Bob the Campulance. E350 Crestline with Roof Raise. V3 in Progress.
- Thread starter iggi
- Start date
iggi
Ian
Also solar is all installed. (just have to clean up some loose wiring)
I replaced the factory vent with a quick homebuilt panel that's hinged for easy access.
Attached solar panel brackets with M6 nutserts, sealed with roofing urethane.
Also, in other news I had a bbq/birthday party with a lot of visitors. Was giving ambulance tours for most of the evening. At one point had 8 people and a dog all hanging out inside comfortably.
Had several comment.. "now why didn't I think of this" Mostly from those with C class motorhomes or standard vans.
I replaced the factory vent with a quick homebuilt panel that's hinged for easy access.
Attached solar panel brackets with M6 nutserts, sealed with roofing urethane.
Also, in other news I had a bbq/birthday party with a lot of visitors. Was giving ambulance tours for most of the evening. At one point had 8 people and a dog all hanging out inside comfortably.
Had several comment.. "now why didn't I think of this" Mostly from those with C class motorhomes or standard vans.
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iggi
Ian
Got the flip up desk/counter done today. Pretty happy with it so far. It may eventually need a flip out support leg as I tend to lean on my desk. Suspect it'll need some anti-vibration hack as well.
Less luck with plumbing the sink. I was planning on using the former oxygen closet behind the driver door (shares a door with the electrical panel) but having a water line run through my electrical cabinet just seems like an ultra dumb idea. (which was made very obvious when one of the hose fittings blew and sprayed water all over the place. ? )
Decided I'll use the rear side cabinet, which the sink is already cut into, to house both the grey water and fresh water tanks plus the water pump. That will shorted the lines up considerably, keep water away from the electronics and I think the vertical closet will provide more usable space over the rear one. As a friend pointed out, I can run hot hair into the closet and use it as a drying rack.
Good spot to hang climbing ropes and gear as well.
Less luck with plumbing the sink. I was planning on using the former oxygen closet behind the driver door (shares a door with the electrical panel) but having a water line run through my electrical cabinet just seems like an ultra dumb idea. (which was made very obvious when one of the hose fittings blew and sprayed water all over the place. ? )
Decided I'll use the rear side cabinet, which the sink is already cut into, to house both the grey water and fresh water tanks plus the water pump. That will shorted the lines up considerably, keep water away from the electronics and I think the vertical closet will provide more usable space over the rear one. As a friend pointed out, I can run hot hair into the closet and use it as a drying rack.
Good spot to hang climbing ropes and gear as well.
iggi
Ian
progress on the bed. I'll call this phase 1. Had a lot less time than planned to get together before taking a 3 day weekend. It was really quite quick to put together.
It worked well though. Quick to setup, quick to take down. Didn't break or make horrible noises. Refinements coming soon though.
It worked well though. Quick to setup, quick to take down. Didn't break or make horrible noises. Refinements coming soon though.
iggi
Ian
My insurance broker called me up. Turns out the insurance company wasn't real happy about how she wrote up the ambulance and was refusing to insure it as a private passenger vehicle. Fortunately I've made enough progress to call it an RV and it's now insured as a Class A motorhome for a grand whopping total of $472/year. I expect they will eventually get around to requesting an official inspection and appraisal but no complaining about the rate. Especially as it includes things like trip interruption and $5,000 of content insurance.
Bikersmurf
Expedition Leader
$472 is awesome. We pay 3X that. Business use doesn't help to keep the cost down.
iggi
Ian
It's kinda comical but until about 20 minutes ago I had no idea where the starting batteries were. I'd been all over the rig. I'd even read the manual and I simply could not find any batteries or battery boxes.
Today while investigating some options about where to potentially install a shower and toilet I was inspecting the side doorway and noticed the screws holding the diamond plate step down showed signs of use (unlike all the other screws holding the cabinets or fixtures in).
A quick bit of work with the cordless screwdriver and todah! Two big fat AGM starting batteries on a beautifully built sliding drawer.
Bit of bonus as there's room in there for jumper cables and a few other emergency supplies.
Today while investigating some options about where to potentially install a shower and toilet I was inspecting the side doorway and noticed the screws holding the diamond plate step down showed signs of use (unlike all the other screws holding the cabinets or fixtures in).
A quick bit of work with the cordless screwdriver and todah! Two big fat AGM starting batteries on a beautifully built sliding drawer.
Bit of bonus as there's room in there for jumper cables and a few other emergency supplies.
Bikersmurf
Expedition Leader
1/2 surprised there wasn’t a label on the access panel indicating there were batteries inside. Mine had one on the outside of the electric door warning of batteries inside.
Having both of them there will help to even out the weight on the passenger side read. My L rear had 700 lbs more on it than the R rear. If I ever add water tanks or more batteries they’ll all go on the R rear... I might pick up an extra battery box or two to add to the R rear frame rail.
You might ask why? Because when I switched over to two 6 V golf cart batteries, I now have a spare pair of starting batteries... perfect for a rear winch
iggi
Ian
No indication I saw of a label anywhere. Might have fallen off or just be part of that assumed knowledge.
Rear winch for the win! I want to see how that works out as I think that's a lot more useful than a front one.. especially for those of us not planning to convert to 4x4 anytime soon.
Rear winch for the win! I want to see how that works out as I think that's a lot more useful than a front one.. especially for those of us not planning to convert to 4x4 anytime soon.
1/2 surprised there wasn’t a label on the access panel indicating there were batteries inside. Mine had one on the outside of the electric door warning of batteries inside.
Having both of them there will help to even out the weight on the passenger side read. My L rear had 700 lbs more on it than the R rear. If I ever add water tanks or more batteries they’ll all go on the R rear... I might pick up an extra battery box or two to add to the R rear frame rail.
You might ask why? Because when I switched over to two 6 V golf cart batteries, I now have a spare pair of starting batteries... perfect for a rear winch
patoz
Expedition Leader
Since my rig is a F250 4x4 tow vehicle and trailer format, I'm getting ready to mount a 12,000 lb. winch with wireless remote control on the front of the vehicle, and I also have a 9,000 lb. winch mounted in a portable cradle. I will have a plug-in on the rear of the truck so it can be used there, and I'll also have a receiver hitch and plug-in on the back of the camper trailer, so it can be used there also. And, if I can figure out a way to mount a receiver hitch on the tongue of the trailer where it's not in the way, I be able to use it there also. The trailer (see my avatar) has it's own 500Ah house battery bank, which can power it in an emergency.
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Bikersmurf
Expedition Leader
You’ll be waiting for a while... I’m 1/2 way through installing a class 5 hitch on the back. A cradle winch may fit there some day