View Full Version : Building my Adventure Van (2011 NCV3)
Rather than keep polluting the "What did you do to your Sprinter Today?" thread.. I figured I should probably stick all of this information in one area so here goes...
I'm going to re-compile some of my posts into this thread and get things caught up until today...
:cheers:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WPx7bvW/0/L/weston-L.jpg
Van 1 week old: 10,000 feet on Weston Pass in Colorado. Our first Sprinter camping trip July 30, 2011.
The building of our Adventure Van
The Objective
An Adventure Van.
A van that is comfortable for two people when we pursue our outdoor pasttimes which include:
dirtbikes, mountain biking, snowboarding, fly fishing, hiking, camping, etc etc.
This means it needs to be comfortable, versatile, and "convertible".
The Foundation
2011 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500.
144" wheel base, high ceiling.
I bought the vehicle from Mercedes Benz of Henderson Nevada a couple of weeks ago.
800 miles away. I hopped on my 950 and rode out to the dealership in 111 degree heat.. loaded the bike in the back (with the help of 4 strong guys at the dealership :D: ) and drove it home. 1640 miles in less than 2 days.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random-2011/i-cM2hD6V/0/L/smugshot8586019-L.jpg
Photos from the drive home:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random-2011/i-S3hGNbT/0/M/smugshot4644985-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random-2011/i-HdDGpRf/0/M/smugshot3928338-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random-2011/i-x4jqG2h/0/L/smugshot3218371-L.jpg
Pretty much a clean slate for us to build from :thumbup:
...let the games begin!
First Camping Trip
About a month before we bought the van, Cheryl & I were out jeeping and we were heading up Weston Pass (a 12,000 foot pass in Colorado between Fairplay & Leadville). We were tooling up the dirt road and it was just starting to get a bit gnarly as it turns more "jeep road'ish" near the top.
We were debating what size of Sprinter we wanted still at that point...
"You know.. if we get a 170 there is no way we'd be able to get it up here" I said.
"Do you think even a smaller one could get up here? This is pretty rough!" Chery replied.
No sooner had the words come out of her mouth.. than we rounded a bend in the road and saw this:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random-2011/i-g9NVMVx/0/L/DSC04118-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random-2011/i-p4sFdjg/0/L/DSC04119-L.jpg
We caught up with the owner (who was riding a unicycle over the pass :lol:)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random-2011/i-BVtVWWt/0/L/DSC04122-L.jpg
We talked with him about his Sprinter for about 10 minutes.
He said him and his wife loved the thing. They travel everywhere in it with their child/baby ... have a queen size bed in the back.. wouldn't trade it for anything except maybe a newer one. I believe at one point he stated "it is absolutely the best thing I have ever bought".
After thanking him for his time we continued on.. more excited about buying a Sprinter than ever. :thumbup:
"When we buy our sprinter, I think we should come up here and camp in the exact same spot he's camped in for our first trip.. just for fun"
I bought the Sprinter and the following weekend we found ourselves here:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8XM25sv/0/L/DSC9879-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RCT9p56/0/L/DSC9883-L.jpg
Mission accomplished :rad:
We actually camped about a mile further up the road (it is cooler temperature wise the higher you go).
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WRpG88t/0/L/DSC9765-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WPx7bvW/0/L/weston-L.jpg
We used a queen sized air mattress between the wheel wells in the back; which kinda sucked because it was about 6 inches wider than the wheels wells so the sides were all jammed in (that said, the van is 6 inches wider than the mattress so once we have our frame above the wells, it'll be perfect!).
We brought a couple lounge chairs, a mountain bike, a kelty noah tarp, a camp table & a cooler.
We could barely sleep that night laying in the back of the Sprinter... we were like kids the night before Christmas looking at the space around us and imaging just how excellent everything was going to be when we were done. We talked for hours about what we wanted to put where.
Eventually.. we did fall asleep.
About 3am Cheryl woke me up..
"I think I hear a bear!"
I sat up, reached over and slid the sliding door shut. Laid back down and went back to sleep.
Best Bear Encounter Ever. :bounce:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-V6N9pVn/0/L/DSC9742-L.jpg
For this trip we thought about mosquitos at the last minute... on the way out of town we stopped at a hardware store and bought a bunch of rolls of screen - they were about 4 feet wide... you can see them hanging in the door in this photo:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Gfw5Kfn/0/L/DSC9789-L.jpg
They did not work well. Too many gaps between the screens, etc. (although the ones I made for the front windows using duct tape and magnets worked great :thumbup:
When I got home I ordered two heavy duty mosquito nets 12'x12' each. Got them from http://www.mosquitocurtains.com (they shipped the same day I ordered them and we got them 2 days later!). Cheryl's going to make new door covers for the side and rear doors with those :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5rjbnm8/0/L/smugshot1579709-L.jpg
20 minutes, some door screen, some duct tape & some rare-earth magnets = :thumbup:
Yeah.. they look a bit ghetto :smirk:
Cheryl's since made a "pattern" for the window screens for the door and is going to sew up a more attractive solution.
YESTERDAY MORNING:
We stripped the interior and most of the dashboard and I went and got the van weighed:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2dsTcdj/0/M/smugshot5857239-M.jpg
Passenger Swivel Seat Install
Step 1: Removed 4 bolts. Cheryl cleaned the inside of the seat housing with paint thinner for me.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-NbRj53R/0/L/IMG2848-L.jpg
Step 2: applied a layer of Damplifier to the bottom of the seatwell. Damplifier now comes with black foil :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gxpsdG5/0/L/IMG2851-L.jpg
Step 3: applied a layer of Luxury Liner Pro to the bottom of the seatwell.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-np2ckfS/0/L/IMG2854-L.jpg
Step 4: bolt the seat swivel unit onto the pan...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-LpCR8fj/0/L/IMG2856-L.jpg
Step 6: re-bolt the seat on..
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-rgPLF3G/0/L/IMG2866-L.jpg
Voila!
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-39PqwqF/0/L/IMG2860-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cznNSWR/0/L/IMG2864-L.jpg
I still have to do the driver's side but it is a bit more involved as you have to re-locate the park brake mounting...
Backup Camera System
The van currently doesn't have back windows (I will be adding some in the future..) which makes it a bit of a challenge to back up... especially in traffic in the city.
The stereo I put in (report to come) has a backup camera input on it so I didn't need an additional screen.
I decided I wanted a wide angle camera up high so that I can see the back hitch to hookup a trailer easily, monitor the bikes when towing a trailer (or a hitch mount), and also have peace of mind that I'm not about to back over a Prius when I have to move the thing backwards in the city.
I ended up going with a http://rearviewsystems.com/ solution. It is a bit more expensive but I have no doubt it is the most robust system out there (which in the winter matters.. as well as when I bushwacking with the ceiling (which will be a real problem when we are out in the woods).
The price difference between their low end camera and their high end one isn't much so it makes sense just to get the best one they have.
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/rearviewsystems_2170_12816384
It is 130 degree viewing angle, ultra low light, night vision, anti-bloom, etc.. but the two features I really like are:
1) double pane of glass guaranteed forever against water intrusion. If it ever fogs up they'll give you a new one.
2) heated outer pane of glass. In the winter it will defrost itself... and since I live in Colorado this thing will get lots of chances to use that feature :thumbup:
The second cool thing is the way the mount these guys makes is designed. It is designed to deflect tree branches, etc up and over the camera without damage. Solid steal, very robust and gives you a very flexible mounting location.
I had to go buy an 8 foot ladder to install the thing but here's how it looks mounted on my van :smirk:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-JPHxZxV/0/L/smugshot514520-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WChDHMm/0/L/smugshot7978127-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Wr9KgF5/0/L/smugshot2073535-L.jpg
...and here are some screen shots of its image while I was playing with it in the parking lot of Home Depot
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-nPqNbtK/0/L/smugshot7976417-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kzxG4PT/0/L/smugshot4192723-L.jpg
Note: The camera is a 4 pin RCA connector (because it has audio if you want.. and needs power to the camera for the IRs and the defroster). I bought a 33 foot 4pin extension cord and then the convertor cable to drop it from 4 pin to standard composite connection. I thought 33 feet was super long but I used pretty much every foot of it after routing. You definitely do not want a cord shorter than 33 feet! 33 was the perfect length (assuming you are going to route it like I did.. inside the B-pillar, under the floor, up inside the back of the dash, etc so that it is completely hidden).
:cheers:
Stripping the Interior:
Pulled the floor and half the dash... holy heck the dash is quite the jigsaw puzzle.
before:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-CcLBM8X/0/L/IMG2771-L.jpg
after:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cD7NtcC/0/L/IMG2781-L.jpg
the floor's construction:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-NrtMLVV/0/L/IMG2773-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cc5CjsR/0/L/IMG2774-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jCRvrGb/0/L/IMG2779-L.jpg
The battery quick disconnect is pretty cool beside the gas pedal
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-QTZHtxb/0/L/IMG2775-L.jpg
The insulation around the cockpit flooring is impressive.. almost an inch thick
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qdbDxGd/0/L/IMG2784-L.jpg
This is actually more organized than it looks :thinking:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-R8gkpGS/0/L/IMG2794-L.jpg
I didn't know the stereo had a center channel...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-JmM8FRd/0/L/IMG2791-L.jpg
The firewall has some significant insulation/sound barrier already installed :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gK3BgF5/0/L/IMG2789-L.jpg
Everything is so nested.. the hardest part is figuring out what has to come off to release what...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Gh4v3k5/0/L/IMG2788-L.jpg
Somebody at Mercedes gets it...
The fact that 98% of the screws in the interior are all the same size makes me happy.
I have some vehicles that require a dozen different tools to change the oil; very annoying.
I took a dremel to this torx screwdriver
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-h4J9BCg/0/M/smugshot7909109-M.jpg
...and 30 seconds later I had a power drill capable of pulling the 2358008x10e23 interior screws I needed to undo...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gXck4Ff/0/M/smugshot4319748-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zdqX4jp/0/M/smugshot4116611-M.jpg
before:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-n2Hd355/0/M/smugshot9751895-M.jpg
after:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-MzrvVk3/0/M/smugshot3504838-M.jpg
before:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VkQ8nvq/0/M/smugshot2077411-M.jpg
after:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3NC5Lzm/0/M/smugshot9126294-M.jpg
I also temporarily installed the ScanGuage II... not sure where I want to permanently mount it yet...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kkNt6sz/0/M/smugshot6451358-M.jpg
I also learned to be very careful when you take the seatbelts apart :yell:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-DfV8PqQ/0/M/smugshot4286289-M.jpg
...took me forever to get it back together correctly. :rolleyes:
Sound Damping
All luxury vehicles have something in common... extensive sound damping that make them quiet & comfortable at any speed. It is one of the biggest differences between a Toyota and a Lexus - the amount of damping material onboard. Why does a high end luxury automobile's door close with a solid thud? Sound damping and mass loading.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-rwSqswQ/0/L/smugshot8284534-L.jpg
As I am getting older my hearing is definitely declining. All those miles on a motorcycle I guess. Because of this, I find I am becoming more and more susceptible to noise (and also more fussy when it comes to "quality of sound" i.e. listening to music/audio). The Sprinter has a lot of surface area to resonate & vibrate and it is a pretty loud vehicle compared to many of the other vehicles I've owned (although maybe not loud as far as vans go).
I'm going to try and minimize it.
I'm going with a 3 prong attack on noise (before the interior.. which in itself will add more sound damping).
Step 1:
First is a vibration damper or constraint layer damper (CLD). In my case "Damplifier" is the product I'm using though there are lots of others out there (Dynamat probably being the most well known).
I am starting with 160 square feet of it.
http://secondskinaudio.com/tdc/_images/_products/med_363.jpg
This is a self adhesive product that is made of butyl rubber and has a 6.5 mil hard foil on it. It is about 1 mm total thickness and weighs about .35 lbs per square foot. It doesn't need contiguous coverage.. you basically put it on anything that might vibrate or buzz. Mercedes has already stuck some sound damping on various panels.. I'm augmenting that.
One note: some of the cheaper CLD products are asphault based instead of butyl based. Personally I'd shy away from them due to 1) fumes and 2) they have been known to "run" when they get hot.. making a mess.
In this photo you can see some of the adhesive damper MB applied. The mass of the damper stops the large square panel it is stuck on from vibrating.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zF4fGvp/0/M/smugshot7545192-M.jpg
Step 2:
A noise barrier. In my mind, this is the most important part. The CLD sound deadener stops panels from vibrating but this stuff stops noise. The product I chose to use is called "Luxury Liner Pro". It is a high quality Mass Loaded Vinyl (MLV) barrier. The "Pro" version comes with a closed cell foam (CCF) decoupler already bonded to the MLV (and it is fused together - not glued) which basically does two types of sound barrier at once: MLV & CCF.
This stuff is seriously heavy. It is 1lb per square foot and stops all airborne sound waves.
I have 30 sheets of it (270 square feet) and they weigh just under 300 lbs :crazy:
This stuff is not adhesive and requires a contact spray glue to adhere. It is too heavy to stick on the ceiling.
http://secondskinaudio.com/tdc/_images/_products/med_281.JPG
Step 3:
Heat insulation.
The goal obviously is to stop the transfer of heat from the outside in or the inside out. Because the Luxury Liner Pro is too heavy to stick on the ceiling, I'm going to do a layer of CLD and then a product called "Heat Wave Pro" which is a light weight, foil faced heat and noise insulation mat. It is a thermal-acoustic barrier so it does a bit of both..
Then I'm going to insulate the walls with something like Reflectex .. depending on how much space I have available.
http://secondskinaudio.com/tdc/_images/_products/med_267.jpg
Do I have enough material? Do I have too much? I dunno. I picked the numbers outta ma'rse while I was driving and on the phone... so we'll see how it all turns out :bounce:
Certain parts of the vehicle that are excessively noisy like the wheel wells I may double or triple some of the layers.
On top of these 3 steps will go the interior panels which will have carpet, various fabrics, etc on them.. adding further sound proofing.
Sound Damping.. continued: Passenger footwell.
Yesterday: Saturday 8/14/2011
I spent about an hour tonight sound damping the passenger footwell.
The passenger footwell in the Sprinter is already fairly impressively insulated. The firewall has a very thick (3/4"?) rubber matt on it, the floor has CLD put on any big areas, and then the floormat itself is over an inch thick with a soft foam/rubber insulator on bottom.
So I went a bit overboard... :D
First I cut out some pieces of Damplifier and stuck them everywhere that went "tink tink tink" instead of "thud thud thud" when I tapped on it
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cMdggjW/0/L/IMG2869-L.jpg
When I got rid of all the "tink tink tinks" I started in with the Luxury Liner Pro
I pulled the wiring channel off and ran a contiguous piece under the wiring and out the other side.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wWBwb7d/0/L/IMG2871-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-nBhT7zN/0/L/IMG2875-L.jpg
I then started adding more pieces.. cutting and joining them with foil tape. I ran foam all the way up until I joined it with the firewall rubber.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3WmcMrj/0/L/IMG2881-L.jpg
Then I put the stock mat/insulator back in. As you can see, it ends before the tool kit/jack (there are body panels that cover all of that up) so actually insulated a large area that had no insulation at all - being right behind the engine I think it should help a bit
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qxLV6FM/0/L/IMG2883-L.jpg
Woohoo... 2 square feet done. Only ... 398 or so square feet to go? :rofl
Which brings us to today.
It has been a productive day. That said, I feel like less than 1% of the project is finished :eek: :D:
So when I headed out to the van 7'ish this morning... I felt a bit overwhelmed with the mess....
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BgDtQvc/0/L/DSC9896-L.jpg
I decided to start with the swivel seat for the driver. 4 bolts removed the seat...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8g78d9L/0/L/DSC9898-L.jpg
revealing the wiring underneath. Hey! There are a couple of convenient ground wire locations :bounce:
so I ran the subwoofer's ground wire through the hole and onto the terminal. The subwoofer is going to be behind the driver's seat so this is perfect. :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-SRRmHpN/0/L/DSC9899-L.jpg
two bolts removed the park brake (note the state of the dashboard & such at this point... ).
Turns out you don't have to remove the park brake. The park brake relocation bracket they included didn't fit at all... but when I looked again, the park brake didn't actually need to be lowered.. it clears ok in its stock location if you pump the seat up a little bit :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Kfz8hNG/0/L/DSC9900-L.jpg
..and I installed the driver's swivel. Pretty much the same as the passenger's except it spins the other way.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-t55L2CF/0/L/DSC9904-L.jpg
reconnect the seat wire... hmmm.. I suspect this is the "seatbelt detection circuit" - I need to figure out if I can just close this circuit and leave it disconnected. I'm a seatbelt wearer. Always have been. That said I don't need the damn seatbelt reminder donger donging at me if I'm moving the van around the campsite or across the driveway. I'll have to pursue this in the future :professor:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-NR3j2hh/0/L/IMG2884-L.jpg
Testing it out:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cchBpx9/0/L/DSC9905-L.jpg
Woot! The "living room" is going to be a lot more livable now :clapping:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-q7r5w9d/0/L/DSC9907-L.jpg
That took me until about 9am.
Next up I decided to see if I could finish the cockpit's sound damping.
Lifting the wiring loom I found an open hole. That's the pavement below (no restriction). That's gotta be good for snow & ice in the winter coming straight in onto my wiring loom :rant:
Apparently there are 4 open holes from the factory in the floor of the sprinter. I've found two so far (and filled/plugged both).
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wqHkTWH/0/L/DSC9908-L.jpg
I added a bunch of Damplifier to the driver's footwell to augment the stuff MB put
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wW3J8h9/0/L/DSC9909-L.jpg
I threw a big swatch of Damplifier on the bottom of the battery cover just to deaden any chance of vibration
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jq27XPX/0/L/DSC9910-L.jpg
Then I loud out the Luxury Liner Pro. I laid it out in such a way that there is a "door" of it over the battery lid so it'll be easy to get to the battery in the future
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tt6XqKT/0/L/DSC9912-L.jpg
I then test fitted the mats.. .I was a bit worried that they wouldn't fit with the extra inch of insulation they now have under them.. :eek:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Wsp7Cdd/0/L/DSC9913-L.jpg
..but they fit ok :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-xPtLfXF/0/L/DSC9914-L.jpg
So I started reassembling the instrument panel/dashboard. You basically have to build it from the bottom as as everything is nested and you start at the A-pillars at the top to reveal screws as you work downward..
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-hXDSpQb/0/L/DSC9916-L.jpg
If you look at the photos above of the flooring, you see it gets cleaner as the day goes on.
Tweetie spent 6 hours scrubbing the floor mats with rubbing alcohol and then with pinesol. I don't know what the hell was on them.. it was sticky (almost like post-it notes... sticky but didn't come off) and she wasn't happy until it was all gone. Turned out to be a helluva job but she came through with perseverance :hugs:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-9HkhbPD/0/L/DSC9917-L.jpg
We are going to lay carpet over the cockpit floor.. but in the winter we'll pull the carpet and run these floor mats for snowboarding. They are designed in such a way to route/hold water. :thumbup:
As I got up to the driver's "tray".. I decided to stealth wire the ScanGuage and the Ipod interface by taking advantage of the overlip to hide the ugly holes..
Here is the scan guage's wiring ran up inside the dashboard (the ODB connector is down by the driver's left foot)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mMDgx9J/0/L/DSC9915-L.jpg
And then here you can see the ipod coming in from the otherside.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cHKX7GW/0/L/DSC9918-L.jpg
and then here is the cool "overlip" that makes it all look good:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3cQRJhL/0/L/DSC9919-L.jpg
You can see the GPS antenna loose in the middle needing the same treatment when I reassembled the center..
Piece by piece it went back together.
I re-installed the tweaters in the front corners and the center channel.
I re-installed all the vents.
I re-installed the a-pillars and eventually...
VOILA! good as new :thumbup: (better than new? :thinking: )
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Jg8X69d/0/L/DSC9932-L.jpg
That took me to mid afternoon.
I needed to go for a test drive.. I needed to know there was SOME sort of transformation taking place..
I threw a bunch of luxury liner pro mats down in the back and we went for a spin.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Cj3cbJf/0/L/DSC9933-L.jpg
The difference is substantial. You could actually hear the wind noise from the ceiling over the road & engine noise (usually road/engine noise is extremely dominant).
This was very encouraging so I found my second wind and started into the back...
I fear sound proofing the back (floor, walls and ceiling) is going to be the bane of my existence for the next several weeks.
Basically here is what I'm doing:
Cheryl wiped down the entire interior of the van with paint thinner to degrease it.
I'm rolling Damplifier into the troughs between the floor ribs.. being sure to cut out the mounting bolts for the floor
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BrL3SVg/0/L/IMG2889-L.jpg
Then when I have a section done, I lay a sheet of Luxury Liner Pro over it.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-DJWj8v5/0/L/IMG2892-L.jpg
repeat.. continue.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Bd8PrRT/0/L/DSC9934-L.jpg
It is very time consuming. You cut the Damplifier to the size needed (it doesn't take many cuts to dull the box knife) and then roll/press each stripe of damplifier down. The rollers pictured below are essential... you basically squish the heck out of the Damplifer with the rollers to adhere it and get the air out. You have to press hard. I've only done half of the back and I'm already sporting an impressive collection of blisters (and I have "garage hands" to begin with).
I've basically worn the wooden roller out already.. it is starting to come apart:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-XZcRCQk/0/L/DSC9936-L.jpg
I kept going until I had the front half of the back floor completed with Damplifier and LLP. By the time I had gotten this far I was completely soaked in sweat. It is a good workout.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-DnHNm6X/0/L/DSC9937-L.jpg
I then laid the front half of the stock floor on top to see how it was all going to fit. Looking pretty good :thumbup:
It'll look even better carpeted... :whistle:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-CFJ5XNN/0/L/DSC9938-L.jpg
...and that brings me to now (4pm'ish). It started thunder storming so I had to call it a day (way too hot in the van with the doors/windows closed and 100% humidity).
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jZfnjzv/0/L/DSC9927-L.jpg
We have 4 days until our next camping trip. Unfortunately my work schedule is completely slammed for these next 4 days so I don't know that I'm going to get much more time to touch the van before we go so it looks like we'll be sleeping on an air mattress crammed between the wheel wells again.
That said, Cheryl is hard at work making the new & improved mosquito nettings for the windows... I'm excited to see what she comes up with.
:popcorn:
...to be continued.
teamtexas
08-15-2011, 12:40 AM
Great job on the conversion. It looked like a small A-bomb went off in the cab with all the dash and seat work going on. :eek: Ain't it great when it stops sounding like a tin can! :cheers:
Dan
Frosty_1
08-15-2011, 01:05 AM
Geek lookin' good! :bow:
Sorry gents.. I just finished adding/editing my first set of posts. If you read them before I was done you might want to peruse back.. I added a bunch of pics.
:cheers:
cheers,
Edward
p.s. before someone points it out.. I know I still have to strip the cockpit doors and sound dampen them... I'm waiting for the replacement speakers to arrive so I can do it all at once. :D:
d_bertko
08-15-2011, 04:38 PM
Excellent work on the sound insulation. Look forward to a critical evaluation when you've completed the work.
How much do you think you've spent on the noise reduction so far?
I did not put in a layer of acoustic dampener when I insulated my 158" DIY 02. Too intimidated by the amount of cab work involved. I will spend the time and money on my next one.
For thermal insulation I used a couple of cases of Dow Great Stuff spray foam for the walls. I'd have used the contractor version if I'd owned an air compressor. The ceilings between the ribs have rigid isocyanurate panels rough cut and "buttered" into place with the Great Stuff. Very good R rating and more important to me was the closed cell nature. I paddle whitewater and consequently bring lots of wet stuff into the van.
Very satisfied with the thermal performance but astounded by the quick clearance of any moisture. None of the "old car" mildew smell after seven years of hard river use. (I also used marine vinyl for the interior surfaces.)
Dan
Sound proofing:
160 sq ft of Damplifier = $429.98
270 sq ft of Luxury Liner Pro = $989.94
72 sq ft of Heatwave = $179.97
7 cans of High temp Spray adhesive = $104.93
1 roller = $14.99
Shipping to Colorado = $155
Total = $1874.81
The guy at second skin was very helpful and we negotiated a few hundred off of that price for purchasing it all at once.
Like I mentioned.. I have no idea yet if I have enough or too much yet.
First Camping Trip
We caught up with the owner (who was riding a unicycle over the pass :lol:)
Great story. So, did you name your Sprinter "unicycle + 2" ?:thumbup:
d_bertko
08-16-2011, 10:37 PM
Sound proofing:
160 sq ft of Damplifier = $429.98
270 sq ft of Luxury Liner Pro = $989.94
72 sq ft of Heatwave = $179.97
7 cans of High temp Spray adhesive = $104.93
1 roller = $14.99
Shipping to Colorado = $155
Total = $1874.81
The guy at second skin was very helpful and we negotiated a few hundred off of that price for purchasing it all at once.
Like I mentioned.. I have no idea yet if I have enough or too much yet.
That's about the cost I remember. My thermal insulation with about 50 cans of Great Stuff and a couple of 4x8 isocyanurate panels was just under $300.
I shouldn't have been such a cheapskate on the acoustics since I've put at least 100k miles on the sound system since then!
Dan
The Test Bed.
Since we are planning on camping 3 days this weekend, I wanted to throw the stock floor back in the back half of the van that isn't sound dampened yet. I laid down some LLP (just loose) and threw the stock floor over it for now.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-q4ggXPw/0/L/IMG2917-L.jpg
The plan from the beginning was to build a wooden bed frame and spend some weekends camping at different heights to determine exactly where we want the bed before I go forward purchasing 80/20 to build the final structure (drilling holes in the van, mounting rivnuts, etc).
My gut was that we wanted to be as close to the ceiling as possible while still having the ability to sit up straight in bed. Trying to maximize storage space under the bed while minimizing the number of times I bonk my noggin.
I was going to build an adjustable box frame.. but someone suggested using cross rails on the existing windows sills and a bit of a light bulb went off in my head that this would be a quick & easy way to get a bed up as quick as possible for this coming weekend.. and a height to start with.
I got lucky this afternoon (?) and my afternoon client cancelled so on the way home from my morning client I stopped by Home Depot & got a bunch of wood...
I started with a foundation of 2x12s & 2x10s cut to length. The van actually tapers so where the window sill was 72 inches wide at the back it was over 73 inches wide at the front.. necessitating cutting each board individually.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WD6tjGg/0/XL/IMG2912-XL.jpg
If you look close you can see I have the end of each board sitting on a piece of LLP.. just adds a bit of cushion
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-TnDG4Bk/0/L/IMG2914-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qT3z93z/0/L/IMG2918-L.jpg
After the cross beams were done I made a platform
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-NmZGHpR/0/L/IMG2921-L.jpg
...and mounted it down with some easy to remove woods screws.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-xTn6Cr9/0/L/IMG2922-L.jpg
I then laid some LLP over that (just loose.. the goal is for the entire structure to be easily removable)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-sHH5C7j/0/L/IMG2923-L.jpg
..and then test fit our queen size self-inflating air mattress
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-g6NPvpz/0/L/DSC9941-L.jpg
As you can see the 6 foot mattress comes toward the front about a foot further than the window sill.. so the leading edge is unsupported. I addressed this with a couple of nice pieces of 4x4 redwood (love the smell) for strength..
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-stXfNqm/0/L/IMG2926-L.jpg
and then I sanded a nice piece of 4" wide oak smooth for a foot/end cap to the bed (you can see it poking out under the blanket in the middle of the photo below) so that climbing in and out of the bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom won't result in splinters or pinched skin. :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kF4xD7t/0/L/DSC9944-L.jpg
It came out pretty good!
It turns out the height is probably pretty close to where I'm going to want it in the long term. Sitting up on the mattress my head has about 2 inches of clearance and I can easily fit a mountain bike under the bed. I definitely "over built" it. I didn't want anything rickety that we had to worry about and it feels incredibly solid when you climb in and out. The van moves before the bed flexes.
The final 80/20 frame'd bed is going to be a modular design that the back flips up and the front drops down and it makes a bench seat with storage behind (taking advantage of 80/20's pivot & track setup hopefully)... making the space much more flexible (as well as letting the bed pop out completely if I want to put a motorcycle inside). It'll come after the lower and upper cabinets are completed.. something I've also got to consider with the current height.. the sides of the bed will have overhanging cabinets.. I need to mock up something and see if it is too cramped or not... :thinking:
I know it seams kind of silly to put some time and money into building this knowing I'm going to be pulling it all out and throwing it away.. but summer is fading fast. Cheryl & I have not gotten to get out enough this summer so I think we'll take advantage of this comfortable setup and head out and just enjoy it for the next several weekends and get our money's worth out of this setup.. ripping it out and upgrading it after the camping season is over :thumbup:
Graphite Dave
08-17-2011, 12:56 AM
If you look at some of the orton DIY postings you will see that you have about the same bed height (4" higher than mine) that I ended up with. The reason for that height is that is the widest part of the van for me to sleep across the van. In the postings you will see an easy way to support the bed using 80/20. Just below the windows and below the round holes in wall, I mounted 80/20 on each side. Drilled holes in side and used 5/16" carriage bolts. You can get your hand in there to install the nuts.
Leaving tomorrow morning for 3 days in Monterey for car events. Will stay in van.
Awesome stuff Dave :bow:
I wish I could sleep sideways in the sprinter... unfortunately I'm 6 feet tall and prefer to sleep with my arms above my head so I take up 7'+ of bed :wtf:
I tried to convince Cheryl that we could sleep sideways if she let me lay diagonal corner to corner and she curl up in a little ball beside me :lol:
Graphite Dave
08-17-2011, 03:06 AM
I am 5'-10" and would not want to be taller than that for across van sleeping. I sleep on my stomach. Maybe you could be 6' if you slept on your back. On stomach your feet stick out.
You could use the 80/20 to support the bed at the walls as I did.
d_bertko
08-17-2011, 10:10 PM
I am very fond of the "airplane" style overhead racks in my 158" diy. It is very difficult to use such high space otherwise. The best part is that things you want ready access to like clothing are always completely accessible. The 30" or so full-ceiling-height width between them keeps it feeling spacious to walk through.
The contrast with the storage under the 80" bed platform is remarkable. The first storage containers or two in the center aisle under the foot end of the bed are easy enough to slide out. And if you don't mind getting dressed and going around to the back of the van then the underside of the bed at the back of the van is similarly reachable--a little more so since the full width is available. One more step is involved if we've got our swing-away bike rack attached. (Trust me, the exterior rack is much preferred on long trips to using up inside storage.) The middle 30" or so of floor storage between the wheelwells tends to be stuff we need to bring along but not need daily.
I'll also argue for a bench-height bed. It is great to be able to sit on the end of the bed with your feet on the floor whether its first thing in the morning or the middle of the night. Our 2" memory foam rolls up into a comfy backrest and then the underlying 2" of seat cushions is immediately ready as extra seating.
When we are heavily-laden, like last year's ten week biking-hiking-boating western tour---then the rear 60" of the bed platform top gets used for ready-access day storage of gear duffles, hiking packs, or in my case, wet paddling items. It certainly would be possible to hide these items under a higher-bed platform. But that would defeat some of the purpose of keeping these items ready-to-grab. And it is a lot easier to move a few duffles into the front wheelwells to clear the platform for the bedroll then it would be to reconfigure the front lip of the bed from seat-to-bed height. Essentially most of the bed platform acts as a clothing/gear shelf above the heavier gear consigned to underbed storage.
OK, that's the worst case. Whenever we travel with fewer needs we configure the inside accordingly. No gear rearrangement and lots more floor space. A favorite daytrip arrangement when my non-paddling wife comes along is to give her a front-to-back floor aisle with a sofa in back and a swiveled-chair upfront. Lots of counter space and a small adjustable-height table for her laptop.
Less is definitely more.
I really understand the desire to have a raised platform inside for bikers to store bikes beneath. But we are both road bikers and for daytrips it is very easy for me to fold away some of my bed platform and simply roll in and secure two or three fully-laden bikes to the L-track somewhere. I have six sets of extra L-track seatbelts and they make fast work of securement. Ready to roll.
My design was driven by my desire to slide a loaded 13' whitewater onto a center floor aisle for easy river tripping. Since four canoes will stack there and three more on the roof I am understandably popular on river shuttles. This clear-aisle discipline has given me a very useful cargo vehicle, especially since it has a very rugged, easy-to-clean interior.
I'd say the main drawback to this is the difficulty of seating long-distance rear passengers in forward-facing seats. I did like a design I saw here where the bed platform could slide into an upper channel when tall storage was needed but otherwise occupied a chair-height level. Certainly the idea of making the platform in several cross-pieces gives a low-high option for extra day seating.
A word of advice: my first multi-use platform design assumed 10 minutes of putting a wrench to the L-track fasteners would be acceptable for any day/night conversion. Well, that was wrong. The redesign uses slip-pin hinges on the platform sections and the cross-braces for the double bed drop into place in 30 seconds. No tools.
Nothing like pulling into a new campsite in torrential rain to teach you that all day-to-night rearrangement can be done in five minutes and without opening any van doors to get to something you really need.
I figure with over 700 nights of sleeping in the van that my $30k total van+conversion costs have brought my "hotel" costs to under $30/night. I'll check back in when that amortizes to under $20/night. You gotta wonder about how many folks in a $100k pro conversion end up cheaper than a $50 motel night.
But like the AmEx ads say the other 1000 or so daytrip excursions were priceless.
I just received a "thank you package" from Mercedes Benz of Henderson.
I have to admit that my experience with the folks there was 100% positive.
Definitely a great group of professionals to work with.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2wqBK49/0/M/smugshot7905933-M.jpg
I just received a "thank you package" from Mercedes Benz of Henderson.
I have to admit that my experience with the folks there was 100% positive.
Definitely a great group of professionals to work with.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2wqBK49/0/M/smugshot7905933-M.jpg
:clapping::clapping:
Thanks for posting your experience. It is good to hear the positive. There are a couple of places on the forum that you can recognizes Mercedes Benz of Henderson.:thumbup::clapping:
We just got back from 3 days of Adventuring in the van :bounce:
I really need to get some AT tires for this thing...
Does anyone make a limited slip rear differential?
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-7ZB7CNx/0/L/kremmling-L.jpg
...more photos to come.
So taking a break from the build, we decided to take a 3 day weekend and go enjoy the van.
Friday:
We headed up Cameron Pass which is a 10,000 foot pass above Fort Collins, Colorado.
At the top you come to a scenic overlook...
If you take a look in the center of this photo you see a little dirt road.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kTCWpV2/0/L/DSC9949-L.jpg
...head up that dirt road and you end up here.
Notice the peaks are now closer...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-58xSLwc/0/L/DSC9957-L.jpg
The road is in much better shape than I've seen it in the past but if you are in a 170 you'd likely drag some parts. There was a water bar or two I was wishing for more ground clearance.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Xc6rXFg/0/L/DSC0028-L.jpg
...a 1 mile hike up from here you end up at Lake Agnus.
If you look closely at the water you'll see it is a fisherman's dream.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-XdzBJsr/0/L/DSC9980-L.jpg
...then we headed south toward Kremling, Colorado.
to be continued.
...we decided to take the back route and took the dirt to Rand.
It was such a pretty day out in the middle of nowhere that we just pulled over and had some lunch. Cheryl made some awesome home-made chicken-salad sandwiches and we watched the clouds go by for a while...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-FLNmsVZ/0/L/DSC0042-L.jpg
THIS is what we bought this thing for. :thumbup:
Feeling refreshed we continued on south and through Kremmling to Gore Pass.
I'd always wanted to camp on top of Gore Pass and watch the trains run through in the canyon below.
That's exactly what we did :thumbup:
The skies were looking epic as we setup camp... there were storms brewing...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mC2B9Qj/0/XL/epicskies-XL.jpg
Our leveling ramps weren't quite up to this steepness.. so I had to get creative :smilewink:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-n6PDgfS/0/L/DSC0046-L.jpg
Back to the build for a second (Tami was wanting to see what Cheryl had done for the door screens)
Cheryl took a piece of screen, folded it over the top, trimmed the leading edge to shape and then sewed some seam tape on that leading edge and on the trailing edge.
You put the screens over the window like a sock and then close the door on them.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-vdfjsZm/0/L/DSC0109-L.jpg
They work awesome!
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-pWgJDpd/1/L/DSC0112-L.jpg
They then fold up and go in the lower door pockets.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RCPBBCh/0/L/DSC0113-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-H5QdkTv/0/L/DSC0114-L.jpg
We had an incredible storm that night. The wind can come whipping through the pass with incredible forces. Cheryl was worried the van would flip over it was rocking it back and forth so hard... my fear was that the left side of the van would be missing all paint by morning :wtf:
Thank goodness we were not in tents. We saw some folks in tents who were further down the valley pack up and head for home. We just rolled up the windows :smilewink:
It cleared out sometime in the night and we awoke to a glorious Saturday morning.
Cheryl took this photo of me sleeping. I like it because of the view out the windows. This is a perfect campsite in our opinion. RV park people we are not :smilewink:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2M4ttcf/0/L/DSC0100-L.jpg
teamtexas
08-22-2011, 01:15 AM
Wish I lived close enough to enjoy those places for a long weekend. What was the temp. at night?
Dan
The 2 track back to the road from our campsite was a bit rough. There was a step that I was worried was going to take a few attempts but we got it on the first try (you can almost see it in the distance in this photo):
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-7ZNtBJn/0/XL/gorepass-XL.jpg
...you can see the condensation on the inside of the glass from the overnight sleep... time to get that maxxair put in!
Wish I lived close enough to enjoy those places for a long weekend. What was the temp. at night?
Dan
We camped up above 9000 feet the first night and closer to 10,500 the second night. The temperature was a perfect 40'something both nights :thumbup:
I lived in Texas for a decade (near Pilot Point)... and one of the things I have to say I love most about Colorado is that we can sleep with our bedroom windows open almost every night of the year.
:cheers:
...to finish the weekend's camping report:
We headed south from our Gore Pass campsite watching the white water rafters having a hoot in the canyon.
We stopped at a farmer's market in Vail and bought some home made salsa :dg
We then headed through Minturn and up toward the Holy Cross Wilderness.
We took a little detour into Red Cliff just because I've always wanted to "go under" the Tennessee Pass bridge. So we did :D
Red Cliff is a neat little town. Long winters up there for sure...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-XMmBkBK/0/L/DSC0149-L.jpg
The bridge
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cN69fmG/0/L/DSC0155-L.jpg
We headed up road 703 (chosen at random) into the Holy Cross wilderness in search of a campsite. The area was pretty busy but we actually lucked into a really nice spot in the Gold Creek campground so we ended up with a picnic table & pit toilets within a short walk. I'd guess we were around 9500-10,000 feet.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dvFzRPv/0/L/DSC0166-L.jpg
We arrived early and set about doing exactly what we wanted to do: relaxing.
I read 200 pages of some random novel and enjoyed every second of it. I can't remember the last time I had enough time to unplug, slow down and just read a book.
Perfect. :thumbup:
We had a typical Colorado afternoon thunderstorm while Cheryl was making dinner so our Noah Tarp paid for itself and worked perfectly.
The next morning we went up to the end of the road to see the reservoir that is up there... all we really got to see was the biggest damn I'd seen in a while. It was so high we couldn't see the reservoir beyond.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Hjf9sbr/0/L/DSC0175-L.jpg
We meandered home from there.. well rested and more happy with the sprinter than ever.
The list of "things to do" got a few pages longer as we figure more out about our desired final setup.
sideup
08-26-2011, 01:12 AM
Geek,
Thanks for the great details and photos on the start of your project. I will be getting my 2nd sprinter after selling my 2002 sprinter in 2009 and regretting it ever since.
I will be starting the conversion the same as you.
Bought a 2009 Jeep Unlimited but soon learned no room for carrying anything (duh) and being Adventure M/C Riders and mountain bikers, found it silly to be bouncing over jeep trails in my off road jeep at 10mph instead of cruising much faster and easier on my KTM 990 Adventure .
Lesson learned, never again without a VAN!
Keep up the posts on your progress.
JB
This showed up on the porch yesterday... keyboard for size reference on the box. No wonder shipping was expensive; the box is huge! :wtf:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kjHXq7z/0/M/smugshot3399431-M.jpg
Graphite Dave
08-28-2011, 04:36 PM
You bought the right fan. The ability to leave it open while driving and when it is raining makes it a better choice than the Fantastic fan. For info on installation see orton DIY-Maxxair fan install.
unboxing of the maxxair 7500k.
I got the 7500k model because it has controls on the unit as well as a remote. That way when we're laying in bed at night if Cheryl finds it is getting too cold she doesn't have to get up to turn it off... and if I want to adjust the thing and can't find the damn remote I can just reach up and turn it off :smirk:
There is an RV website that has an older model (same features but only 3 speeds instead of the 7500k's 10 speeds) available for $100 less if anyone is looking..
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3Wdsxmk/0/M/smugshot5375243-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GgKHXKg/0/M/smugshot4369633-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-ZCzPTM3/0/M/smugshot6285190-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-CbBBMj9/0/M/smugshot8826765-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-CgDs2Sn/0/M/smugshot2424355-M.jpg
Toggle switches.
At first I thought I wanted something that looked "factory" for switches.. but the last few camping trips and the last 6000 miles of driving the thing have taught me two things:
1) I want switches that I can see from the back of the van (i.e. in bed) and know at a glance if they are "on or off"
2) I want a substantial switch that is easy to find by feel and has a firm throw that is easy to determine without looking (i.e. while driving)
My current temporary switches I used are push button. Not a good solution. I don't know if I left the backup-camera's heated glass turned on or off.. I need to power everything up and then toggle in sequence to turn it all off. Pain in the butt.
I think I've found the switch that'll meet my criteria.. they light up in amber (matching the instrument cluster).
I ordered 8 of them to start with.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-V6sqsTF/0/L/smugshot852276-L.jpg
My other thought originally was that I was going to put these in the "stock switch locations" around the steering wheel where there are blanks for switches to be installed. Now, due to criteria #1, I'm going to be putting them all in the center console which is easily visible from the back. I'll know I forgot to turn the backup camera off at a glance when I wake up at 3am worried about whether the van will start in the morning . :thumbup:
Frosty_1
08-28-2011, 11:10 PM
Geek,
Good choice on the fan. I'm going to order the nicer model and swap it in. Take two seconds and then I'll sell the other on CL or here...I figure I've spent a small fortune already, might as well do it right the first time! :cheers:
Geek,
Good choice on the fan. I'm going to order the nicer model and swap it in. Take two seconds and then I'll sell the other on CL or here...I figure I've spent a small fortune already, might as well do it right the first time! :cheers:
What don't you like about the one you got Frosty?
I ordered my new wheels today.
Aqua Puttana
08-29-2011, 01:34 AM
...
Now, due to criteria #1, I'm going to be putting them all in the center console which is easily visible from the back. I'll know I forgot to turn the backup camera off at a glance when I wake up at 3am worried about whether the van will start in the morning . :thumbup:
I like the logic of that, but my 100# little rescued friend would do those toggle handles in eventually. He already took out a couple dash vent louvers. :bash: Great idea if you don't have a large furry friend. :thumbup: vic
36658
Big thanks to whomever originally created the sketchup floorplan for the 144 :cheers:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RrcHsSj/0/L/sk-ktm1-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5RgvfDD/0/L/sk-bedmodules-color-L.jpg
Hey! How'd she get in there?
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-KZnKg72/0/L/sk-bikinigirl-L.jpg
I'm really starting to like this sketchup thing
:bounce:
Colorado_Al
08-30-2011, 08:05 PM
Big thanks to whomever originally created the sketchup floorplan for the 144 :cheers:
Same here! I only wish my carpentry & metalwork skills were as good as my computer skills. My rig looks way better in sketchup than in real life. It is, however, much more fun and useful to use in real life, than in sketchup.
I've been wasting lots of time in Sketchup.
As I get better with it it gets easier.. but trying to do things with actual dimensions accurately is a bit time consuming when I have to make all the components (like the 8020 15 series x 72" rails I made below)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-KtLTV5Q/0/L/sk-accurate-L.jpg
ok.. I'm an idiot.. right after I posted that last image I thought to myself "I wonder if there are pre-made 8020 sketchup components....
sure enough..
back to square one :lol:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-MMQK9Wg/0/M/sk-8020-M.jpg
Sprinter SS
08-31-2011, 01:12 AM
I love the scale models, both the girl and the KTM...I can get 5 full size (450 exc) in my 140"!!
Have you hauled a dirt bike around inside the vehicle before? They are too dirty and smelly for my tastes - gasoline fumes the biggest issue. There is a thread here somewhere about putting those things on a hitch carrier. Just a thought.
CAD modeling - yes. I did't model my cabinets with a high level of detail, except for the kitchen area where things were punching out the side of the vehicle - lots of squeeze and fit issues, etc. I think it's mandatory for good work, at least for me.
Graphite Dave
08-31-2011, 03:18 AM
Thanks for posting the sketch up drawings. Looks like something I need to play with. All my conversion stuff was drawn with General Cadd which is a simple 2D drawing package. My business engineering drawings are done in General Cadd. If it is drawn to scale, there are very few problems at fabrication time. Everything fits as it is supposed to. This conversion process takes long enough just building things one time. I would hate to have to redo stuff.
Some boxes arrived today :rad:
Now to get them powder coated (the factory finish sure is pretty... but my brain tells me they are the wrong color).
the mercedes alloy wheel pattern
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wkfS6Qk/0/L/smugshot5948922-L.jpg
Center hubs, valve stems, and 24 new lugbolts
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-MTNrxFv/0/L/smugshot4738188-L.jpg
I'm not quite sure what the finish is but to me it looks like they are painted and then clearcoated. The finish is PERFECT. I'm sure some day down the road I'm going to regret screwing with it...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8fvKGCb/0/L/smugshot8870272-L.jpg
Hmmmmm... maybe I should bling it up and mask off the chrome mercedes emblems so they stay chrome after powder coating :rofl
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jRHDDvK/0/L/smugshot8632475-L.jpg
I'm still waiting on the four TPMS (tire pressure monitoring sensors) units... they should be here the middle of next week.
Frosty_1
09-03-2011, 03:55 AM
Geek,
As for you question about the Maxx fan, I originally wanted the controls on the fan itself as well as the remote. I'm going to try out my current configuration for now, and if I don't like it I'll upgrade after next summer.
Nice choice on the wheels. I ordered them from the factory, but am now faced with the problem of not having a second set. Not sure how I'm going to get them powder coated? :thinking: I'd like mine black as well...thought about using a rattle can of plasti-coat or something, then if I didn't like it I'd pressure wash it off...
Frosty
Frosty: I feel your pain.. that's exactly why I ordered them afterward... then when I get them swapped I'm going to get my steal wheels powder coated black as well and then have studded snow tires put on them for snowboarding duty :thumbup:
Frosty_1
09-03-2011, 05:31 PM
I scour Craigslist everyday, as I'd like a studded set as well. I ordered the M+S option from the factory, so I'll make do with those for now.
Frosty_1
09-03-2011, 11:34 PM
Geek,
One more question for ya: I'm nearly done insulating and want to tackle the headliner area. You mentioned the seat belts being a PIA to remove. Any tips or tricks you learned when you removed yours? Have you insulated above your headliner yet? I just need to lower it enough to get an arm under it...
I've not touched the headliner yet.. not sure how it releases.
The key with the seatbelts is to be very careful of the mechanism that allows you to adjust it "up & down" at the shoulder. There is a metal aluminum key in there that is spring loaded and held in by a plastic clip.
That plastic clip takes literally light finger pressure to "pop out" and then the entire thing comes apart and the spring goes flying.
DAMHIK :laughing:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-DfV8PqQ/0/M/smugshot4286289-M.jpg
Hope this helps :cheers:
Kitemaui
09-04-2011, 01:28 PM
36858
http://www.outsidevan.com/custom-powder-coat.php (http://www.outsidevan.com/custom-powde)
That's exactly what I'm doing but I'm having trouble deciding if I want to go color matched with the grey trim (like in that photo) or if I want to go black. I just really like how a white vehicle with black rims looks (probably because of fantasizing about something like this...) :laughing:
http://www.porscheperfect.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/porsche_vorsteiner_vrt_3.jpg
gregowski
09-05-2011, 05:24 AM
Another vote here for the OutsideVan-style trim-matched graphite alloys, I want to replace my original steels with those too. Not sure if it's worth it to find somebody to powder-coat them in Boulder/Denver or just do the DIY a la this thread: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/wheels-tires/3804-ok-my-wheel-painting-kinda-walkthrough.html
Greg
I think I'm going to take them down to Woody's wheel works in Denver. I've used Woodys with various motorcycle wheel issues over the years; good people :thumbup:
heckler
09-07-2011, 04:50 AM
nice geek! what's your plan for the dirtbikes?
Colorado_Al
09-07-2011, 05:32 AM
I think I'm going to take them down to Woody's wheel works in Denver. I've used Woodys with various motorcycle wheel issues over the years; good people :thumbup:
I know Woody's. They usually paint rims, not powder coat. I'm sure that Chris there will have someone to send you to if you want Powder Coat. If you want them painted, let me know and I'll connect you directly with the guy who does their paint work and you can cut out the middleman.
FWIW: I talked with Woody and he said it was no problem; they do powdercoating.
I have ridden motorcycles with Woody on a few occasions. Good guy. :cheers:
Do you know if they farm out their powdercoating too?
Woody's advice to me:
"IMHO powdercoating is the hot ticket in colorado,,,the factory finish with a clearcoat at altitude has a propensity to yellow and get dull,,the UV rays are relentless up here....so having a garaged vehicle will make the finish last lot's longer....
the clearcoat just alters the look to give it a deeper gloss,,it is not necessary and there is a slight up charge if you have it done at the same time
removing the oem powdercoated finish is a bitch...we do not use chemical strippers because of the outgassing problems that happen with the the moisture getting into the alloy[depends on porosity of the castings],,billet wheels do not suffer from this....
caveat emptor!!!,,,do not let anyone con you into sandblasting your wheels!!!! it is amazing how much metal is removed with this process,,it can ruin your mounting surfaces not just to your hubs but also decrease the diameter/circumferance of the bead /tire mounting /sealing area to the point that the tires slip when accelerating or braking hard....but it sure is quick n dirty,,,,and the choice of the cheapo powdercoating outfits
the answer we found that maaximizes the desired outcome and minimizes the time to strip is an expensive media blaster using button hole chips and aluminum oxide...."
Frosty_1
09-07-2011, 02:47 PM
Sounds like that guy know what's he's talking about. What are they going to charge for the wheels? f.
gary 32
09-07-2011, 05:34 PM
Geek,
Look @ NCV3 Wheels and Tires starting with post 37, my powder painted wheels. We gave the old wheels a good scratch by hand (no blasting) and mild clean/de wax, then the powder paint, no clear.
Mild rubbing compound, then a heavy wax job, they still look like they were just done.
The wheels on the porsche look like they are gun metal like your trim and maybe not black...
Frosty_1
09-08-2011, 12:04 AM
Geek,
Question about your backup mount: How did you mount to van? Just drill through and attach with bolt/nut/washer? Did you use any kind of backer plate inside the van? What did you seal with?
f.
ps, haven't made it to Van Specialties yet, going to try and get there tomorrow!
Yeah I just drilled through.. no back plate. I used shoe-goo to seal the 4 screws as I put them in.
:cheers:
Tire pressure monitor sensors showed up for the new wheels today:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VjZdmq6/0/L/smugshot432793-L.jpg
...and my first box of "adult legos" arrived too :hmmm:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VvtF4vt/0/L/smugshot6783774-L.jpg
Einstein approves...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RNtsKKk/0/L/smugshot5983329-L.jpg
I was looking everywhere for a hose clamp I couldn't find... :rolleyes:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-MvWf7pG/0/L/smugshot3290948-L.jpg
Frosty_1
09-08-2011, 11:02 PM
Geek,
Still didn't make it to VS today...Been crazy busy with this heat we're having in PDX...probably can't make it tomorrow either due to Friday traffic in p-town. Next week for sure! :cheers:
Where did you order the 80/20 bits from? Did you see the 80/20 van in person yet? It's pretty sweet, worth talking to their sales rep. He was pretty stoked when I told him about my van project and seemed more than willing to help.
f.
shanemac
09-08-2011, 11:36 PM
From the looks of the sensors there not sold as a kit of 4 sold individually? Part number? Same wheel sensor for steel and aluminum wheels?
I do not know that they are the correct ones... the part number only listed up to 2009 but I'm hoping they haven't changed.
They were something like $68 each from Ryder fleet.
http://www.ryderfleetproducts.com/ryder/af/ryder/core/content/product/srm/key/C28%201042/pn/Tire-Pressure-Sensor-TPMS-Dodge-Sprinter/erm/productDetail.do
Siemens number: 68038945AA
After over a month of fighting between my Colorado local DMV and the state of Nevada..
"the federal government requires you to print your name in blue ink but nevada prints your name with a computer that is not acceptible" type stuff... :huh (at least they paid for all the fed-ex'ing back and forth :D )
...I FINALLY got my license plates :rad:
Check out my bling KTM 950 fairing washers & bolts I used in the mounting....
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3NLVPrL/0/L/smugshot1128992-L.jpg
Now I can claim my Mercedes has genuine KTM parts :bounce:
Sometimes it is the little things in life. :thumbup:
p.s. turns out they required me to get the vehicle weighed for registration :dunno - luckily I had already done it out of my own curiosity so she was impressed when I pulled out the scale sheet :D:
p.s.s. to register this vehicle in Colorado for this year was ~$800. Is there ANY other state that has higher registration fees than Colorado?
Colorado_Al
09-09-2011, 11:08 PM
Ouch!
Was it a new vehicle? Includes sales tax?
Mine was downright cheap to register, but I'm in unincorporated Gilpin County so 2.9% tax and low fees. Also a used 03.
That was just registration.
...sales tax was another $3000 :wtf:
Boulder County Sucks.
I could have bought another dirtbike with what it cost to register this thing.
I was curious so I did some digging and found a study:
Vehicle registration comparison: 2005 Toyota Camry registration in 2006
CALIFORNIA
$ 383.00
COLORADO
$ 269.50
OREGON
$ 27.00
SOUTH CAROLINA
$ 12.00
...where you really start to get screwed in Colorado (and perhaps other states?) is when a vehicle is over a certain weight there is a charge per pound :shifty:
I think I'll move to South Carolina :D:
Found one more...
2008: Comparison of registration fees for a 2007 Toyota Camry MSRP $22k
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wKC3whG/0/L/registration-L.jpg
I was surprised to see mississippi in second place!
Remind me not to move to Rhode Island :wtf:
shanemac
09-09-2011, 11:44 PM
Way up hear in Alberta Canada my sprinter is $96.00 per year to register i guess i shouldn't complain anymore:shifty: my family van is $72.00.
BTW nice work on the van sofar, i have the same backup camera and bracket.
So back to work on the Adventure Van today.
I went after my stereo head unit and did a small hack on it for what I hope is the last time.
Out of the box the AVIC-Z130BT has some annoying "nanny" habits.
One feature I've touched on before, is that it auto-turns on and auto-turns off when you start your car.
I wanted to be able turn the stereo on or off any time I feel like so I had hooked up a switch to do that.
Another feature was the "reverse gear detection" that automatically put the rearview camera on when you put it in reverse. I wanted to be able to get full screen reverse instantly at any time so I hooked that up to a switch too...
The other was the auto on/off of the camera. I wanted to be able to put power to my camera any time I wanted (whether using it or not) because it has heated glass for defrosting so I'd like to be able to leave it on while driving to thaw out the lense if ice covered (but still be able to use the stereo/nav).
So 3 toggle switches were hooked up (temporarily .. old ones I had in my tool box).
In the photo below you can see the temporary switches hanging out to the right of the steering wheel/left of the ignition key:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Jg8X69d/0/L/DSC9932-L.jpg
Today I decided to mount the toggle's I had ordered. Originally I was going to mount them to the left of the hazard light switch in that nice blank panel (i.e to the right of the gear shift) but once I took it all apart it turned out that entire panel is one piece (it looks like it is 3 pieces) and the entire thing is circuit board backed with a push button membrane. Looks expensive to fix if I didn't like the results :crazy:
So instead I mounted them in the switch blanks to the right of the wheel.
Top toggle switch turns radio off and on.
Bottom row: left switch = Reverse toggle for camera
right switch =camera off and on.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-h4rxWTJ/0/L/smugshot6834430-L.jpg
I chose amber LEDs to match the instruments.
In the process of doing all of this.. I got to find out where the radio's fuse is :rant: as one small slip meant everything stopped working :smilewink:
It is number 10 by the driver's left knee btw...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5tzr3vf/0/L/smugshot1499652-L.jpg
A thought occurred to me when I popped the fuse...
Since I had put the seat swivels in the van.. the stock tool kit in the van is no longer capable of removing the driver's seat...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VpPhmsJ/0/L/smugshot7326100-L.jpg
why is that important? Well.. if for some reason you need access to any of this while on the road... (and it looks like the huge-honking master fuse is under there)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-pGpL5Sw/0/L/smugshot9312396-L.jpg
...then you better be able to get to it.
I added the tools required to my onboard toolkit. :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8MrcdTG/0/L/smugshot1748429-L.jpg
And now on to today's stereo hack.
The AVIC-Z130BT's BIGGEST annoyance is its safety feature that detects if you are moving and disables all the functions it feels are unsafe.
Some of this I can appreciate (like the ability to watch a movie) but some of it is simply unacceptable like one we ran into the other day.. you can NOT enter a destination in the GPS while moving.
Well what if my passenger is using the GPS while I'm driving? Cheryl & I had to pull over to put in the destination - something that could have safely been inputted by her while moving.
:censored: x 10e23
So.... hacking to the rescue! :rad:
It turns out that there is a certain wire.. that if you move it to a different hole and ground it along with the parking brake wire.. it completely bypasses all the nanny-bull****.
:tongue:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-SjPT6X8/0/L/smugshot7851272-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mrqzbnP/0/L/smugshot2221681-L.jpg
hey.. that wasn't in there before...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Sd7hqcd/0/L/smugshot3187041-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mSmpMSW/0/L/smugshot8076330-L.jpg
and voila!
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-n378jrJ/0/L/smugshot5807653-L.jpg
Here's another example of this nanny-crap. If the van is moving, every one of these settings options are disabled except for the top two right ones. Well what if I want to turn the screen brightness down at night because it is bugging me? You give me access to my crossover control on my subwoofer while I'm driving but you don't give me access to my screen brightness or my navigation configuration? Argh.
/rant
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GtL5bjN/0/L/smugshot9528842-L.jpg
Anyways.. all better now :thumbup:
btw.. this head unit has more connectors that the majority of motherboards I work on these days :wtf:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dxGB2FD/0/L/smugshot243879-L.jpg
p.s. pioneer owes me 25 cents for a bandaid. I poked myself under the finger nail while trying to release that yellow wire... :smilewink:
which, btw, don't even bother to try unless you have a super fine dental pick.
I'm spending the rest of the day cleaning the garage (looks like a bomb went off due to all the projects) and then tomorrow it is back to the sound insulation.
:popcorn:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-psHRmKj/0/M/smugshot3970335-M.jpg
Sprinter SS
09-21-2011, 09:21 PM
Wow, Geekster', did Woodys do those? That looks like a gunmetal black, really cool looking. Chrome center caps?
Are you going to use different tires as well? BFGoodrich's..?
I gotta wait until early December for my van..sold mine to Emerson Big.guns over at ADV rider.
Yup.. got them done @ Woodys
I'm going to put BFG ATs on them. I haven't decided on the center caps yet. I think I might try and match the color with paint so it is seamless but not for sure yet... after I get the tires on them I'll pop them in as is and see what it looks like; then I'll decide.
Got my first adblue warning today :thumbdown:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2bCkq7J/0/M/smugshot4359062-M.jpg
I can't believe I've put 7K on this thing already :wtf:
Time to pour the peepee :smirk:
p.s. What's your ADV user name sprinter ss - KrustyKustom? :cheers:
Frosty_1
09-22-2011, 01:20 AM
Dude, those wheels look sweet. I need to do that! :cheers:
Sprinter SS
09-22-2011, 01:42 AM
I am the Krusty Kustom over at ADV rider...
Love the van thread...I follow it daily!
I added the tools required to my onboard toolkit. :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8MrcdTG/0/L/smugshot1748429-L.jpg
Thanks for the superior pictures and clear concise write ups.
mean_in_green
09-22-2011, 10:52 AM
You may or may not realize but I'm fairly sure you can further adjust the screen by pressing and holding the Mode button for a second or two. Also gives you screen options for camera and day or night preferences. Doesn't mention that anywhere in the UK manual for the equivalent European unit.
That rat's nest of wiring is familiar! Amazingly it all disappears pretty easily back into the void, unlike any vehicle I've ever owned before.
As if to brag about itself I discovered the other week that I can actually play different films in different zones on my Pioneer: kid's cartoons into the rear screens (with wireless headphones) and other film choice to the front screen. It's almost as if the radio is sitting there all smug in the dash... "Oh yeah, pah, I can do that no problem look..."
http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6cd8e03-79f9-5d98.jpg
I'm at the tire shop and they have to hand jack it... It won't fit on the lift. LOL
It is really difficult to get photos of black wheels and black tires on a white van because the white throws the EV all to hell.
I'll try again later this evening when the sun dims a bit.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BstBC2V/0/XL/DSC1176-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-76MSGdT/0/XL/DSC1163-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Rjr7JLX/0/XL/DSC1189-XL.jpg
p.s. the center caps are still drying.. I won't be able to pop them in until tomorrow.
Aqua Puttana
09-22-2011, 08:33 PM
Not that you asked. Do you have a "sunset" setting on your camera? My son found that on his phone the other day and it helped him to take one heck of a picture of a real sunset. Maybe it will work for you in this situation? Nice looking van by the way. vic
It is really difficult to get photos of black wheels and black tires on a white van because the white throws the EV all to hell.
...
OrioN
09-22-2011, 08:57 PM
Here ya go...
I made an Idiots guide to putting Adblue in a Sprinter :D
http://youtu.be/3_W9NM2VZOs
I just went out and did a "sunset photoshoot".
If you don't like sprinter photos you might wanna close your browser now :smirk:
Here's a couple of samples.. I'll sort through the rest later.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GLmrG6d/0/XL/DSC1257-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-27rnNgr/0/XL/DSC1400-XL.jpg
Graphite Dave
09-23-2011, 12:50 AM
What size are the tires? They look larger than the original.
bc339
09-23-2011, 01:42 AM
It is really difficult to get photos of black wheels and black tires on a white van because the white throws the EV all to hell.
I'll try again later this evening when the sun dims a bit.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BstBC2V/0/XL/DSC1176-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-76MSGdT/0/XL/DSC1163-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Rjr7JLX/0/XL/DSC1189-XL.jpg
p.s. the center caps are still drying.. I won't be able to pop them in until tomorrow.
Hey! Is that Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker behind your Sprinter on the first image?
Bruce
Hey! Is that Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker behind your Sprinter on the first image?
Bruce
Close.. that'd be twin sisters which is just to the right of Longs/Meeker (which are hidden behind the van)
:cheers:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Z7b4wG4/0/XL/DSC1237-XL.jpg
Tires and Wheels.
I've received a few messages asking me about the costs involved on the wheels so I figured I'd do the full write up (although I'm kind of afraid to know myself.... :wtf:)
The wheels themselves are the "Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Wheel Alloy". They came in a silver painted finish and were not very expensive.. but everything together added up.
I bought the wheels, longer lugbots, wheel caps and some valve stems from Genuine Mercedes Parts.
$384.00 - Four Mercedes Wheels Alloy
$67.20 - Twenty Four aluminum wheel lug bolts
$57.60 - Four wheels hubs
$8.00 - Four valve stems (which it turned out I didn't need because I got the TPMS)
$133 - shipping :wtf:
Originally I was going to cheap out and not get the Tire Pressure Monitors for each wheel.. but when I learned that there is no way to disable the warning light on the dash.. I sprung for the TPMS.
I got them from rider fleet products:
$273.48 - four TPMS sensors.
I then took the wheels to Woodys wheel works in Denver and got them powder coated for $125 ea.
$500 - powder coating
I then took the wheels to Discount Tire and got the BF Goodrich All Terrain T/As (265/75R16 - I read somewhere that the 285s would rub)
$1070.62 - four tires mounted with road hazard coverage, rotation, etc.
...and finally some Rustoleum primer and paint to paint the wheel cap hubs (which are in the garage drying now).
$8.89 - paint
Total: (I don't know that I really want to add this up... )
$2502.79 :crazy:
The wheels as they arrived (UPS was NOT kind to the boxes.. but Woody's checked them and they were still true)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wkfS6Qk/0/M/smugshot5948922-M.jpg
The miscellaneous - lug bolts, center hubs, etc
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-MTNrxFv/0/M/smugshot4738188-M.jpg
The Tire Pressure Monitor Sensors
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VjZdmq6/0/M/smugshot432793-M.jpg
The center hub in the stock wheel
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jRHDDvK/0/M/smugshot8632475-M.jpg
The wheels back from the powder coater
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-psHRmKj/0/M/smugshot3970335-M.jpg
Looking to see what the black wheels looked like with silver center hubs :puke
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-64TB7W7/0/M/smugshot2607565-M.jpg
The center hubs primed:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GszX3Qg/0/M/smugshot8796428-M.jpg
The center hubs painted (it'll dry to a satin finish)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-ww4Jppc/0/M/smugshot6929682-M.jpg
Holy crap vanity is expensive... but I think they look awesome so to me it was worth it.
In my mind they've transformed the van from a cargo van to an Adventure Van. :thumbup:
some more glamor shots :D
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RJnW5GK/0/XL/DSC1231-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mH7TwGj/0/XL/DSC1357-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-SFFXdcF/0/XL/DSC1342-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zLLP5PH/0/XL/DSC1298-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-6KWTJq9/0/XL/DSC1225-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gV2Vvx3/0/XL/DSC1412-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4d5Xmbn/0/XL/DSC1395-XL.jpg
bc339
09-23-2011, 03:10 AM
Close.. that'd be twin sisters which is just to the right of Longs/Meeker (which are hidden behind the van)
:cheers:
Thanks - should have looked closer, but was happy to see some images from where I'm from - Estes. It's been a few years since I was home.
Great looking job on the Sprinter and the wheels!
Bruce
Lets see if I got it right this time.
NYC SPRINTERS
09-23-2011, 10:35 AM
Very nice Sprinter!!! LQQKS hot with new wheels!!!
Geek , How about the noise of " BF Goodrich All Terrain T/As 265/75R16" ?
I think this kind of protector is too noisy
I don't hear them at all.. but then again I put $1700 in sound damping in my van :smilewink:
A resemblance just occured to me :lol:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zmTxt58/0/XL/DSC1413-XL.jpg
http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f181/302164d1315126102-space-shuttle-discovery-360-degree-tour-space_shuttle_discovery.jpg
I don't hear them at all.. but then again I put $1700 in sound damping in my van :smilewink:
Ok I see... Good Luck
Lagerman Reservoir ... !
How'd you know that? :bounce:
:cheers:
I work in the area. I've run there over lunch for many years - when it's too dark or cold to run after work. That season is coming soon ... too soon ...
We are neighbors? I live maybe a mile from there :cheers:
tomorrow the van gets a new windshield (they had the wrong molding on tuesday) and we're going to spend the weekend trying to get the rest of the sound/temperature damping done
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dPFTKzp/0/XL/DSC1232-XL.jpg
With my van's new "tougher look" a buddy challenged me to jump my van :lol:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Lk6Xmkm/0/XL/sprinterjump3-XL.jpg
Graphite Dave
09-24-2011, 03:40 PM
You just killed a German engineer. He looked at the picture and died. I would be afraid to jump a Sprinter. Not me being afraid, just afraid the Sprinter would not be the same after the jump.
dukepilot
09-24-2011, 04:02 PM
Geek, your Sprinter looks great!:thumbup:
Quick & dirty photoshop
hmmmmmm.... :thinking:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qj5f6WV/0/XL/stripesback-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tLJ2jLn/0/XL/stripes-front-XL.jpg
atulin
10-22-2011, 08:10 PM
I like it. :thumbup:
teamtexas
10-22-2011, 09:08 PM
simple and cool :clapping:
Dan
Frosty_1
10-23-2011, 01:57 AM
Geek,
I like it! Here is something another guy did on the SMB forum: 38001
Maybe you could use a similar vinyl, or where you thinking paint?
He sourced it here: http://www.stickercity.com/carbon-fiber/
I've thought about doing my hood in the matte black...
Right after I read about you powder coating your wheels, I saw a PU in town here that was 100% black powder coated all over the body. It had a bit of a texture to it. It was totally bad-ass. How much for your wheel guy to just coat the rest of the van?
Long overdue update!
i.e. I haven't done squat.
9000 miles now on the odometer. LOVE the thing..
What a fun vehicle (and sure can't wait to get the interior done :hmmm: )
We've been too busy adventuring in it to work on it.. which is going to come back to bite us because the weather is starting to change.
Today in the Indian Peaks Wilderness:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WZgTrh9/0/XL/DSC1591-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-whKvqpp/0/XL/DSC1538-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GJ48tnN/0/XL/DSC1618-XL.jpg
So here's the updated interior shot :lol:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2StNTxv/0/L/photo-1-L.jpg
Caption for the following photo:
"I should be home working on the Sprinter!"
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-G7nfC74/0/XL/DSC1568-XL.jpg
Owning a Sprinter is kinda like owning a 950 Adventure... they're rare enough that when you run into another one you stop and chat a minute :rofl
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qST4DqZ/0/L/IMG4064-L.jpg
I managed to sneak out for a couple of hours between clients this morning and get some more basics done..
Finished pressing Damplifier into the rest of the troughs at the back half of the floor:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gVQgNtG/0/L/IMG4054-L.jpg
Got the LLP laid out:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-7C5zh6x/0/L/IMG4055-L.jpg
Got the stock floor back in over top:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VtRqLVk/0/L/IMG4056-L.jpg
Even managed to find the hardware that holds the floor down and get it back in place :bounce:
I haven't decided what we're doing for final flooring so in the meanwhile the stock stuff will suffice.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-49G38Wh/0/L/IMG4058-L.jpg
Then I moved up to the let side rear window cutout. I am planning on putting rear windows in the thing but realistically that won't happen until next year so I decided to sound deaden the area as it is probably the thinest and loudest part of the van for road noise. Put down a bunch of damplifier and then sheated it with LLP using spray adhesive.
Spraying the glue is kinda like spraying spider webs
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-rMqnfLk/0/L/IMG4060-L.jpg
You spray it on the CCF side of the LLP then let it sit 90 seconds.
You also spray it on the surface you are going to stick it to.
Then just press them together...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jgqHxwg/0/L/IMG4065-L.jpg
Then on the inside of this I'll put a layer of reflectex
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-9PqLrLj/0/L/IMG4066-L.jpg
...and then the interior wall and then the carpeting :thumbup:
Unfortunately it looks like they were right about our incoming snowstorm and the temp is dropping. I think my window for using contact cement has closed for the day.
teamtexas
10-25-2011, 11:17 PM
Ooooo progress :clapping:
Can I get a ticket for a roof full of snow? I was creating my own weather whiteout going down the road :smirk:
It takes an 8 foot ladder to clean this thing off :shifty:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-m2x5PHF/0/L/photo-L.jpg
Geek, love the picture.
Did you every try to open the maxxair fan with all that snow up there? I'm trying to decide fantastic fan or maxxair. Any recommendations?
Also, your camera mount, how did that do with all the snow? I think you got the heated model. Did it work? I think the camera mount has 6 screw holes. Did you use all 6? How did the camera mount look after installation? Did it match the curves of the van? Did you use extra silicon/ sikaflex/???
Also, you got the 130 degree camera. I was looking at the 78 degree camera. Would you recommend the 130 or 78?
Sorry for all the questions.
Tia
Haven't installed my maxxair yet... still sitting on the bench.
The heated camera worked great. The windshield defrost took 10x longer.
Installed with 4 screws.
Camera mount looks good imho. Look at some of the pics in the last couple of pages in this thread... I used silicon on the screws to help waterproof them.
130 degree camera. Up high I have it at such an angle that I can see the back bumper (great when backing up to trailer or to a curb.. you know exactly how much space you have) and still have enough of a view to safely back up. I wouldn't want less degrees. You have no "peripheral vision" with the camera so every degree helps. The downside to more degrees is "objects at the edges are closer than they appear" due to the slight fishbowl effect. You get used to the approach speed not being linear.
If the camera wasn't roof mounted.. it might be a different story?
Hope this helps :cheers:
Spdbmp66
11-02-2011, 04:25 PM
Do you still feel like you couldn't get to those great camp sites in a 170, or would it just be more difficult?
We've already been camping in 3 locations where getting the 144" in was iffy (a 170 would have been too big).
For where we prefer to go? Yes I still feel that way. Keep in mind though that our camping destinations are rarely what one would consider "normal" camping destinations so I'm not saying the same advice is right for others.
I didn't take the decision lightly.. I spent 6+ months going back and forth on the decision while shopping for a used sprinter (before deciding to go new). As a motorcyclist the 170 is a way better "bike hauler"... but for us the motorcycle hauling aspect is maybe 20% of our goals.
That.. and every time I have to park the thing in downtown Denver at a client - I know I made the right decision. :thumbup:
If I lived elsewhere and didn't spend most of my camping time in the back country of Colorado and Utah, I might feel differently.
If I didn't use the Sprinter every day with my business, I might feel differently.
If I was only using it as a motorcycle hauler I WOULD feel differently.
Hope this helps
:cheers:
Graphite Dave
11-03-2011, 02:26 AM
After 2 1/2 weeks touring New Zealand with my adult daughter. I was positive than the 144" WB was the correct choice. It also taught me what I wanted and did not want in a DIY conversion. Highly recommend renting a Sprinter before you decide. Use it as you would your own vehicle and that will answer your questions.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5KpqK9C/0/L/8020-L.jpg
I just ordered $1500 worth of 8020 extrusions (no hardware included.. just the "beams"). :thinking:
After all that google sketchup playing.. I ended up drawing it out on a piece of paper in 5 minutes and ordering it from my drawing. :bounce:
I ran out of time to play with sketchup more and I really need to get a basic bed frame in the thing so we can "tour the nation" over the holidays (back to visit family in Ohio and Florida). This order should build the basic rear side cabinets that convert into the bed.. and the basic overhead cabinet framework running the full length on the left and the back half on the right.
TIP: I'd recommend buying from 80/20's ebay store instead of their Amazon store.
To save a bunch of money.. you basically click "Commit to buy" after the "buy now" and keep shopping. Someone at 8020 watches this live and adjusts the shipping on your order within minutes (saving you big $$$ as shipping on single pieces is expensive!).
I had my email open in one window and ebay in the other window and as I'd "commit to buy" more items, I'd get an email telling me "Mark @ 8020" made shipping adjustments on my commit to buy invoice. :thumbup:
I ordered a total of 34 extrusions and my adjusted total on shipping was $173.50.
If I had bought them on their amazon store.. the single unit shipping charges would have added up to over $600 (ranging from $18 to $26 per piece). :crazy:
As well, the amazon store didn't have all the part numbers I wanted in stock whereas their ebay store did (I went with 15 series LS (light & smooth) for everything.. amazon didn't have the smooth.
One of the things I changed up a bit is my upper wall mounting at the back. I opted to go for "tighter" 3075 so if I pull the 8020 out of the van the is less intrusion from the wall. It is also "double rail" so it gives me two height options.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41rsxY0A2YL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
All of the "hit your head on it" corners in the upper cabinets are going to be 1517-LS which will hopefully reduce the number of stitches my scalp is going to require over the years :smirk:
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/80-20-T-Slot-Aluminum-Extrusion-15-S-1517-LS-x-96-5-N-/22/!BrenE1!!2k~$(KGrHqQH-CQEu1u5gZyhBLz1RtED6Q~~_35.JPG
the downside to the 1517 is that now I'm going to have to order 4 of those rounded corners at $22 each
http://www.reidsupply.com/images/products/300/AES-40-4443_Image1.jpg
Graphite Dave
11-04-2011, 12:13 AM
One comment. My upper cabinets do not have any rail against the van side. I have a 1 1/2" sq. bolted to the roof with angle clips to two ribs. Down from that I have 3 verticals with a bottom 1 1/2" sq. the same length and parallel to the one bolted to the roof. I only have two 58" long upper cabinets at the rear on each side. At the bottom of this front "wall" I have three 1 1/2" sq. 80/20 going back to the wall. One in the middle and one at each end. I then bolted a vertical 1 1/2" x 3/16 angle to the wall and then to the side of the 80/20. That works fine and is very rigid. The angle compensates for the 10 degree wall angle. The bottom of my cabinets are 15 1/4" down from the roof and 12 1/4" out from the wall. I was concerned about knocking my head on the cabinets but think I am about right for their size. My bed platform is 32" above the 1 1/2" thick floor. I use about 3" of foam and pad for the cushion. I can sit up in bed without hitting my head and can get out of bed without hitting my head. Suggest you do a mockup (cardboard?)to determine if the cabinet size is correct.
I would change on thing from my design if I did it again. Instead of the angles bolted to the side of the 80/20 at the wall I would use a clip on top each of the horizontal 80/20's and bolt those to the wall. Reason: It would look nicer when you look at the bottom of the cabinets. In my case I am using 1/2" plywood as the end covering. The plywood bolts to the tapped center holes of the two 58" long horizontal 80/20's. Looks nice and eliminates the sharp ends of the 80/20. Pictures in "orton DIY - overhead cabinets" post.
Thanks for the input Dave :cheers:
Graphite Dave
11-04-2011, 03:36 AM
Just remembered what I did to test the location of the cabinets. Did not use cardboard. Just jury rigged a length of rope where the edge of the cabinets would be. Since I had the table and seats done I could get up and down from the seats to see where I wanted the edge of the cabinet. Also checked the location getting in and out of bed. Changed the location until I got something that worked.
I'm playing with "80/20 intersections".
The rounded stock I have covered with those fancy little round ends... but for the lower cabinets I'm looking at different types of intersections...
I decided to try a 45 miter corner. Downside: non-adjustable (one of 80/20s strongest points) but for intersections where the length is definite.. I thought it might look cleaner
Comparison of the diablo blade's teeth:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Np7vD4T/0/L/IMG4157-L.jpg
Gotta love the laser
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-NMwZNFL/0/L/IMG4158-L.jpg
45 degrees clamped down
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-87H63WQ/0/L/IMG4160-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4DkrCf8/0/L/IMG4161-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Dkg9XZv/0/L/IMG4162-L.jpg
So the question becomes:
Is it "too sharp" of a corner? I wonder if there is an elegant way to take some of the sharpness off without it looking like some hack went at it with a grinder?
Hit it with the router!
How are you going to join them?
Personally, I would go with stock cast corners, per some of your posts above. Seems more expensive, but it's part of the look.
Graphite Dave
11-08-2011, 04:47 PM
Attached is a picture of what I did to cover sharp ends. 1/2" plywood end cap bolted to tapped center hole in the extrusion. I used knobs so I can access the space behind the panel. Worked well.
PithyCat
11-10-2011, 12:36 AM
Hi! I'm new to this site and this world of crafty sprinter enthusiasts! The picture you posted of you finished back corner has my dying to see more photographs of your sprinter. Are they posted somewhere?
Thanks in advance,
PithyCat
Graphite Dave
11-10-2011, 12:44 AM
Search "orton DIY" for all the postings. There is a lot of information on this site. I post each part of the build because it will help others as I have been helped.
definitely do the search.. if you do an advanced search under "threads started by" and "graphite dave" you can narrow it down to just Dave's invaluable "ORTON DIY" threads.
I've learned so much from them... :cheers:
I have 34 sticks of 80/20 supposed to be delivered by UPS tomorrow.... :popcorn:
Looks innocent enough... 4 boxes.
The bottom two boxes are over 98 inches long.
Weights:
65lbs
70lbs
43lbs
42lbs
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8VDTG7z/0/L/IMG4168-L.jpg
Packaging is simple but effective. There are sheets of paper between each stick so they do no mar eachother, the entire bundle is then plastic wrapped and then cardboard wrapped with a wood block on each end to protect them:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5bKKZPP/0/L/IMG4169-L.jpg
..and the results.
The far left sticks are 4 feet long each.
The near left sticks are 6 feet long each.
The right side sticks and the stick on the bench are 8 feet long.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-bgZsjSn/0/L/IMG4170-L.jpg
There are 4 different profiles I'm using at this point:
Typical 4 sided 2 slot.
3 sided 2 slot with one smooth.
Rounded + 2 slots
and double one sided rails.
Now the real work begins :wtf:
My back hurts already :bounce:
After much consideration and looking at every possible permutation and combination of materials... Cheryl & I both fell in love with a vintage maple. :thumbup:
Playing with it today... here's an idea of what the cabinets are going to look like:
(it actually looks a little lighter in color than these photos.. the iphone over saturated it a bit).
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jCwZSLb/0/XL/IMG4225-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mfmwRxQ/1/XL/1-IMG4225-XL.jpg
I picked up a router and a router table so I can plain the edge of the wood to fit into the 80/20 slots. I tested one and it works really well!
If I get the groove depth perfect the wood is a press fit so there is no play in the panel at all :thumbup:
The maple looks great. Good choice.
The first piece of 8020 has officially been attached to the van :bounce:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-rfQrrbk/0/L/IMG4228-L.jpg
Yeah.. I know the insulation isn't done. I'm kinda jumping around which is giving me a greater appreciation of the scope of the project (i.e. ruh roh).
It is going to be a while before I get to put any of this in there... :cry:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-k2vDSVC/0/L/IMG4218-L.jpg
More 8020 connectors just showed up...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gTmSmkW/0/M/IMG4232-M.jpg
This guy is an alignment jig for drilling holes in 15 series
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-H6Pg7Tv/0/M/IMG4233-M.jpg
...and here's the upper cabinet corner connectors that are going to save me from going to the hospital for scalp stitches :smilewink:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-LvPdKC2/0/M/IMG4235-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wtBpWcq/0/M/IMG4236-M.jpg
Einstein-the-cat has a strange fascination with 8020.. :thinking:
Connectors = 8020 versatility?
standard t-slot nut. allows you to slide whatever you are fastening to it anywhere along the channel that you like
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-djHPvT9/0/L/IMG4240-L.jpg
"roll-in" t-slot nut with spring-loaded ball. If you have your assembly all together and want to add something later without taking it apart.. these guys roll into the channel without needing an end to slide in :thumb
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-fhHqvr9/0/L/IMG4241-L.jpg
these guys are the opposite.. giving you a stud anywhere along the channel you want to attach an item:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-k4r9v8W/0/L/IMG4239-L.jpg
These guys are the strongest corner anchor 8020 makes. They do require some drilling/machining to countersink. I'll be using these on the main corner intersections of the bed to make sure it is strong enough.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BsrVcJg/0/L/IMG4238-L.jpg
These other connectors are ones I've shown before - I'll be using them for various intersections:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-nV5nBQD/0/L/smugshot8834089-L.jpg
I actually bent one of these $9 jobbies :eek::frown:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-C8NRTVF/0/L/smugshot1694369-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-xPR6dFR/0/L/smugshot4158715-L.jpg
with all of these connectors.. bolt lengths become pretty important. You need bolts that go in far enough to fasten securely but not so far that they bottom out in the t-slot. :deal
Graphite Dave
11-15-2011, 05:20 PM
I only used one of the connectors shown. Mostly used carriage bolts with aluminum angles. Cut angles to 1 1/2" length and drilled two holes. Used both 1 1/2" x 3/16" and 2" x 3/16" angles. In a corner with two carriage bolts, you have to use the 2" angle so you can get the nuts on the bolts. The disadvantage of using the carriage bolts is you can not add the bolt later if you do not have access to the end of the 80/20 to slide in the carriage bolt. Then you have to use the drop in nuts.
The only purchased connector I used was the # 3368 "90 degree inside corner connector". (Sixth picture in your above post) Used the # 3368 where I inset a plywood panel into the framework. Did not want to see the ends of a fabricated angle in the corner.
The first picture shows 2" angles for corner connection. Second picture shows the 90 degree corner connector in a joint. Third picture shows the flatbar used to attach panels to the 80/20. (Bolts to 80/20 and has a tapped hole to bolt on panel.)
NOTHING in a sprinter is square... the entire van is tapered like a space shuttle :wtf:
Notice the floor piece isn't parallel because it runs into the corner...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-FS7Cf9Q/0/L/IMG4245-L.jpg
Hey! Now it is! :bounce:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5C3tSg4/0/L/IMG4246-L.jpg
Have I mentioned I love my miter saw? :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qNzD9nb/0/L/IMG4247-L.jpg
After lots of fussing around and doing things wrong a few times (the learning curve)..
Voila!
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4G9r8Xf/0/XL/IMG4257-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BrQjxHb/0/XL/IMG4254-XL.jpg
:bounce:
Yeah.. I'll probably have to take it all apart again but at least it got me excited to see what it is eventually going to look like. :crazy:
I'm considering layering the inside of each cabinet panel with luxury liner pro. It is less than the thickness of the wood/aluminum overlap and could fit quite nicely.
Theory: It'll make the van even quieter (and block out annoying sounds if something in the cabinet (like snowshoes) is rattling).
Only got 1.5 hours to work on it today. Hopefully it will warm up enough tomorrow I can use spray contact cement to adhere some LLP sheets to the back of each wooden panel
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-CxcM7M5/0/L/IMG4293-L.jpg
beachbum57
11-20-2011, 11:57 AM
Very nice work, Geek!:thumbup:
Dave: I'm following your lead :cheers:
I needed a connector I didn't have so I made it :bounce:
Cut off a 5 inch strip of 1" aluminum...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-C6tgxzH/0/M/IMG4298-M.jpg
drill three holes in it
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-sFF7k8N/0/M/IMG4299-M.jpg
grind all the sharp edges off and load it with fasteners..
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-QWqNpX6/0/M/IMG4301-M.jpg
..and voila. A custom connnector that fits the space :thumbs
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-G2FK24B/0/M/IMG4303-M.jpg
Graphite Dave
11-20-2011, 03:10 PM
I made all the connectors except where I needed the 90 degree inside corner connector #3368. Most of the bolts used were 5/16-18NC carriage bolts with serrated flange nuts. I see that you bought the extrusions without the surface lines which are now available from 80/20. Just got a new catalog and see some new parts that would be useful. One is the corner bracket part # 14113 with cover # 12043 that could be used on the overhead cabinets. They also have a lighter weight extrusion that I would have used part # 1515-ULS . For our use strength is not an issue but weight is. The roll in nut part # 3311 I would have used so I could lock the nut where I wanted it.
Looks like you are making progress. Looks good so far.
viewmaster
11-20-2011, 04:12 PM
This is a great build up!
I've never seen the 80/20 stuff in action so I went to their website and
watched the videos...requested a catalog. The posibilities are endless!
It was a chilly day in Colorado. Pretty much in the 30s all day.
When I started cleaning the garage this morning it was below freezing :thumbdown:
Cheryl spent the day "damplifying". Thanks sweetie! :hugs:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-D6sRNKN/0/M/IMG4310-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zWSmc7M/0/L/IMG4312-L.jpg
Her next task is to put LLP in all of the same places..
It is too cold to use the spray glue.. hopefully over the thanksgiving holiday we'll get time.
I did some experimenting :professor:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-JNLmPjm/0/L/IMG4323-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-XhQDP7D/0/L/IMG4322-L.jpg
...and in the sun
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-6zS2VDd/0/L/IMG4327-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-bDwXbrx/0/XL/IMG4330-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VmGxrRw/0/L/IMG4325-L.jpg
I need to take the floor out again (this was mainly a test just to see if we liked the look).. but we're both very happy with the results... we love the warmth of the wood's color.
I probably won't put the floor back in until we're near done to avoid wear & tear during construction.
businessword.com
11-20-2011, 09:39 PM
What a great read. I'll never do a project like this, but it's great fun to read a "Mechanics Illustrated" on the forum. You're a great technical writer.
dukepilot
11-20-2011, 10:28 PM
That floor looks way too nice! Great job with build project:clapping:
I can't believe I've put 10,000 miles on the thing already :frown:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-v6XZdQj/0/L/IMG4365-L.jpg
I stopped by the dealership and had the 10K service done.
They have a few Sprinters in stock if anyone's looking :hmmm:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-v28v93J/0/L/IMG4368-L.jpg
They also had this $220,000 piece of gull-wing-goodness there for me to drool over while I was waiting :rad:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-TQMGCWq/0/L/IMG4370-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WCfn6hQ/0/L/IMG4369-L.jpg
Nbulken
11-24-2011, 02:27 PM
http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6cd8e03-79f9-5d98.jpg
I'm at the tire shop and they have to hand jack it... It won't fit on the lift. LOL
yeah, most shops don't like to see a raised roof roll in.
My local tire shop has found it much quicker to have 2 bays set up with 4 pump jacks, they do free rotations, just stop by, ask which bay, they get it in the air and do the rotation in about 15 minutes total... they Also have full boogie bays where they have all the lifts etc. when nesc.
We were going to go snowboarding today and work on the van tomorrow but it is windy today and not tomorrow so we switched days.
I started the day by building the rail for the right side mounting to the van...
First cut the 8 foot rail down to legth and then mark the location of the 6 holes:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-SVBv7s3/0/L/IMG4374-L.jpg
Using the drill jig drill the 6 holes:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-TFZRcXD/0/L/IMG4375-L.jpg
...they end up coming out perfect thanks to the jig.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mpfg874/0/L/IMG4376-L.jpg
...and voila. The other rail is mounted to the van (again with a little bit of knuckle busting to get the nuts on the backsides.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-7FQzqTF/0/L/IMG4377-L.jpg
Cheryl spent the day cutting and gluing luxury liner pro into the slots... she's doing a great job (compare this to the photo above.. which has the black damplifier vibration damping only.. and then below the mass loaded vinyl and closed cell foam glued on):
right rear
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4HsgHP4/0/L/IMG4390-L.jpg
left middle
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zGkXfRk/0/L/IMG4389-L.jpg
I decided to change something in my cabinet design... the rear panels have to be assembled the way that they are because of the door hinge access... but the front panels do not have to be this way:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-j49FJBB/0/L/IMG4378-L.jpg
...by "this way" I'm referring to the fact that the closest corner has a full height vertical, but the wall side has a vertical that is inset in the two horizontals. I don't have an option in the back but in the front I can make things look better.
In the back.. the vertical is inset to allow the door hinge to fit:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4G9r8Xf/0/L/IMG4257-L.jpg
So, I pulled the panel...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3xntxhQ/0/L/IMG4388-L.jpg
..and am now making it with parallels. Looks tidier :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-pSgqmmS/0/L/IMG4381-L.jpg
I then cut out a piece of LLP...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8CMmbTB/0/L/IMG4382-L.jpg
..and laminated the inside.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8TXMTbS/0/L/IMG4384-L.jpg
I now have one very quiet cabinet wall :thumbup:
I built the vertical walls for the right side cabinets as well.. but I'm waiting on UPS to show up with the end connectors so I can put it all together.
They are supposed to be here Monday along with the live hinges for the bed platform that bridges the gap. :popcorn:
PithyCat
11-26-2011, 01:18 AM
Great post *Geek*!!
I am shopping for my sprinter still and following all you experts here-- keeping the dream alive.
I didn't realize until now - and maybe I got this wrong- but seems you're sound proofing/deadening the interior of your benches/beds/cabinets??
Also, one more question? Looks like you're using Maple Wood? And you're finishing (sanding+ clear coat) prior to install? Is it slipped right in that grove or held in with hardware? Thickness of wood is??
Thanks so much! You two have fun snowboarding, can't wait for your next progress report!
Sent from PithyCat's iPhone using Tapatalk
Graphite Dave
11-26-2011, 01:22 AM
Looking good! What are you doing to keep the panels from rattling? Did you cut the wood so it is a tight fit? They do make a rubber gasket to press in between the panel and the 80/20 if you were using a 1/4" panel. Good idea offseting the rear vertical to give a place for the hinge channel to retract into.
Dave: I'm using a router and recessing a 1/4" groove around the outside of the panels that makes it a precision fit. They press in the slots and stay put; no slot gasket necessary. :cheers:
Pithycat: we are sound damping the entire van's shell (we pulled the dashboard and did from the firewall all the way back; the photos are earlier in this thread) with a layer of damplifier and then a layer of luxury liner pro (which is a bonded mass loaded vinyl and closed cell foam) to be followed with some reflectex insulation.
I'm also doing the back of each cabinet panel with the LLP. I think that with items like snow shoes, flyrods, helmets & such in the cabinets it'll help reduce squeaks &such from the contents.
re: how the wood is mounted - see my reply to Dave above... it's all precision fit without hardware. The floor is the same. It lays in place with fit; no hardware necessary.
When we got back from snowboarding I was happy to find some of my connectors had arrived... specifically my end connectors.
When making a 3 way corner junction... you need a bit of a trick to be able to do inset panels like I'm doing in that any connector hardware you use is going to block up one of the tracks.
These guys to the rescue :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-HgpMw6s/0/M/IMG4399-M.jpg
It is a way for you to connect an intersection without an external bracket.
First you tap the end of the piece you are going to bolt into:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5gJhLLZ/0/M/IMG4408-M.jpg
80/20 is super easy to tap thanks to the design of the holes.. the cut material just falls through while you cut.. no need for "back and forth". :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-JdvLJpS/0/M/IMG4409-M.jpg
Next.. I take the jig I bought:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Nd2GD7v/0/M/IMG4417-M.jpg
and mount it flush with the end and then run the drill press all the way through
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jKwgMks/0/M/IMG4397-M.jpg
This gives me a hole that is in perfect alignment with the threaded hole in the end stock.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kNWv56j/0/M/IMG4402-M.jpg
Why do I need this hole? For allen wrench access to tighten the two pieces together
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-F24KT8k/0/M/IMG4403-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-crX57Lv/0/M/IMG4400-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mkzB2Bh/0/M/IMG4401-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-rDsGnT3/0/M/IMG4411-M.jpg
You tighten it down and you have a firm end connection :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-x75ppPR/0/M/IMG4412-M.jpg
with only a minor slot intrusion
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-vLWgJKn/0/M/IMG4414-M.jpg
When doing a piece that slides into another, you can "preload" the extrusion
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-fvvhKtp/0/M/IMG4424-M.jpg
slide it in.. then snug it down on both ends.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-73NCzdn/0/M/IMG4418-M.jpg
Doing things "right" takes time.
When I did the first panel a few weeks ago... it was "close". I was just "throwing it together" but it came out so nice I thought I could live with it. It turns out my opening was just slightly bigger than the exact width of 6 of my boards :censored: I put it together with spacers and gaped it even on both ends: nobody would ever notice.
But it was bugging me.
So I took it all apart and did it again... right.
With the new end connectors I had to notch the wood to go around them. No big deal... 30 seconds with the dremel
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Gd9VXZV/0/M/IMG4419-M.jpg
..and voila
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BzD5bq9/0/M/IMG4420-M.jpg
Insetting both ends and I had a great fit:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dhkP4kR/0/M/IMG4421-M.jpg
However, after insetting the proper 4/10ths, the gap was significant on the other end.
8/10ths of an inch significant.
So I fired up the table saw and went after making just the right size 8/10ths by 21.1" piece with 4/10ths routing on 3 sides... and then notching it so that it'd fit around the end connector as well. Ended up being quite a complicated little strip.
...but the effort was worth it :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Q35CtJm/0/M/IMG4429-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2F8JzdB/0/M/IMG4428-M.jpg
The results: One "perfect" panel. (or perfect enough for me :bounce: )
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VtB57Mf/0/L/IMG4427-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-hC7WDqv/0/L/IMG4426-L.jpg
...now only 2450852408x10e23 to go. :wtf:
Graphite Dave
11-27-2011, 12:41 AM
Thanks for taking the time for the write up and photo's. I am sure a lot of people will appreciate the effort.
Frosty_1
11-27-2011, 03:35 PM
Geek,
Progress on your van looks great! A few questions for ya:
Are those maple boards pre-finished? Where did you find them?
What kind of router bit are you using? And a router table? I have limited router experience and have never used a table. Any chance you have a photo showing what the routered end of the board looks like?
Also, love that jig for drilling. I don't have a drill press, but am thinking about picking up a cheapy to re-do my wheel well boxes. I don't like the connectors I used and think I should re-do them similar to yours.
It's been so cold and RAINY here I haven't got much done on my van. Your photos and write-up are great though!
:cheers:
f.
brianmcgaha
11-27-2011, 09:38 PM
Looks like one of the products from http://www.lumberliquidators.com/home.jsp?Wt.ps_id=PS_google_1013&gclid=CLKY7b7v16wCFckZQgod5AeOrA
I do residential remodelling and this prefinished hardwood is being used more and more often. Easy to install, and no dust or fumes in the house vs. an onsite sand and finish.
In a light "economical" RV, not sure if I would want the weight in hardwood to carry around.
Great job on the build and the documentation, definetly following along. I think we have similar taste in purpose for the van. :)
Frosty:
Here's the material we're using: http://millsteadwoodfloors.com/products.php
It is the "vintage maple natural". :thumbup:
http://millsteadwoodfloors.com/images/large/maple_natural_ROOM.jpg
The router bit is just a standard square cut bit... the wood is 10mm thick and I need it about 8 mm thick and 4mm wide inset so I plane the edge of any wood that's going into a slot with it.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-JMXDzCR/0/M/IMG4432-M.jpg
..and this is the groove it cuts:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-CWKqR3b/0/M/IMG4441-M.jpg
Hope this helps :cheers:
I picked up the combo router/table at home depot really cheap.. I think in combo it was $99. It works well enough for what I'm doing :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-22R42DM/0/L/IMG4431-L.jpg
Today was a bit of a frustrating day.
I finished the luxury liner pro on the left side front face I redid
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Mztkhtr/0/M/IMG4430-M.jpg
..and mounted it in the van :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BswdsRw/0/M/IMG4433-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-9BfBbP3/0/M/IMG4434-M.jpg
then I finished the right side panel and mounted it in the van
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-ZLrSZdM/0/M/IMG4436-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5NP6FpX/0/M/IMG4438-M.jpg
...as I start to back build the box, the frustration kicks in.
NOTHING in this van is linear or parallel. Yes, I already knew this but didn't realize just how much this would come into play until I start to have to make certain surfaces parallel.
My long floor rails must be parallel for the flooring and my upper rails must be parallel for the flip up bed modules. Everything has to key off of these measurements and although something might be square and perfect.. it is not square and perfect to the van's surfaces.. so every part needs to be custom tended to... measurements become somewhat irrelevant other than in the distances you need to be equal.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-n7qBhH5/0/M/IMG4439-M.jpg
The boxes are square are square and parallel (ignore the lens distortion) but each added piece shows another curve of the van needing attention.
It all stems from the fact that my "main rails" that are mounted on the van's sides are significantly further apart at the front than they are at the back due to the "boat shape" of the van. If I was super OCD I'd spend time mitering slightly every piece that bolts to them :bounce:
Graphite Dave
11-27-2011, 11:30 PM
Put spacers behind "main rails" so they are same distance apart front to back.
daxxten
11-28-2011, 01:55 AM
Thanks Geek
Looks great!
How did your soundproofing work out?
I just picked up a 2012 crew 170 & am starting to take apart the headliner & wall panels to see how much CLD to get. Lots of rumble coming from the window panel sheet metal with every bump.
georgetg
11-28-2011, 05:41 PM
Tambour Door source:
IKEA
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/effektiv-wall-cabinet__0096989_PE237196_S4.JPG
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S59864468/
The tambour door is available as a separate piece, something like $70-80
Includes the tracks and all the trim and lock...
It used to be solid aluminum, now its PP with an aluminum overlay
Cheers
George
I received some corner plates and living hinges in the mail today
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-bCxxMDk/0/L/IMG4449-L.jpg
...when shopping for the hinges I was looking for the strongest I could find - these are the main bed "flip up flip down" hinges so they have to be able to support a few hundred pounds.
They are massive! I think they are up to the task :smilewink:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Kv4rFGG/0/L/IMG4450-L.jpg
:thumbup:
This is not "work outside on the van weather" :rant:
The forecast high today and tomorrow is 23 degrees (-6).
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-trwkG3Q/0/L/IMG4458-L.jpg
damn mag chloride
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kx9WdTS/0/L/IMG4459-L.jpg
I'm in warming up at the moment.. but the goal is to get the bed done today.
Working on the "living hinge" assembly
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jRXtgj2/0/L/IMG4468-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-TwQF9hm/0/L/IMG4471-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cF7RDgq/0/L/IMG4470-L.jpg
up
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dHWQBBw/0/L/IMG4475-L.jpg
down - 1/2 gap :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-k38Ng64/0/L/IMG4476-L.jpg
now I'm going to head to home depot and see if I can convince the guy with the panel saw to cut me a 66" piece of plywood that is 17.5" at one end but 17.25" at the other end :huh I'm sure if I try and do it with my table saw I'll wreck three pieces before I get it right.
:popcorn:
p.s. For all the complaining I've done about my stereo... I'm really digging the bluetooth connection. I can leave my iphone in my pocket and stop/change/start tunes any time I want without having to go into the van :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4fHwPK7/0/L/IMG4473-L.jpg
For working in the winter, I backed my van up to the garage (single opening) and used a large piece of plastic to create a seal between the two. I then added a cheap propane 14kbtu propane heater and ran that mostly in the van, occasionally in the shop. A 15 lb cylinder might last the whole wknd.
Graphite Dave
12-03-2011, 07:03 PM
70 degrees here. Sorry could not resist. When I am hooked up to 120 volt power, I have used a small 1500 watt ceramic heater that has two heat settings and a thermostat. It was $20.00. Just reread this. A Ca. native should not be suggesting a little heater to fight that kind of cold. Just a lack of experience I guess.
I received some corner plates and living hinges in the mail today
...when shopping for the hinges I was looking for the strongest I could find - these are the main bed "flip up flip down" hinges so they have to be able to support a few hundred pounds.
:thumbup:
:bow:Thanks for the great visual. Because of your work, I have an 8020 catalog on its way. Will I find the Living hinges, "flip up flip down" in the catalog?
:bow:Thanks for the great visual. Because of your work, I have an 8020 catalog on its way. Will I find the Living hinges, "flip up flip down" in the catalog?
There are TONS of hinge options (including all the pieces you need to build your own).. the catalog takes a bit to get a grip on.. but it is definitely thorough (1300+ pages?)
These living hinges are actually:
a dual generic pivot nub (pivot nub without the t-slot hole on bottom)
2-90 degree brackets
brass bushings and delron spacers
6 - t-slot fasteners.
We'll see how this turns out... not sure yet.
The idea with the bed frame is that it has three positions.
We use a queen size air mattress, duvet, pillows, etc (just as comfy as home :evil) when we are on the road. The platform will be down with the bed on top.
If on the road we want to "store the bed and bedding" the idea is that you pull the plug on the air mattress (it is one of those "electric pump built in" defaltes/inflates in a minute) and then push the bedding, mattress and everything to the passenger side of the vehicle, flip up the platform and clip it to the bottom of the overhead cabinets.
When night time comes and you wanna sleep, you flip it down, hit the button on the air mattress and 60 seconds later you have a queen sized bed again.
I'll fill the bottom of the platform with some of the matching hardwood so when flipped up it matches the rest of the cabinets.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-8phnX4M/0/L/IMG4480-L.jpg
When not using the bed (for work, etc), the platform can swing down and out of the way.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-XLTwtC8/0/L/downIMG4481-L.jpg
Or... with 4 bolts, the platform can easily be removed from the van completely in literally 30 seconds.
The top of all the platform is going to be carpet (we picked out a nice looking steel-blue carpet today.. I bought 96 feet of it so we should have plenty :smirk: ). I'm also going to carpet the sidewalls for the 5000+ mile trip we're going to take later this month (although the side-wall carpet will probably be replaced down the road...)
http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/35/3537a8f0-0dd6-4b8d-b6d8-e6a864253c73_300.jpg
Frosty_1
12-04-2011, 04:22 AM
Edward,
Looks fantastic. If you make it my way please holler for a beer or three. :cheers: When the rain stops I hope to work more. :thumb up:
f.
mean_in_green
12-04-2011, 07:16 AM
Are you sure about the inflatable mattress though - they're so uncomfortable? Have a look at Thermarest or similar?
Hi Simon :cheers:
We've had this particular queen size air mattress for years and we love it. We have quite an extensive collection of thermarests, big agnes mattresses, etc.. and none of them are anywhere near as comfortable as this old thing. It is about 8 inches thick and I sleep like a baby on it :bounce:
The driver's side box is bigger than the passenger side box.. the idea there is that when I'm by myself with a dirtbike in the back, I can sleep on that box using a thermarest dream.
http://www.nexternal.com/armynavy/images/Thermarest-Dreamtime.gif
cheers,
Edward
p.s. we camp quite a bit. Summer of 2010 I slept in a tent a total of 51 nights off my adventure bikes between May and October all over Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Adventure-Riding/2010/May-6-Great-Sand-Dunes/tent/860206189_L5ske-L.jpg
I take back all of my weather whining from yesterday.
The radio just said the windchill today is -4f (-20).
Today my fingers will stick to the aluminum :smirk:
:censored:
Graphite Dave
12-04-2011, 03:06 PM
If your trip takes you north of SF, I would like to see your van. We have a place to park and a taste of the local prduct.
JayGannon
12-04-2011, 03:27 PM
Quick unrelated question, what fisheye is that your using? Nikon 10.5mm?
Dave: this particular trip will be taking us to Key West... but thanks for the invite! :cheers:
Jay: Sony NEX-5 with 16mm pancake and fisheye adapter
I like it because it packs small on the bike
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Adventure-Riding/2011/Sept-20-Pearl-Pass/i-gp7P5Lq/0/XL/1-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Adventure-Riding/2011/Sept-20-Pearl-Pass/i-Fv4DWvK/0/XL/4-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/Random/smugshot5565107/1147065374_SLMBf-L.jpg
I've been slowly making good progress on the cabinets/bed frames today.
I'm in for a bit getting my core temperature back up.
I had a few things I had to figure out.. basically coming up with solutions to account for the tapering of the van.
I built these "sliders" to allow me the adjustability I needed - worked out really well :thumbsup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-PgP8SWr/0/L/IMG4482-L.jpg
Two Tips working with 80/20 in a van:
Tip 1) built from the "center out" - figure out what needs to be square, make it square, and then built out from there (in this case the flip up module and the floor isle).
Tip 2) frame everything up with the 8020 loose... then get your measurements where you need them and start tightening out from there. You actually have quite a bit of a play available in your combination of fasteners to get things exactly where you want them
Everything loose.. adjustments being made:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BVrsgpr/0/L/IMG4486-L.jpg
This is the amount of taper adjustment from front to back:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Vhw9Z3R/0/L/IMG4492-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qpQnpM7/0/L/IMG4494-L.jpg
Shimming and adjusting gaps before tightening:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tpvdphD/0/L/IMG4483-L.jpg
Due to the size of these cabinets, I decided to put an extra cross brace on every box. Rather than use up all of my expensive 8020 fasteners ($3-$4 each :crazy: ) I made up a bunch specifically for the cross braces:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4KJCmjp/0/L/IMG4496-L.jpg
Love the laser.. makes it quick and easy to drill a bunch of holes
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wHD64V5/0/L/IMG4497-L.jpg
Touch them all on the grinder to take away any burrs:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-LCBMckz/0/L/IMG4498-L.jpg
..and this is how they are used on all of the T-intersections:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-qR3PtWt/0/L/IMG4499-L.jpg
Here's the carpet we're using:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-PDb2hKC/0/L/IMG4488-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wDCJ276/0/L/IMG4489-L.jpg
Putting in the cross braces:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-fxQRHGm/0/L/IMG4500-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-hTQKwwM/0/L/IMG4503-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-KzWc4ng/0/L/IMG4504-L.jpg
Which brings me to where I am now:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tws3859/0/L/IMG4507-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kPLKrSv/0/L/IMG4511-L.jpg
A couple of notes:
The current swinging bed platform is not what the final design is going to be. This is the "working design" that's going to get us through this 5000 mile drive. Made necessary due to not all my hinges arriving in time.
The final design will have the hinged platfrom cut in half. There will be hinges on both sides and each half will swing up or down over it's own cabinet. This will cause the gaps to be equal (unlike they are now) and will allow my final "connector design" to function. As for this trip, I just have some brackets the platform sits on (I'm going to bolt it down for the trip.. we won't be opening it).
ok.. back out to the garage to try and figure out how to carpet those sheets of plywood :idunno:
:smirk:
:cheers:
beachbum57
12-04-2011, 08:28 PM
Amazing! Such quality workmanship and ingenuity! I really enjoy following the builds that people post on here and thank you for taking the time to post yours. Have a good trip!:clapping:
Graphite Dave
12-04-2011, 10:01 PM
Looks very good. Nice solution for the bed platform. You are at about the same height as mine.
Your fabricated flatbar brackets sure look familiar. I used the same 3 hole straps to hold up the overhead cabinets. I have 3 of them on each side coming down from the 80/20 that is bolted to the Sprinter roof ribs. Have a good trip.
I know diddly squat about carpet. I'm trying to figure this out as I go...
First I had to take some off the boards to compensate for the carpet's thickness
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-N8xgkG6/0/L/IMG4513-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-LSDRfdF/0/L/IMG4514-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-fpQzDK7/0/L/IMG4515-L.jpg
I cut a piece out and stuck down some double sided acrylic tape...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-xrbStPM/0/L/IMG4516-L.jpg
I have no idea how to do the corners.
:thinking:
So I did them like I'd "wrap a present" :smirk:
First I tried putting the sides over the end.. Second I tried putting the end over the sides.
The second one worked out better but it is still not great.
After folding over on to the tape, I used a staple gun to fasten it. This powershot stapler is awesome.. it has some sort of mechanism in it that accelerates the staples. It is soooo much easier to use than the traditional staple gun.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-nRfFNMc/0/L/IMG4517-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-skXPfMH/0/L/IMG4519-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Tczbqwb/0/L/IMG4518-L.jpg
First piece in
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GXwV3qK/0/L/IMG4521-L.jpg
I'm thinking about taking the stock side wall and carpeting its surface to match...
I'm hoping I can do it with spray-contact cement? :dunno
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3NRHcVn/0/L/IMG4526-L.jpg
..and at this point I decided I've had enough of the cold for the day.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tqgR9Rd/0/L/IMG4528-L.jpg
...to be continued.
JayGannon
12-04-2011, 10:58 PM
Thanks for the replay, seriously impressed with the quality of the NEX. I might have to get one of those with an M mount for some leica fun.
Nbulken
12-05-2011, 12:40 PM
Geek,
incredible build, reminds me of this one (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/34294-building-the-Bullet-XV) over on the Expediition Portal. The Bullet is a conversion putting a custom camper on a Sterling Cab & Chassis, using a U-haul as a donor for much of the shell hardware, but it came out stunning! Here's a link (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/34294-building-the-Bullet-XV?p=894413#post894413) to the 'finished product'.
X2 on the NEX feedback, I want to get one of those for my photo studio... using it for 2nd shooter at weddings and for real estate tour photos (mounted on a pole so I can get an 'elevated' shot without killing myself)
careful with that powershot, buddy of mine put a staple through his thumb while working on a project at my woodshop (actually on the shop itself)... he switched to the powershot from a traditional stapler... let's just say it almost turned ugly...)
The Bullet is a conversion putting a custom camper on a Sterling Cab & Chassis, using a U-haul as a donor for much of the shell hardware, but it came out stunning!
WOW! This man has some serious fab skills. I have been put in my place.
http://bulletxv.wordpress.com/ <---- doesn't require a login, click through blog updates on right.
Nbulken
12-06-2011, 12:30 PM
WOW! This man has some serious fab skills. I have been put in my place.
http://bulletxv.wordpress.com/ <---- doesn't require a login, click through blog updates on right.
I forgot he blogged that, since I followed it on the forums :thumbup:
you want to see some fab skills, theres another build over on the expo forums, guy is building (it's about 90% complete) a camper on a C5500 Topkick Crew-cab 4x4 medium duty cab & Chassis, the camper is self contained as far as power and what not (separate from the chassis that is), and is made of some pretty cool composite panels, all custom fabricated.
For those who don't mind the forum, here's (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/45835-C5500-TopKick-4x4-Crew-Cab-Build?p=661060#post661060) the link.
atulin
12-06-2011, 01:34 PM
For those who don't mind the forum, here's (http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/45835-C5500-TopKick-4x4-Crew-Cab-Build?p=661060#post661060) the link.
Thanks for the link :thumbup: That build is really impressive.
Textile shopping makes my brain hurt.
We're leaving next week on a 5500 mile (the number keeps climbing as we add destinations) road trip and we're planning on doing quite a bit of urban-stealth camping.
So I needed some privacy curtains that block light.
holy heck there are 2458340x10e23 patterns and colors to choose from.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2XQXn2m/0/S/IMG4533-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-xxHx6Qb/0/S/IMG4535-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-kLjgCJx/0/S/IMG4534-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-xM76M3n/0/S/IMG4536-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-5mRhF4G/0/S/IMG4538-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Wf64fCh/0/S/IMG4537-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-MPwQmH7/0/S/IMG4539-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-vsqcDhq/0/S/IMG4540-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Zwk6DHj/0/S/IMG4532-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zxVpkWt/0/S/IMG4543-S.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-fQs5kGZ/0/S/IMG4542-S.jpg
...after 3 different stores my head was swimming.
I was about to give up and send Cheryl out this weekend to pick something when I came across this:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Znf2N3V/0/L/IMG4541-L.jpg
Woot!
I'm a really big fan of earth tones.. and I really like "sand" color because it is bright and cheery. I'm also a big fan of the texture because every surface in the van is very "hard" up until this point. I found exactly what I was looking for. :thumbup:
I bought the entire roll. I'm not sure exactly how it'll be incorporated in the final design of the van.. but I'm running out of time for next week's departure so I came up with a solution that'll work just fine for the next few weeks :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zm7XBqd/0/L/IMG4557-L.jpg
the drape hanging on the ceiling is the one that covers the sliding door window when needed.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3f3fRWk/0/L/IMG4547-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-ppNfcrt/0/L/IMG4553-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-c89sN7p/0/L/IMG4552-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Tdg8xJ4/0/L/IMG4549-L.jpg
atulin
12-07-2011, 02:44 AM
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Tdg8xJ4/0/L/IMG4549-L.jpg
http://www.cactus-club.us/images/pickers.jpg
Interesting choice
I also found this sad Sprinter related American Pickers news while looking for that -> http://www.worktruckonline.com/News/Story/2011/05/Isuzu-NPR-ECO-MAX-Joins-Antique-Archeology-Team.aspx?interstitial=1 - Great job MBUSA...
Graphite Dave
12-07-2011, 03:20 PM
Your pictures of your curtains got me thinking. I am in the process of figuring out how to plug the holes on the sides of the headliner where I removed the two plastic styrofoam blocks. Have decided to make some flat wood replacements. That still will leave "B" pillar covers with open holes at the top. Walking through Home Depot yesterday I spotted a rack full of various paint roller extension poles. They adjust for length. Putting your pictures, my problem with the top of the "B" pillar covers, and the paint roller extensions together gives me this idea: Add some hooks to the top of the "B" pillar covers that cradle ends of the paint brush poles. Make a seam at the top of the curtain that slides over the pole and hang the assembly from the hooks. Adding some foil insulation to the curtain and I will reduce heat loss to the cab and have a privacy curtain. The curtain can roll up for storage and the rod can be collapsed for storage. Same idea would work for sliding door window and the back windows.
Unexpected Bonus!:
When driving on these subzero mornings we've been having, I generally need to run the heater at max for a good 20 or 30 minutes before I can turn it down a bit (having to heat the 250258x10e23 cubic mm in the rear).
This morning with the curtains down I ran the heater on max for 2 minutes and then set the climate control at 72 degrees and was completely comfortable :thumbup:
Your pictures of your curtains got me thinking. I am in the process of figuring out how to plug the holes on the sides of the headliner where I removed the two plastic styrofoam blocks.
The EXACT same thought occurred to me last night:
"I've been trying to figure out what to do with these holes on the edge of the headliner.. I guess that problem just got solved!" :cheers:
Great idea with the paint rollers Dave.. I've been trying to figure out what to use as a "rod". As they are now, I've just clamped them to the van. I don't think I need to add insulation to these.. they are double layered and a very thick material. They worked great at holding the heat in the cab this morning.
Need to put a bike in?
Pull the air plug out of the bed and flip it up :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-HPB6Gzs/0/L/IMG4559-L.jpg
Making some progress on the floor...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RmDcKGx/0/L/IMG4568-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-hDbrDHz/0/L/IMG4573-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Pv3mVpD/0/L/IMG4571-L.jpg
It is like putting your own giant wooden jigsaw puzzle together :rofl
The miter saw and the table saw are both getting a workout...
Things are going to look much better when I finally get rid of the grey walls.... but that won't be before this trip.
I dunno that the iphone reproduces colors very well (it doesn't have much of a dynamic range) so here's a few photos with the NEX5.
Of course some day the walls will be a matching earth tone and the drapes will all be properly framed with rollers, etc... which leads to the over head bins.. which.. yada yada yada :laughing:
..but for now I'm seeking function over form. :thumbup:
Here is what the colors really look like:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Zp32LW7/0/X2/DSC1633-X2.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-g9WZ8HT/0/XL/DSC1631-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-fhw5xnk/0/XL/DSC1632-XL.jpg
The loose rail of 80/20 laying on the floor is the startings of a "cooler holder" for the coming trip :deal
er.. assuming I don't run out of time... I still haven't finished the bed (I hate carpeting) :smirk:
Floor edging:
I'm not sure exactly what to do about edging.
I like how the step aluminum turned out in the foreground... but I'm not too sure I like the stuff I tried on the back wall
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GW2p94t/0/L/IMG4578-L.jpg
I tried the same thing down each side of the isle...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-bNRpMrg/0/L/IMG4580-L.jpg
I think I might try and come up with something aluminum all the way around instead.
:hmmm:
punter
12-09-2011, 10:44 PM
Where do you hide the weed?
Oh wait, its Colorado. You can get high with the law enforcement professionals.
Never mind.
Sprinter SS
12-10-2011, 01:09 AM
[QUOTE=punter;161708]Where do you hide the weed?
:laughing:
Frosty_1
12-10-2011, 02:27 AM
Where do you hide the weed?
Oh wait, its Colorado. You can get high with the law enforcement professionals.
Never mind.
In a pipe? :laughing:
I'm not a weed smoker.. but Colorado is definitely the "wild west" in that context at the moment.
A little town near here named Nederland has voted weed is legal in every context... sales, distribution, posession etc.
Nederland sits on a state highway (we call peak to peak highway).
So in theory..
If you got caught with a pound of weed in your car on peak to peak highway (which is a speed trap town.. I've been pulled over there twice in there 25mph zone) by one of the 3 nederland cops, you'd not get in any trouble at all.. but if you got caught by state trooper or a federal ranger in the same place you'd go to prison.
Sooner or later they're going to have to figure all this out. :smirk:
I'm going to be installing the maxxair fan tomorrow.
Dave's orton diy PDF file has made the job much easier :cheers:
Ready for tomorrows chopping :rad:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Qbz8Zcf/0/L/IMG4584-L.jpg
Cheryl ran out and got some butyl sealant for me (home depot didn't have any) and while she was there she got her version of a guy's "nalogene in the sleeping bag" :smirk:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-bLCKPCV/0/L/IMG4588-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dJSn8gW/0/L/IMG4589-L.jpg
While she was gone I got some more carpeting done...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-L39QRv9/0/L/IMG4586-L.jpg
and I mounted the platforms with hardware so they can't go flying in an accident.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VfpkHXm/0/L/IMG4587-L.jpg
...now I need to figure out what I'm going to put where and build an 80/20 frame to lock the forward stuff down.
In the future a kitchen will go here.
For now I need to put a cooler, a porta potty and a Mr. Heater in this space.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gKhXm2H/0/L/IMG4590-L.jpg
d_bertko
12-10-2011, 10:11 PM
We replaced our portapotti with a Luggable Loo about two years ago. Pee bottles get most of the use anyway and the wife finds the feminine device quite acceptable.
We prefer the odorless solution of bagging the solids and disposing. Used the Loo twice on a 10 week trip. (Certainly appreciated having it when needed.)
Just a mention since the Loo is slightly taller than the squatty potty and you might want to keep the Loo option if you're building a storage area.
Dan
Frosty_1
12-10-2011, 10:38 PM
Edward,
How did you mount the carpeted ply to the 80/20? What thickness ply did you use?
Looking good, I plan on working on my van tomorrow and updating my thread with photos.
f. :cheers:
Edward,
How did you mount the carpeted ply to the 80/20? What thickness ply did you use?
Looking good, I plan on working on my van tomorrow and updating my thread with photos.
f. :cheers:
With a bolt and washer on top bolting through into an 80/20 t-nut in the rail it is sitting on.
The ply is 1/2" birch. Saved quite a bit of weight (and I ran an 80/20 rail across the middle of each for strength because I was concerned about rail flex with my boxes being so large).
:cheers:
"Industrial Erector Set".
Indeed!
So I wanted to secure things but I didn't want to make any cuts on any of my existing 80/20 because it is all "spoken for" when I build the kitchen...
So literally using leftovers (and 2 four foot rails which I didn't cut).. I started bolting things together and voila...
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gVWW53W/0/L/IMG4593-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-rMR5PqT/0/L/IMG4594-L.jpg
literally 10 seconds and one screw adjustment:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-n4NgMQd/0/L/IMG4597-L.jpg
...this was one of the main reasons I chose to build the van like I am. I can literally reconfigure things as needed on the fly with an allen wrench.
When we get home and I want to remove everything it is literally two bolts holding the entire structure to the main rail :thumbup:
In theory, I might make the entire kitchen a module that bolts in/out (haven't decided yet...)?
So I had to go for a "squeak test".
We have a washboard dirt road about a mile from us that leads to a lake.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-NpK8T5F/0/L/DSC1657-L.jpg
Cheryl & I jumped in the van and headed to the lake. Then we climbed in the back and took a 45 minute nap :hugs:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-b47fbnx/0/L/DSC1636-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-QVTNH7X/0/L/DSC1650-L.jpg
When we woke up from our nap and I opened the sliding door.. there was a Boulder County Sheriff beside us (yes really!) :wtf:
Note to self: take a look out the window before revealing that you are inside. :lol:
The Sheriff just waved as we drove away. :thumbup:
The good news? No squeaks! :rad:
Note on the following post:
Graphite Dave put together an install post a while ago here:
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15278&highlight=orton+diy+fan
In that post he included a PDF file that is extremely helpful, along with his idea of re-enforcing the fan. I'm following Dave's lead completely. This was all his great idea :thumbup:
Thanks Dave! :cheers:
That said, I'll continue with writing in my "way too much details that nobody cares about" fashion :bounce:
******************************
How to install a Maxxair Fan:
Episode 1: Preparation
So tomorrow is the big day.. cutting a 14" square hole in the roof :crazy: to install the Maxxfan. I worked for a while this evening getting things ready for tomorrow so that my "exposure" time when the van is cut open is minimal.
Making sure I have all the stuff I need (I'd hate to have to run to home depot with a hole in the roof :laughing: )
Butyl tape, primer (to prime the metal after I cut it - re-sealing the paint), masking tape (to hopefully keep the primer from getting where I don't want it), OSI sealant (for my second layer of waterproofness) and a caulking gun, Dynaflex 230 (for my 3rd layer of waterproofness:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RvWL8h6/0/L/IMG4601-L.jpg
The maxxfan includes a little plastic lip that goes in the hole, and then that lip bolts to the roof and the fan bolts to the lip. You can see that mounting lip in this photo I've posted before:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-3Wdsxmk/0/M/smugshot5375243-M.jpg
The issue with a Sprinter is that the roof is a whopping 1/8" thick. Not thick enough to bolt the fan frame to. So the solution is to build a 3/4" wooden frame that'll go inside the van and the fan will bolt to it. I just made this one out of 3/4" by 1.5" pine:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-ZdWHRKd/0/L/IMG4598-L.jpg
I threw away the woodscrews the fan came with for mounting and got all stainless hardware with nylon lock nuts:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Cv2HSj2/0/L/IMG4602-L.jpg
The next potential issue is that over time, the plastic frames of RV vents/fans tend to weaken with age and then crack around all the bolt holes.
I really do want to (in a perfect world, knock wood) keep this thing for 10+ years... and I don't want to have to redo the roof vent (or develop leaks) in that time. Solution? An aluminum reinforcement strip all the way around on top of the stock plastic mount (as per Dave's idea) :thumbup:
First I cut two 17" pieces and two 12" pieces:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-HrkGNs7/0/L/IMG4600-L.jpg
Then drill holes 3/8" back to line up with the holes in the plastic.
The four corner holes are 9/16" back (as per Dave's PDF):
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-ZgG4gjQ/0/L/IMG4603-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-R6StM7b/0/L/IMG4607-L.jpg
and voila!
This is how things will go on the van:
My aluminum on top, then the plastic stock mount, then my layer of butyl/goop/etc, then the roof of the van, then the wooden box on the inside of the van. Then bolt it all together (I hope!).
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2zLvDWT/0/L/IMG4609-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-2N3Mkjh/0/L/IMG4610-L.jpg
I still have to around the corners of the aluminum and make it fit/look nice.
The Plan:
So! In the morning, if everything goes to plan I will...
spray the aluminum strips I made with the white primer.
create a 14" square template out of some light masonite.
use the masonite as a template to get the hole exactly where I want it.
Drill each corner with a small drill bit.
Drill each corner with a 7/8" hole saw to give me nice rounded corners that are tangental @ exactly 14".
Cut the square out.
Lightly sand the edges, tape off, and spray with primer inside & out.
Let primer dry.
Go around the edge of the hole with 320.
Go around the 320 with butyl tape.
Put the plastic mounting frame in the hole.
Go around the mounting frame with OSI.
Put my aluminum strips over the mounting frame.
Squirt some 320 in each bolt hole and then insert the 16 bolts.
Bolt the wooden frame up to the 16 bolts from the bottom.
Squirt some 320 on each bolt head to make sure every bolt is completely waterproof
Let it set up for a while.
Insert and mount the maxxair in the hole.
...then I'll try and figure out how to wire it up and make it work :smilewink:
(sorry.. I wrote all of those steps for myself to reference when I'm doing it :professor: ).
p.s. this is what I'm going to do the cutting with:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Qbz8Zcf/0/L/IMG4584-L.jpg
Graphite Dave
12-11-2011, 12:22 AM
80/20 is neat stuff! Excellant choice for what we are doing. Looks like you will have what you need done for the trip. One comment on the portapotty: I have not built it yet but will hang the portapotty off the shower wall at the normal toilet height. You might consider that.
The theory behind my sealing "collection":
We are in winter here in Colorado. Most sealants (the 230 included) need 40 degrees minimum. The forecast high tomorrow is 47 degrees meaning it will only be above 40 for a couple of hours.
The OSI Quad on the other hand is usable down to -7 degrees but warns about gassing fumes "Not recommended for use inside occupied structures"...
The 230 is "inside friendly" and has no gassing issues.
So my theory is that I'm doing the OSI quad as the outside bead (no internal exposure) and then the 230 as the internal bead (but it takes longer to set and requires 40 degrees, etc).
So the OSI can protect the 230 while it cures :bounce:
80/20 is neat stuff! Excellant choice for what we are doing. Looks like you will have what you need done for the trip. One comment on the portapotty: I have not built it yet but will hang the portapotty off the shower wall at the normal toilet height. You might consider that.
Thanks for the advice :cheers:
I'm planning a similar approach. When we build the front half of the van's cabinetry I was going to build the potty into a "flip open cabinet" so its completely stealth. I am planning to raise the potty within this cabinet.
Graphite Dave
12-11-2011, 12:48 AM
You will find the roof steel is soft and easy to cut. One thing I did was to use an electricians knock out to punch the 4 corner holes. A jig saw with a fine tooth blade worked fine. Be very careful on where you locate the hole to miss the roof corragations. Somehow I did not follow my own drawing for location so had to flatten a roof corragation to get a flush fit.
The other mistake I made was making the connection wires too short. Make sure you trial fit the internal finish frame. The wire needs to go up around the plastic edge. I had to splice in a short section of wire because I did not allow for the internal frame height.
Had 30 minutes to kill before dinner was ready.. ran out to the garage and got a bit more prep-work done.
Got the corners rounded on the aluminum:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4hXZB59/0/L/IMG4612-L.jpg
Drilled the matching 16 holes in the wooden frame:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-BvDggBh/0/L/IMG4613-L.jpg
Test fit all 3 pieces to make sure they align:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4QpwMJw/0/L/IMG4617-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-vgQZS5G/0/L/IMG4615-L.jpg
Next is creating the "cut out template".
The X's in the corner are where the holes are drilled for the 7/8" hole saw to create a nice radius'd corner that matches the curve of the mounting corners:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-LxdWxzw/0/L/IMG4619-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-6qqbkbN/0/L/IMG4620-L.jpg
Now while I'm thinking about it.. I'm going to go get all the adhesives, pieces, etc into the house... it is supposed to get down to 19 degrees tonight.
Cheers!
Be very careful on where you locate the hole to miss the roof corragations. Somehow I did not follow my own drawing for location so had to flatten a roof corragation to get a flush fit.
I was going to drill a hole in the very center of the circle emboss in the roof.. and then pass a bolt through that and through the dead center of my template.
This should align me perfectly correct?
:cheers:
Basic question:
Is the roof strong enough for me to stand on it or do I need to do this all from below/ladder?
I weigh over 200 lbs.
Graphite Dave
12-11-2011, 01:48 AM
Sounds like you are going to install the fan at a different location than I did. (Yours is toward the front of the van) Mine is at the back over the bed. I wanted the airflow over the area I was sleeping. I can reach up from the bed and close or open it. Wherever you put it, put your pattern on the roof to be sure you do not hit any of the corragations.
Yes, this fan is going in the front to ventilate cooking/porta potty usage fumes.
We got a remote control for controlling it from the bed.
We've still not decided over the bed if we're going to do a second maxxair or a skylight.
Graphite Dave
12-11-2011, 01:52 AM
I am 175 lbs and got up on the roof without any problem. If you are concerned, put a piece of plywood on the roof to distribute the load. I would put a piece of cloth between the plywood and the roof so you do not scratch it.
Frosty_1
12-11-2011, 02:33 AM
Geek,
I weigh 185 or so and the roof seemed plenty strong. Like Dave says, maybe put some plywood down.
Also, maybe run a space heater in the van overnight to keep the metal somewhat warm? I'm thinking the primer may take forever to dry.
Also, I would take some construction/painters paper(the brown stuff in the 3' roll) and tape off your cutting area. The metal shavings make a mess.
f.
I wouldn't stand/kneel on the roof.
I cut mine out from the inside. I taped off the interior cutting area with plastic to keep the metal dust from infecting the interior and then vacuumed after.
BE VERY Sure to wash the roof thoroughly after this task.
The metal dust seems to adhere magnetically and is very small.
I just blew mine off and paid for it dearly a few days later.
I would also use sheet metal sheers/nibblers where possible.
This eliminates the metal sawdust.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=sheet+metal+cutters&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Yxx&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&resnum=2&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1390&bih=640&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17539753667079308510&sa=X&ei=ukPkToWSHuaziQLktcGpBg&ved=0CJUBEPMCMAA
These are not a recommended tools, just examples.
http://www.best-deal.com/product/findingking-neiko-air-nibbler-metal-cutter/101572051/1/
talkinghorse43
12-11-2011, 02:11 PM
Basic question:
Is the roof strong enough for me to stand on it or do I need to do this all from below/ladder?
I weigh over 200 lbs.
Don't know about the NCV3, but some T1Ns have had problems with roof seams separating. I know my roof seams are held together with spot welds, so the connection is not terribly strong. Getting up on the roof is bound to put those spot welds under a lot of stress, so I would never get up on my roof.
mean_in_green
12-11-2011, 02:50 PM
+1 on the vulnerability of the strength in those roof seams.
I'm going to continue with my step by step guide to installing the fan.. in hopes it helps someone in the future :cheers:
I started the morning with cutting out my template
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-bv8t5Ng/0/M/IMG4623-M.jpg
making sure it looks right
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dVPBV3D/0/M/IMG4622-M.jpg
I need to find my mounting location. The center of this embossed circle should be the center of my 14" square hole. I made a paper template (6" diameter) to find the center
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-XkPKtHT/0/M/IMG4626-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tRKBhRr/0/M/IMG4627-M.jpg
Got out the drill... and after months of avoiding the task... there was no turning back :bounce:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gDM5ZBZ/0/M/IMG4628-M.jpg
Meanwhile.. Cheryl setup the protection to catch the mess I was about to create
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-GBbJFq7/0/M/IMG4624-M.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-KjRB4sw/0/M/IMG4625-M.jpg
I used that hole to mount my template to the ceiling with a bolt
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-JChgpZX/0/M/IMG4630-M.jpg
from the outside
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-rVqFZj9/0/M/IMG4629-M.jpg
and then traced the template onto the ceiling - the pimary focus being where the location of the holes near each corner were
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cWCdnDg/0/M/IMG4632-M.jpg
I then bit the bullet and went after the four marks first with a small drill bit, and then with a 7/8' hole saw.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-zDnpS2W/0/M/IMG4634-M.jpg
I then climbed onto the roof and started going after it with the saw.
Yeah that's blood :laughing: ... the metal shavings are sharp :cry:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mr2292Q/0/M/IMG4635-M.jpg
I cut 3 sides and then taped it all up so I could cut the 4th side without the piece falling out
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WvQs9TK/0/M/IMG4636-M.jpg
then popped out the piece and looked at the big hole in my roof :wtf:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gg25Ssm/0/M/IMG4637-M.jpg
Quick test fit.. it fits perfectly! :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-7d6gJpd/0/M/IMG4638-M.jpg
On the bottom, the cutting occurs on some of mercedes sound damping squares...
This stuff has to all be removed and cleaned up
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-cckSxSg/0/XL/IMG4639-XL.jpg
BEST. INVENTION. EVER.
Basically a 20,000 hz eletric scraper :bow:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-RHb4j6s/0/M/IMG4640-M.jpg
it allowed me to clean that gooey mess off in seconds... literally like scraping butter off of a plate.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-V8fFTBS/0/M/IMG4642-M.jpg
I'm sure with a hand scraper it would have taken me an hour and a lot of sweat/arm fatigue.
It appears that mercedes puts those sound pads on BEFORE they paint the van :crazy:
That's bare metal underneath.... :wtf:
Got the drill out and created the 16 holes. Deburred everything and then gave it all a good wipe down with alcohol. The alcohol felt really good in all my fresh metal shavings cuts :smirk:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-4VZGLvC/0/M/IMG4643-M.jpg
taped it all off and then primed it all. (inside and out)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-hxgMhcs/0/M/IMG4646-M.jpg
also painted the aluminum re-enforcement strips
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-gWSb7GG/0/M/IMG4648-M.jpg
...and this is how the van sits at this very minute.
The temperature has made it up to a balmy 43 degrees and I'm letting the primer dry for an hour or so while we eat lunch.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-KS8mrdT/0/M/IMG4649-M.jpg
Then, on to phase 2... installing the fan :popcorn:
cedarsanctum
12-11-2011, 07:26 PM
Nibblers were used to punch out both holes in my roof. I wouldn't attempt any other way after seeing that done. NO dust or particles, just clean straight cuts that don't even need filing to clean up.
But a saw will work, too. Just be careful about the metal dust. Have someone hold a shop vac next to the blade, it can catch a lot.
Maxxair Fan Installation continued (& concluded :rad:)
So taking the mounting bracket, I put butyl tape around being sure to cover every screw hole.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-VdN8C9v/0/M/IMG4651-M.jpg
I then put a bead of 230 around the inside of butyl tape (probably overkill.. but I consider it one more layer of cheap insurance against leaks)
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-spvzt72/0/M/IMG4654-M.jpg
Into the hole the frame goes - making sure to keep the mounting nuts to the sides (that the fan bolts to) and then laying the aluminum re-enforcement strips in place:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-mZP7f97/0/M/IMG4655-M.jpg
I put a big dollop onto the top threads of each screw as I put them in the hole
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-WXbWrVR/0/M/IMG4656-M.jpg
Then once things were all bolted down (careful not to overtighten and squeeze the butyl out) I put a bead around the outside of the ring and a dollop on the head of each screw.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-Bcjc58n/0/M/IMG4659-M.jpg
Then onto the roof with the fan itself.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-R8JPvf4/0/M/IMG4661-M.jpg
The fan slides easily into the hole and is mounted with a simple set of 4 screws - 2 on each side
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-DgbcjtN/0/M/IMG4663-M.jpg
Down inside you can see everything mounted up. I'll trim the extra bolt length off if need be when doing the ceiling but I don't think they'll be an issue
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-bbMNNHh/0/M/IMG4664-M.jpg
..because this sleeve goes over the unit and mounts flush to the ceiling.. someday.. when I have a ceiling :lol: The sleeve is 4 inches deep.. you trim it to whatever you need it to be.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-jSkzBWz/0/M/IMG4666-M.jpg
Pretty simple wiring.. just a postivie and negative (note the BLACK WIRE IS POSITIVE on the fan!!! :wtf: )... and voila!
Works like a champ :thumbup:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-k2ztT5T/0/L/IMG4669-L.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-dCg26CD/0/L/IMG4667-2-L.jpg
There are controls on the fan itself as well as the remote control.
This particular model has 10 speeds, can blow in or out, or can be used as a ceiling fan with the lid closed. You can also open the lid without the fan if you want ventilation.
Due to its design you can also leave it open while driving if you want as well as in the rain.
...and some vanity pics :cheers:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-LsD6NQn/0/XL/maxx-fan-closed-front-1-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-psZXJpG/0/XL/maxx-closed-distance-XL.jpg
...and what it looks like open from behind:
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tnTTjqT/0/XL/maxx-open-rear1-XL.jpg
...the poor things needs a bath.
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tnTTjqT/0/XL/maxx-open-rear1-XL.jpg[/img]
...the poor things needs a bath.
Thanks for the clearly written details and great visuals.
Last picture: Whats with the yellow sign and black arrow, ah one way, wrong way????:shhh:
Graphite Dave
12-12-2011, 02:20 PM
For some reason your installation looks very similiar to mine right down to the extra long bolt lengths. My excuse for the long bolts was I found them in my accumulated barn junk. They will not show once you put on the inside plastic frame. Now you need a source of air for the fan to draw from so you do not need to open the windows. I am sure a lot of people will appreciate your writeup. Very clear and excellant pictures. My incentive to complete a portion of my conversion is so I can write what I learned. Too bad it is such a slow process.
Last picture: Whats with the yellow sign and black arrow, ah one way, wrong way????:shhh:
:laughing: It is not a one way.. it is a country road and I'm parked on the inside of a corner. The arrow is for if you are coming the other way to tell you there is a corner ahead.
:cheers:
slsbl77
12-16-2011, 12:49 PM
Hey! How'd she get in there?
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-KZnKg72/0/L/sk-bikinigirl-L.jpg
I'm really starting to like this sketchup thing
:bounce:
It isn't a question of how she got in there, the question is how do you keep her in there!:lol:
glasseye
12-18-2011, 02:49 AM
Hell of a thread and a superb document. I just discovered it today and read the whole thing from top to bottom.
Congrats, Geek, on your writing, photography, fabrication, design and installation skills.
Oh, yah. And your choice in vehicles. :cheers:
Peter
siswati
12-18-2011, 09:38 PM
Hell of a thread and a superb document. I just discovered it today and read the whole thing from top to bottom.
Congrats, Geek, on your writing, photography, fabrication, design and installation skills.
Oh, yah. And your choice in vehicles. :cheers:
Peter
Could not have said it better Peter - I read and re-read this project twice today. After 9 years with my prevous sprinter van (Ultimate Windsurfing Van (http://www.steynfamily.com/ultimate_windsurfing_van_02.htm)), I have now purchased a new 2012 Passenger van and will begin my 2nd Sprinter project. Its guys like Geek and others who so generously educate and inspire us........
Thanks Geek
Why'd the chicken cross the road?
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-wZ6j5Gh/0/XL/DSC1853-XL.jpg
...last night's campsite
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-MXkpMhs/0/XL/DSC1850-XL.jpg
Lots of cool pics to come :bounce:
Somewhere in southeast colorado
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-tDJB6FQ/0/XL/DSC1720-XL.jpg
somewhere in Texas
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-hVMKjPs/0/XL/DSC1726-XL.jpg
http://topgeek.smugmug.com/Other/2011-Mercedes-Benz-Sprinter/i-nfq9pdC/1/XL/DSC2013-XL.jpg
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