Number 4: DIANNE-MAY

These are some photos of Dianne-May, Dennis' Ambulance at 35 years of age, as he purchased it. It had done many years of hard yakka. It had a dead rear diff, clutch problems, a colourful paint job, and the firewall had to be replaced because of rust. But on the plus side, all the Army fittings are in place (even seats and stretchers), the bodywork is nice and straight, and the engine is reliable (and original) as well.

The first group of photos were taken on a hot day, January 2001, during the restoration of chassis and running gear. Dennis reckons it was 40 to 44 degrees C, and he was out in 'it' grit-blasting some parts. Looks like he's wearing most of the grit... works like kitty-litter on the sweat! Also he double-parked Chloe next to the Ambulance during an activity called "Operation Rubic" (fitting all the Land-Rovers in the backyard)...

The restoration in brief: the firewall was replaced and instruments fixed and sorted out. The engine was removed and checked and the clutch problem sorted out as well as the brakelines, slaveclutch and master cylinders. The rusty upper windscreen/front of cabin joint, wipers and windscreen glass were renewed. The wiring loom also got hours and hours of attention. The chassis was stripped and repainted. Suspension and driveline components were overhauled ($$$) and the standard rear end replaced with Salisbury diff and axles. The bodywork paint was stripped for respraying. This job took many RDO's and weekends because you have to take care not to damage the heads of all the rivets. How many rivets are there? Don't ask. Also the wheels were grit blasted and painted too.

Ambulance restored - page 2: more pics of Dennis' ex-Army Ambulance

Ambulance restored - page 2: more pics of Dennis' ex-Army Ambulance