Heads Up: 1986 Chevrolet Ambulance up for auction

[Matthew Reid]

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

Yup it was more than "I" wanted to pay for it. Yes I was the guy that paid too much for it.


Matthew, you didn't pay too much for it because it sold. You obviously knew what your budget allowed and how bad you wanted it. Vehicles that are "too much" usually don't sell until the right buyer comes along. Congratulations on your purchase and have fun with the restoration. I just put floors, cab corners and rockers in one of these trucks and the parts are super cheap. The quality and fit leaves something to be desired but when it is done and painted it looks great. Boy you sure like to punish yourself driving all the way back to Edmonton. My mother lived there for years and when I drove out to see her it was a long haul. It was about a 48 hour drive by myself just grabbing an hour or two of sleep once in a while. I don't know if I would want to do it in a CUCV.
Barry

Ya Barry I was happy with the price but like most cheap asses I would have like to got it cheaper lol. If it did nto run and could have been fixed there I would have fixed it there. But I was prepared to fly back home get the Dually diesel and the trailer and drive down to pick it up if it did not run. Or have it shipped if that would have been cheaper.

And it was not a direct run to Edmonton. I drove it to Wellend to see Ralph at Niagra Military Parts before heading west a good shake down run so to speak. So I added an addtional 4 or so hours to the drive.

I did not get away from Barrie till about 4 PM and I stopped in TO and then drove to Welland where I spent Monday night.

I left Welland about 8PM Tuesday (had to visit with Ralph some before leaving) and arrived in Edmonton at 3 pm Friday. So over all I made good time considering.
The one advange of having the Abulance body on back is I just slept in it. When ever I got tired I pulled over and had a nap in the back lol.

The one thing I did notice was the differance in diesel fuel between eastern and western Canada. The Diesel fuel in Eastern Canada was a yellowish blue color. And it was like that till I got to Kenora where it was more water clear. And then when I Filled up in Winnipeg it was like someone added a turbo to the unit. A whole pile more power and better fuel milage. The Diesel in most of Ontario seems to be a much lower quality than what we get here.

Got lots of waves, little kids love army trucks. And I ended up at the tail end of a military convoy near Drydon Ont, they did not seem too impressed to have me dragging up the rear in an old clapped out ambulance lol.

Over all it was an ok drive the weather was good at least. The CUCV is not really designed for operator comfort for long drives so that part was kinda brutal. GMC really could have made the standard steering coloum 2 or 3" shorter. A tilt steering coloum might have to be a nessesary modification to make it more user freindly.

I would not want to do that Drive in the Ambulance again any time soon though.
Maybe once a Tilt coloum is put in new exahust and the gears swapped out it would not be so bad.

Matthew