1990 F-350 4x4 Ambulance Revival/Long Term Build - "Betty"

@cre1992
See if any of this matches up with your system..

 

I've also heard that moth balls will keep them out, but I have no idea if it actually works.

 

@IDIBRONCO I stored an old GTO in a barn years ago.. with LOTS of moth balls in the interior, on the intake manifold, everywhere, because I heard the same thing, and because I LOOOVED that car.

I ended up with mouse poo everywhere, bad wiring, and a car that smelled like grandma's sweater.

Do not recommend.. unless the smell of naphthalene is your thing.

 

Thanks. That's good to know. I'll make sure to not try the moth ball method.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I actually stuffed some dryer sheets in and around various places in the truck. Hopefully it deters them! Hopefully the truck isn't sitting around much longer!

 

That electrical system is both different and similar at the same time! I imagine most of the ambulances wired with relays vs circuit boards share some sort of similar wiring due to the nature of what they're designed for.

Thanks for the help and the mouse repellant tips.

 

The fact that the whole engine bank basically had no compression it would seem to be in the valves. Did happen to pull the valve cover and look?

 

I did not bother to pull the valve cover gaskets, because I had compression issues on each cylinder bank. I will pull the heads then I get the engine out. Maybe look into rebuilding her.

 

So I've made a little bit of progress...

Needless to say when aluminum touches steel, bad things happen... Aka the reason the right front floor corner had some issues. So both running boards were removed for possible rust remediation, but the pinch welds/floor boards were in surprisingly good shape.

Debating whether or not put the running boards back on? Opinions?

Looks more truck like with them removed, but if they did protect the bottom of the cab after 30 years, it might be worth putting them back on.

 

I vote for keeping the running boards. There is just something about the full length running boards,



Rock

 

I do have a nice 40/20/40 bench that I considered hacking up to mount in the cab, but quickly decided against it. After searching high and low for a set of bucket seats, including 99 and newer seats. I stumbled across these at the junkyard while looking at some heated 2014 F-150 seats. After having heart palpitations upon hearing the price of the 2014 seats, I picked these up for $50 each. I set and mounted each seat. I will have to modify the left side mounts on the passenger side seat, but that's for a different day.



I then got to work patching the right front floor board. I'd blame the shoddy looking welds on my rusty skills, but I was having some feed issues bc my nice trusty little Honda EU3000 was not liking the welder all that much. Ill bring the EU6500 if I need to weld anything next time. I got a little creative and used a piece of c-channel to assist with bending the steel patches. Turned out okay, not bad for working on a farm and using a little genny to power my 115v mig. Tomorrow I will return and POR 15 the floors after a good prep.

 

Funny thing about aluminum is that it will usually lose an argument with steel when it comes to corrosion. Normally it acts like a zinc anode. What did the spots immediately around the mounts look like?

From what I can tell, the rust you end up seeing is usually the result of drainage problems where junk gets caught between parts.

Nice job on the floor patch. Don't forget to do the flashlight/pinhole inspection before finalizing it.

 

Not to mention that they match the aluminum diamond plate along the bottom of the ambulance body. I think it looks better with them on as well.

 

I like the look without. If it were me, I'd find a fender flare similar to what ya got on the rear and install that, then I'd get a mudflap to protect the door and run it.

If the running board isn't needed to get in and out, I don't like having them.

 

Thanks! Was really my first time messing with such thin steel.

The aluminum doesn't look so hot in that spot either. It has thinned a bit.

If I put the running boards back on, both the body, and the running boards will have at least a layer of POR 15 between them.