M38CDN Ambulance

[David Dunlop]

JD

Always take the time to carefully check every logical place on your vehicle for military markings of any kind and document them for exact locations. sizes and colours. More important, never assume all markings found are a one shot representation of what the vehicle did and where it served.

The odds are your M38CDN was never an ambulance in in RCHA Service.

Two of these former ambulance M38CDN's have showed up in Winnipeg over the years. One was fully restored back to ambulance and the other was not, it just became another M38CDN.

I have no idea how long an active service life this style of M38CDN ambulance actually had. It would not surprise me at all if it was a relatively short life, with all of them ultimately getting reverted back to standard configuration, for which there was likely much more demand in the Canadian Army.

If you want to convert it to its ambulance configuration, you will need to find three key pieces, in addition to removing several that have been put back and added subsequent to its ambulance service time. The rear seat and tailgate must go, along with any of the radio equipment bits. The biggest challenge will be finding the stretcher floor plate assembly that drops down over the rear floor and extends through the tailgate opening almost two feet.

Then you will need to find the special ambulance top bow assembly that fits into the standard bow sockets on the rear sides of the body, but had an additional rear foldout bar that ends up sitting above the rear end of the stretcher plate. Finally, you will have to find the canvas ambulance cover assembly.

There was an ambulance front hood spare wheel bracket here in town a few years ago but it might have been thrown out by now. I can make inquiries if you are interested.

The vehicle is a real attention grabber when its complete and on the road.


David