1942 dodge ambulance resto

[jack neville]

This part cab was not without its own problems. The cowl and dash was missing but the ambulance had a good complete ones that could be reused. The top part of the windscreen was better on the part cab which meant I could sacrifice that top section when separating from the ambulance roof. The front floor corners of each had one good side. The right from the part cab and the left from the ambo. The best firewall was in the part cab as was the best left side panel. That meant I could cut the front left floor section from the ambo without worrying about saving any of the surrounding sheetmetal. The part cab supplied the door frames. The part cab had a better transmission cover panel. .

[jack neville]

The front left corner above after being cut out was stripped of the unwanted metal and then spent a couple of days in the electrolysis bath to ensure all the rust between the seams was eliminated. Then treated with fishoil. Next the front cab was cut under the seam where the windscreen joins the roof. The floor was cut and the whole lot removed.

[jack neville]

As the rear cab pillars were being replaced I could remove them by cutting the welds and cutting them into smaller pieces and paring away. The amount of rust inside the pillars almost filled them.

[jack neville]

Comparing the two floors revealed the part cab to have the best transmission cover and the best floor would come from using the part cab front and the ambo rear and grafted the two together as well as adding some new metal where the rust on both floors was equally bad.

[jack neville]

The bottom section of both cab pillars of both cabs were rusted out so neither could be used. This area required new metal. I welded sheetmetal braces on to the part cab pillars to support and brace them until sandblasting and repair. The cowel and dash and inner windscreen panel were all unpicked and cleaned up of excess metal. The part cab was similarly stroipped of unwanted metal. I left the upper part of the windscreen panel on the part car until refitting so I could line up exactly where I wanted to cut it and rejoin to the cowel and windscreen pillars. This was all shipped off for sandblasting.

[jack neville]

The sandblaster I use primes only in two pack primer which I find a pain to remove when welding so I get the steel blasted only and prime in red oxide which is more mig friendly.

[jack neville]

Jake blew a coat of primer over it all and did a quick assembly.