Heart Surgery

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Despite the challenges of fixing the ambulance, we think we've gotten to the heart of the matter. Recently "The Rescue" went through a sort of heart surgery as main aspects of it got mended. A lot of progress has been made but there is still more work to be done. We welcome the spiritual and emotional tests it continues to give us, which is helping us grow as people and artists. Here's our latest progress report on MOTR and specifically it's mechanical repairs.

Last month our intention was to have the ambulance ready to show at an event in Racine, WI. A few weeks before the event I took it to our mechanics for a new muffler and tune-up. What I thought would be an easy task ended up being more complicated. I didn't consider the knowledge and experience required to repair an older machine. Our now former mechanics killed the carburetor when they “rebuilt” it, installing the floats upside down, which effectively made them sinks. Because the floats wouldn’t float when fuel was being delivered, the carburetor only had enough gas to start briefly, but not enough to run. They were stumped. After a hard fought battle, they gave up and recommended someone in Racine who has a lot of experience with our ambulance make and year. And they even paid to have it towed there. We're thrilled that our new mechanic is very competent and able to help us sort out the rest of the ambulance's issues.

The new mechanic had to replace the carburetor and new spark plugs. After that, the tune-up process began. On the first startup, there was a loud BOOM! The brand new muffler blew up like a hyper-filled balloon. The back pressure was so fierce that it just exploded. This week I had to take it back to the first mechanic to have the muffler replaced, but it was covered under warranty and we didn’t incur any extra charges for that. Our new mechanic got the ambulance running again, but couldn’t finish the tune-up until the muffler was replaced. This was completed today and it's back in our driveway. Next week we will take it back for the tune-up to get the idle set correctly. Right now driving is an active process to prevent it from stalling on the road at intersections. I strategically plan my route and watch traffic lights carefully, timing them just right so I don’t have to come to a complete stop until it’s time to park.

Through this process, additional issues have emerged. We now have to address the engine heating up abnormally quick, and the coolant system isn’t doing what it should. I don’t trust driving it for more than a few miles at a time. This is a 33-year-old machine that has seen a lot of miles. Hopefully, this is the last major thing to fix so that we can drive it safely for greater distances. Our fingers are crossed.

Another big fix to handle is the electrical system. We had grounding issues and voltage drops on a dual battery setup which was causing the batteries to drain even when not in use. There’s a lot of switches, lights, outlets, fuses, and wires that need to be traced and routed correctly. Thankfully, I have the original Road Rescue Ambulance Type III build schematics showing the circuit diagrams. I will be sorting this portion out on my own once we have it running smoothly. For now, I’ve decided to cut off all electrical that isn’t critical to the functionality of starting and driving. This meant eliminating the second battery temporarily and bypassing the battery isolator.

For the next several months, I’ll be learning about auto electrical systems and redesigning this for our specific purpose of running synthesizers and audio/visual equipment. I also want to upgrade all of the exterior and interior lighting to LEDs. Below are photos showing some of the electrical that I will have to figure out.

Even with these challenges, we've been able to make major progress on the interior and exterior cosmetics. Next month we look forward to sharing our progress on that.

Of course, all of this costs money and adds up very quickly. We are being mindful of our personal out-of-pocket expenses and continue applying for grants in hopes to get MOTR on a faster timeline. We truly appreciate the support that has been given to us, whether through monetary and materials donations or the purchase of our album “Hungry Ghosts."

Thank you. <3

Every contribution we receive goes into this project and propels MOTR closer to our vision - providing a memorable experience through experimental music performance and communicating through art with a sense of urgency.

-Zetsumei