Heads Up: 1986 Chevrolet Ambulance up for auction

[Wpns 421]

Originally Posted by matthewq4b

Hi Gilles

Next Time I'm out at the acerage (should be Tuesday) I'll take some more pictures and of the alternator and the mounting bracket. The bracket looks like the stock one was modified to fit the Alt. As for the Alternator I imagine you should be able to get it off the shelf as it is a Delco Remy Alternator and does not look that old. I will look for a part number on it for ya Gilles. It also looks to be a single wire type hook up. Well 3 in this case. Ground wire, 24V charge wire, 12v charge wire,
Which in my opinion is a far better set up than having 2 alternators a 12v and 24V.


The truck will eventually get stripped right down to nuts and bolts sand blasted or paint stripped, painted and built back up, the engine and the rest of the drive line will get new seals and gaskets as well. After 24 years the engine will need all new gaskets and it will allow me to check the bottom end bearings, and check the cylinder walls for any signs of pitting from long periods of being idle.
Also the axel gearing will be changed up to a more streetable 3.73 ratio

After that is done I can turn my attention to stripping the paint off the van body and searching out some of the missing items (stetchers etc)

I'm fortunet that I can all the work myself except actual application of the exterior paint. I have accsess to a hoist so for me the rebuild is more of a time investment than a dollars one.

In any one has the history of this unit it would be appreciated.
I belive the CFR is 77626

Gilles I'm curious how you knew it was deployed overseas.


Matthew

Don't forget to take before during and after pictures and keep us updated on the progress. gilles

[rob love]

As I recall, the ambulances were particularly problematic wrt the charging systems. They had a different setup from the other CUCVs. Seemed like once you started the run of changing alternators and DUVACs (Dual voltage control regulators), it never ended. The ambulances seemed to dislike being slaved. Every time the user slaved the vehicle, he blew the DUVAC.

Sounds like a unit made an improvement over the factory item.

I personally didn't think the price was out of line at all. In Manitoba, the CUCVs sold for around $8K each. I watched the ambulance sell for almost $10K. Seems like even today the remains of the CUCVs go for as much as yours went for.

[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

[matthewq4b]

Thanks for all the input. I will look in to the soda blasting. There is an outfit in Mayerthorp that does soda blasting I will have to get in touch with them when I'm ready for strip the Van body. I may even get them to blast/strip the cab.
The plan for the van body is to pick up a Chev or GM P/U trailer ( the back half of a P/U turned in to a trailer ) they are common out here and super cheap to buy I'll mount mount the Van body on that temporarily while the truck chassis and body get restored. That way the Van body can be easily moved around. I doubt it could pulled as a trailer like for fear of it flipping over but a person could move it around at least.

I Will post on the Post War Forum for futher info on the Truck.

Matthew

[matthewq4b]

Originally Posted by Wpns 421

Don't forget to take before during and after pictures and keep us updated on the progress. gilles

I will be sure to do that.

Matthew

[matthewq4b]

Originally Posted by rob love

As I recall, the ambulances were particularly problematic wrt the charging systems. They had a different setup from the other CUCVs. Seemed like once you started the run of changing alternators and DUVACs (Dual voltage control regulators), it never ended. The ambulances seemed to dislike being slaved. Every time the user slaved the vehicle, he blew the DUVAC.

Sounds like a unit made an improvement over the factory item.

I personally didn't think the price was out of line at all. In Manitoba, the CUCVs sold for around $8K each. I watched the ambulance sell for almost $10K. Seems like even today the remains of the CUCVs go for as much as yours went for.

Ya I always thought the twin alternators idea was kinda goofy.

This dual voltage alternator seems like a better idea. But the results of the install are piles of wires underhood that now have no where to go and are taped up lol.
I will sort out the wiring BEFORE I strip the truck apart that should save big time on the headache factor when it comes time to reassemble it. I will clean up the wire harnesses and remove the now redundant wiring befre stripping it apart. If it was a M1008 pick up I would just convert it to 12V but there is too much 24V gear in the Ambulance body to even consider that move.

Those CUCV's out there went for some good dollars. I do know out here even the clapped out privatly owned CUCV pickups regularly fetch $4000 to $5000. The heavy duty axles, rear locker, low gears and stronger frames make them pefect candidates for off road 4x4ing units. I have seen a more than a few here with larger tires on them and out fitted for off roading.


Matthew

[matthewq4b]

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

[Pete Z]

Wow. I take that comment back about the purchase price. Almost anything of that vintage that you can drive across the country home problem-free is easily worth more than your price of admission. Glad to hear it turned out much better than expected.