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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Ambulance Converted Camera Grip Truck

Caleb Hauff

Caleb Hauff

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Bismarck, North Dakota
We converted a Ford e350 box ambulance that we now use as our camera/grip truck van. Below is an inside look at how we have it all set up. We renovated the inside and elements of the outside. We wanted something that could be nimble and would be good for smaller scale shoots, but could still carry around all our essentials, which led us to finding this ambulance!

If you have any questions about our truck and want to know more let me know!

[SUP][/SUP]
 
Nice! Have seen others do similar with old ambulances, great idea for repurposed use.

It'd be nice if the music was turned down, too loud and makes the VO hard to hear.

Neat truck!
 
Very cool setup. I like the interior, too. Functional, neat, nothing too showy. I agree with Mark about the music, but I'd go further and say that music is redundant. You don't have to have it at all, and I'd recommend eliminating it in future, unless you really need it. Just my 2 cents. :-)

I'd like to know how long it took to set it up the way you wanted. I bet it took a few weeks. Electricals are not my strong point so I'm very impressed with all that stuff.
 
I'd like to know how long it took to set it up the way you wanted. I bet it took a few weeks. Electricals are not my strong point so I'm very impressed with all that stuff.
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Hard to say how much time we've invested as its been small projects here and there when we had free time but did take a bit to get it setup how we wanted. As for electrical pretty much all of the wiring was already in place so it was just modifying what was there. We also have a guy on our team who is pretty good with the electrical stuff so that definitely helps!

Very cool truck. But seeing the built camera sit in that cabinet (and slide around while you're on the road) kinda scared me.
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I didn't show it very well in the video but underneath the camera is a drop-in style quick release plate thats permanently mounted in there. So the camera locks in very secure.
 
Pretty good find. That ambulance must have lived a pampered life or been from a department with very low call volume. My GF is a paramedic and their ambulances are almost at deaths door themselves by the time they get rid of them.

Something to think about with the camera storage, because this is something similar to what a lot of people did back in the day with our large expensive(and heavily theft targeted) ENG cameras. When you lock the camera into the plate and whatever that is attached to is just transferring shock and vibrations directly into the camera as well as applying other vibrations/forces to the mounting points/surface, whether it be the VCT or whatever that aren’t there under normal use(and an F350 chassis is not a plush luxury car ride). It really needs to be on something soft or with shock absorbing properties. Maybe getting something like a very thin sheet of plastic or wood and cover it with a sheet of foam on the bottom and foam on top and mount the plate through the top layer to the inner core of plastic or wood(the plastic or wood wouldn’t even have to be the full dimensions, just large enough to give the plate a good bite). Cut it all to fit the inner dimensions so that it can’t move around laterally and your camera now has a much more forgiving ride.
 
Christopher A. Bell said:
Pretty good find. That ambulance must have lived a pampered life or been from a department with very low call volume. My GF is a paramedic and their ambulances are almost at deaths door themselves by the time they get rid of them.

Something to think about with the camera storage, because this is something similar to what a lot of people did back in the day with our large expensive(and heavily theft targeted) ENG cameras. When you lock the camera into the plate and whatever that is attached to is just transferring shock and vibrations directly into the camera as well as applying other vibrations/forces to the mounting points/surface, whether it be the VCT or whatever that aren’t there under normal use(and an F350 chassis is not a plush luxury car ride). It really needs to be on something soft or with shock absorbing properties. Maybe getting something like a very thin sheet of plastic or wood and cover it with a sheet of foam on the bottom and foam on top and mount the plate through the top layer to the inner core of plastic or wood(the plastic or wood wouldn’t even have to be the full dimensions, just large enough to give the plate a good bite). Cut it all to fit the inner dimensions so that it can’t move around laterally and your camera now has a much more forgiving ride.
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Yeah it spent most of its life in a garage as it was the 2nd unit for a pretty small town so it rarely got used.

That's a great idea, I hadn't thought of that. We have some left over 1/2in rubber flooring that we installed in the floor that would work well as a damper... ill have to cut it out and install that in there. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Man I love seeing this...especially in let's be real, a not Hollywood location. Fantastic looking refit!
 
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