2018 Sprinter 4x4 144"...Take 2

grantwilson

grantwilson

Adventurist
new van! by Grant Wilson, on Flickr

So, changes from last one:
Queen bed instead of Full. Still the same layout, but wider
Front will only have a winch and hitch mount
Spare tire mounted to the door (rear bumper is just too killer to the departure angle)
Fridge will be under the kitchen area and slide into the door opening for ease of access in or out of the van, driver side cabinet will stay about the same, with smaller drawers instead of one big one.

Let it start!



I will keep a running tally of what i buy, literally as i buy it. I am not including any tools i buy, but i will factor in stuff left over from last build (some sound deadening and insulation for example), along with links to what i get on amazon, or another source.

Sound Deadening 2 boxes - https://amzn.to/2xkq3Mu - 127.98 (two boxes does a whole sprinter very well)
Installation tools - https://amzn.to/2LutUJH - 14.99
Insulation - 50 linear feet - https://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-Thinsul...hash=item1ead2f222b:m:mQsMt9R9kVO_5FNr6jaI3KQ - 600.00
Speaker adapters for door - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Speaker-Ad...m2109284bb3:m:mqnhvfnNVg7VtUD5gQ3IYaA&vxp=mtr - 26.00
Speaker panels for rear door - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sprinter-N...hash=item1ebbe3678e:m:m2rs-20X9AmEqeaafqX9ycA - 100.00
Vented seat base panel for heater intake - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Slotted-Ac...230286&hash=item1e98f23050:g:hj4AAOSwa39UyG8D - 28.50
Espar D2 Heater with muffler, and easy start timer - http://www.heatso.com/eberspacher-airtronic-d2-12v-2-2kw-heater-kit/ - 992.00
Renogy 200ah batteries (x2) - https://amzn.to/2krTAuo - 595.98 (on sale)
Renogy 100 watt panels (x3) - https://amzn.to/2s9bPZK - 318.87 (on sale)
Midland Radio - https://amzn.to/2s8XlsC - 149.99
horn - https://amzn.to/2IOERnD - 24.94
Air Tank - https://amzn.to/2IOF2iN - 57.95
Air Bulkhead fitting - https://amzn.to/2s47GWX - 10.14
Rear shower - https://amzn.to/2sg90oZ - 50.00
Solar Y connectors (2 pairs) - https://amzn.to/2IQ0HLO - 17.00
ram mount - https://amzn.to/2GPKW1w - 32.99
Ram mount base - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O8LF26/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - 9.95
Carpet for lining flares and trim (2ea) - https://amzn.to/2GQ0ceH - 65.32
Foam for lining flares (qty 5) - https://amzn.to/2Lv9jF9 - 65.00
USB plugs (x4)- https://amzn.to/2ILM3VP - 44.00
12V plugs (x4) https://amzn.to/2LsnVF8 - 28.00
Quick fuel connector for heater - https://amzn.to/2Lub6KI - 9.88
Ceiling LIghts (8) - https://amzn.to/2IKm40R - 65.98
12v dimmer - https://amzn.to/2xb2Xb2 - 30.00
Roof Solar Entry - https://amzn.to/2GRSgJT - 20.00
Main fuse panel - https://amzn.to/2LxCmIe - 35.96
driver wall fuse panel - https://amzn.to/2IOOpiD - 31.97
Solar wiring - https://amzn.to/2KVEQPy - 41.99
110 plug shore power - https://amzn.to/2s8z1am- 16.95
water Strainer - https://amzn.to/2xfL7nf- 8.11
water pump - https://amzn.to/2xckXBR - 71.13
Cable Ports (x4) https://amzn.to/2LsclKd - 90.88
rear switch panel - https://amzn.to/2JdeWcC - 57.72
front switch panel - https://amzn.to/2J7BFHe - 68.33
terminal studs (to add stuff to front battery, and manage rear battery connections) - 51.88
Flarespace Flares - http://www.flarespace.com/products/flare-set-for-mercedes-sprinter-van - 1750
Inverter/charger - https://amzn.to/2ILmEHA - 515.98
Ctek Smartpass 120 -https://www.quadratec.com/p/ctek/d250sa-dc-battery-charger-40-186?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6J7YBRC4ARIsAJMXXsdNzVWFwcdkzmpn5FAJghAVdukl19pTWqXl52tV9mom5GL0eI6UoNYaArdxEALw_wcB - 304.99
Victron BVM 712 - https://amzn.to/2IMsj4j - 206.55
Victrom 100/30 mppt - https://amzn.to/2J3DmFH - 226.10
Battery switch - https://amzn.to/2INVJio - 24.19
Total as of may 25 -6,948.26

Rockford Fosgate Power 400.4 - https://www.amazon.com/Rockford-Fos...sr=8-1&keywords=Rockford+Fosgate+Power+T400-4 - 300.00
Rockford Fosgate T1650-S components (2 pairs) https://amzn.to/2JgygGh - 430
Amp Install kit - https://amzn.to/2ITtSNW - 25.34
Line Converter - https://amzn.to/2LE5cqz - 8.16
Black and read heat shrink for terminal stuff - https://amzn.to/2GXQ4k2 - 8.99
4ga terminals (battery connections, inverter, etc) - https://amzn.to/2JezMIP - 9.99
0/1 terminals (for main wire to Ctek,) - https://amzn.to/2LBB5jq - 11.54 (it was almost same price to buy 4 a it is 10, so i got 10)
PA System - https://amzn.to/2sqZgZd - 149.99
Total as of May 28 - 7802.27


And more parts
BFG KO2 - 285/75-16 x 5 - https://amzn.to/2H6BHtY - 1000
ARB Single Compresor - https://amzn.to/2xu7Yvc - 266
ARB Air up kit - 34.62
Weather Tech floor mats - https://amzn.to/2xveVME - 195
Warn Zeon 10S platinum - https://amzn.to/2Jmu7Av - 1595.85
3091

Total as of 5/31 - 11151.12

1/4 air line - 19.00
3M super 90 (6 cans) - 54.00
Air fittings - 24.00
Rubber Grommets for wire pass thru - https://amzn.to/2sKOL2W - 16.10
AirUpDown Kit - https://updownair.com/ - 260.00
Tern Overland Window (biggest one)- 410
Headliner shelf - https://vanwifecomponents.com/product/shelf-headliner-for-sprinter/ - 400
Electrical plug (x2) - https://www.ternoverland.com/other-components - 102
Water fill (same link)- 49.00


Total as of 6/6/18- 12485.22

Ram mount stuff - https://amzn.to/2MabAWq and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O8LF26/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - 46.93
Van Compass suspension - 2492.49

TOtal as of 6/7/18 - 15024.64

Wire totals - 450
Flooring - 180.00
Aluminum for fabrication- 680

Total as of 6/10/18 - 16334.64

Ceiling material - 80.00
pvc trim board for window spacers - 14.00
Rubber gasket for metal to metal areas - 8.00
latch for bed - https://amzn.to/2LVRNt9- 6.49
Outlets for driver side wall-https://amzn.to/2JNaVg6 - 22.99
200a CB for inverter - https://amzn.to/2JJWiua - 27.99
150A CB for smart pass- https://amzn.to/2JKD5IJ- 23.99

total as of 6/17/18- 16517.46

bedslide ordered
BEDSLIDE S 62" X 43"
(1-6243-S) - 899

total to date:
17,416.46

https://www.etsy.com/listing/288760045/1-yard-36-x-55-lilly-pulitzer-summer
Ordered the fabric for ripplewear to make my shades

Total as of 6/19
17570.90

Misc Home Depot run - 174.34
Rack lights - https://amzn.to/2yxxnVr - (x3) 110.99
Side and rear rack lights - https://amzn.to/2JY7ByZ - (x3) - 30.00

Total as of 6/22 - 18168.18

Dometic Stove (mo8322)-https://amzn.to/2zkuSX8 - 499
Dometic Faucet - https://amzn.to/2MRYLQo - 100
Dometic CFX75DZ - https://amzn.to/2KRhGKs - 1k
Fridge SLide - https://amzn.to/2MRygKZ - 300
Penguin 2 AC unit - https://amzn.to/2u8wc9l - 800
Thermostat and air distribution panel - 250
MAxxair Fan - https://amzn.to/2tWJMxh - 250
spray adhesive (6 cans of super 90) - 66.00

total as of 7/5/16 - 20633
 
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Parts are starting to arrive!
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Picked up the audio today, components front and rear and a killer amp. Got a great deal on it all, so worth it

Also picked up a new box to make it easier to get tools to the van, and keep from just dropping it all on a table like last time.
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr

Also used the van as a truck to take home the craigslist find of the day. 500.00 year old mower!
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr

Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
and finally, took some time to attach velcro to the back of the patches i got from expo and the trip out west. Waiting to pull the headliner down and when i put it back up, ill throw em all on again!
 
The weekend has been pretty busy and awesome. A ton of work got done and pretty happy with the progress.

The stack of parts is getting a bit large, so let's start putting some in there to get it down!
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr

Friday after work, decided that i was going to strip all the pieces out of the front (a pillar and b pillar trim headliner etc) so i can start running wires for the PA and speakers.
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Then I applied the sound deadening, put a ton of Thinsulate up there, and moved on to some other areas
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr

After that was finished, I went to the rear doors. Pulled the lower panels off, applied sound deadening there and thinsulate, as well as pulling the wires for the rear door speakers
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr

Saturday not much got done. My friend Justin came over
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
He need his electrical system installed, so i knocked it out for him in like an hour or so
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
he still has to hide some cables and do some other crap, but he was headed on a trip this week and needed something functional, so i hooked it all up for him.

The one thing i did work on Saturday, was hiding the god awful wiring harness back there. I pulled the entire body harness from the headliner to the rear out of its home and removed all the clips.
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
I actually pulled it all back out, and then rerouted it behind the side area as well then put it all back on sunday correctly.

Sunday was alot of wiring finishing up front and my friend Rob (the guy who bought my Subaru) helping out with sound deadening and insulation.
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
I finished some wiring on the PA, mounted the siren/speaker in the front, a single row lightbar and then ran the trigger wire for the relay for the ARB compressor that I will install on Monday hopefully. The balance of the evening was spent redoing the rear harness like i mentioned above to run behind all the body panels and not to be seen again.
We got 3/4 of the sound deadning in the upper portion of hte van done. I ordered another box of sound deadedning to finish up what was needed, and am waiting on more thinsulate from Hein as well as some other parts so i can do the audio stuff. Also mounted up the rear batteries using some holddown loops and 1" webbing straps I sewed up with velcro closure stuff to keep it tied down. No batteries sliding around here!
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr


Next up is getting the flarespace flares dropped off for paint when they come in this week, Sorting a Tern Overland window, pulling the floor for insulation and running main power wire for hte Ctek Smartpass to the rear, making the rear passenger wall to mount all the electrics to, and sorting electrics out. Tons of fun!
 
Impressive progress and nice skills!

How do you like the van as compared to the Tacoma/FWC I believe you had before? I often go back and forth deciding what the best balance is between off road adventure capabilities vs family comfort out of the elements. Between you and Dave (with his old Tacoma/Flip Pac and his just sold Dodge/FWC) I am curious on both of your overall thoughts. This might be worthy of another thread but thought I would ask here as it is somewhat relevant. The one thing I dislike is a lack of reasonable power and the V10 in my current van has been really nice. Thoughts?
Eric
 
KTMRIDER said:
Impressive progress and nice skills!

How do you like the van as compared to the Tacoma/FWC I believe you had before? I often go back and forth deciding what the best balance is between off road adventure capabilities vs family comfort out of the elements. Between you and Dave (with his old Tacoma/Flip Pac and his just sold Dodge/FWC) I am curious on both of your overall thoughts. This might be worthy of another thread but thought I would ask here as it is somewhat relevant. The one thing I dislike is a lack of reasonable power and the V10 in my current van has been really nice. Thoughts?
Eric
Click to expand...
So, this is kind of a loaded question because you have to look at the style of what you do.

We (as in my wife and I) do a mixture of activities. We like to visit cities, such as atlanta, st. pete, savannah etc. We also like to go into the middle of nowhere and camp, as well as beach camping.

For us, it is a matter of ease of use in all situations. We actually really liked the 4wc setup. It was comfy and roomy for the size, and the low profile was great.
However, there are drawbacks:
-Making the bed every day
-Having to pop the top to live (wont work in a city)
-Having to exit the vehicle to get to the camper and thus fridge
- Insulation isn't as efficient with the floppy walls
- Price tag (ish)

For me offroad capability isnt all that huge, because I came from a subaru, to a tacoma then to a sprinter.
The subaru is pretty capable. The sprinter is a bit more capable, but not as much as the tacoma.
I have zero desire to rock crawl, or prove any gatekeeper trail bullsh*t to anyone. I just care about getting to killer campspots which the sprinter does fantastically.

For us the van is great. For someone else, it may not be. It is expensive, and it is big(ish). But i can parallel park it no problem, and short of chick fil a drive through, doesn't have a problem going places.

more than happy to answer any questions/topics on the experiences from a soft rtt to hard rtt to teardrop to 4wc to van any day. Not many people have had actual hands on experience with almost every variation available of sleeping quarters.
 
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Is velcro enough to hold those batteries? I'm guessing so (especially is pinched in by the loops at the floor) but people gave me crap for using ratchet straps.... Mine haven't moved. But I'm curious if velcro works loose over time, maybe the vans are just way more supple suspension wise than my truck!
 
java230 said:
Is velcro enough to hold those batteries? I'm guessing so (especially is pinched in by the loops at the floor) but people gave me crap for using ratchet straps.... Mine haven't moved. But I'm curious if velcro works loose over time, maybe the vans are just way more supple suspension wise than my truck!
Click to expand...
The same way Four Wheel Camper does it.

It's about 8 inches of velcro engagement, should be plenty
 
Since the pallet came in, and i now have my compressor, took the afternoon to put it in.
Started with stripping down the harness to only what I need. Using the PA system aux switch to trigger the relay, so only needed that wire hooked up to something (other than the power and negative) So took out the extra solenoid subharness and switch harness, re loomed the whole thing then installed it.
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
Lower is final harness (with full length of positive and negative i trimmed to length when installed)
Mounted the compressor on the lower frame rail up front to keep it closer to the UpDownAir module that will be installed later this week to air up and down all 4 tires at once.
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
and final wiring up to the Aux Battery
Untitled by Grant Wilson, on Flickr
 
grantwilson said:
So, this is kind of a loaded question because you have to look at the style of what you do.

For us, it is a matter of ease of use in all situations. We actually really liked the 4wc setup. It was comfy and roomy for the size, and the low profile was great.
However, there are drawbacks:
-Making the bed every fucking day
-Having to pop the top to live (wont work in a city)
-Having to exit the vehicle to get to the camper and thus fridge
- Insulation isn't as efficient with the floppy walls
- Price tag (ish)

I have zero desire to rock crawl, or prove any gatekeeper trail bullshit to anyone. I just care about getting to killer campspots which the sprinter does fantastically.

more than happy to answer any questions/topics on the experiences from a soft rtt to hard rtt to teardrop to 4wc to van any day. Not many people have had actual hands on experience with almost every variation available of sleeping quarters.
Click to expand...
Great overview. Thanks for the feedback.

I enjoy off roading to see places and just get away with friends and family. As long as the trail is wide enough and not too hard my van hasn’t had any issues but I don’t care to rock crawl either, nor would I expect the van to do that. At times though I would like to do more group runs but I know the trails would beat up the van a bit too much.

I find the van to be a great balance of being able to explore new places off road yet get out of the weather when needed. It seems like at least one day on most trips has bad weather. The Overland Expo a few years ago comes to mind which I thought was epic with the weather since I had the van to retreat to and watch the chaos. When the weather is decent it’s nice to leave the side doors open and hang out outside and still have easy access to things.

Looking forward to following the rest of this build. Curious as to how the final layout turns out.
Eric
 
So question I have had since you announced this new build. How do you get a queen size bed (80x60) into the back when even with the flairs, it's still less than 80" wide?
 
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