Man Cave

[Top2004Cub]

Not being a computer wiz kid, I hesitate to embarrass myself, but I've learned a lot from this group, and should let you all see what I consider to be the perfect Sprinter conversion van. I have learned from your efforts, and others may learn from mine. In any case, I am having a ball working on this project. :bounce:

First, a definition of the project's design criteria, then a proposed design to meet that criteria, and some photos of progress along the way. Such is the plan anyway...

The project is a 2008 Extended body Sprinter with the extra high "mega roof". It is the 3500 dually model with the high gross weight option. The extra comfort seats were the only other "must have" option that I looked for. I plan to have at least the following installed:
1. Full shower
2. Standard sized flushing toilet.
3. Comfortable bed for my 6'4" frame.
4. Kitchen for cooking on the road.
5. Mobil office "must haves" (internet mobil WiFi, room for laptop, desk, and comfortable chair.
6. Push button leveling system.
7. Lots of space for two people to pass each other in the interior.
8. Ease of entry and exit.
9. Convertable to cargo including a Harley in less than 5 minutes.
10. Capable of up to a week on the road for two without plugging into ground power, or a hook-up.
11. Heat, airconditioning systems capable of at least 24 hours of use.
12. The finished product has to look like Mercedes built it.:smilewink:

The Proposal: What and why...
The shower, full bath, kitchen, seats, storage, and office take up enough space to easily fill a 30' motorhome. I have owned them, and don't like to drive them. I want a small easy to drive rig that fits my mission profile to the "T", just like any idealistic individual that starts down this path I suspect. It sounds like a too much to fit into a 24' Sprinter. I have been dreaming about building a small motorhome for so long though that I just gotta try!

Systems: If all of the essential systems that the camper relies on but doesn't need to touch or interface with on a daily basis are kept hidden away, and compactly mounted, it may leave enough room for the things he does need to touch and feel, sit on, pee in, sleep on or make his grog in. So I am planning to mount essentially all of these systems under the floor or under the hood. I'll elaborate on individual features as I work on them (in later posts).

Where help is needed: :hmmm:

There are features that I need that simply are not available to buy. I have looked, and I can't find them. So, I plan to design the following:

1. A folding stailess steel toilet. You can buy a stailess steel toilet for your prison or your road side rest area. They start at around $2K and quickly go up from there. Or you can buy an air flush or vacuum flush system designed for a locomotive or airplane... with systems required that increase cost and take up precious room. I plan to build my own out of salad bowls. They cost about $15 each, and I figure I'll have $90 or so in the basic shapes needed to fashion a nice full sized (elongated) bowl that I can hinge to swinge up into the sidewall of the van. I don't think any more than about 4-5" needs to protrude into my precious living space. The flush system will be via a $75. macerator pump that is self priming up to 5' away. Pump is in hand and tested, and WILL pump water out of a bowl!
2. Folding shower. The only hard part here is designing the shower floor so that it is out of the way when not in use. The walls are easy, with either a curtain, or folding fiberglass or swinging walls that create the"room" when folded open. The floor needs to drain as you lift one end so that all water goes down the drain as it is put away. I think this can be accomplished by designing a slightly sloping floor that has a little curl in the end of the drain.
3. Moveable front seats. The front seats are extreemly comfortable when driving, but face the wrong way when camping. To duplicate seats for each operation is a waste of space, so we will find a way to put the existing seats where they need to be for both driving and camping. Four bucket seats are planned. The rear two will mount on a swinging frame that latches into place for travel, and swings 90 against the wall for camping. In addition, these seats both swivel and slide relative to one another. THe drivers seat will swivel, the passenger (front) will both slide and swivel. ( this allows me to walk into the van from the passenger door without ducking)
4. A bed that folds out of the sliding door. :thinking: (this is a second phase project that I'll wait to elaborate on for now)
5. A hose reel that will handle all grey/black water dumping functions. It has to be small enough to fit under the van, and yet hold enough hose to get me to a dumping station 90% of the time. Ditto for a fresh water hose, and maybe even the elec hook-up cable. I've asked a vendor to tackle this and am hoping to hear soon. He's already in the business, and is getting requests like this from manufacturers. :rad:
6. Air mattresses that will make up into a queen bed. Thermarest is willing to talk to me about this special project. I can't believe you can't buy two foam/air mattresses anywhere in the USA that will make into a queen bed... 60" X 80"... I would be delighted with 30" X 80". (they are available in Australia I believe, but I have some other reasons to request Thermarest's help.:rolleyes:
7. A "kitchen unit that can be out of the van in less than a minute, and still be fully functional. (again, more later)

Progress: :clapping:

So far we have an Espar diesel furnace under the hood, 60 gallon fresh water tank, somewhere near 55 gallons of grey/black water capacity, 18 gallons of extra fuel, hydraulic leveling system, and full electrical system with charger, inverter, solar controller, and (4) 8D batteries all under the floor. The water pump, hot water heater, water filter, heat exchanger from the engine, and solinoids to control flow of hot water to the in-floor heat system are all mounted on an aluminum frame that makes them readily accessable, and out of the way behind the water tank. (4) 135 watt solar panels cover almost all of the roof except the area where two Bomar hatches are mounted in the roof for natural light. These panels are mounted onto two Fiamma awnings that are securely mounted onto the fiberglass roof ribs in 12 places. Total height gain is 2.25" so the van will stand 10'2.25" or so when finished.

Battery says I have to hit send! More later. JR :yell:

[Altered Sprinter]

JR have you looked at Coleman's split big foot queen beds 4x4 SUV
Richard

[david klair]

JR
You must be a magician to have put all of that under the floor. You have a lot of great ideas.

What kind of air conditioning unit are you thinking of? From your 24 hour spec., and your battery bank, I suspect it may be one of the 12VDC no idle systems. I would be interested to hear your decision process, and your choice. I keep flip flopping between AC and DC...So I am wiring for both.

Dave

[rmr1]

For air matresses: http://solacejh.com/

I've not used these guys, nor do I have any feedback on them. I just had them bookmarked for a long time. It may work for you.

I would be very interested in what Thermarest had to say.

Thanks.

[Graphite Dave]

Sounds like you will have the "king" of all conversions. Keep us informed.

[bc339]

JR, have you checked out Aerobeds? They offer queen size mattresses - http://www.aerobed.com/default.aspx

Bruce

[d_bertko]

I'm also 6'4" and we made our own bed set up. We have 2" vinyl cushions filled with firm seat foam. These are used for daytime bench or sofa use. At night we roll our a 2" layer of memory foam. My wife sewed up a simple sheet/duvet combo that stores with the foam so deploying is just a few seconds. The memory foam completely hides and cushion boundaries and is much better than any Thermarest I've ever used.

I use a Home Depot $4 mortar tub for our shower floor. Not a problem to tip that out where appropriate. Perhaps you could get yours gold-plated?:tongue:

Dan

[Top2004Cub]

Thanks for the comments guys. Glad to see all the options for custom air mattresses. Thanks for those leads. :smirk: I hope to install a simple vane type air pump that will do a couple of things for me: Inflate the air mattresses and seat cushions, and also blow out hoses in the hose reels when cold Wx is encountered. The reels will be about the only part of this that will be a little challenging to keep from freezing. The nice thing about a vane type pump is that it is simple and you can also use it to delfate airbeds when you are putting them away for the day too.

I am undecided on an airconditioner. I just returned from a vacation to New Zealand, where almost no-one installs an airconditioner in a motorhome. I have looked at making a swamp cooler type cooler that would blow in through the left rear window. I think that may work 75% of the time for me. Not sure I want to deal with the moisture it may create inside though... Also have looked at the 110 volt portable units that are only about $300. They are available in sizes from 15,000 down to about 5000 BTUs so this should work. Most are available with three speeds or power settings. It is going to depend on how many windows I end up with, and how well the insulation works as far as what capacity I will need. I plan to spend most of the time outside anyway, so it is the cooling off to sleep that is the issue for me. If I am plugged in, or running the engine, I should be good with the 110 volt system running through a 2800 watt inverter. It is good for up to 4300 watts momentarily if I recall correctly.

Buys week here, gotta go. :thumbup: JR.

[Oldfartt]

JR, I have on order a extra long high roof cargo van Sprinter with motorhome suspension and singles on the rear, which should be delivered from Germany at the end of this month. Sounds like we have a lot in common with our design and will be very interested in what you decide. As you know, in New Zealand our climate is very temperate and aircon is not 100% needed. I will not be fitting it in the new van but we have one in our current van. The only time we use it has been in the middle of the summer and are staying in a holiday camp. We mostly freedom camp where there is no AC. I suppose it really depends on where you travel.

cheers

Ross

[Top2004Cub]

Hi Ross, Great to hear from you. I have read your posts with interest. We spent the month of Feb with a couple in the Bay of Islands, and he (B&B owner) was building a motorhome too. :bounce: We had a great time in your lovely country. I toured Kea Mortor homes facility, and poked my head in almost every small motorhome I saw there. I tried to post a view of my floorplan last night, but was defeated by the Sketchup gremlins.:wtf: I'll try to figure it out again shortly... JR

[d_bertko]

I am undecided on an airconditioner. I just returned from a vacation to New Zealand, where almost no-one installs an airconditioner in a motorhome. I have looked at making a swamp cooler type cooler that would blow in through the left rear window. I think that may work 75% of the time for me. Not sure I want to deal with the moisture it may create inside though... Also have looked at the 110 volt portable units that are only about $300. They are available in sizes from 15,000 down to about 5000 BTUs so this should work. Most are available with three speeds or power settings. It is going to depend on how many windows I end up with, and how well the insulation works as far as what capacity I will need. I plan to spend most of the time outside anyway, so it is the cooling off to sleep that is the issue for me. If I am plugged in, or running the engine, I should be good with the 110 volt system running through a 2800 watt inverter. It is good for up to 4300 watts momentarily if I recall correctly.

Buys week here, gotta go. :thumbup: JR.

JR,

I'll put in two cents for drycamping without air conditioning. We're in New England and have the freedom to camp in the off-season down south and in northern latitudes during the summer. Didn't miss a/c for the first five years but tried a 10 week trip to the West Coast last July-Aug-Sep. The Badlands, Yakima WA, inland northern CA all hit 98 during the day but we slept at altitude each night much cooler than that. (It snowed on us a bit mid-Aug in Glacier.) So much more reasonable than running a gen and sealing yourself into a metal can.

Your Bomar hatches reminded me of the plan I had for "seasonal" a/c. I was going to install a hatch on the sidewall above my kitchen counter. For July-August I would put a high-EER 6000 btu stick-house a/c on extension slides on the counter. Just open the hatch in camp and slide the unit out to meet a simple gasket seal. For the rest of the year I would have an extra screen-able window.

Obviously a lightweight 6000 btu unit would not cool an uninsulated Sprinter in a FL summer. But I'm a shade camper most of the time. My winter insulation is extensive enough that a 7500 btu Espar does not struggle in single-digit F temps to reach the 60's.

Whatever your solution I would strongly recommend the best insulation you can manage. Very happy with my foamed walls---cooler and quieter in summer camps.

And white paint can be worth up to 10 degrees F as well compared to a dark exterior.

Dan

[K-9 SPRINTER]

:cheers:

[glasseye]

O jeez. I gotta have a sign for mine.:thumbup:

[Top2004Cub]

LOL! Love the signs! I have to be careful though, or my wife won't get into it when its finished.
Well, I wasn't able to figure out how to get a Sketchup snapshot attached to this post, :idunno: so I'll show you a couple of the other features we have well underway so far. The Bomar hatch in the center of the roof is 17" X 30" and allows me to stand on a ladder and work on the top of the van. I can wash the solar panels for instance from there, and make sure everything is in order. The roofline will be completely free of any projections... smooth and low drag.:thumbup:

I've been a shopper on ebay watching for hatches that I can make work in various places. I have a 22" X 22" that I plan to install up front on top. It should lighten up the passenger compartment a lot. I'll figure out a way to pull a pleated shade over the hatch when sun is too bright.:rad:

[Top2004Cub]

I have a tendancy to get a little carried away in this project. I start dreaming, and before I know it I have cut into something that means I have to follow through with a major project. Before I even bought a Sprinter, I was looking critically at the way the roof and front door might allow me to simply walk into the van from the front door if the passenger seat were moved out of the way. Why do I need 5 doors in a van built for two people? :rolleyes: The co-pilot and the slider doors are only 4" apart!
I got my van home, removed the passenger seat, and found that I could walk into the rear from the front door without even ducking. Sooo....

The passenger seat moves over to the drivers seat on precision slides. :shifty: The emergency brake handle has been removed to allow another 3" of lateral movement and more room to walk by the passenger seat. The brake is now applied by electrical means with a toggle switch. You can see the seat swivel we have fabricated in one of the photos, and this will have a solinoid that locks it in place when traveling. The shoulder belt will have to have an additional buckle installed for when the seat is swiveled or moved over so as to keep the upper belt out of the entering passenger's way. The plates for the seat base are made from 5/16ths 5052 T6aluminum, the rest is heavier. We will do some pull tests, but it appears to be stronger in all directions than the steel sheetmetal that it replaces.

The last photo is looking in from the passenger's front door. There is about 16" available when the seat is slid all the way over, and we have offset the right rear leg to allow a shoe some more room to pass.

All the best, JR

[Oldfartt]

Jr, How and where did you mount the battery and tanks under the floor? Weight distribution is important to ensure that the loading in the van is equal side to side, in particular.

P.S. The Kea motorhomes are very well made but are built on a Ford chassis. They have recently bought another motorhome business who used Sprinters so I expect that they may produce Sprinter based motorhomes in the near future.

Cheers

Ross

[Graphite Dave]

I like your free thinking. My conversion is very simple but it still seems to take forever to get stuff done. Your end result will be interesting. Keep us informed.

[Top2004Cub]

Ross, Batteries are mounted in an aluminum "trunk" that lowers the floor aft of the rear end by about 14" so that we have a minimum ground clearance of 13". Same is true for the additional fuel, water and grey water tanks. Everything has a 13" ground clearance with no load on the rig, and the plan is to make an insulated cover that keeps the heat in at some point if I ever decide to make this a cold Wx rig. :rolleyes: That isn't going to happen right away. Two batteries are just aft of the differential, and two more touch their corners going cross ways just aft of the dual wheels. It leaves a rectangle in the center for the inverter/battery charger, and should keep all the cables to a very minimum length. We are mounting batteries this week, so I'll try to get some photos posted soon. Grey/black water tanks take up all available space from the left front spring shackle to the fuel tank, and is complicated by a macerator pump mounted into the tank, a spray nozzle mounted internally, and a quantity gauge that mounts vertically inside this tank. It's volume has shrunk a little since the plan started, but we are still 40-45 gallons I think. I'll measure that when we are all done. :bounce: It won't have a conventional dump in the bottom, but rely on a macerator pump that will recirculate the contents until you open a valve on the end of a 1" hose. There is a second solinoid valve for emergency dumping as well. There are no drains or pipes to worry about below these tanks.

Dave, your interior is simmilar to what I have planned and I am hoping you get all the issues figured out before I get there! :hmmm: I am watching! JR

[david klair]

Grey/black water tanks take up all available space from the left front spring shackle to the fuel tank, and is complicated by a macerator pump mounted into the tank, a spray nozzle mounted internally, and a quantity gauge that mounts vertically inside this tank. It's volume has shrunk a little since the plan started, but we are still 40-45 gallons I think. I'll measure that when we are all done. :bounce: It won't have a conventional dump in the bottom, but rely on a macerator pump that will recirculate the contents until you open a valve on the end of a 1" hose. There is a second solinoid valve for emergency dumping as well. There are no drains or pipes to worry about below these tanks.
:hmmm: I am watching! JR

JR,

I enjoyed meeting you last weekend.

Tell me more about your macerator recirculation / dump and spray rinse system. Are the grey and black tanks connected in some way?...more details please. Do you have access to your macerator without having to remove the tank?

I have my tanks in place and will soon be mounting my macerater for the black tank, and bilge pump for the grey tank. I am still thinking about how to use the grey to flush the black while dumping with the macerator. :thinking:

Dave

[Top2004Cub]

Dave, Rick and I enjoyed meeting you and your wife as well. You have a great project going and are well ahead of me. :smilewink:

The waste system in this van is a little different than I have seen. I am eliminating the old technology, and incorporating all of the newer features available from the git-go. (at least as far as how I see the state of the industry) :thinking: I can't afford the room to have two systems, nor the required ground clearance for a conventional drain. So, there is no conventional dump system, but instead a macerator pump to empty the toilet bowl, and another to empty the holding tank. There is only one holding tank that combines both grey and black water. The kitchen sink will also need a pump to transfer water to the holding tank. Complicated? :wtf: Yeah, but using simple components that are easily changed if they fail, and with alternative means of draining if they should fail during a trip. The shower is located directly above the holding tank, and will drain in a conventional manner.
The macerator pump attaches directly to the holding tank to an inlet that is welded to an elbow picking up waste water 1/4" from the bottom of the tank. If you look closely you will see the elbow behind the 1.5" pipe fitting that the macerator screws into. The outlet from the pump is a 1" hose that goes to a "T" only a few inches away. From here it can be recirculated back into the tank, or when a lever is pulled it goes on to a hose reel with a 1" line and a valve on it. We are having the reel made now, and depending on space, hope to have about 20' of hose available. I should be able to drive to within 20' of my dump station 95% of the time, and if not I can always screw another section of hose on.:thumbdown:
The holding tank could have been a little larger, but not knowing all of the issues with other components, we elected to allow some room above it to route additional systems.
The bottom of the tank is not yet welded on. You will see in the photos that the tank is supported by 1" tubes that carry the weight to attach points on the frame of the vehicle. Lots of attach points means that no one of them has to carry all the weight of the contents by itself, and should make this less likely to have issues regarding the mounting. A plastic tank would be better in that it would not corrode, would not crack, and would not cost nearly as much to make in quantity. Aluminum is OK, and for a prototype is the only practicle solution. I will paint it inside and out with the recommended coatings for aluminum tanks prior to installation. :thumbup:
In the center of the tank you may be able to see a 1/2" pipe fitting that the nozzle attaches to. The source for water for this nozzle is the pump system (65 PSI) for the van. I plan to dump using this proceedure: Turn on macerator pump to recirculate waste in tank. Pull hose out to dump station. Switch to "dump" from "recirculate" and pump tank out. Turn off macerator pump. Pump 2-3 gallons of fresh water into holding tank through spray nozzle while pumping the holding tank again. When the water flows "clean" I am done, and the tank and hose in the reel stays relatively clean... (And so do I) :clapping:
I'll attach some photos of the 60 gallon fresh water tank, the macerator pump, and the waste water tank before the bottom is welded onto it.
All the best, JR

[OrioN]

If I sent you a detailed drawing... would you make me a holding tank? :hugs:


Pretty Please!

[cedarsanctum]

Wow. That is some tank. Great looking welding, must be aircraft welds.
What does it weigh? Will there be more baffles to control sloshing?
Hope to see the finish product soon.
Jef

[israndy]

JR

Holy smokes, a sliding passenger chair. How great. You could move the armrest from the driver's chair to the other side of the passenger, you can share the arm when the passenger is next to you and she gets an armrest on the other side when the door isn't near. Nice.

I wonder if I could use the space freed up to put my motorcycle in the van. Must be a better way.

-Randy

[Top2004Cub]

Time flies! We've been working on the project every day, but I've not made a post in four months!:idunno: I took some photos today of one of the systems that we've been able to finish.

Leveling system:

Space is the most precious resource in a Sprinter conversion. You can buy much cheaper rigs, and you can buy much larger rigs. But if you want a small compact package that is usable for camping and traveling, you have to treat space as THE most important consideration, or you run the risk of falling short in many ways. If you want the conveniences that are available to RV'ers, but also want the comfort of driving a relatively responsive and "fun to drive" vehicle, then the only way that is possible as far as I see it... is to build your own. I wanted to be able to push a button and not have to worry about spilling my coffee, or not being able to stand up and walk without holding onto something because my house wasn't perpendicular to the force of gravity. I wanted a leveling system.:thumbup:
There are several on the market for Sprinters. I talked with each of the manufacturers only to discover that the systems that were available were either made for a cab-chassis, or not really available at all. No one had a really compact system designed for a Sprinter Van. The best I was able to come up with was at a price of $5700. and designed for leveling remote TV vans that had very little problem with space constraints. (or budgets?) The pump/reservoir unit measured 12"x12"x 36". That is almost as large as my 60 gallon water tank that I went to great lengths to install. I couldn't afford that much space for a leveling system.:thumbdown:
Sooo... I took the power steering pump off and had a look. I can't remember the output pressure right now, but it was plenty adequate... 1100 PSI I think. I found a manufacturer of leveling cylinders on line, and ordered up a set of 4. They have a stoke of 16", and when set off the ground about 8" I can adjust each corner of the Van by 8" without needing to add blocks under the jacks. I could in theory adjust the rig by 16" if I first blocked up under the jack pad prior to lowering it. That isn't likely going to be an issue with the kind of camping I have in mind. :snore:
I was looking on eBay one day and spotted a brand new valve body that was used to control (5) cylinders, and had an on/off solenoid as well. I bought it and later contacted the manufacturer. It was built for the RV industry, and I just happened to get lucky and see it on eBay. The 5th valve was for a slide-out I assume.
We fabricated a larger power steering reservoir that also doubled as the mount for the valve body. The volume had to be at least equal to the fluid displaced by the four rams in their down position. (about 1.1 Gal) This ended up being quite compact, and took the mounting space of the ECU unit. On the bottom is the reservoir, then the valve body, and finally the ECU. You can see the cap for checking fluid level in the photos down below the ECU.
So I had the basic components for a leveling system.:bounce: All I needed was a controller. That could have been as simple as a bank of toggle switches to run the rams up or down, but I wanted a self leveling system. I contacted "Big Foot" leveling systems and was told that their system would only work with their units. "not compatible with any other system".:doh: After thinking about this for a while, I mustered up my courage and ordered their $700 electronics package anyway. We were able to figure out the pin-outs in a few minutes, and it operated flawlessly! The only issue was that the system needs to know when all jacks are in the up position, so we are installing a little limit switch at each jack.
I am running low on available panel space that is within easy reach of the driver. So I installed the leveling control panel in the sun visor. The visor will still work as always, but prior to leveling the rig it will be flipped down, and the system activated with a guarded toggle switch. This closes a valve in the valve body, and pressures up the rest of the valves instead of letting it flow to the steering rack... This must be done prior to shutting the engine off of course. Normally the panel is out of sight unless there is a need for the sun visor.
The complete systems on the market that have an automatic leveling feature typically sell for $3200-5700. I have about $1300 in parts and freight, and spent a bit more in fabricating the mounts and installing everything. But the best part is that we used up almost no additional space! :clapping:

[mean_in_green]

Totally in agreement on your judgement that use of space should demand such a detailed assessment. My NCV3 only has the front third or so as living quarters, the rest remains load space. I think about potential mods for weeks sometimes, imagining how they might affect or interact with other parts and/or human movement. As you've discovered just having two single front seats makes a big difference to the useability of the cab space, particularly if one or both rotate.

Nice implementation of the leveling components. Plus you may now decide to lose the factory jack and free up some space under the foot board?!

I'm also a fan of Thermarest too. It's pack down size isn't such a consideration as it would be if you actually intended to carry one around with you after all, and they come with a no quibbles lifetime guarantee. Been using one for about ten years now, had a couple of warranty swaps.

I'd be cautious about walking around on the roof through. The roof panel seams don't need any encouragement to start corroding. Think about urethane seam sealing them on the inside whilst they are still easily accessible, especially in view of your concerns surrounding condensation inside the body.

[israndy]

Wow, your system is excellent! I mean economical! Disappointing that you didn't find a Sprinter VAN unit commercially available. I had been thinking about putting one in my van RV and if I ever move to a larger RV move the levelers. I see my most recent dream RVs are starting to come with them installed. It looks like you are not on a T1N but I can glean that it is possible to save a lot of money DIY. That mounting on the sun visor is AWSOME. The power steering pump idea, genius. Are the levelers behind the dually actually coming thru the floor? I would probably look for another setup, I thought there were some jacks that were Sprinter specific, though they may be much more expensive.

-Randy

[Top2004Cub]

Well, we are making steady progress on the Man Cave.:thumbup: I didn't realize how much work this would be! We have a lot of different projects going at once, and I hesitate to post photos of any one of them until the project is complete... or I may get close to the end and find out I have to back track and fix something.:idunno:

FLOOR SYSTEM: The floor of the Man Cave is multipurpose. It is all aluminum with "L" track supporting the floor and high density foam under it. It will be flush with the top of the L track. Considerations were as follows:

1. I need to have tie-downs in numerous places, and I am not sure yet where all those places are going to be. I like the versatility of the "L" track. There are companies all over the world who make various attachments for it, and it lets me be very flexible going forward with any new ideas that may come along. Most all of the "furniture" will be attached to the L tracks.
2. I need a radiant surface for my in-floor heat system, and aluminum is as good as is practicle. It is a great heat conductor. Down side possibilities include the possibility that it could buckle up when it gets hot because of too much expansion. I am hoping the brackets will take some of the expansion cross-wise, but the lengths are very long, and I am keepiong my fingers crossed...:hmmm:
3. I need some room for the Pex heating lines, and for some other electrical and hydraulic lines under the floor. The double floor will make for about .500" from the tops of the steel floor to the bottom of the aluminum floor, with a lot more room if I center the Pex lines over a valley of the steel floor. I plan to tape (with aluminum tape) the Pex in place until I can spray hi-density foam between the steel van floor, and my aluminum walking surface.
4. The floor will be completely smooth. :smirk: There are extruded plastic fillers available for the holes in the tracks, and I think I may spray the surface of the aluminum with Rhino Liner, or something similar depending on it's ability to deal with heat.

Photos tell the story best.

[Top2004Cub]

Here are the reswt of the photos...
:popcorn:

[Geek]

:bow:

:popcorn:

[Top2004Cub]

It's nice to get a few systems actually completely finished. After a few false starts, one push of the button provided a perfectly leveled Sprinter! VIOLA! :rad:

[teamtexas]

Nice work on the leveling system. I guess you can throw that old jack away :laughing:

Dan

[Top2004Cub]

Exhaust system:
In order to make room for the 60 gallon fresh water tank, I needed to move the the exhaust system over as far as possible to the right... under sliding door. The result is a huge open space that I mounted my 60 gallon fresh water tank into.:thumbup: The 3" stack is fairly close to the van's sheet metal, so I decided a long time ago that I would insulate all around the stack to keep heat out of the water tank, and the van body. I made an aluminum shield and sprayed foam insulation above it to allow heat to be reflected away, and insulated the whole area above the shield. The "evolution" of the design came to include a complete gravel/mud shield on the bottom of the entire van, so I needed to allow heat out the bottom of the shielded area as well. You can see from the photos what the end result looks like.
Photo 1 & 2 are taken from under the cat. converter looking aft. at the front of the fresh water tank. Bottom of tank is not yet insulated.
Photo 3 is looking forward from just in front of the right rear tires where the exhaust stack ends.

Air and Vacuum:
I plan to use air mattresses and possibly air cushions on some fold away seats in the future, so I want an on-board air system. I also want to be able to blow out all of my drain lines and hose reels in the winter on a routine basis.:wtf: I made my air tanks out of 5" aluminum tubing. Two tanks at about 44" long each should work out to a little over 5 gallons total. That should be enough to inflate an air mattress, or air up a tire, or... blow my horn!:smirk: I mounted these under the 17 gal. aux fuel tank that is just outboard of the factory tank.
Since there is a vacuum pump already on board, I made another tank for vacuum. I'll be able to deflate the air mattress, and vacuum package anything bulky such as extra bedding, winter coats, etc that we "hafta have", but can't find room for. This tank is mounted right under the drive shaft beside the plastic factory fuel tank. It is 53" long, so the volume should be about 3.4 gallons. I don't know what the engine driven vacuum pump pulls, but hey... it's free!:idunno: I am hoping that after I let the air out of a Thermarest mattress, I can quickly finish the job and make it as compact as possible on the first "roll", JR

[2003protege]

very nice work. Especially love the floor. looks amazing.

[Top2004Cub]

Heated water tank system:

I was going to wait for a few months (or years) before winterizing my fresh and black water tanks, but I decided I may as well get it done while I'm working down there.:idunno:
The fresh water tank is aluminum. It is filled in two ways: either the hose reel is hooked up to a faucet and a solinoid is opened when I want to fill the tank, or I can go to an alternate fill system that is accessible from just inside the sliding door. The tank holds about 60 gallons, so I don't plan to fill it clear up unless I am heading for the hills for a while. It has a water meter system that measures water going in, and coming out, so in theory I will know how many gallons are aboard at any time. That meter is read on a central switch board just behind the driver.
I used heavy aluminum tape to attach both a 110 volt electric heat tape, and a long length of pex tubing to the bottom of the tank. Glycol will be pumped through the pex tubing either from the engine, or from the Espar heater system on it's way back to the engine. This loop was a bit of an after thought, but I think it will work out all right. The tanks are the last place for the heater system to dump BTUs prior to completing the circuit that heats domestic water, the cabin, and the defroster and engine. I can turn the tank loop off in the summer with a small valve under the van. The Pex is .500", and a lower "floor" is about .750" below the pex. I installed this lower floor, and sprayed foam insulation between the tank and the lower floor which sandwiches the pex and heat tape in the 1.25" of foam. (while the heavy aluminum tape kept it in place) I hope this will be adequate to keep the tanks from freezing up when it gets cold. I sprayed insulation elsewhere and pretty much have the tanks fully insulated.:bounce:
The hose reel has an air fitting at the solinoid that lets water into the tank. By blowing air into the line here, I should be able to clear this unprotected line of all water by just a push of a button.
So, I should have 5 different ways available to me to get some heat into the water tanks: Engine heat while driving, Espar furnace heat while parked, Shore power can be used to heat water in the hot water tank, and a small water pump is used to circulate water from the hot water tank to the heat exchanger... heating the glycol system. Finally, I can use use the 12 volt system to generate heat through the inverter and the 110 volt heat tape... or use the shore power to power the heat tape as designed.:lol:
My brother the computer guru tells me he can program a simple logic chip to do all the switching of these various options through the main thermostat. We shall see!
The black water tank is plumed and insulated in much the same way as the fresh water tank. We have a samall remote control that will be used to open the dump valve, turn on the macerator pump, then go through a sequence of flushing the tank and closing the valve prior to blowing the hose reel dry. The reel has 25 feet of hose, which should be enough 95% of the time. I'll carry additional hose as well.:thumbdown:
Both the fresh water hose, and the black water hose exit the van just in front of the left rear wheel. We had to modify the hose reels to make them small enough to fit under the Sprinter. One is located on either side of the drive line just ahead of the differential. (This was no small task)

[brianmcgaha]

Always looking forward to your posts.
A few questions about the floor...
Did you fab the flanges that the L-track lays in? Did you use a press or a brake? Seems like a brake would be to inconsistent.
What thickness of aluminum sheet are you using for the floor? Does it sag in the spans between bearing points? If so, are you hoping that the foam under the new floor will support the weight inbetween flanges?
All that foam would drive me nuts during repairs.....doing anything to make repair work easier?

[Top2004Cub]

We fabricated the floor parts here except for the "L" track. Everything is made from .125" 6061 aluminum. We have a press brake that handles up to 60" I think, but we made the pieces in shorter lengths to maintain accuracy.:thumbup: Most of them were 24" if I remember correctly. Any sheet metal fab shop should be able to make them for you.
There is no flex between supports. We used the higher density foam between the steel van floor and the new aluminum floor, with pex heat tubing aluminum taped to the bottom of the aluminum floor until the foam was injected. The foam holds about 40 pounds per square inch, so I don't think there will ever be a problem. Standard foam holds about 20 Lbs per sq inch, and I think that would be fine too, but I didn't want to gamble with this.:doh:
If we ever need to get in there and repair a section of pex, we should be able to unscrew the aluminum and lift the aluminum off the foam. (we sprayed the bottom of the aluminum with a teflon spray so that we could get it apart if needed)
I had one section actually bulge up slightly as the foam pressure pushed on it.:mad: It is pretty slight... maybe an eighth of an inch, so I live with it. I could have supported the floor while the foam was being inserted, but didn't have a problem other than the one area. It could be taken up and sanded down, but I don't think it will be objectionable.
Come up to Yakima and take a look if you are ever in the area... JR

[Top2004Cub]

Rear Seats.
:snore: Wow, can't believe how long its been since I posted on here. We've been working steadily though, and are on the home stretch! I tried to post a few months ago and found that my computer let me down... so here goes another try.

We built an aluminum box out of 6061-T6 aluminum .125". Upon that box we mounted two seat sliders that move sideways. Upon the sliders, we built a rotating platform much like a seat swivel that you could buy for your Sprinter from vendors on this forum. Upon that swivel, we mounted two front seats that move on their slides... The result is seats that can move fore and aft, and side to side, plus swivel 360 degrees. Plus, the aluminum pedestal can be mounted on the floor either on the side... against the wall, Or in the normal position aft of the two front seats. This allows the 3rd and 4th passenger to move their seats apart and swivel in to face one another, or to turn completely around and watch dinner being made... Or it can all be stowed on the side... You get the idea.:thumbup: We built 4 casters into the aluminum box so that it can be easily moved in and out of the van without me having to pick it up. It rolls along fairly easily. So far this looks like it will work well. Very solid.

[Top2004Cub]

Rear Seats: a couple more photos :hmmm:

[d_bertko]

Very versatile and clever.

I'd hate to see that installed in a prom limo---you'd probably be sued for all the resultant pregnancies:smirk:

Dan

[Top2004Cub]

Slider Step:
We wanted to use all of the available floor space to walk on when we are inside, so leveled the floor with two compartments in the slider step well. :hmmm: The smaller step has folding legs that allow it to store at floor height when stowed, and be a little closer to the correct step height when in use as a entry step. The storage compartment also holds a second (manual) filler for the fresh water tank in the event we can't hook up with a hose. Photos should tell the story... :thumbup:

[Top2004Cub]

Everything is made from 6061-T6 aluminum. Sheet stock is .125"

[Top2004Cub]

Rear Door Cabinet:
Since every inch is precious in this build, we made use of some space that would be hard to use in any other way. :bounce: The rear door cabinet will swing with the door (it is permanently attached) and form part of the bed and cabinet system when closed, yet not be in the way when the door is opened. It is made mostly from .125" aluminum. We re-located the door latch to a foot pedal on the bottom of the cabinet, thinking you can open the door with your hands full by just stepping on the latch. Part of the window is blacked out below the 36" level, and forms a storage compartment with a lift up lid. The 1/8" aluminum takes up a lot less space than 3/4" plywood or particle board, so we get quite a bit of useful space. This took a lot of time, as there are NO straight lines and everything had to be hand formed and scribe fit. :idunno:

[Top2004Cub]

Rear Door Cabinet more photos: :clapping:

[68protour]

I like seeing a different approach with all the metal work. Nice job.

Love that your dog is part of the building process - seen him/her in a couple of the photos.

[Amboman]

Hey, that looks like mine. A washing machine and a beer fridge

http://pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1838/8177960/20858010/405128712.jpg

http://pic70.picturetrail.com/VOL1838/8177960/20858010/405128714.jpg

[israndy]

Whoa! That is cool. Did you fabricate that yourself?

-Randy

[Amboman]

Its part of the ambulance fitout, but i now have some emotional attachment to it trying to make it watertight.It took a while. It holds around 40 litres of water which has many uses as hot water for a shower, washing machine whilst travelling and a beer fridge just add ice. Still planning on using a 1000w element to heat the water.

[hein]

Awesome build, great write up and pictures, Top2004Cub.
Keep them coming.

[wagoneer]

What happened to simple, get used to the heat/cold buy wool blankets/clothing keep it light and wear linen in summer all this high tech stuff is overkill. compost toilets good diet
listen to the earth.

[Top2004Cub]

Yea, I like horses and buggies too. They are simple. So are bedrolls and folding cots. I've decided to live in the real world though, and am doing the best I know how to come up with the most capacity in the compact confines of an economical, fuel efficient Sprinter. :thinking:
So, get back on your horse (or whatever you ride there in San Francisco), and I'll continue to waste my time making a hobby out of over complicating my simple (turbo-charged, fuel injected, computer-controlled, imported, etc, etc) and now overly modified Sprinter.

Compost toilets? Keep it simple man! What's wrong with the bushes and ferns? Get real!:thumbup: