Finally able to show and share some progress...

[68protour]

I posted some pics in another thread and Hikinginpdx suggested moving our conversion progress to its own thread...

We purchased the van new in 07, did some rough work then and lived with it, and are now refocused on making more improvements. Living with it for awhile really helped identify our needs and wants concerning layout and fixtures.

So far -

Insulated roughly, more to be installed after wiring conduits installed;
Built a tri-fold bench/bed with storage underneath. Used a futon mattress from the house, but recently sewed 3 cushions;
Built temporary wire shelving hung with cable down driver side and across back;
Rebadged with Mercedes emblem;
Installed bush guard (I call it "granny guard" - had an 88 year-old driver turn in front of me - the arrow on the pavement said she could make a left turn...);
Made cardboard mock-up of cabinetry to be constructed;
Installed Maxxair fan vent;
Installed rear passenger-side window;
Made full window insulation set - Reflectix material, edged with black seam binding - all seem to friction fit but have suction cups to install if necessary.

Biggest pain in the but about switch to Mercedes grill is that it leaves a void at the bottom. To correct, would need to install sheet metal painted to match body color. I studied the Dodge grill and realized with a little bit of creative and patient trimming, I could sculpt into a chrome trim ring for the Mercedes and not have to deal with the body work. See what you think.

I wanted to add a window to the cargo van. Told the awning style windows for the Sprinter were discontinued due to being torn off when the slider was opened. As much as we wanted the ventilation, in the end we decided keeping a factory look was more important than adding an aftermarket window. The rear side window is from the factory in Germany, ordered through local dealer. I cut the whole and did the install myself after no one local would stand behind their work for just the install.



We are planning out the electrical and will be posting our plans and requests for input - all the posters here are wonderful and have served as a great educational resource!

[68protour]

A few more pics...

[68protour]

And a couple of more, until we make additional strides...

We will have a galley - dorm fridge, microwave, sink, countertop. For the sink and countertop, our current idea is for both to be in a shelf that pulls out of the floor to ceiling cabinet, the sink with a foldable faucet, discharge with flexible hosing to discharge gray water container or exterior. Reason is, there is a lot of valuable real estate tied up in the air space about sink and counter when it is not in use.

We have two dogs, so floor space is a premium, too. (Although you can see one of them in an earlier picture on the futon - why lay on the floor when there is a comfortable dog bed (the futon cushion is being replaced with nice cushions we made - just don't have them in the van yet.))

[qualityair]

Looking Good :thumbup:

Lots of hard work is really paying off !

[mackconsult]

Looks good .... are you going to show it off in a couple weekends at the NW sprinter get together?

This must be your gorge mobile :)

[68protour]

Too far to the NW - we are in Florida. Saw the pics for the NW Sprinter gettogether for the past couple years' events a couple of days ago and thought it would be fun, though.

[d_bertko]

Nice job on the window insulation and trifold bench.

My trifold bed folds the other direction because of my propensity to stack canoes down the center aisle. I really like a rear bed/center kitchen for the two of us. (And if I travel alone I set up a single bed/sofa and get the utter luxury of a wide aisle between side and rear doors.) When I'm not carrying any boats inside I get a very nice sofa for my passengers. Surprisingly comfortable riding sideways for long distances.

The main drawback to the rear seating is that my passengers are a long way from the cab. We frequently bolt a chair to the floor L-track in the kitchen to be able to converse with a guest on the road. If I were to (and still might) redesign my layout, I would put my four agm batteries under the floor to free up some seat options. If I kept the first 30" or so behind the driver limited to 16" height I could slip in a two-person bench seat when needed. Perhaps a folder like yours. I envision a drop down counter-high shelf to use the wall space otherwise.

We seem to be unlike the rest of the rv universe in that dishpans the size of an rv sink work better for us than dedicating the space to that use. We always prefer to cook and wash up outside in good weather. It does not seem to be any imposition to use the dishpans inside the van otherwise. The luxury feature for us is the 5 gallon bucket with a 12v spray wand. It was purchased for the indoor/outdoor shower set up but has been great as a "sink" hot water spray. (Again, outdoor use is more common than indoors.)

Our camping tastes run to dispersed boondocking or state/natl parks. Gray water disposal is the same as a tent camper. My personal opinion is that holding onto your waste products is a big-rv concept. To each his own, but I hate to give up gear-carrying capacity for fancy innards.

Dan

[mackconsult]

Oh .... I just assumed you were a gorge rat :bow:

Too far to the NW - we are in Florida. Saw the pics for the NW Sprinter gettogether for the past couple years' events a couple of days ago and thought it would be fun, though.

[68protour]

Thanks, Dan.

We are planning to mount the batteries under the frame, on the passenger side to counter the weight on the driver side when the cabinets are in. Then, if it fits with clearance for airflow, a 2KW inverter under the passenger seat.

Thought about the bench being installed along the wall, but thought that passengers would find that uncomfortable. I see what you mean about talking to passengers way in the rear. Maybe we'll rethink.

[68protour]

Fabricated the structure for the batteries and other components this summer.. The metal mesh is to allow room under the bench seat/bed structure for storage, accessed from the rear doors. Trying to maximize every inch of storage!

[68protour]

Intalled 2 AGMs - Group 31, a 2000 watt inverter, voltage sensitive relay, and ems/power management system (to monitor quality of shore power - did not want to risk frying all the rest of the components!

We got it all wired, went to start the test procedure for the inverter that the manual lays out, but decided to test the voltage coming out of the batteries using an ordinary voltmeter. Touched the prongs positive and negative, and there was instant smoke coming out of the voltmeter - even before we turned the batter switch to the on position. Seems we don't know how to use a $12,95 voltmeter - wrong setting!

Walla, all systems passed the checks in the manual - and the light bulb came on, literally. We have not yet installed the breaker panels. Only wired the Maxxair vent fan directly to the battery bus bar and a single 120v outlet as we wanted to have the refrig (compact dorm type) for a 750 trip with an overnight.

[68protour]

Changed out the wood bench structure for a fabricated metal one, this one on skate board wheels to make lowering the trifold bench into a bed easier....

The bench is held in place with a couple of pins under the seat cushion (not visible in photo) to keep it from opening while going down the road.

The last photo on this post shows the cushions we made that form the bed when the bench is folded down (three cushions, making almost a king size bed - plenty of room for me, my wife, and our two golden retrievers who know what is comfortable.

It also shows the battery compartment finished out from the front. The battery compartment makes for a comfortable foot rest for the rear bench, Still need to add seat belts.

[68protour]

Oh yeah, forgot to show the layers for the floor - insulation, 1/2" plywood, and rubber matting for easy cleaning.

[teamtexas]

Nice work 68 :thumbup::thumbup:

Dan

[SYCO GT]

Enjoying the great photos and write up and seeing the work progress. Looking good!!!

[georgetg]

Nice work looks good....

Is the bed your own design?

Cheers
George

[halnet]

Dan---thanx for sharing all your hard work with great fotos! May you enjoy many years of camping as a result. But meanwhile I would appreciate a followup on the last problem you reported---the so-called tracking light.

I have a 2003 also and this light, along with the ABS light on the left, come on together---no ECU light and no diag codes to recall. They remain on and also void the cruise control, which is a pain. So far I have not figured out the cause and I have no certified dealer nearby.

I'd like to know if you, or any other readers, had further problems or info on these lights. It also puzzles me how and where any sensors could be located to give tire info? Someone also said brake light bulbs could be the cause. Baffling to say the least.

[teamtexas]

Halnet, I've had no other problems with the tracking light. It reset after I restarted the van and had not come back. If it happens again I will check my brake lights.

Dan

[d_bertko]

Oh how I love original thinking in DIY design! Very cool with the skate wheels. How does the bed do at a skateboard park?

My bed folds away from both sides in the long direction to allow me to toss canoes down the center aisle when desired. We are on a long trip now and have kept the bed set up for the duration. Our bedroll drapes over a tabletop during the day and we get a similar extra set of forward facing seats. Your fine job has inspired me to build a more customized seatback to replace the table when we get home. I do have to say that the six legal-size folding crates that fit under the bed make it very easy to stow food and gear. They slide well enough but I'll probably add some L-extrusions to aid that process.

There is a little more than 4' behind the tabletop seatback in my set up. A 10' x 10' FirstUp shelter fits nicely atop the cushions on the road and the remaining space hold another 60 cubic ft of gear we're carrying on this extra-long, many-sport excursion. The FirstUp swallows much of that gear if we're staying more than one night at a camp. Otherwise I tarp about half of it when we don't want to set up the shelter. Last night we stayed in a small national forest site and just rearranged the big load inside since we came in late.

We have been finding the underside storage needs good sliders---a smooth floor and the folding crates work well. The topside of the bed storage is more useful for the boat tote bags that carry our ready-to-grab gear.

Dan

[68protour]

Nice work looks good....

Is the bed your own design?

Cheers
George

Yes, my own creation. Sorry, been off the forum for awhile.

[bignose13]

On your Re badge it looks like you just changed the inside of the grill am i right in thinking that? if so how did you do it?


I posted some pics in another thread and Hikinginpdx suggested moving our conversion progress to its own thread...

We purchased the van new in 07, did some rough work then and lived with it, and are now refocused on making more improvements. Living with it for awhile really helped identify our needs and wants concerning layout and fixtures.

So far -

Insulated roughly, more to be installed after wiring conduits installed;
Built a tri-fold bench/bed with storage underneath. Used a futon mattress from the house, but recently sewed 3 cushions;
Built temporary wire shelving hung with cable down driver side and across back;
Rebadged with Mercedes emblem;
Installed bush guard (I call it "granny guard" - had an 88 year-old driver turn in front of me - the arrow on the pavement said she could make a left turn...);
Made cardboard mock-up of cabinetry to be constructed;
Installed Maxxair fan vent;
Installed rear passenger-side window;
Made full window insulation set - Reflectix material, edged with black seam binding - all seem to friction fit but have suction cups to install if necessary.

Biggest pain in the but about switch to Mercedes grill is that it leaves a void at the bottom. To correct, would need to install sheet metal painted to match body color. I studied the Dodge grill and realized with a little bit of creative and patient trimming, I could sculpt into a chrome trim ring for the Mercedes and not have to deal with the body work. See what you think.

I wanted to add a window to the cargo van. Told the awning style windows for the Sprinter were discontinued due to being torn off when the slider was opened. As much as we wanted the ventilation, in the end we decided keeping a factory look was more important than adding an aftermarket window. The rear side window is from the factory in Germany, ordered through local dealer. I cut the whole and did the install myself after no one local would stand behind their work for just the install.



We are planning out the electrical and will be posting our plans and requests for input - all the posters here are wonderful and have served as a great educational resource!

[68protour]

Yes mine is a one of a kind for sure. I thought the standard MB look almost as boring as Dodge.
I just bought the MB grill at local MB dealership around $90. Now the challenge as you probably know is you have to buy the MB sheet metal and get it painted..bummer! No way I'm doing that i said. I carefully pulled the Dodge (boring) grille and cut it up. All the chrome you see on mine is the Dodge chrome. I left the hood piece on (heard it's a pain to remove). You'll see that you can separate the Dodge chrome from the black plastic grille using the snap tabs. Mount the MB grille using the top mounting screws.
Now carefully/ slowly bit by bit cut the black Dodge grille piece to fill in the void under the MB grille (this is where that costly sheet metal would be). If memory serves clip Dodge black into bumper as before and double side tape left and right up rights to body. If you think that was fun now cut out and slowly grind away the Dodge chrome piece to work with the MB black.
If after hearing all this you still want to try I'll send you photos. Bottom line I figured if I screwed it up I could still do it the way ($$$$) everyone else has.

[68protour]

After much work in 2012, we are almost done! I'll post pics over the next couple of days. Thank you to all of the posters on this board who generously shared their time and effort with photos and writeups - you will probably recognize your influences on our design and work. We are not much into the blogging/texting/tweeting/facebook/myspace/etc. thing, so sorry if we have been slow to see any questions posted to respond. But, we thought we would make the effort to upload some photos a) to perhaps continue the inspiration, as so many have inspired us and b) we are just plain proud of our hard work. Especially when you consider each component practically reflects some in-depth research project behind it to figure all this out.

Insulation, wiring, and plumbing for the sink (goes to 6 gal. fresh and gray water tanks under the van, in a welded frame - not shown).

[68protour]

Wall and ceiling substrate (1/8 plywood) fitting. Wanted a nice window frame for rear, so it had to be built up out of plywood and fiberglass. Walls will be covered in foam and marine grade vinyl.

[68protour]

Some more wall panel fittings. The cabinets are built with 80/20, and the fit is tight.

[68protour]

Wall panels are 1/8' foam and marine grade vinyl adhered to the 1/8 plywood substrate for the top half of the van. For the lower half, we covered the plywood in formica, to be more durable (dogs and cargo).

[68protour]

Cabinets are done. We used 80/20, cut pre-finished 1/2 inch plywood for cabinet panels and doors. For the panels, routed the edges to insert into the 80/20 channels. The fit is pretty close, but we had to wedge in material (used a thin plastic "string") all around to eliminate the rattle.

Lots of outlets and lighting (LED, the large ones with both warm white and red bulbs, for night - much less harsh). A small rotating fan, which really makes a difference in the air flow to the rear when used with the MaxAir fan for ventilation.

Part of our design criteria was to have the interior be somewhat light and airy feeling and have floor space for the dogs, and when we need to use the van to haul stuff. And to maximize the depth of the cabinets, to provide as much storage, because it seems we need to pack the whole house when we travel.

Some remaining trim work to be fabricated (wheel wells, above slider, post behind passenger seat). And then a table, faucet, hook up to the water pump, labels on the AC/DC electrical panels, hang the curtain rods and curtains in the rear, and I think we might be done! When doing the wheel wells, we will probably rethink the step below the bench seat/roll out bed. It houses 2 AGM batteries, and is a bear to get to now. Also the inverter is behind there, and the controls are a pain to get to, under the seat, which hinges up when it is not rolled out into the bed.

So far, everything has worked out great - we did travel in it over Thanksgiving and camped one night. Now we just need to find the time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

[68protour]

Some more cabinet photos. To keep the large doors closed, after searching and trying various fittings, we made our own magnet latches, strapped into the channel on the 80/20, with a small metal plate on the door to secure. No inadvertent door openings for the 1700 mi. over Thanksgiving, even down a rough road or two. The microwave and refrigerator are bolted to aluminum strips that are bolted to the 80/20, so they are secured.

[68protour]

Some more cabinet details and galley pictures. Still have to install the faucet. We plan to be connected to shore power when camping for the foreseeable future, hence the real coffee pot and the portable electric heater.

[68protour]

The beginnings of a table for the rear. The 80/20 piece is on a swinging hinge. We will fabricate a table top, same design as the counter top, that will store upright in the "armoire," and will easily bolt on to and 80/20 slider on the arm, allowing the two of us to sit on the bench seat to eat or to work at our computers. It has been designed, mocked up in cardboard, and the hardware purchased. Now just to make the table top!

Other improvements (no photos yet) that we have made include installing a swivel on the passenger seat, which really makes a nice difference when just hanging out in the van; installing a winch on the front to be self-rescuing (hopefully there will be a tree within reach); installing a swivel hitch on the rear, and a decent sized metal box for still yet more stuff to haul when camping (good place for the firewood, folding chairs, camping mat, and an extra 5 gallon of diesel, which was the primary motivator (no more 3 am stops for gas in desolate places, given the state of the world these days) (if it were not for the weight, we would have installed another fuel tank); and making screens for all the doors. The slider and rear door screens "attach" with a number of rare earth magnets, the front are sewn like big socks (not an original idea - thank you to the poster who first came up with the idea).

[Graphite Dave]

Thanks for the pictures. Very nice work. Now go enjoy it!

[OrioN]

The beginnings of a table for the rear....

Sweeeeet...

Can you do moi a favour?

That swing arm.... can you hang abooot 20 or 30 lbs weight on the end, then record the deflection?

Moucho's....

[d_bertko]

Tell us a little more about the winch.

I've kept a come-along in my Sprinter for many years now. Used it twice with my old Econoline when business use demanded going where I really didn't want to.

I also keep a really nice tow rope in the Sprinter. Pretty much as I had thought folks driving 4x4's practically fight to be the one to help a rwd guy stuck in the mud. Wasn't necessary to break out the come-along since Mud People were in the vicinity.

Dan

[sparkie]

Very nice job and thanks for taking the time to post up the pictures. Enjoy your travels!

[PlantLady]

Thank you for sharing!

I'm starting on the walls on my van. Your wall panels look great, and very functional too. How did you adhere the foam and vinyl to the panels? Did you remove the plywood and wrap the vinyl around it or is it stuck on the surface?

And, how did you attach the panels to the van? Sheet metal screws, rivnuts, or something else?

Thanks,
Debbie

[68protour]

We used rivet nuts to attach wall panels, but they are tricky! I'll share what worked for me. I found aluminum ones that look like giant versions of the aluminum rivets we all seen before. These have a threaded inside and when you tighten them down they bulge out to keep from pulling out. The tool to put them in is very expensive and will prove hard to work in some tight areas. I rigged up a tool using parts from a bearing removal tool that you can find at most car parts stores.

First trick is to drill the hole through van sheet metal. Be sure the hole is correct size where the rivet barely fits. need to be tight. Also make sure to limit how far you drill bit will travel once though or you'll punch a dent on the outside of you van (that would be a bummer!). I liked the stepped drill bit that looks like stepped arrow head and makes the hole bigger and bigger with each step. They are not cheap but make a clean round hole.

Second trick....don't just rely on the rivet's bulge to keep it from spinning. Put some type of glue in and around the hole and let it dry before you use it to hold wall. The problem with rivet nuts is if they start to spin after you hang wall panel you may have trouble unscrewing bolt as the rivet just spins.

[68protour]

The wall panels are underlayment plywood that you get at Home Depot. We used a spray adhesive that is very popular with contractors that make formica counter tops (Northstarchemicals,com PB925 clear, specs say suitable for headliners (not all adhesives hold in high temps in a vehicle). You spray it out in disposable cans and works very well. Also unless its super hot outside plenty of time to work with. But not so easy to relift to correct. The 12' long upper wall panel was a real challenge, and necessitated a redo. We did opt for spraying just the one surface on that (as apposed to the two facing surfaces of each layer) because it was too big to position the foam and vinyl properly. Crossing our fingers it won't delaminate.

Don't even think of trying to brush on contact cement unless you want to cuss like a sailor and rip the whole thing apart because of lumps.

The foam is a "closed cell" foam to keep from collecting moisture. The type used by autobody shops, bought in a 60" wide roll by the yard off the internet (don't recall site right now). The vinyl is marine grade really inexpensive from fabricguru.com.

[68protour]

Sweeeeet...

Can you do moi a favour?

That swing arm.... can you hang abooot 20 or 30 lbs weight on the end, then record the deflection?

Moucho's....


The arm deflected 1/2" at the end with 20 lb weight. Most if not all the defllection was in the pivot point hardware not the arm or block that secured it to the cabinet. The bushing at the pivot allows for easy swing but not as rock steady as a tightened nut and bolt but there again it wouldn't swing. All in all the 80/20 aluminum is very robust.

[Graphite Dave]

Another choice for a "nutsert" is Penn Engineering 1/4" Atlas prebulbed inserts part # AES25P280PBPB-ZYR. I found nutserts difficult to install with a manual tool. Particularly overhead where you need three hands. Two on the wrenches and one to hold nutsert up into the hole. Made me look for an alternate. The Penn inserts are longer and when installed 4 "legs" extend behind sheet metal. The hole diameter is not as critical as a nutsert. Drilled holes out to 11/32". And yes the first hole produced a dimple on outside van sheet metal. Called learn by doing! Put a spacer on drill bit to limit travel to prevent dimple. Penn sold by D.R. Roberts Company. Manual installation tool was bought from McMaster-Carr part # 96349A305 for $29.16. Tool made for nutsert so bolt was too short for Penn. Changed bolt to a grade 8 1/4-20NC x 2 1/2" because Penn insert is taller than a nutsert.

[68protour]

Thank you for sharing!

I'm starting on the walls on my van. Your wall panels look great, and very functional too. How did you adhere the foam and vinyl to the panels? Did you remove the plywood and wrap the vinyl around it or is it stuck on the surface?

And, how did you attach the panels to the van? Sheet metal screws, rivnuts, or something else?

Thanks,
Debbie



Yes, we fitted the plywood walls, then removed them to adhere the foam and vinyl to one side. (See more description above.) Here is a little mock-up, where we experimented with stapling the edges on the back side, which probably would have worked. Instead, we just cut more of an overhang of the vinyl (at least 2 inches to wrap around) and sprayed a strip along the back side of the plywood. The foam was trimmed flush to the edge of the plywood walls (no wrap).

[68protour]

Tell us a little more about the winch.

I've kept a come-along in my Sprinter for many years now. Used it twice with my old Econoline when business use demanded going where I really didn't want to.

I also keep a really nice tow rope in the Sprinter. Pretty much as I had thought folks driving 4x4's practically fight to be the one to help a rwd guy stuck in the mud. Wasn't necessary to break out the come-along since Mud People were in the vicinity.

Dan



The winch is from Harborfreight. Mounted with a removable receiver to a hitch on the front of the van, can also be moved to back hitch. Rated for 9000 lbs. Haven't had to use it yet, to know how it will do for us. More like an insurance policy just in case.

[d_bertko]

That front/rear hitch receiver for the winch is pretty clever if the hitch pin is up to the job.

[Aqua Puttana]

That front/rear hitch receiver for the winch is pretty clever if the hitch pin is up to the job.

Good point. That could be a concern.

A quick search found this dicsussion. I think that Post #15 sums it up for the winch application. FWIW. vic.

"Guys have you ever been to the local fair when they are doing the 4wd truck pulls.........Those trucks put the pins to the ultimate test. Case you guys don't know or did realize, that sled starts out around 34,000lbs.
If you have ever seen any of the trucks hop, jump, jerk. You would have faith in the pin.
I have been around that sport for 25yrs and yet to see one hitch pin break.
I seen tons of hitches break and guys rip the receivers off but never a hitch pin break."

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/182179-hitch-pins.html

You can just cancel and close the signup box to read the thread.

[68protour]

The finishing touches on some of the interior trim are here...

http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25247

[davidlboss]

Very good work!

[Evil Patrick]

Excellent write-up! Every time I read through another DIY conversion thread, I learn something new and valuable.

Here's a question that's out in left field. Instead of using foam for that "softness" behind the fabric, I'm thinking about using double-sided refletix so I get "two birds with one stone".

Any thoughts?

[68protour]

Excellent write-up! Every time I read through another DIY conversion thread, I learn something new and valuable.

Here's a question that's out in left field. Instead of using foam for that "softness" behind the fabric, I'm thinking about using double-sided refletix so I get "two birds with one stone".

Any thoughts?


Might not be a bad idea. But I think that you would still need to insulate behind because of all the air/voids created by the van's ribs, perhaps still allowing condensation to form on the metal van sides. Also, any slight imperfection in the foam behind our vinyl telegraphed through. So, you might want to do a test piece to see if the thickness of your vinyl or fabric covering hides the contours of the reflectix. Also, you can test the holding power of your adhesive against the shiny, slick reflectix.

We had fabricated the 80/20 cabinets with attachment points before doing the plywood/foam/vinyl walls and ceiling, so that we would not damage the finished walls and ceiling when working with the 80/20 pieces. (The finished 80/20 cabinet frame sat in our dining room for a number of months.) While we allowed room for the thickness of finished wall and ceiling pieces in measuring and cutting the lengths and widths of the 80/20, the clearance to accommodate the finished walls was extremely tight, and in a few locations, too tight. The reflectix would create a thicker wall panel than ours, so that would be something to consider.