OFF-GRID AMBULANCE CONVERSION PROJECT

orthodoxymoron wrote:

Hey Oxy, for someone not posting, and in incognito mode you sure do get around   Not that you are not most welcome...

I almost bought one of those beasts, a LandRover Forward Control 101 . All the body panels are removable, can be a flat bed truck with a cab. Or anything in between..



or added to..



BUT.... there is a huge and noisy V8 engine inside the cab! Between the 2 front seats. Its ridiculously noisy.... and thirsty for fuel.. but what fun eh? a huge go anywhere meccano set...

Morpheus wrote:I think my ambulance is looking better without the decals.

I painted my entire ambulance with a quality agricultural enamel paint. The stuff they put on tractors, and all UK farmers are so tight with their money, you know the stuff has to be good .
I used a 4" paint roller, lots of thin coats. You cant tell its been rollered.. Cost me about $30 plus the paint...

if you are so inclined..

nice that its got few windows, even though you may cut another another one at some point.. I love my 360 degree view but the insulation / condensation factor can be a pain.

Morpheus wrote:

Got the perfect place for a wood stove. Looking at a Grizzly wood stove. Should be plenty. I just don't like the idea of cutting a hole in the roof. I also thought of making my own wood stove.

The solar is going in last. I want to be able to figure out the final load requirements before jumping on that wagon.

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when its all stripped down is a good time to check / ehhance / install insulation.. and a plastic membrane on the floor ..

also if you need additional lights etc from your solar, good time to run the cables / or just a tube with string in it, to pull cables through later.. all this is easier before the refit.. but not essential, i ran cables at the back of overhead lockers i built into the van..

one thing i would do differently is use a double walled flue pipe from the wood burner. they are usually insulated and i thought i might want the pipe as an additional heat source /radiator..

as it turns out the single wall flue pipe cools the smoke too much and creosote is formed, which runs out of the chimney and onto your roof, side of the van etc...

took me a while to find a cowl.. and after 2 attempts I ended up going marine, expensive but worth it..

https://www.ebcmarine.com/bulkhead-mounted-heaters/dickinson-stainless-roof-cowl-3-all-styles



if the van doesn't have a fan fitted its another job that's easier when the van is stripped down..

need to think of ventilation with a wood burner.. carbon monoxide alarm is essential..

http://www.flettner.co.uk/products/flettner-tcx-2/

Morpheus wrote:Couldn't agree with you more Vidya as far as starting off with a clean slate. After watching the Project Amber vids and what he has gone through, I can easily see why you would strip down a Sprinter Ambulance. Starting fresh. It's also a lot of work. So I can imagine what you have gone through. Do you have a finished photo of the inside of your rig? Insulating just sucks.


Make no mistake folks, these type of projects require a lot of courage to even attempt. So many unknowns, especially without any wiring schematics. I didn't even get a manual for this thing. 

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Ambulance electronics eh?  In my first ambulance I left all the wiring, sirens etc, had to remove the blue lamps, a legal requirement,, but that was all... never knew how it all worked or connected..
In my current van I stripped all electronics and wiring out.. there was masses of it.. including a hugely powerful 12V motor to power the wheelchair lift (which I also removed.. the wheelchair lift became the shielding for my wood burner..)

Time ! Mine was a tad complicated this time, i had to remove the wheelchair ramp, take out the van floor ( was ramped for wheelchair access) and replace with thinner strengthening bars.. I had to replace both wheel arches (the only steel bits on a 30 year old truck), and swap the engine..
Me and my friend spent about 30 hours a week (each) for 6 months taking apart and then rebuilding the van. It then took me a further 3 months to refit inside, including all the soft furnishings etc.. Quite a bit of work !

I only photographed the rebuild, i dont have photos of my van interior... it gives an idea towards the final rebuild..

Wood burner was the first to fit.. and it turned out there was only 1 place it would easily go through the roof, so that set the floor plan, with my bed opposite..

i designed my bed around a steel chest, which is my tool store..


the bed folds up to a double,


on the other side I have a table which lifts up to access a cupboard below, with my kitchen stuff.. and folds out to twice the size to give me a chart / map / work table..

I needed the table in first as this was also my woodwork tool bench during the refit..


under the table is a small hanging wardrobe, (dont need my ball gown anymore ) and shelves for books etc..

rest of the space is taken with 12mm plywood lockers /cupboards..


i ran a strip of leather with a foam insert on the edge of the overhead lockers..

there is full height cupboard opposite the wood burner..

I installed a passenger seat behind the drivers seat and there a small folding table between the 2 chairs.. the driver's chair swivels 180 degrees, so both chairs have access to the table..