Wetcatmethod
New member
Up for sale is my 2004 Dodge Sprinter 3500. 158" Wheelbase, tall roof, and 190k miles on the 2.7l turbo diesel. I bought the van 2 years ago and began converting it into a camper to use for traveling to trade shows I do around the country. I’ve since stopped doing these trade shows and haven’t had time to finish the build or use it to adventure much, so it’s time to pass the torch to someone who can use it!
This Sprinter been gone through top to bottom fixing anything that seemed at all marginal, since I did not want to risk the loss of business and expense of a breakdown. See the list of parts below, it’s extensive. The same efforts were applied to the interior, using the best materials I could find.
I'm a metal fabricator by trade with a background in construction so a lot of the skills used to build the van out were not new to me, but for the stuff I wasn't 100% (the sound damping, insulation, and electrical) I consulted experts for. The electrical system was designed and installed by a electrical engineer with everything labeled and a professional wiring diagram. This van has been done right, with 3m thinsulate + refletix insulation for the best R-value, and moisture control possible, sound dampening in walls, floor and ceiling, and custom fabricated aluminum bed frame and shelving to keep interior weight to a minimum (especially up high). Here is the breakdown on the rest of it:
Floor: Waterproof and durable synthetic wood, with plywood, foam board, and mass loaded vinyl for insulation and sound control underneath.
Walls: Birch veneer plywood easily removable for any future changes, thinsulate and reflectix insulation, and lizard skin sound deadening panels for noise reduction.
Ceiling: Oiled and sealed pine boards with the same insulation and sound dampening as the walls.
Electrical:
300 amp hour lithium Ion battery bank, 300watts of solar, AC/DC outlets throughout. Every outlet is individually fused for easy fault detection, and on breakers with power cut off switches to isolate battery pack, solar panel, and alternator for maintenance or long term storage.
Dimmable recessed LED lighting throughout and two max air fans with rain sensors, remote controls, and reversible airflow. We love having one suck air and and the other blow it out for amazing air flow at night!. Whynter FM-65G 65 Quart energy efficient fridge is also included which works VERY well (almost too well sometimes) and is powered easily by the solar panel. We have never had issues with power, and always had enough to boon dock indefinitely with the solar panel keeping everything topped off.
The other big electrical item to mention is the engine immobilizer delete. These vans have a fancy anti-theft system that reads a code from the key before letting you start the vehicle. I didn’t know at the time of purchase but the sensor that reads these key codes is prone to failing and leaving people stranded in a van that works just fine! The previous owner actually included a second set of keys and sensor & control box that he carried in the van after such an occasion. I had the computer sent out to a specialist to update the firmware and remove this “feature”. You will not have to worry about this common problem ever happening to you.
Exterior body:
As with all sprinters of this age there is some body rust which I removed/patched and painted with a rust inhibiting paint and undercoat. There are still a few small spots where surface rust is appearing, and some in a few under body seams, but nothing structural or otherwise compromising. She’s in good shape and ready to roll.
Body Interior:
Most of the interior has been redone during the build, but there are a few areas that could use some love. The captain’s chair arm rests are worn, some of the air vent louvers are busted (these sprinters are notorious for it), and there’s some wear on the driver side floor cover. Nothing needs immediate attention, it all works, and there are a few nice additions like a bluetooth stereo with usb port, swivel passenger seat, and a custom storage cubby over the front seats.
Mechanical:
As I said earlier, this was a big focus for me and was the most costly part of the build. I wanted reliability, so I might have gone a little overboard which you can see in the list of parts below. AC blows cold, all power locks and accessories work, the tires have tons of tread left, and I custom fabricated a new basket for the spare tire so it would fit a brand new wheel with matching spare all terrain tire. All that said there are a few issues that the new owner will need to address for everything to be perfect which are:
1. The rear differential cover weeps a small amount of oil. It’s a very small leak so I never bothered with the repair, but it could eventually use a new gasket for the cover plate.
2. The sliding door handle has been finicky lately and sometimes won’t open from the outside. I think it just needs to be lubricated but I haven’t looked into it.
3. An injector seal just started to leak and will need replacing. Its the one closest to the grill and the easiest to fix. The van still drives just fine, but she has a slight diesel smell when driving around.
4. I replaced the turn signal control stalks with a non-oem part and now the turn signals do not auto cancel. The oem part is about $80 bucks, so if this bothers you and you want to buy the original part I will replace it for you no charge.
Extras:
- Backup Camera with screen hidden in rear view mirror
- Tow hitch installed
- 5” Thick Full size Lucid mattress (super comfy, used for 2 weeks total)
Since my plan was to finish this build out for #vanlife I have a few extras to include that didn’t get installed:
- 2 x 7 gallon water containers
- kitchen sink and foot pump for faucet
- 2 marine windows I decided not to install
- extra oil, special tools, etc
I’m probably forgetting something and will update if anything else comes to mind. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions. This would be a great van for someone looking to get into van life, all the difficult and time consuming bits are already done, all you have to do is finish out the interior how you want!
Parts replaced:
8/17
-radiator
-water pump
-drive belt
-tensioner pulley
-brake lines all around
-brake distribution module
-emergency brake cables
-emergency brake pads
-sway bar bushings
-ac condenser
-transmission filter/oil change
-fuel filter
-complete rebuild of rear differential
-tires
-new spare wheel and tire
-rebuild spare tire cage to hold bigger all terrain equipped wheel)
-all door sills removed, cleaned, painted, reinstalled
-exhaust pipe (from turbo to cat)
4/18
-passenger door lock actuator
Late 2018 / early 2019
-steering clock spring
-indicator stalks (lights/turn signals)
-windshield wipers
-engine immobilizer delete (starts with regular keys now, no chip needed)
-passenger rear wheel speed sensor
-abs pump and control module
Decemer 2019
-New Battery
-Alternator Rectifier
$24,000 obo
https://austin.craigslist.org/cto/d/austin-2004-sprinter-3500-camper/7047575026.html
This Sprinter been gone through top to bottom fixing anything that seemed at all marginal, since I did not want to risk the loss of business and expense of a breakdown. See the list of parts below, it’s extensive. The same efforts were applied to the interior, using the best materials I could find.
I'm a metal fabricator by trade with a background in construction so a lot of the skills used to build the van out were not new to me, but for the stuff I wasn't 100% (the sound damping, insulation, and electrical) I consulted experts for. The electrical system was designed and installed by a electrical engineer with everything labeled and a professional wiring diagram. This van has been done right, with 3m thinsulate + refletix insulation for the best R-value, and moisture control possible, sound dampening in walls, floor and ceiling, and custom fabricated aluminum bed frame and shelving to keep interior weight to a minimum (especially up high). Here is the breakdown on the rest of it:
Floor: Waterproof and durable synthetic wood, with plywood, foam board, and mass loaded vinyl for insulation and sound control underneath.
Walls: Birch veneer plywood easily removable for any future changes, thinsulate and reflectix insulation, and lizard skin sound deadening panels for noise reduction.
Ceiling: Oiled and sealed pine boards with the same insulation and sound dampening as the walls.
Electrical:
300 amp hour lithium Ion battery bank, 300watts of solar, AC/DC outlets throughout. Every outlet is individually fused for easy fault detection, and on breakers with power cut off switches to isolate battery pack, solar panel, and alternator for maintenance or long term storage.
Dimmable recessed LED lighting throughout and two max air fans with rain sensors, remote controls, and reversible airflow. We love having one suck air and and the other blow it out for amazing air flow at night!. Whynter FM-65G 65 Quart energy efficient fridge is also included which works VERY well (almost too well sometimes) and is powered easily by the solar panel. We have never had issues with power, and always had enough to boon dock indefinitely with the solar panel keeping everything topped off.
The other big electrical item to mention is the engine immobilizer delete. These vans have a fancy anti-theft system that reads a code from the key before letting you start the vehicle. I didn’t know at the time of purchase but the sensor that reads these key codes is prone to failing and leaving people stranded in a van that works just fine! The previous owner actually included a second set of keys and sensor & control box that he carried in the van after such an occasion. I had the computer sent out to a specialist to update the firmware and remove this “feature”. You will not have to worry about this common problem ever happening to you.
Exterior body:
As with all sprinters of this age there is some body rust which I removed/patched and painted with a rust inhibiting paint and undercoat. There are still a few small spots where surface rust is appearing, and some in a few under body seams, but nothing structural or otherwise compromising. She’s in good shape and ready to roll.
Body Interior:
Most of the interior has been redone during the build, but there are a few areas that could use some love. The captain’s chair arm rests are worn, some of the air vent louvers are busted (these sprinters are notorious for it), and there’s some wear on the driver side floor cover. Nothing needs immediate attention, it all works, and there are a few nice additions like a bluetooth stereo with usb port, swivel passenger seat, and a custom storage cubby over the front seats.
Mechanical:
As I said earlier, this was a big focus for me and was the most costly part of the build. I wanted reliability, so I might have gone a little overboard which you can see in the list of parts below. AC blows cold, all power locks and accessories work, the tires have tons of tread left, and I custom fabricated a new basket for the spare tire so it would fit a brand new wheel with matching spare all terrain tire. All that said there are a few issues that the new owner will need to address for everything to be perfect which are:
1. The rear differential cover weeps a small amount of oil. It’s a very small leak so I never bothered with the repair, but it could eventually use a new gasket for the cover plate.
2. The sliding door handle has been finicky lately and sometimes won’t open from the outside. I think it just needs to be lubricated but I haven’t looked into it.
3. An injector seal just started to leak and will need replacing. Its the one closest to the grill and the easiest to fix. The van still drives just fine, but she has a slight diesel smell when driving around.
4. I replaced the turn signal control stalks with a non-oem part and now the turn signals do not auto cancel. The oem part is about $80 bucks, so if this bothers you and you want to buy the original part I will replace it for you no charge.
Extras:
- Backup Camera with screen hidden in rear view mirror
- Tow hitch installed
- 5” Thick Full size Lucid mattress (super comfy, used for 2 weeks total)
Since my plan was to finish this build out for #vanlife I have a few extras to include that didn’t get installed:
- 2 x 7 gallon water containers
- kitchen sink and foot pump for faucet
- 2 marine windows I decided not to install
- extra oil, special tools, etc
I’m probably forgetting something and will update if anything else comes to mind. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions. This would be a great van for someone looking to get into van life, all the difficult and time consuming bits are already done, all you have to do is finish out the interior how you want!
Parts replaced:
8/17
-radiator
-water pump
-drive belt
-tensioner pulley
-brake lines all around
-brake distribution module
-emergency brake cables
-emergency brake pads
-sway bar bushings
-ac condenser
-transmission filter/oil change
-fuel filter
-complete rebuild of rear differential
-tires
-new spare wheel and tire
-rebuild spare tire cage to hold bigger all terrain equipped wheel)
-all door sills removed, cleaned, painted, reinstalled
-exhaust pipe (from turbo to cat)
4/18
-passenger door lock actuator
Late 2018 / early 2019
-steering clock spring
-indicator stalks (lights/turn signals)
-windshield wipers
-engine immobilizer delete (starts with regular keys now, no chip needed)
-passenger rear wheel speed sensor
-abs pump and control module
Decemer 2019
-New Battery
-Alternator Rectifier
$24,000 obo
https://austin.craigslist.org/cto/d/austin-2004-sprinter-3500-camper/7047575026.html
