2016 Crew Camper for Family of 4

Not like I have any down time but with forced quarantine in California. Meaning everything is closed. I’m trying to knock out some wish list projects.

New floor mats.






Toilet cover.



Insulated rear door screen. Working lower screen and insulated swappable partition.










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I am realizing that a heavy-duty sawing machine and skills are very valuable for a DIY conversion. Great work!

sprinterPaul said:

All cleaned up! Stoked on this one.


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Paul

Where did you source your shelf mechanism there? This 4 bar linkage?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071G11ZRH/

this isn’t the exact one. The original one is no longer available. But you get the idea.

Sweet build, referenced it many times! What lights did you use underneath the van? Where did you run the wires to and from and where did you mount them? I'd love to have some ground lighting on the sides and rear for backing up at night into camp site spaces. I was considering something like this but wondered if rocks and debrie would kick up and trash them if mounted near the frame rails or outward.

Sprinter Paul, what is the story on your step/nerf bars? I have tried every of the known manufacturers on this forum and not one makes them for my T1N. I may have to have something custom fabricated if my search continues as it has.

Thanks for the front cab insulated window shades. They are the bomb! Stay safe.

jcmadeintheshade@gmail.com said:

Sprinter Paul, what is the story on your step/nerf bars? I have tried every of the known manufacturers on this forum and not one makes them for my T1N. I may have to have something custom fabricated if my search continues as it has.

Thanks for the front cab insulated window shades. They are the bomb! Stay safe.

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Thanks! Those are from Aluminess. I’m assuming the t1n will be all custom due to small market.

IPT said:

Sweet build, referenced it many times! What lights did you use underneath the van? Where did you run the wires to and from and where did you mount them? I'd love to have some ground lighting on the sides and rear for backing up at night into camp site spaces. I was considering something like this but wondered if rocks and debrie would kick up and trash them if mounted near the frame rails or outward.

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I installed a rock crawling light setup from amazon. There are eight lights. I epoxied magnets to the back. 25lb pull force. This allows me to move them around and made mounting easier.
I just ran all the wires from the controller. Used a lot of zip ties. The power comes from the driver seat base. I went down through the cable hole everything else goes out.

On the passenger side where the foam block is under the van is a large cavity. Opposite the diesel fill neck on driver side basically. I mounted the controller in there. Hidden and safe from the elements.
Can control settings from my phone and pick colors. Or just use a preset that it remembers when I power it on or off from a switch on the dash.

sprinterPaul said:

I installed a rock crawling light setup from amazon. There are eight lights. I just ran all the wires from the controller. Used a lot of zip ties. The power comes from the driver seat base. I went down through the cable hole everything else goes out.

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Happen to have a link or model number on the ones you used? I don't recall any of the ones I saw having a controller, though I will look more closely now that I know it exists. Sweet idea on the magnets and epoxy, thanks!

Paul, you got that right. No one has the time for a T1N Sprinter.

Earlier today at the MB dealer in Carlsbad I saw a newish Sprinter with side steps and when I asked, they were from Aluminess. Upon a closer look there was an Aluminess sticker.

When the NCV vans came along in 07, the mounting undercarriage was changed and this why no one, yet, has anything for my van. A custom mounting bracket is needed.

It is looking like a custom fabricator is in my future, if I can find one.

jcmadeintheshade@gmail.com said:

...

It is looking like a custom fabricator is in my future, if I can find one.

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These steps are werkin' fine for us on our T1N. The DIY install isn't complex.


But... back to the NCV3 modifications topic.

vic

IPT said:

Happen to have a link or model number on the ones you used? I don't recall any of the ones I saw having a controller, though I will look more closely now that I know it exists. Sweet idea on the magnets and epoxy, thanks!

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01IP8W254
I used this one but paid less. Price seems to have jumped.

Decided to knock off a bunch of projects and thing I’ve wanted to fix on my van.


First up was ditching the steelies and getting the Methods. I also went with a tire that has a tread warranty. My bfg ko2s are nice but noisy at 20k miles.


I finally installed the remaining 8 overhead lights for the other two switch banks.

Redid lower cushions with 4” foam and to cover the entire lower bed


Cut the top cushions narrower to make stacking easier and covered in sunbrella blue.

The big task was retrofitting the CRL 10x33 sliders in. I’ve wanted to do it for a while now. I only had to redo one wall panel.


Retaining net for bed driving mode.


More on the next post. Hit the photo limit.

Rear door screen 2.0. Bottom has screen and a full insulated cover that will keep the occupants warm while I cook outside. We also slept with the doors open. The screens kept the bugs out and we were able to see the stars nicely.

I also installed the selevel tank gauge for my 25 gallon tank.

Paul, awesome build! Thanks for sharing the knowledge. I'm just starting to build out a similar setup and was curious as to your bed heights. Thought I saw 42" from bottom of top bunk frame to ceiling. Accounting for 1.5" thick frame and 6" foam mattress, it sounds like the top bunk would have 34.5" of headroom. Is this right? How about the bottom bunk headroom and floor/storage space below?

Thanks!

sprinterPaul said:

Got the recessed track installed.

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I'm curious how you attached the L-track? I'm looking to only hold bikes. Did you bolt through the floor?

erik.wahlstrom said:

I'm curious how you attached the L-track? I'm looking to only hold bikes. Did you bolt through the floor?

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Bolted thru the floor. Fender washers underneath. Went thru in 4 places per rail. Just make sure to check what’s under the ban before drilling.

cmmt said:

Paul, awesome build! Thanks for sharing the knowledge. I'm just starting to build out a similar setup and was curious as to your bed heights. Thought I saw 42" from bottom of top bunk frame to ceiling. Accounting for 1.5" thick frame and 6" foam mattress, it sounds like the top bunk would have 34.5" of headroom. Is this right? How about the bottom bunk headroom and floor/storage space below?

Thanks!

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Yes. 42 is right. I have 1.5” of frame and 6” of foam. I can’t sit up. But my wife can.

bottom platform top is 17” above deck. So my boys have about two feet of headroom for the lower bed.

thanks!

Hey Paul - I need to go back in your thread and see if I can find it, but it looks like you opted for an on the roof carrier and then a separate mounting on the opposite side for the awning and another for the Light bar. Was there a reason you didn't just go with a rack to mount it all on and have more storage options? We have a family of 3 soon to be 4 and I can see the benefits of more storage so we're considering a roof rack. Also, thoughts on wind noise and gas mileage change with the side ladder, roof carrier and light bar?

Sweet build and skills as always - thanks for sharing.

IPT said:

Hey Paul - I need to go back in your thread and see if I can find it, but it looks like you opted for an on the roof carrier and then a separate mounting on the opposite side for the awning and another for the Light bar. Was there a reason you didn't just go with a rack to mount it all on and have more storage options? We have a family of 3 soon to be 4 and I can see the benefits of more storage so we're considering a roof rack. Also, thoughts on wind noise and gas mileage change with the side ladder, roof carrier and light bar?

Sweet build and skills as always - thanks for sharing.

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At the time I started my build cost was a major factor in most of my decisions. Adding a helicopter landing pad didn't make sense to me. Everyone with roof racks complains about milage. The ones that don’t complain. Don’t care ( and that’s cool). It really comes down to personal preference and your budget.

I am crunched for space. 4 people and biking gear adds up quick. My main issue is enough room for stuff on longer trips.

I am adding an owl vans Sherpa plus big box to my van for more storage. Less on the roof gets better milage.

I finally weighed my van since it’s been a handful to drive fully loaded. I’m already pretty heavy. Especially with 35 gallons of water. So I picked up some heavy duty leaf springs from Agile to fix my issues. Hopefully I’ll have time to install this weekend.

we just did a 2 week trip which was amazing. Until my AC died. Again. First was evap leak I replaced before the trip. The second was the compressor that died when temps were in the 100s wheee fun.