Armored Sprinter

kmessinger

Active member
I was in San Francisco recently and saw a low-roof, I think 2500, armored car (err, Sprinter). I wanted to ask them about the suspension - actually I would have liked to crawl under it - but thought better of it :D:

Anyone have any knowledge of the suspension system?

Regards,

Keith
PS. It was a Freightliner.
 

BaywoodBill

pre-Yuppiedom
It's a great thought. As for the suspension, the question would be if they needed to do anything with it. Depends how much weight they added. Some things that could be used to make an armored car are less heavy than other things though there's probably no way to eliminate the weight of the bulletproof glass.

A lot depends on if they are just trying to protect against gunfire or they want to consider explsosives as well.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
When i first saw one of the Garda armoured Sprinters lumbering around Seattle, i hit the web...
and from what i could find, they just use the Sprinters to transport cancelled checks. No cash.

Tonight's lookup found this delightful chart (what kind of ammuntion the various classes can take):
http://www.cbsarmoredtrucks.com/ballistic_chart.html

and (based upon other "van" classes) the Sprinter is probably a class II or III on that chart.

have fun
--dick
 

kmessinger

Active member
I would think they would be a class IV. They have to withstand M-16 (M4) fire. The one I saw had windows and gunports, rear, right and left.

I have had uparmored vehicles before and most cannot stand the weight. Engine, trans - all start to give out. The best we had was the Ford Excursion and a giant Ford pickup with a Banks Diesel set-up. A armored Sprinter would be great for hauling personel and all their luggage.

Regards,

Keith
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
US Light weight class 111/B4 based on a 414 chassis speed limited to 100K 60 mph
Euro one of 616 chassis units for full Armour protection upgraded suspension wheels the lot Panzerburg GmbH division. Export Middle East Hand built by Benz in own specialist factories to specs. classified information .
Richard
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
One of my clients modifies vehicles for TV and media uplinks, some are for use in the middle east.

For these they bond a type of plastic resin to the windows making them about two inches thick, weld fillets of steel four inches wide and an inch thick all around the inside of the door jambs to resist penetration by bullets and a host of other stuff.

The added weight is phenomenal: he invited me to test the weight of an up and over tail gate being propped up by two flooring joists. With both hands and a concerted effort I couldn't even make it move, much less actually raise it!

Some of the bespoke work they do converting Sprinters is incredible, akin to an F1 workshop.
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Hi Simon
It does depend on the level of security required. Example Lebanon 616T rated 2005-2006 steel rims rated 2Metric ton each.
specialized tires Made by Pirelli. either a grand! or two grand a pop?
Glass laminated layered by laminated film between sheets of compressed laminated glass almost shatter proof, the resin in the body work frame supporting the glass is the same as used on the shuttles or equal as in the composite.
floor and sides internal Hi tensile armored plated steel. Frames were massive as you say. used between Israel and Lebanon for investigation into the illegal use of nuclear tips Armour piercing shells from Bomb droplets, scattered all over the place..
Base carbon composite to protect under the frame AND ESPECIALLY DRIVER and REAR CARGO AREAS.. F1 Transmission one forward, thirteen reverses:D: Richard
 
D

dilleyoshempy

Guest
lets post some more pics of armored sprinters! i have a soft spot for them, one day i hope to own one just for kicks :P all blacked out, btw it must be really quiet inside of the cab with all that armor and thick glass!
 

mean_in_green

>2,000,000m in MB vans
Here in the UK Securicor retain their decommissioned units to dismantle them in house, for security reasons.

They do look mean. I was having a coffee in the van at a service area when a cash handler got out of one and asked me if I had leads for a jump start. It was a Vario though, so it was a literally a non-starter... (they being 24v). They ended up having to climb out through the roof hatch for some reason I couldn't ascertain.
 

Top Bottom