My new Sprinter 4X4 [Archive] - Expedition Portal

bonzo2002

03-29-2009, 03:53 PM

Hello I'm new here.

Just thought I'd post some images of my newly acquired Mercedes LWB Sprinter 4X4 which I aim to convert into an expedition type camper with storage in the back for motorcycles and equipment. I've had a Sprinter 2wd before and they are good vans in my opinion. This one ticked the boxes for me - It is big enough to store 2 small motorbikes + equipment aswell as having enough room for, shower + toilet, kitchen and sleeping 4. OK it's off road ability might not be up there with some of them but it does have all the diff locks etc. and I should be getting 35-40 MPG which in the UK anything less than that and you have to be minted.

Is there anyone on here that knows a good place to get the conversion done in the South of England? Or if anyone has any good suggestions or ideas they would be greatly appreciated:wings:

adventureduo

03-29-2009, 04:00 PM

Very cool, congrats on a great platform. It's hard for us to get those here in the states. You're a lucky dog.

bonzo2002

03-29-2009, 04:07 PM

Hey Thanks. Yeh it doesn't make sense that you don't get them in the US you have all the best places to drive them:)

bonzo2002

03-29-2009, 08:20 PM

Hoping to finish with something like this......

T.Low

03-30-2009, 02:19 AM

Right on. Nice rig and a good vision. Are you looking to go with something like the Brian Lopes SMB set up?

BTW, how is the dirt biking in the UK? The hiking is fantastic and the paddling is awesome, and so is the road biking. But I've never actually seen an dirt biking, except for a little on the beach at the 2002 Island of Man TT.

Congrats again.

bonzo2002

03-30-2009, 02:16 PM

Yes the Brian Lopez set up seems like a good way to maximize space to me. The Sportsmobile has a bit of a price tag on it though, plus you can't get them over here.

There is a big motocross scene here in the UK but I'm going to be using the truck for filming purposes around Europe. The bikes in the back will be the mules to get kit to those off the beaten track places.

GroupSe7en

03-30-2009, 11:31 PM

You might give these guys a call:
http://www.syncro-nutz.com

They do a lot of camper stuff to the VW T3 syncro.

They're in Scotland and by American standards, Scotland is pretty close to the South of England :)

Good luck on your project and keep posting pics :drool:

Cheers,
Mark

Layonnn

03-31-2009, 02:05 AM

Very cool, congrats on a great platform. It's hard for us to get those here in the states. You're a lucky dog.

I have seen more than a couple dodge sprinters. I know not the mercedes though. How much different are they? They look identical.

datrupr

03-31-2009, 01:55 PM

I have seen more than a couple dodge sprinters. I know not the mercedes though. How much different are they? They look identical.

The Dodge Sprinter is a rebadged Mercedes. They are essentially the same other than the grill and some badging.

bonzo2002

04-04-2009, 08:14 PM

kerry

04-04-2009, 08:44 PM

Did MB sell that as a 4x4 or was it converted by someone?

bonzo2002

04-04-2009, 09:03 PM

It's a Mercedes original. It was owned from new by a utilities company here in the UK.

jkam

04-04-2009, 09:04 PM

Mercedes offered 4wd in the Sprinter in Europe as an option.

Here is one highly customized by someone in Iceland. A lot of work went into this.
http://www.4x4offroads.com/mercedes-benz-sprinter-44-inch.html

http://www.4x4offroads.com/image-files/mercedes-benz-sprinter-4x4-inch-70.jpg

milo12

04-05-2009, 03:12 AM

That Sprinter is awesome.:Wow1:

Great pictures of the build.

wannago

04-05-2009, 04:51 PM

I want one!:drool:

Motobueno

05-20-2009, 05:04 AM

Hi there,
I'm driving my '06 T1n here in the states with the OEM 4x4 conversion.About your tyre size.
What motor?
What trans?
Full time/part time 4x4?
Hi/low range?
What diff ratio's?
I'm running a dia of 30.7",stock size on my van is 29.3"
diff is 3.72
It pulls the larger tyres fine but I drop about 2-3 mpg
29.3's get me 20mpg if I keep my foot out of it:smiley_drive:(2.7 5cyl/auto box)
Tom,here's the van at the EXPO

rctr03

06-01-2009, 09:43 PM

how much?

dzzz

06-02-2009, 08:30 PM

Icebox

07-17-2009, 09:13 AM

I'm trying to find out what the best 4X4 tyre might be to use on the van. It's jacked up quite high being 4X4 so Ideally I want to fit the large All Terrain type tyres with a nice bit of tread to fill the arches a bit more. Was looking at BF Goodridge All Terrain T/A at 235/70 15. Anyone got any thoughts/ideas?

It would be important to choose wisely on tire-sorry-tyre selection. Load rating would be critical to ensure safety and long tread life. I am not aware of any 15 inch BFG's that are rated any higher than a "C". I would calculate the weight of everything first, as it sounds like you may be quite heavy with motorcycles, camera gear, and the mod cons. I do not believe a C-rated 15 will do. More likely a D or E rated in a 16" (if it will fit). The number one mistake that I've seen people make is either too little tire or too much tire. Tires rated for 7500lbs total on an 11,000lb rig or tires rated for 15,000lbs on a 3,000lb rig. Both are bad. And you will more than likely find out at the worst possible time in the worst possible conditions. Tread pattern is important as well. Find the best compromise for what you will be doing. A typical all terrain does not like mud and a mud tire usually gives half the life of an all terrain and are noisy on the pavement. Wet vs. dry handling/stopping should be reviewed as well. If going up in size, measure everywhere up and down, as well as side to side and try to calculate your wheel travel. This should be done loaded and unloaded. If rims are changed check for caliper clearance and insure the offset is acceptable. Since we don't have the 4wd version here it's only a guess without seeing it. You should be very familiar with a measuring tape however.

Best regards,