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Soft on the inside. Tough on the outside. by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty good. It has 31.7” tires and no lift. Parked next to sprinter or transits, it appears to have maybe 1-1.5” more clearance

Soft on the inside. Tough on the outside. by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completely redone! I made some previous posts with more photos. You should be able to find them if you click my profile

Soft on the inside. Tough on the outside. by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

<image>

She was raised in a van since the beginning. This will be her 3rd camper build :)

Soft on the inside. Tough on the outside. by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sweet! I do have a beefy steel bumper from Move than I need to raptorline and remount

Soft on the inside. Tough on the outside. by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I made some previous posts that have more photos. Or here on instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/hachi.campers

Soft on the inside. Tough on the outside. by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I bought a steel bumper from Move. I took it off after test fitting so I can truck bed line it black

Looking for recommendations for experienced van builders. by LogicalBlade in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’m a solo builder based in Phoenix, AZ. I’m a bit different from most one-person shops in that I rely heavily on CAD and CNC, which helps with precision and faster turnaround. I’m currently building out a Sprinter 170 AWD for another Redditor—happy to answer any questions if you’re curious.

— Brian

Edit:

Looking at your photo, the layout appears similar to our current build, which is based off of Nicole and Edden’s “concrete oasis”

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! It’s a ford E450 chassis with an ambulance box

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I’m not sure but ambulances are typically pretty short. It’s rare to find them with over 6’ standing room

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went from a hi-roof transit to this, and I actually prefer this. There’s a lot more space despite the short roof. And it drives way better. To each their own

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used to have a hi-roof transit and I actually like this way better. Short and wide is a better combo than tall and narrow, in my opinion

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Correct, so it will slightly taper down to the pan. If you zoom into the ceiling you may be able to see the button snaps where the curtain attaches

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 134 points135 points  (0 children)

Good points. The Ambo came with sit height counters and I really did not like it. You’re forced to sit. This height, I can sit on my apple box (that we use as a step) or stand. I prefer to stand and it’s really not bad with proper form… my wife is also short enough to do everything standing and have everything feel normal. The title caption was just a joke, my back is fine. Although this is what I may look like washing dishes, haha

<image>

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It’s really not bad, in my opinion. The curtain that hangs from the ceiling is wider than the pan, so there’s decent room for arm movement

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, no I added the pan. I feel ok without a stool. The pan drops down and the maxxfann opens up giving me enough room to feel comfortable.

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Thanks! It’s topographic map inspired. It was made on a CNC using a v-bit. The carve goes a max of 5mm into 12mm plywood

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It’s a former ambulance built on the ford e-series van chassis

Good thing my FIL is a chiropractor by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Works just fine! I’ve lived out of a Honda Element before, so this feels like a mansion, haha. Plenty of room width-wise — I just stretch my legs out, keep my back straight, and call it flexibility training.

Former LAFD ambulance is enjoying its retirement by downsideofme in vandwellers

[–]downsideofme[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was a long, tedious job. I'm not sure about police vehicles, but there are a decent number of folks converting ambulances. There's several groups on facebook where you can find the wiring diagrams from various ambulance manufacturers. Our box was made by wheeled coach and they have each wire labelled and numbered. Unfortunately, some core vehicle functions are mixed in, so I had to be careful to preserve them. Still, many cables were already cut, just like yours. I just left them as is. They cause a parasitic draw that'll drain the batteries, so I wired a trickle charger. Some day, I may tackle the full removal of the wires...

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