OversizedDogmobile
New member
We've always wanted to build a van for adventures. I got a little stir crazy during COVID and decided to do it live. This is more of a retrospective build thread, but hopefully you'll permit me this indulgence- we finally finished our "Gen 1" build today.
The vehicle
We got the last 2019 170 4x4 on the lot, pretty good deal with $0/0%, and it had most of the features we wanted. We were not originally planning to get the extended version, but needed to satisfice. We have two large dogs, so the extra space seemed like a fair tradeoff.
The Build Plan
Fiancé and I gave ourselves 2 months to do the build, with a hard deadline to drive it across the country for our wedding. We both work full time, and fiancé worked a number of weekends, so we ended up with roughly 28 worker-days (across 9 weekends) to get it done. I don't recommend rushing it like that. Enthusiasm is no substitute for good planning.
Weight
We kept a careful weight budget, weighing components before they were installed. I still need to weigh the final project, but with our full "trip" packing list, we are within 500 lbs of max weight, which will certainly hamper performance. We're not "off roaders", we just want to go places and get off the beaten trail a bit.
First Steps: Floor Installation
Used a closed cell foam to deaden the floor. Laid the foam directly over the existing factory wood floor.
Foam, plywood subfloor, and LVT installed.
First serious failure: left the cargo door open all afternoon, returned to find all of our LVT tile had buckled. Direct sun and LVT do not mix. Pulled the entire floor out and replaced any tiles that were damaged.
The vehicle
We got the last 2019 170 4x4 on the lot, pretty good deal with $0/0%, and it had most of the features we wanted. We were not originally planning to get the extended version, but needed to satisfice. We have two large dogs, so the extra space seemed like a fair tradeoff.
The Build Plan
Fiancé and I gave ourselves 2 months to do the build, with a hard deadline to drive it across the country for our wedding. We both work full time, and fiancé worked a number of weekends, so we ended up with roughly 28 worker-days (across 9 weekends) to get it done. I don't recommend rushing it like that. Enthusiasm is no substitute for good planning.
Weight
We kept a careful weight budget, weighing components before they were installed. I still need to weigh the final project, but with our full "trip" packing list, we are within 500 lbs of max weight, which will certainly hamper performance. We're not "off roaders", we just want to go places and get off the beaten trail a bit.
First Steps: Floor Installation
Used a closed cell foam to deaden the floor. Laid the foam directly over the existing factory wood floor.
Foam, plywood subfloor, and LVT installed.
First serious failure: left the cargo door open all afternoon, returned to find all of our LVT tile had buckled. Direct sun and LVT do not mix. Pulled the entire floor out and replaced any tiles that were damaged.
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