Question to all ambulance owners.

[busbart]

Hello all ambulance owners,on a M-880base or W-400 or so,

Do you have problems with the flexing of the chassis?
since the ambu body builder fixed the box to the cab, and the cowling to the top of the front windshield, one should think that if you go off road with it, cracks would appear in the top corners of the windshield.

or are there any other things of which I didn't think coming from the connection body, cab fixed?

This is due to that I can't find an ambulance here, and I like to build a camper out of my Dodge.

thanks for any reaction.

 

[NDT]

On the 886 ambulances, there was never an issue with the windshield cracking. The entire box does flex a good bit going over terrain.

 

[michigandon]

Not seeing any evidence of that on mine! Won’t say it’s impossible, though.

 

[busbart]

about ten years ago or longer, there was a complete family in Holland, who prepared a M-886,a nd two landrovers, and so equipped they traveled to mongolia, After teir tour I had contact with them, and they told me with all the offroading and chassis twisting routes they took they had to replace the windshield already two times, I thought they renforced the "a"pillars, and modified the radiator bearer, and after that it was ok, but I think I forget something here, but I haven't any contact anymore with them, and since where I live I can't find an ambulance, I'm thinking of modifiing my M-884, but I prefer to incorporate the mod's rightaway. therefore I ask you if you're aware of any other flows?

 

[michigandon]

about ten years ago or longer, there was a complete family in Holland, who prepared a M-886,a nd two landrovers, and so equipped they traveled to mongolia, After teir tour I had contact with them, and they told me with all the offroading and chassis twisting routes they took they had to replace the windshield already two times, I thought they renforced the "a"pillars, and modified the radiator bearer, and after that it was ok, but I think I forget something here, but I haven't any contact anymore with them, and since where I live I can't find an ambulance, I'm thinking of modifiing my M-884, but I prefer to incorporate the mod's rightaway. therefore I ask you if you're aware of any other flows?

It would be a lot less work to simply place an S-250 shelter in the back of your M884, especially considering that it was originally configured to do exactly that in the first place.

 

[Bob H]

There seems to be enough flex in the 'dome' which is just riveted to the windshield frame & rear box. I have never had a windshield crack in any of mine, now chunks of rust falling in my coffee cup? Well that's another story...

 

[gringeltaube]

There seems to be enough flex in the 'dome' which is just riveted to the windshield frame & rear box. I have never had a windshield crack in any of mine, now chunks of rust falling in my coffee cup? Well that's another story...

Ha-ha, that's funny... Same happens south of the Equator, too!

 

[michigandon]

I shop vac'd so many rust chunks and slung so much POR-15 in the top of my W400 while the roof was apart, that I hope it's a mighty long time before it ever returns!

 

[nattieleather]

I would think it would be easier to drop a camper into the bed than it would to convert a pick up into a box van. Or get a box off a box van truck and put it on the frame and don't connect the cab to the box.

 

[michigandon]

I’d put a shelter in it myself, especially considering the M884 IS a shelter carrier.

Might be hard to come by an S250 on that side of the Atlantic, though.

 

[busbart]

I find that the bed takes up so much camperspace, it's a pity. I can get a s-250, but that's way too small for my likings, I can't even sleep in it, too long.(me than, that is).
but I might come up with a other solution.

 

[sf38a1]

I built mine into a camper , its not roomy but efficient . I originally had a single bed , and storage. but didn't like the configuration . So I installed a queen.

 

[michigandon]

That's a pretty efficient use of space! I've been sleeping on a cot in the back of mine, but the dangblasted wheel well means it needs to be located right in the center. Would really like to have folding bunks of some sort.

 

[nattieleather]

Well that takes me back to my original statement of betting a delivery truck box and putting that on. Should give you lots of leg room. Basically the same as a cracker box truck just not connected through the cab.