2016 144" 4x4 high bed MTB-carrier build

Onefin

Well-known member
Re: 2016 144" 4x4 high bed MTB-carrier build

This pic was taken near the gas line on 525. Different spot tonight on the other side of 89a a little closer to town.
Highly recommend berry divine smoothies and Açaí bowls if you are into that sort of thing.
Required stop for us everytime we are in Sedona.
https://berrydivineacai.com/locations/arizona/sedona/

Also the ranger station on the south side of town in 179 is a nice facility with helpful people and good maps and intel if needed.
 

canyoneer

2017 144 High Roof
Mind is blown by the quality of riding and beauty of Sedona. I could not be happier with this van.
If you haven't done it yet, the Sedona "Big Friggin Loop" is probably one of my all time favorites, check it out. A huge mix of terrain, fun obstacles, and a pizza place at the mid-point for lunch!
 

radair603

Member
Overhead shelf

I built a simple shelf above the top of my fridge cabinet. I knew I wanted an open cabinet so as to not have to deal with doors and came up with this simple design.

I had installed 1/4-20 rivnuts in the factory holes to attach plywood wall panels. We played with some mock-ups to figure out a shelf size & height that we would not be hitting our heads on. Then I ripped a 1 x 2 oak ledger with a 10 degree bevel on the top edge, which approximated the wall taper. I drilled out the ledger to match the 5 rivnut locations above the driver's side rear window back to the bed.

I ripped the 1/2" plywood shelf with the same 10* bevel and pocket-screwed a 1 x 2 oak rim strip onto the face of the shelf, then screwed the back of the shelf onto the ledger with the beveled edges flush. I bolted this on the van wall and found it was quite stiff even without supports. I put a temporary leg under it while I bent three 3/4" x 1/8" steel flat bar tension brackets that attach to the upper row of rivnuts. We filled it with cheap fabric bins ($10 for 8 bins) and it was done.
 

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radair603

Member
Carr Hoop II steps

I installed a couple of Carr Hoop steps (they're the Hoop II model and about 10" wide). These 4x4 vans are high, about 22" to the step wells! I looked at a lot of options and really liked the Aluminess model but couldn't stomach nearly $1000 for steps that looked like rock sliders but would not function as them. I couldn't find much on whether anyone had put these $40 hoop steps on a Sprinter but did see one review that said they worked.

I spent a lot of time fiddling to make sure we were going to like the finished product. They sit back under the rocker panel and I would have preferred that they stick out a couple more inches to ease downclimbing, but ultimately we decided the low profile was good.

I did not install through the pinch weld as the directions showed, as it would have made the step too low and the provided spacers were not long enough anyway. I rivnutted the bottom holes and sheet metal screwed the top ones, figuring if the sheet metal screws failed I could drill out the holes and rivnut those also. The directions showed a thru-bolt at the pinch weld and sheet metal screw in the top hole.

Pretty clean installation and the height is almost exactly the mid-point of that 22" step. We like 'em.
 

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radair603

Member
Super Hoop sliding door step

We liked the front Hoop II steps so we decided to go with the wider Super Hoop at the sliding door. I ordered it despite the Carr web site saying it didn't fit the Sprinter. The vertical body panel surface that the brackets mount on is shorter and lower than at the front doors on my 2016. This pushed the brackets down so the lower bolt goes through the pinch weld, which is where the directions say they should go. I put a rivnut in for the top hole. I decided to move the assembly slightly higher to match the height of the front steps and ended up drilling new holes in the bracket to accommodate this. It works well and we like it.
 

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radair603

Member
Fridge counter top

I finally pulled out the ratty, splintered temporary counter over my fridge and made a proper one. I used 3/4" maple plywood edge banded with oak and laminated Formica on top. Simple project and it came out pretty well. I didn't want 90 degree corners to bang my hip on so I chamfered both of them and the joints came out nice & tight.
 

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radair603

Member
Sliding door drop-down table

Finally completed the 'back door' of my sliding door cabinet. It's an oak frame with maple plywood panel and Formica top on the back side, which becomes the table top when opened. I'm still deciding on what to do for a leg (for now a scrap of pine is working). I don't want chains or tension wires as they tend to get in the way, but i might add a piece of parachute cord attached near the door as an emergency stop in case the leg gets kicked out. I bought a folding RV table leg with adjustable height but won't be using it as I can't get past the aesthetics.

The height is right at 30", standard table height. Still need to get that counter trimmed out on top.
 

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radair603

Member
Quest Overland LED kit

One of my buddies had the Van Compass hoodline light kit and it seemed like a nice set up. This Quest Overland kit appealed to me because it had the whole package; lights, brackets, switch and wiring. Shortly after I ordered it, Ian from Quest Overland emailed me and said they were redesigning the brackets and they would send the new brackets at no additional charge when they were available. Edited to add that Ken aka asimba2 from OurKaravan posted up about a 5% off deal on window shades from QO. While checking their site I spotted these lights and the "karavan5" code worked to get 5% off. Thanks, Ken!

The kit is very nice quality, with cast aluminum light heads and powdercoated brackets. The wiring harness has an in-line fuse installed near the battery connections.

Installation is fairly straightforward and the directions provided are minimal. It takes a bit of fiddling to run the wires under the brackets so they stay out of the hinge and the hood gasket; it's worth paying close attention to the photos in the directions. I connected them to my auxiliary battery and ran the switch wire through the firewall at a convenient rubber plug with a nipple that I snipped off. The lights are bright but fairly low-profile. There is some road vibration which is probably why the brackets are getting redesigned.

My lady is not overly stoked on the aesthetics but it may save us from hitting a moose some dark night. To me that's worth the cost.
 

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radair603

Member
Finished my sink counter-top recently and added drawers and shelves to the fridge cabinet. Also built a leg for the drop-down outdoor table. Still some detailing left to do but we're pretty happy to have the van in a comfortable and usable state.
 

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radair603

Member
Front/rear camera

I installed a VanTop camera system like Pete Greep aka Live Like Pete. VanTop calls it a dashcam but it is much more than that, with a rear camera and loop recording (after you buy & insert a microSD card). Having a cargo van with no rear windows, this acts like a rear view mirror going down the road and is a nice addition to the existing back-up camera when reversing. There are options for rear only, front only or split screen with both; a quick right-to-left screen swipe toggles between them

Installation is pretty simple. Run a power cable from any 12V outlet around the dash, up the A pillar and over the headliner to the rear view mirror, and run the rear camera cable from back doors, over the headliner and to the mirror. Even taking out and installing the trim pieces between ceiling and driver's side wall it only took 20-30 minutes & one beer (slow drinker).

The rear camera is easily installed using supplied VHB tape on the bottom of the existing rear camera mount. I have no complaints but wish I knew the microSD card was not included or I would have ordered one with it. The system still works with no card installed but a "no card installed" message pops up at regular intervals.

Highly recommended!
 

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radair603

Member
Modular outdoor shower

I built this last fall in time for our Thanksgiving week MTB trip. It's an Ecotemp on-demand water heater and Shurflo pump mounted on a plywood stand. With propane and a residential hose you could use this as an outdoor shower without 12V power.

We only used it on one trip before winter hit but I thought it worked really well for the one shower I took (despite one leaking fitting). My GF was not fully sold, as the 50 degree delta increase meant she didn't have scalding hot water to wash her face. 1st world problems! Way better than a cold shower out of a solar bag in November I say.
 

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