HMR,
what did you use to cover the wall and the ceiling? it looks really professional and clean.
what did you use to cover the wall and the ceiling? it looks really professional and clean.
Sprinter Van planning stage
- Thread starter Flagster
- Start date
dieselcruiserhead
16 Years on ExPo. Whoa!!
We've been in much of the same boat as you for quite a while. Been looking for a suitable sprinter for literally years, always somewhat over priced and a big question mark to an extent. Lots of land cruisers etc to sell too that are hardly used, MTb and Moto. And then tons of camping w the wife.
The diamond in the rough is a 99 to 07 e350 "cut away" turbo diesel box van. We just bought a fairly immaculate well maintained one for $5600, turbo diesel, tough as nails, way bigger and faster than a sprinter and much better ground clearance. Costs on it are the egr delete and a new oil cooler because its the "infamous" 6.0. Also a 2" lift, meaty 235 85 r 16 tires, gearing faster to 3.73 and a posit rack rear, and a ill bar and winch up front to look the part... I am about 25% of a very short list of items to full convert to a camper, sofar windows and doors are in, in about a weekend. Ill post pictures when done. Def with a ktm and turner sticker on the side, one one on the rear that reads hayduke lives!
Cheers, Andre
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, hence the typos...
The diamond in the rough is a 99 to 07 e350 "cut away" turbo diesel box van. We just bought a fairly immaculate well maintained one for $5600, turbo diesel, tough as nails, way bigger and faster than a sprinter and much better ground clearance. Costs on it are the egr delete and a new oil cooler because its the "infamous" 6.0. Also a 2" lift, meaty 235 85 r 16 tires, gearing faster to 3.73 and a posit rack rear, and a ill bar and winch up front to look the part... I am about 25% of a very short list of items to full convert to a camper, sofar windows and doors are in, in about a weekend. Ill post pictures when done. Def with a ktm and turner sticker on the side, one one on the rear that reads hayduke lives!
Cheers, Andre
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk, hence the typos...
Flagster
Expedition Leader
Couple of nice camper ideas...found on autotrader
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...26&searchRadius=500&listingId=338557808&Log=0
This one only has 17K miles??? and 118 wheelbase...not much more than my 80 series
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...26&searchRadius=500&listingId=341039937&Log=0
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...26&searchRadius=500&listingId=338557808&Log=0
This one only has 17K miles??? and 118 wheelbase...not much more than my 80 series
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...26&searchRadius=500&listingId=341039937&Log=0
HMR
Rendezvous Conspiracy
ABS plastic.
FWIW- You've stood right by this rig at various events (it was usually next to the Overland Gourmet tent). One of the great things about the Sprinter is everyone thinks it's a work/delivery van. :ylsmoke:
dieselcruiserhead- The Ford and Chevy box vans were also on our list. Lots of potential with that setup.
westyss
Explorer
This thread got my attention as I was in the same boat five or six years ago, and that was looking for a 4x4 sprinter!
I looked and called everyone I could including a company in Germany for a conversion and Sportmobile and ended up getting nowhere and very frustrated, I also thought I could wait until the 4x4 sprinter came to NA............ glad I didnt wait! I also looked long and hard at just using a two wheel drive sprinter like Mikes but that was going to defeat my purpose of not getting stuck in the places I had previously been stuck in with my Westy, yes they do go well in semi bad roads but are very limiting for my terrain that I travel. With all that said I eventually had to go a different route but I still have great admiration for these vehicles and if a 4x4 one came to NA I might just jump on it.
Good luck in your search!
I looked and called everyone I could including a company in Germany for a conversion and Sportmobile and ended up getting nowhere and very frustrated, I also thought I could wait until the 4x4 sprinter came to NA............ glad I didnt wait! I also looked long and hard at just using a two wheel drive sprinter like Mikes but that was going to defeat my purpose of not getting stuck in the places I had previously been stuck in with my Westy, yes they do go well in semi bad roads but are very limiting for my terrain that I travel. With all that said I eventually had to go a different route but I still have great admiration for these vehicles and if a 4x4 one came to NA I might just jump on it.
Good luck in your search!
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Now, with appropriate money, you can get a working 4x4 system installed by either Upscale Automotive (aka The Sprinter Store)
http://sprinterstore.com/sprinter_4x4.htm
or White Feather Conversions
http://whitefeatherconversions2.com/home.
westyss
Explorer
dieselcruiserhead
16 Years on ExPo. Whoa!!
As i have more updates done I'll post more pics etc.
Big thing with the fords is the 138" wheelbase (about perfect), tough as nails in the e-350 confirguration. the box trucks are even more heavy duty, they get a full float rear axle, and extra heavy duty suspension, that still rides / handles great. No issues at all with not being too stiff. With the 4.10s they have lots of power, a crazy 12K tow rating, but the RPMs are about 2100 at 70-75, so this is why I'm going up to the 3.73 rear axle gears, that posi track for off road purposes, and then a chip as the van 6.0 diesels are detuned heavily for a variety of reasons.
Really excited with how it will come out, especially with the cheap $300 2" lift I have for it that should go on in an afternoon. We've had our '77 Ford camper van for maybe 6-8 years or so. It has never once gotten stuck or let us down in 2WD. You definitely do not need 4WD in my opinion. But I'll probably throw that winch on in the front as an insurance policy. When you have a camper and you are off road, things fly off the wall, lots of noise, etc etc. It is fun off roading a van, but not that fun, and gets old real quick, in my opinion... So 2WD (particularly with a limited slip) is more than enough...
Big thing with the fords is the 138" wheelbase (about perfect), tough as nails in the e-350 confirguration. the box trucks are even more heavy duty, they get a full float rear axle, and extra heavy duty suspension, that still rides / handles great. No issues at all with not being too stiff. With the 4.10s they have lots of power, a crazy 12K tow rating, but the RPMs are about 2100 at 70-75, so this is why I'm going up to the 3.73 rear axle gears, that posi track for off road purposes, and then a chip as the van 6.0 diesels are detuned heavily for a variety of reasons.
Really excited with how it will come out, especially with the cheap $300 2" lift I have for it that should go on in an afternoon. We've had our '77 Ford camper van for maybe 6-8 years or so. It has never once gotten stuck or let us down in 2WD. You definitely do not need 4WD in my opinion. But I'll probably throw that winch on in the front as an insurance policy. When you have a camper and you are off road, things fly off the wall, lots of noise, etc etc. It is fun off roading a van, but not that fun, and gets old real quick, in my opinion... So 2WD (particularly with a limited slip) is more than enough...
mhiscox
Expedition Leader
Well, I did (unsuccessfully) try to buy my Sprinter back from Joe and Janet a couple months ago.
Read into that what you might. But after all, as Ranger Doug was fond of saying, "Great. We know it works." :sombrero:
I'll have to pay better attention next time...
would you mind expand a bit on "ABS Plastic"? Is it one of these?
http://www.eplastics.com/ABS-Plastic-Textured-General-Purpose-Sheet
http://www.amazon.com/ABS-Plastic-Sheet-Thick-Thickness/dp/B004UBUTJW
If so, what thickness did you go with?
Thank you!
Flagster
Expedition Leader
I'll have to pay better attention next time...
would you mind expand a bit on "ABS Plastic"? Is it one of these?
http://www.eplastics.com/ABS-Plastic-Textured-General-Purpose-Sheet
http://www.amazon.com/ABS-Plastic-Sheet-Thick-Thickness/dp/B004UBUTJW
If so, what thickness did you go with?
Thank you!
I would also like to know about that material...
Can it be cut and routed with woodworking tools...I'm not much of a fabricator outside table saws and routers
HMR
Rendezvous Conspiracy
Christian P. and Flagster- Start at post #376 in this thread.
Flagster
Expedition Leader
This thread has me considering focusing my search on a 144 rather than a 170...Going to head to PHX this weekend to take some measurements...
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17258
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17258