The Blue Mule Build

sunnydazed

2021 170 2wd 4cyl Diesel
Installing the CA Vans Stop-Stay Door Safety System

Hi all, been a while, but i have a few projects lined up for the van this month. First up is installing the rear door struts.

Bought one of the first units and just got it a few days ago. The problem that it solves is adding a soft open and a pseudo-lockout for when the van doors are open. For those reading this that are early in their build, let me explain--I love having the Owl Vans components on the back of my van: getting the spare tire out and accessible (driver side rear door) and the storage box with lots of mounts on the passenger rear door. The not-so-obvious downside to these is that they add significant weight and mass to the rear doors. I am less worried about the stress on the door hinges but am more concerned about the doors unexpectedly closing in windy conditions or if parked on an incline/decline.

Back in 2021 during my first phases of my build, i was working during a windy day. A big gust caught the heavier passenger rear door and it started closing and knocked me over with its mass as the outdoor box was fully loaded. I was lucky that i was able to slow it down a bit but it could easily have done much worse. Ever since that i'm super-careful as the doors carry a significant amount of weight. This is actually why I went to a shower tent for outdoor showers vs the original just shower with the doors open with a curtain strung up between the doors. The wind in the Western US was always blowing the doors around which made for an interesting shower.

Anyhow back to the install. Yes these are just struts mounted via rivnuts but its a nice solution that so far meets my needs. Given that I use my van for bike trips, i am always dealing with the doors shutting on my bikes while on the slider tray this gives me some peace of mind. My first take is that they open nicely and, more importantly, hold the doors open despite wind gusts. It actually takes a fair amount of effort to close them, which was a surprise, but not a bad thing.

Here's the official install video. It's pretty basic, especially if one already has experience with setting rivnuts but, IMO, it was more challenging than i was expecting. The challenge is getting the rivnuts to sit level and plumb on an area on the bumper, that, at least on my van, has some curvature. Rivnuts require that the bolts be inset straight or it becomes a challenge. Fortunately, in my build, i have significant experience with rivnuts.

Overall, i'm pleased and happy with the quality. My biggest concern was that i had to fit my around some trim and my offset bike slider tray as you can see in the pics below.

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sunnydazed

2021 170 2wd 4cyl Diesel
I was planning my next project to be the 3rd evolution of my indoor shower but i backed the van under the carport and, while I'm still not sure how it happened, my cellular antenna array clipped the edge of the carport and knocked the edges of both the 2x2 MIMO antennae. This really sucks as they are not made anymore and they are simply the best cellular antennae ever.

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Fortunately everything seems to still work with no issue but they sure look bad with the cracked ABS. More on this repair and the indoor shower reno coming soon. Hope everyone is well and having fun adventures in their vans!
 

zepper

Member
My MaxxAir Fan finally arrived so i got that in. There are a ton of tutorials on YT on this. Make sure to take your time and use the properly sealants, etc. I used Hein's roof vent adapter, which, as expected was of high quality and makes dealing with the ribs on top of the van a little easier.

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Hi, i need to do this soon. Everybody keeps praising Hein's adapter 'for the ribs' but it looks like where you cut the ribs arent interfering. What am i missing? I plan to install in the same spot so im wondering. Thanks! Great build, i have the same color.
 

zepper

Member
So far this build has been pretty much what everybody does--and for good reason. There is a common foundation (windows, fan, etc) for most van builds.

I did opt to do something a little out of the ordinary by adding a reinforcement bar to the sliding door. I am going for a maximum modular setup in my build so it could be set up for 2, 4 or up to 7 passengers (more on that later). One thing i learned thanks to the great information on this site is that Sprinter cargo vans do not come with additional reinforcement in the slider door since the intent is that the van will be used for "cargo". The crew and passenger versions apparently do come with this bar as they likely would have human "cargo" in the 2nd row.

There are some helpful threads on this site with pics. The MB part # is 9107304800 and is referenced as a "reinforcement beam" at a cost of around $284. I ordered mine from MB of Chantilly, VA. Interestingly enough their site requires a VIN # in order to confirm fitment, which is certainly a good thing. My van is still so new that the VIN is not in any online database yet. So i ordered the part and someone from the dealership reached out to me to verify my make and model. The email conversation went back and forth over a few days and was something like this:

Them:"this part does not fit your van"
Me: "I'm pretty sure it does" (thanks to this website)
Them: "if you buy it, you can't return it"
Me: "that's ridiculous, it's a bolt-in part"
Them: "right, but it doesn't fit, so we won't return it"
Me: "fine, i'll buy it someplace else"
Them: "i talked to our parts mgr and he says you can return it with a restocking fee"
Me: "um thanks. Can you please send pic of the bar?"
Them: Sends picture, looks exactly like what i was expecting.
Me: "Looks great, please send it"
Them: "You need the bolts too"
Me: "no i'm good, i have the bolts in my shop already"
Them: "are you sure?"
Me: "yes, pls send today, thank you"

They did send it and thankfully the reinforcement bar fit perfectly with the existing factory holes in my cargo van. I sent them a nice email thanking them for the extra due diligence.

My point to this story is both the collective knowledge on this website is incredibly valuable and that even the parts "experts" struggle with understanding the application outside of what the computer tells them. I am not casting stones here--i do appreciate the due diligence but the additional time is just to be expected as part of a DIY build.

If you've followed along this far here is a pic (not my build) that was helpful to me in verifying where this bar fits in the door and the 3 bolts and their respective location.

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This looks like 1" square tube, is it anymore fancy than it appears?
 

RVBarry

2023 AWD 170 DIY CamperVan
Everybody keeps praising Hein's adapter 'for the ribs' but it looks like where you cut the ribs arent interfering. What am i missing?
The roof is curved/arched, esp. at the center; from the pic I can see an arch on the bottom of the adapter.
 
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sunnydazed

2021 170 2wd 4cyl Diesel
@zepper i used the adapter primarily to make the install easier. It is certainly not required but I didn't want to have to deal with a leak b/c some sealant dried out, etc. To each their own of course.
 

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