My ambo...

[LowTech]

Looks nice.
Did you have to let air out of the tires to get the "upgraded" truck chassie under?

 

[cdiggy]

Nice work.

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Oh and concrete blocks are strong if used correctly and dangerous if not. They are structurally sound one way and if turned 90 degrees are dangerous as hell.

 

[Baloo]

I did let almost all the air out, but they cleared by 1/16 of an inch. I have to pick up some 2x2" square stock, about 6' to fill the gap between the can and box at the rain gutter.

 

[LowTech]

Are you going to "hard" connect the box, or leave it w/ flex between the two. If you are making it one solid body what's your plan for letting the frame flex?
I know the ambo was a van and they don't allow a lot of frame flex, but I think the international might. W/ a solid body mounted on a flexing frame something will give over time.

Or maybe I just spend too much time in the dirt and knowing my bumpstops

 

[Baloo]

The cab and box mounts are all the same Poly flex mounts to allow for frame movement, the cab is actually shorter than the van can since the hood is not part of the cab. I am hard mounting them because that is how this short box was designed to be installed. The international is a double frame and has significantly less flex then the van frame. I ramped both frames and determine what mounts to use based on the results. hopefully all those calls to Road Rescue (the box manufacturer ) were correct in my mount choice... Time will tell.

 

[akrvbob]

Looks fantastic!! I bet it's a huge relief to finally have that done!! You've been working toward this moment for a long time!!

Hopefully it will go faster to get the rest done!
Bob

 

[highdesertranger]

the reason concrete blocks can hold up a house is because the hollow portion of the block is filled with concrete and reinforced with rebar. highdesertranger

 

[Baloo]

I am sure it will Bob, now that it is together I can put all these boxes of parts to use! Not to mention this has brought the excitement level back up to 100%.

 

[cdiggy]

the reason concrete blocks can hold up a house is because the hollow portion of the block is filled with concrete and reinforced with rebar. highdesertranger

My experience has been wire laid down every fourth course of block to prevent separation of block due to uneven settling and the only time I ever saw a mason fill those hollow portions was when he was cleaning his tools of excess cement before going home!!!

 

[Baloo]

Finally put a few miles on it! Headed to the scales tomorrow, it will be nice to know what it weights...

 

[kyonu]

That thing's a monster! Such huge frame for such a little space! I bet the towing capacity on that could pull a 50 foot trailer home!

 

[highdesertranger]

wow looks cool. highdesertranger

 

[cdiggy]

That is one sweet ride...

 

[LowTech]

That thing's a monster! Such huge frame for such a little space! I bet the towing capacity on that could pull a 50 foot trailer home!

I can relate to that.
If this goes the direction it started and becomes a 4x4 that gets used on bad/really bad roads you wouldn't want it much longer. Tuff's 6x6 has a 8'x12' box and my trailer has one 6" smaller. The size seems right to me, and like you said it can always pull more living space if wanted.

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

I've really enjoyed reading this thread. I'm not going to offer any advice, you do as much work as the rest of us talk about doing. You do seem to have a nice facility to work on it. If I had a nice HEATED barn I could be working on my van too.

Thanks for posting this for us to all enjoy and be inspired by.

By the way, what did it weigh?

 

[Baloo]

Thanks mate,
While the shop is nice, it is not mine. Just a good friend who let me work out of it as needed in trade for labor. I did not get to weigh it, the scales were closed for calibration. Now that the truck is home it is the nightly truck tasks... Today was making a template for the panels I will make to fill the gap between the cab and the box.





I was afraid to take on this project because it is so overwhelming. However lots of planning and determination, here it is! Still can't believe I did it!

 

[Bdog1]

Years ago I did a walk through cab and used the boot that semi sleepers use, it held up well, it would span the distance your working with.

I did add a second layer of rubber inside to quiet road noise.

 

[Baloo]

I went with a solid mount mostly because the box manufacturer said it was designed that way, I followed blue prints from them and it all fit quite nicely!

 

[Baloo]

Here are the finished panels!


Nothing like a little t6 aluminum to seal things up!

 

[Baloo]

Picked up the metal to correct wheel openings