Intro and Our Mercedes Vario Home -Gen rack pg.5. Ideas on uprating rear suspension?

[tamangel]

any updates..?

Mike

[andylod]

Hey Anton
found this site and thought you might be interested. http://vps.paymentgroup.de/uli/vario/ . Just come back from a very successful trip to france in our camper. Went over for a couple a weeks, through the Alps on the Route de Grande Alpine, Switzerland, and Italy right down to South coast. The Van never missed a beat and we were very pleased with the layout and features. never hooked up (electric) the whole time away and the 100ltr fesh water lasted approx 6 days with normal use :-) I'll post some internal pics soon. IMG_0410.jpgIMG_0420.JPGIMG_0598.jpg

[andylod]

Few more rough pics taken todayIMG_0492.jpgIMG_0497.jpgIMG_0499.jpg

[ifandor]

Fantastic job Anton, well done. Ive just bought a vario 815D 4x4 which I plan to convert this year. I joined this forum to see what others are doing and couldnt be happier, very inspiring to see what you've done. Thanks.

[andylod]

Hey ifandor.... are you in uk .... did you just buy off of ebay ???

[ifandor]

I did andylod, were you interested, or scared by the potential nightmare of getting it registered! I figured the Genny and Aircon and other bits and bobs are nearly worth the price so took a chance, going alright so far.

[Anton2k3]

Hey guys,

Great looking van andylod, 4x4? Really wish we had 4x4, but at the very least have decided we need a difflock. I'm just trying to figure out how to do that at the moment. Great pic of the van with snow coverd mountains in background. Looks nice and tidy from the outside too, something I need to sort on ours!

No major updates at the moment. The recent work has included:

-LED Spotlight in the cab
-Replacement of webasto diesel water heater for Mikuni Mx-40. This has been a very worthwhile upgrade ,the mikuni is excellent. Its a good job too, as the webasto diesel air heater has given up so we have had to rely on the 'wet' system aux heater.
-Added a whale gulper to the shower drain, with a non return valve. This means we can park at any angle, and use everything as normal (shower, sink etc). Before, we had to park either level, or slightly nose high so that the shower would drain. Any other angles resulted in water going from the sink to the shower! In hindsight, a simple non return valve would have fixed this, but decided to go the whole hog and put a pumped system in. The Gulper activates automatically when the shower is operated (inline pressure switch in cold feed to shower), and can be turned on manually to clear the shower when done.

Next mods are a new eberspacher D2 diesel air heater.

Pics on request if anyones interested.

Very jealous of the 815D 4x4! Be sure to get a copy of John Speeds 'Travel Vans'.

[andylod]

Hey Anton
I am in the middle of doing my diff lock at the mo. Purchased all parts from Merc and just need to get the diff casing machined. I have parts lists and pics of stuff, been a bit of a mare getting it right but hopefully we are there now. Spent £1100 so far !! Did you checkout the link to the german site with the 4x4's on ?
Ifandor
I went to have a look at your van and i must say you have a bargain there. The armour plating may make it a little heavy but very quiet :-) .... unbelievable build quality as well, as-new van ...... good luck with it and keep us posted...

Any tech stuff or data on these vans would help as there isn't a lot available on the net.
Andy

Quick trip last week to Austria to pick up our new Trailer Stage
IMG_0513.jpg

[ifandor]

Hey guys,
Getting some great little tips off you Anton thanks, I ordered Travel vans yesterday as it happens so looking forward to getting that. Heres a link to the 4X4 815 if you're interested,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2610236327...fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

Just getting it registered, its gonna be a while before I get working on it but I'm planning a trip across Europe to Finland in 2013 so I'm gonna take my time and hopefully have it ready this time next year, I'll post the progress when I get going on it.
So you saw the van Andy, didnt get a chance myself but I reckon its def good value, been looking for a 4x4 vario for ages.

[Anton2k3]

Aaaaah, yes, remember you let me know about the diff conversion a while ago. I'd be super interested in getting a parts list and procedure off you when it's done if you don't mind. £1100 doesn't seem that bad when aftermarket kits for landrovers etc are near that sort of money. Is yours 2x4 too then Andy? Are you on silk route?

Ifandor, that's a sweet van, with some trick stuff on it. Going to try and strip everything you don't need and sell it on? Having the aircon and generator on board already saves a massive hassle. If you want any advice or anything just drop us an email. Where abouts are you?