Ambulance conversion!

[WESTY66]

Are ambulances really that good for conversion? I know chaser has done one but I believe it was a patient transport Bus, I’m referring to the merc 519 rwd with the box type back on. Are they insulated properly? I know they’ve been hammered but have also been very well maintained. Asking for a friend who wants a project

 

[Northernraider]

From everything I've read they are an electrical nightmare. I think I'd avoid at all costs.

 

[Googlebot]

Never, ever, not even if it was free.

The patient transport ones maybe I would be tempted. They have always been driven gently and constantly.

The A&E motors have been taken out cold, thrashed, braked, driven sportingly to a patients house. Sat idling outside, driven to hospital, then sat on idle again for hours and hours and hours. The engine hours compared to mileage will be ridiculous.

They aren’t very well insulated, they go cold very quickly without the diesel heater on.

As Northernraider also points out, the electrical system is a Canbus driven thing that integrates the blue lights and usually requires a laptop to program with the software. Only option is to rip it all out and start again in most cases.

The margins for the converters aren’t much at all. They don’t make a lot when converting ambulances, if they can save money, they will have. We lost one of our converters to administration this year, it isn’t a particularly profitable enterprise given the complexities that motorhome owners will be aware of.

How one manufacturer collapsed into administration owing over £100m before being rescued

A group of manufacturing companies collapsed into administration owing over £100m while more than 150 people lost their jobs - this is why.

www.cityam.com

I wouldn’t touch an ex A&E motor, even serviced as well as our very good mechanics sort them.

 

[Taran_Las]

Terry did one.

 

[Terry]

When I did mine it was an Iveco but without canbus. All electrics were ripped out for the ambulance leaving basically a van. We cut out the front partition so had a walk through van - don’t know where Googlebot gets no insulation from mine was 1.5 Ali bonded to 1/4 inch ply bonded to 2 ins styrofoam then 1.5 Ali the roof had an extra 1/4 inch plywood along with the floor. Ripped everything out inc back doors then framed and sheeted over the hole - took ambulance windows out and put Sietz camper windows in . Kept it for 8 and half years and in that time hundreds of people ask/ looked at it but only one guessed it was a converted ambulance and that was because he was a ambulance driver loved it

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[Googlebot]

When I did mine it was an Iveco but without canbus. All electrics were ripped out for the ambulance leaving basically a van. We cut out the front partition so had a walk through van - don’t know where Googlebot gets no insulation from mine was 1.5 Ali bonded to 1/4 inch ply bonded to 2 ins styrofoam then 1.5 Ali the roof had an extra 1/4 inch plywood along with the floor. Ripped everything out inc back doors then framed and sheeted over the hole - took ambulance windows out and put Sietz camper windows in . Kept it for 8 and half years and in that time hundreds of people ask/ looked at it but only one guessed it was a converted ambulance and that was because he was a ambulance driver loved it

I have never seen insulation in any of ours, I stand corrected.

 

[Grummyb]

I just my dogs would the smell of the old dried up blood shit and snot that must get stuck in all the crevices

 

[Terry]

I just my dogs would the smell of the old dried up blood shit and snot that must get stuck in all the crevices

Nothing inside ! You could simply hose / jet wash it out if you wanted
Edit you may get the odd new bandage in a cupboard

 

[chaser]

I will say no more than ours is perfect, it's got insulation, all the electrics work and have done from when we got it, the only problem we have had is the well published on here gearbox which could happen to any van with nearly 300000 on the clock.
But this is not the one that the op has mentioned, it's a Renault master not the box van.

 

[WESTY66]

Thanks all, I’ll let him know your thoughts

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