bought a trucker's GPS from Rand McNally - it helped a lot, and we found out that the speedo was virtually dead right. Like every GPS, there were times when it was determined to give us a different route - when that happened, we'd start on the route we wanted, then it would get the idea.

 

[rlrenz]

A long time ago, a very wise emergency vehicle electrician warned me about mechanical door switches, and that they were the bane of his existence.

I agree at least 100%.

My rear door loading lights were very intermittent, so I decided to remove the rear door switch and replace it.

Piece of cake – at least, the switch part was. Removing the two screws on the stainless mounting plate took me more than an hour. Both were self-tapping machine screws, which means that they were hardened harder than my drill bit, plus that had more than 15 years to corrode into place - and they had.

I tried a vise grip – total waste of time. The VG couldn’t get a good grip.

Finally, I managed to get one out by using a Reed & Price bit (the non-slip equivalent to a Phillips) that I tapped into place with a hammer, then backed out with a ¼ hex socket. The remaining screw was in place forever, until I slotted it with a Dremel grinder, then used a punch to collapse it and drive it into the extrusion. I then re-tapped both holes from 6-32 to 8-32, and you can bet that the new SS machine screws will be dipped in anti-seize.

The switch was unknown at NAPA, but SelectTech (ambulance parts supplier) had them, so I ordered a few. I could have replaced it with a magnetic reed switch, but the existing design should be good for many years since I'm not planning on a lot of snowy trips.

Many many years ago, I learned to be very cautious when I started a “simple” job – and being cautious has been a good plan many many times.

I ordered enough that I can replace all the switches when I get around to them - and that will be as necessary and when necessary.

 

[rlrenz]

When MNtal saw a series of screws near the floor in the front of the module, he grabbed a screwdriver so we could see what the wiring routes looked like. The wiring is mostly in convoluted tubing (except for one antenna lead), and it runs to the cab through either of two 4" ducts that are similar to 4" heater hose. All of a sudden, adding cabling between the cab/batteries and the module got a whole lot easier.

 

[Ozrockrat]

you can bet that the new SS machine screws will be dipped in anti-seize.

Just make sure it is not a nickel based anti-seize. Galvanic corrosion. I made that mistake once on a boat (stainless into aluminum using anti-seize) and we ended up having to steer a 200hp motor with fishing poles, belts and clothing to get back to shore.

 

[rlrenz]

Good thought - I might just fall back on the old standby of graphite grease.

 

[rlrenz]

Today was a beautiful day to work on an ambulance, except the lawn needed a trim, son needed some help with his own projects, and by the time it was all completed, it was evening. Doesn't matter - I still try to get an hour or so every evening tunneling into the darkest depths of the ambulance. Tonight, I decided that there was absolutely no reason to keep the IV bag heater. They are designed with thermostats and thermal fuses to heat an IV bag to about 98 F or so, so it doesn't have any real use for me - anyone want one? Free for the postage.


The heater sitting on a table in my garage. I've been trying to clean the table so I can fold it up, but I can't empty it for more than about ten minutes - maybe tomorrow...


The Whelen flasher - Whelen is definitely about the best out there for this kind of equipment - check out their web site and look at the price list - OUCH!


A view through the access port into the nooks and crannies of the wiring. Everything runs in convoluted tubing, and a standard method to access things is by removing a light fixture for hand space. I also like a mirror - sometimes a fancy mechanic's mirror, and sometimes an old overhead projector mirror taped to a carpenter's folding rule.


The Streamlight. I have two of them, one set up as a LED floodlight, and one as a quartz halogen spotlight. They will live in the on-board charging stations that came with the ambulance.


An absolutely empty cabinet - it will be used to hold the manuals and paperwork required for the vehicle: insurance data, Good Sam membership, truck legal stuff, and all the rest that would go into the non-existent glove box. There is a perfect place for one on the dash, other than the fact that the heater blower and the ASB package take up 99.99% of the "perfect glove box" space


The "perfect glove box" space - darn it.




The positive wire for the IV heater was labeled OPTION 5, so now I know what OPTION 5 on the load management panel is connected to. One more step forward.

Once I had the IV warmer removed, I removed the removable panel in the rear of the cabinet, and it turns out that was where the Whelen light flasher lives. I knew there was one, but I hadn't found it until now. I noted the wire numbers, and put the panel back into place.

I didn't destroy the old IV heater wiring - I pulled it back into the "attic" and taped the ends, then I used wire ties to tie the IV heater leads to the side of the convoluted tubing to the flasher - that way, they won't be nearly impossible to find if I want to use OPTION 5 for something else in that area, maybe a TV?

A month or so ago, I located a used Streamlight on EBAY at a decent price. I bought it, then bought the LED floodlight upgrade from Amazon. It is an amazing light, and it does a very excellent job of lighting the inside of a cabinet.

 

[rlrenz]

I spent the afternoon chasing wiring in the console. Lots of possible abandoned wiring - today, I think I found the Whelen siren cables. The giveaway was lettering on one of the cables that said 'speaker 101". The use of a 12 pin AMP connector also pointed to Whelen. I'm going to trace the cabling a bit more before I snip it out. Once it's gone, I'll have an ambulance that will be maybe 3 pounds lighter, but more important, the console will be a little emptier. My goal is to shorten the console from its present 30 inches to about 20 inches, and considering the thing is solid with cables, terminal strips, relays, and circuit breakers, it's gonna take some work over the winter to make it happen.







By the way - that bunch of bundled red & gray cables used to feed a radio, but now it feeds a set of 12 volt power receptacles - first chance I get, about 5 ft of it's cables will be yanked.

 

[rlrenz]

One of my concerns has been the console cover. It's basically plywood, with holes in it to fit the several radios and the siren module. The two radio holes were capped with some 1/16 aluminum, but the siren port was wide open - about 2 1/2 x 5". I knocked a screw through it this morning, took off the cover, and tried to find the screw. I could see the main module fuse in the bottom, and I could visualize a fuse-blowing screw rolling around down there. A half hour with a flashlight didn't show anything, but I finally figured that it could have fallen into one of the 4" ducts leading back to the module. Stainless screws don't do much with a magnet, but I had a vacuum in the garage. I attacked the duct from the console and from the module, took off the vac's cover, and there was my screw. No longer any concern over a core meltdown. I dug around in the woodshop, and found some 1/2" MDO that will do very well as a new console cover. Crisis over.

I've been looking at what to do for an interior layout. My wife and I sat there for a while this afternoon digging through the internet looking for furniture that would fit the module without needing a chainsaw for installation. After a bit of searching, we found a captain's chair that might work. It will fit where the present CPR seat is located (with a little saw activity required), with a window added as well. Seat belts won't be a problem - they can be installed from the existing tie points just fine.


Existing CPR seat


The 99% probable chair - reclines, adjusts, all the good stuff.


Fitting it into place shouldn't be too difficult

 

[MNtal]

That looks comfy, is it a candidate for captains chairs aswell?

 

[java]

Man thats a LOT of wires! All the flashers and sirens were pulled out of mine

 

[rlrenz]

Captain's chairs were an early thought for the cab, but the cab isn't on an RV, it's on a Freightliner truck, so the cab is narrow for non-truck seats. I talked it over with the Freightliner parts department, and Phil suggested buying premium truck seats instead. Since they are designed for all-day drivers, they should be a real improvement from 1999 truck seats. They will cost close to $ 800 per each when the bells and whistles are factored in, but they will be plug & play - air ride package and all. Any one want my used Bostrom seats? No tears in the vinyl, and no lumps in the foam.

Many pounds of wiring, to be sure. Instead of yanking every wire I have now, I decided to keep most of the features. Example: When I open the right rear door, the rear loading lights come on. When the left rear door is opened, the air dump drops the suspension to lower the loading height. When the side door is opened, the right side loading lights come on. The rig still has the Vanner 12 - 120 inverter, the Vanner battery charger, the incandescent ceiling lights, the fluorescent ceiling lights, and the extension speakers for the cab stereo. The vehicle has Auto-Throttle--- the engine speeds up to 1500 RPM when it is in neutral, the parking brake is set, the module is powered up, and the cab switch is flipped to A/T. This means that the engine is running fast enough that the AC or heater puts out rated performance, and the alternator puts out it's full rated power. I used to run a test lab for General Dynamics, so none of it intimidates me - i think it's fun to work with. That being said, though, there are times when it can get a little challenging - when that happens, I sit back, I reach for something cold (or hot if its winter), and think for a bit. I have voltmeters, a test light or two, and if I'm really stuck, I know an emergency vehicle electrician. MNtal is a friend of mine, and we often get together to compare notes.

So far, so good....

 

[rlrenz]

My replacement door switches came in last week, so I decided to install the two in the rear doors - the curb side turns on the loading lights when that door is opened, and the driver's side dumps the air suspension when the door is opened (so a stretcher can be more easily loaded). The curb side was prepped, so the installation would be (should be??) easier.

First, I saw that the new switches would protrude a lot farther than the old switches. I brought one to the shop, took it apart, and planned to trim about 0.20" off the tube, then I'd shorten the stem accordingly. When it was chucked up in the lathe, I saw that the center tube looked like it might be a press fit, so I tapped it and saw it move, so I continued until all the lengths were right. Simple - Ja?


The old, the new, and the new after pressing a bit

A bit of anti-seize was added to the new stainless screws - Loctite 39901 is a zinc-based compound specifically recommended for aluminum threads, and I had some that had been a free sample somewhere back in time. I probably have 10-12 different anti-seize compounds on hand, all the way from graphite grease to nuclear grade to lead based.

The driver's side was the usual challenge - I tried a Phillips bit, and got nowhere - then I reached for my impact screwdriver. Amazingly, that got them moving, and I was able to finish them off with a normal screwdriver. The mounting plate's threads were stripped, so I took a 5/16" nut, drilled it out, and re-tapped it to 3/8-24. It made an excellent locknut, and from that point, all went 1-2-3.


The mounting plate, with a locknut added


One of my impact screwdrivers


The removed switches - now residing in the shop trash can.

After I finished, I planned to add some adhesive rubber weatherstrip (part of the same parts order) to the rear doors - I could see light through the center, and another section of weatherstrip would take care of it. I took a closer look, and saw that the existing door edge weatherstrip was installed backward, so the compression bulb was on the inside waving in the air, and not next to the other door. Ten seconds later, I had reversed the weatherstrip, and everything is now corked up like it should be - weird....

 

[spencyg]

As an aside, those door switches were designed by the factory to be "set" the first time the door was closed. The switches are typically installed as you received them, protruding farther than you thought was appropriate. When the door is forcefully shut after install the barrel slides back to its correct position and stays there for eternity.

Really liking the build so far. A medium duty ambulance seems like a really good platform for an adventure wagon.

SG

 

[rlrenz]

I eventually figured that they were designed that way - thankfully before I went through cutting one down....

The ambulance is interesting enough that I don't want to lose its features - the light switching, the AC system, and all the rest - not to mention 18 interior compartments. Some of the interior compartments will be turned into drawers to simplify using them (eg: small sliding doors on a floor level compartment that will be reworked into a drawer - the end result will be a 20" cubical drawer that will work well for bedding).