Help from the van guys, please
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 202
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From: Tyler Co., West Virginia
Help from the van guys, please
Hi folks, I was wondering if any of you would have any idea what sort of factory epuipment a person would find on an ambulance package from the mid 80's. A local volunteer fire department has been using an E-350 4X4 ambulance as a response vehicle and are getting ready to retire it and sell it. What i would like to do with it is swap my 3/4 axles for its 1 tons for my mudbogger then convert the rest of it into a camper for sleeping in on weekend events and as a tow vehicle. Has anyone done anything to a van like mount an RV genorator and air conditioning? If any of you would have any ideas i would appreciate you giving me your 2 cents worth. Thanks, Dave.
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 512
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My two cents, having looked into doing this in my van:
axle swap... if you're good with a torch and a welder, anything is possible. I highly doubt either will bolt into place. Personally, I'd leave the 1-ton axles in the van... it needs them...
generator and a/c... go to a local yard and pull units from an old RV. They may need some work, but RV generators (compact & quiet) are very expensive - probably more than the van. Otherwise, get a quiet Honda portable unit, mount it to your trailer and run an extension cord to the van when you need it. If the van was an ambulance, shouldn't it already have rear A/C, or are you looking for a roof unit?
axle swap... if you're good with a torch and a welder, anything is possible. I highly doubt either will bolt into place. Personally, I'd leave the 1-ton axles in the van... it needs them...
generator and a/c... go to a local yard and pull units from an old RV. They may need some work, but RV generators (compact & quiet) are very expensive - probably more than the van. Otherwise, get a quiet Honda portable unit, mount it to your trailer and run an extension cord to the van when you need it. If the van was an ambulance, shouldn't it already have rear A/C, or are you looking for a roof unit?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 784
Likes: 26
Ambulance wiring is a crap shoot. There are some ambulance building companies that do excellent work, and some that do horrible garbage. Open up some of the access panels and take a look at what's behind the walls - you should be able to get a pretty good idea of the quality. If you see a mess of spaghetti, be afraid, be very afraid! 
Of course, if it's been in use that long, it's probably okay.
Of course, if it's been in use that long, it's probably okay.
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