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I have nearly all the down travel available at this time. The positioning and angle as it is sitting here has it pretty well maxed out in terms of extension.at rest. I actually believe the ride quality will settle in and improve further as I add weight and get a little more sag in the mix. That was my experience before and it is what I am hoping for going forward, I am huge fan of Tinkerers Adventure and vey appreciative of Kai's work! He actually helped me conclude that I would probably be okay with skipping the diff drop this time around and also that I could get away with not replacing my UCAs right away. Very seriously considering his front bumper but there is much to consider.. Thanks for the input!

Good stuff indeed! I wish you well with it.

Don't think Dave would part with it but it'll be a few more days before I am back in town and can touch base with him. Will follow-up at that time.

So, Robert where are you located? We’re in Durango, CO. If you were close, we’d invite you to come by the shop. One of my first questions is your interior height? It would really need to be 6’0, although the shorter boxes would still work. Since you have a van - front cab, access from inside and the space required over the bed makes the build more difficult. I’ve thought a lot about what it would take to build with this type of cab/box configuration and would require adding some height to the top of the cab-over, something similar to a Sprinter Class C. Let’s start there and see where we go. Dave

@@DavidClaussenStudio currently in Georgia but live in Summit County, Colorado. So a bit north of you but doable! Box is measured 6'3" interior height. It is an ERV (very similar but not the same as an ambo)

@@vintagetruckers we will be away from the shop until Jan 1st. We can still talk and possibly make some plans.

@@DavidClaussenStudio Thank you. Sent you a msg on FB to connect up. Big fan of your work.

It is 4WD. Gotta have that where it came from. Purchase price was about $20k.

Our original purchase price was 20K, factory 4WD, 50K miles, 8.1 gas engine, Allison 6 speed, posi-trac, LS cab, new Michelin tires, 6’ high box with pass thru. GM brand is hard to find, but they’re out there.

It’s interesting how our thoughts change with the seasons. Back in August, we were looking for ways to keep the heat out. Now with morning temps hovering around zero, the gas oven feels real cozy. Thanks for your comments! You’ve provided some great information.

Thanks Debbie. Problem with moth balls is I don't like the smell either and it tends to stick around.

Hah. Well, thanks..🤗

Working on getting you the exact dimensions Robert. It's a Full size mattress plus a few on both L and W. Stay tuned..

Cabover measurements came in at 91" W x 57"D x 31" H Robert. The taper up front brings the 91" W in to 85".

@@overlandoutfitting3645 thank you for that

Thank you much!

We are glad to hear this.. Thanks!

Sorry for the delay George. Dave has been out on a Buggy trip and we thought it would be best for him to outline the details. He will be back sometime this weekend and will should be able to outline what he did for you. Take care..

It's a labor of love for sure.

Hi George, sorry for taking so long to get back to you. I completely removed the console and all power leading to the box from the cab. I also removed all the fuses and controls for the emergency lights and siren located in a cabinet in the box. The plan was to isolate the box from the cab and run all the electric off the solar. You can always do a DC to DC charger if you don’t have enough solar to keep your battery(s)charged. I didn’t need an additional charger because my needs are covered with 500W of solar and 220ahr of lithium battery. The wiring in an ambulance is top of the line quality. I carefully removed all the wiring and hung the loom from a tall shelf in my shop. This way I had access to 200 lbs of wires and flex tubing.

It cam e from Rec Pro Kevin.

We appreciate the sentiment!

It is fun seeing it come together for sure and we are glad you are enjoying it! Thanks for watching.

We thank you! Refinement is never ending and builds like this take on a life of their own.

Matt, Our first consideration was the GM brand. This vehicle has the Vortex 8.1 gas. We would have liked to find a Duramax, but we’re happy with the 8.1. It all depends on what an individual plans on doing with it. For pulling capacity and longevity, the Duramax is # 1. We’re at altitude and every road goes up from here. The 8.1 still does fine. You’re right about the construction of an ambulance. They’re designed to save lives. There are some good videos out there that show a multi-roll over without deflecting the box.

Thank you very much!

Thanks for watching!

Dave thinks he has about 80 hrs or so in it. Thanks for asking.

The latest check shows that the latest weight in 11,040. It came in at 10,500 so we are looking at net gain of 540. Just subscribed to your channel and looking forward to it.

Oh, and your videos are giving me some great ideas for my future ambo purchase and conversion!

Thanks Christina. Dave has been spending a lot of time in it lately and it is proving to be a really comfortable build.

Thanks Victoria! We invite you to see our updates for additional information and ideas. Our latest shows further detail and we did to modify that couch into a dinette.

Dave and I will take this as a request and shoot a quick vid here soon and talk about the details of the cabover interior more. Thanks for the comment.

We appreciate hearing your comments. Interested to know what oven and cooktop you go with. That much solar capacity certainly seems like it would support it. Do you have propane for hot water?

@@overlandoutfitting3645 the oven I will be using is the Cuisinart Steam Oven. My cooktop is induction but I don’t know the brand offhand. I will be using propane for hot water. I’ve posted the first video in the Bear Ambo project on my YT channel. In the next video I’ll be showcasing some of the creature comforts that will be going into my build. Incidentally I gave a shoutout to your channel in the description of today’s video.

Thanks for the comment DD. We decided to address this in our most recent update. Check it out through the following link. czcams.com/video/Qq_WksJr1G4/video.html

Thanks for asking. We’ll get ‘er done.

Yes indeed! Thanks!

Thank you.

We considered the route but ended up going another direction considering the space available. Appreciate the suggestion and think it is a viable alternative for sure..

I see from your video that Dave is using propane for cooking whereas I will be relying more on electric appliances. My ambo will have almost 1200 watts of solar and about 1000ah of battery. I’m also thinking of adding a small 300w wind turbine.

Hi, and thanks. Here is the link for the sofa. www.recpro.com/recpro-60-rv-wall-mount-rollover-sofa-with-adjustable-legs-in-cloth/ The also have a bigger model if you prefer. www.recpro.com/recpro-80-rv-wall-mount-rollover-sofa-with-adjustable-legs-in-cloth/ Hope you find what you need.

Thanks!

Thanks Debbie. We actually found a really good unit and just got it installed the other night. Next update will be shot in coming days and you will see it there.

We feel neither is something to rush into but if you find a good platform with relatively easy miles they have great potential. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Thank you!

Really glad you are enjoying it and thanks for watching!

The weight when he purchased it was 10,500 lbs. He actually weighed it today with the most recent appliances an furniture added and it was 11,040lbs. Net gain of 500 lbs that is well distributed is barely noticed going down the road. Dave has also towed his buggy to Utah already and he said he barely noticed it was there. Latest update video will be shot in about week so stayed tuned.

Very happy to hear you find it worth your time, and thanks! I’m am really looking forward to shooting the next update here soon. Dave has made some great progress on the interior and it’s really looking great.

@@overlandoutfitting3645 can't wait!