Here is a picture of the ambulance just before taking it home.
I started tearing it down a little over two years ago and rebuilding or replacing every system on it.
Just in case you wanted to know what the 30 gallon fuel tank option looked like before rebuild. I had the tanks sandblasted inside/ out and then relined.
Final big push to strip the old body of every stinking part. Do you know how many parts a silly Pinzgauer has??
This is just prior to removing the old body and the start of the chassis rework.
This is the stripped chassis. I rebuilt the brakes, replaced all the steel hydraulic lines and replaced the rubber flex lines with braided stainless steel. If your curious, it takes $ 2,300.00 to replace all of these parts with new ones. Ouch!! I think I counted 84 hydraulic connections I made with no leaks. God looks out for fools!!
This is the old body just after taking it off of the chassis.
These are some of those sexy SS braided steel brake lines I had made.
More sexy brake lines and the new Doetsch non-rebuildbale shocks. Scott with Expedition Imports was a great resource and provided these, the steps, and the trailer hitch. The shocks work great and everything installed nicely.
On the way back from another car event in Arkansas, I stopped by a place called Swiss Army Vehicles and started another great realtionship. These guys made me a deal on a complete brand spanking new still in the original NATO crate 712 body, tops, and all the other related pieces parts to make a new 712M. I decided to abandon the ambulance as it was extremely heavy and just didn't fit my revised plan. It was quite a sight to see my 993 and a brand new Pinz body on my trailer for the trip back to Indiana. It really got some looks and "hey, what the heck is that?"
Here's the body right after being painted. The NATO crate was open slats and the paint had some oxidation so I decided to have everything painted to match perfectly.
Notice the new body even has brand new sound dampening material.
I also had the interior of the cab and the back area Rhino Lined to ward off the evil scratches.
I started accumulating new parts and having all of the new/ old body parts either sandblasted and powder coated or painted to match the body.
This is what a brand new do-it-yourself but only if you are insane Pinzgauer kit would look like.
I never thought I would run out of parts to reassemble but the day finally came.
These are some pics of the body as it is going back together.
Whenever possible, I used new SS fasteners and when it wasn't I used new zinc plated fasteners. Slightly over $ 700.00 in nuts and bolts!!!
Finally done on it's first maiden patrol of my property in Indiana.
The interior was in great shape and all I need to do now is find some seat belts, rifle mounts, and the tools.
Pic of the back showing the Rhino Lining. If everything works out, I will have some seats in January.
I would like to thank the members on this forum who were patient in answering my questions and Sarah with Swiss Army Vehicles who was always able to find the parts I needed and get them to me quickly. This is a great forum and I am thankful for the information and friendships I have found here.
Thanks for looking,
Mike
Great job. What I wouldn't give to have a shop like that!
Can't wait.