A Custom UJOR-Sportsmobile Build

[notmiller]

So we picked up the van from its interior build at SMB this past Thursday. We're pretty happy with the black and white look. Black bumpers and sliders will tie it all together.



I won't go into much detail about the SMB part of the build since we paid $$$ for that. For the curious, we did the standard RB50 layout. We chose it because it gives a forward-facing couch, which will be good for passengers and future kids. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the build quality so far. It's definitely a lot better than anything I could've done, and it only took 7 weeks versus the 10 weeks they quoted (versus the 2 years I quoted my wife to do it myself, which undoubtedly would've turned into 5 years).

The van still has a rake to it. I measured the lift compared to the SMB 4x4s they had standing around: they measure about 24" to the bottom of the rockers. My front sits at that height, but the rear sits at about 26". It doesn't sound like much, but visually it's pretty significant. I think this is due to the fact that I quoted Deaver a 9500lb van, and the vehicle weight with fluids has now been quoted at 8,147lbs by SMB. Even with bumpers and a spare tire, it probably won't even see 9,000lb. So I think that's my problem.

Some other problems:
- There's still a driveline vibration at 55mph.
- After driving it over the weekend, I discovered I was missing the upper mounting bolt on the front driver-side caliper, so my caliper had only been hanging by the lower bolt. Not sure how this happened.
- The drag link ball joint mounting to the pitman arm rubs on the leaf springs at full left lock. Rubbing is probably too gentle a term. See below:





The real issue is I have at least 3 inches of compression left. If I happened to be at full left turn during a real hard compression on that side, I would crush the ball joint, bend the pitman arm, shear the steering box off, etc etc. I think I can possibly drill out a fresh pitman arm to flip the ball joint to the top of the pitman arm and clear both the spring pack and the frame. Hopefully this is the solution!

Anyways, just thought I'd provide an update now that I've gotten the van back and things have started rolling again. There should be lots more build info in the coming weeks/months!

 

[pratty85]

Looks good!

 

[bknudtsen]

So we picked up the van from its interior build at SMB this past Thursday. We're pretty happy with the black and white look. Black bumpers and sliders will tie it all together.

View attachment 116790

I won't go into much detail about the SMB part of the build since we paid $$$ for that.

Looks nice! Inside pics would be about as much detail as we need...

 

[McZippie]

- Interior temperature sense and automatic engine and A/C start (for dog safety!)

Looking good, yes some interior pictures would be great, also some more info on the above, when you get around to it.

 

[notmiller]

Looks nice! Inside pics would be about as much detail as we need...

I'm on travel for work right now, so the only one I have is this cell pic. The dogs love the fold down couch, about 53"x60".

Looking good, yes some interior pictures would be great, also some more info on the above, when you get around to it.

McZippie, the idea comes from some systems developed for K9 units. I think one is called CoolDoggie or something like that. They all basically do some combination of an audible alarm, rolling windows down, popping open doors, turning on fan, etc, when the interior temperature reaches a set limit. When we did our big roadtrip a couple of years ago, we always had one person stay with the van running to keep the dogs cool in the Arizona/Utah heat. The van would've probably stayed cool for a good amount of time by itself, but we weren't sure how long that would be. With these systems, there's an internal temperature sensor that monitors this. The problem is that they're pretty expensive (~$1000, I think) and don't necessarily do exactly what we want. Luckily, I happen to work with a great electrical engineer and we've discussed building a system from scratch that would start the engine (with the A/C in "on" position already) to cool down the van if it exceeds a given temp. It would be pretty simple. One issue would be ensuring that the variable wait period for the glow plugs on the diesel is obliged, although this should be fairly short in hot weather so there could just be a standard delay. My brother suggested tying it to a remote start system, which already knows how to "speak" to the vehicle for these issues. This is probably the route we'll go. This does not mean we'll leave the dogs in the van for 8 hours in 110deg weather but is just to give us some peace of mind while quickly running errands.

 

[Sheep Shagger]

They all basically do some combination of an audible alarm, rolling windows down, popping open doors, turning on fan, etc, when the interior temperature reaches a set limit.
<snip>
Luckily, I happen to work with a great electrical engineer and we've discussed building a system from scratch that would start the engine (with the A/C in "on" position already) to cool down the van if it exceeds a given temp. It would be pretty simple. One issue would be ensuring that the variable wait period for the glow plugs on the diesel is obliged, although this should be fairly short in hot weather so there could just be a standard delay. My brother suggested tying it to a remote start system, which already knows how to "speak" to the vehicle for these issues. This is probably the route we'll go.

They already make these units and are very cheap. I have an alarm with remote start. I added a DEI 556T unit that starts the van at a set temp (hot or cold), and runs for a set period of time. (Mine is set to 90deg and 15mins, and it will just keep cycling). So you just leave the blower on full, set it to hot / cold, set the alarm and walk away.
It works perfectly, although I have never trusted the life of my dog to it. I've used it to keep her comfortable, but never trusted it for long periods in super hot weather. But you have me thinking on a 2nd stage that at a higher temp will open windows, it would be simple to add to do this.
The alarm keyfob also tells me when the van is running and what temp it is inside, plus has a "advertised" range of 1 mile. I've has the alarm remote tell me info from up to 3 miles away in backcountry, but blocked at as little as 300yards with buildings inbetween.

 

[notmiller]

They already make these units and are very cheap. I have an alarm with remote start. I added a DEI 556T unit that starts the van at a set temp (hot or cold), and runs for a set period of time. (Mine is set to 90deg and 15mins, and it will just keep cycling). So you just leave the blower on full, set it to hot / cold, set the alarm and walk away.
It works perfectly, although I have never trusted the life of my dog to it. I've used it to keep her comfortable, but never trusted it for long periods in super hot weather. But you have me thinking on a 2nd stage that at a higher temp will open windows, it would be simple to add to do this.
The alarm keyfob also tells me when the van is running and what temp it is inside, plus has a "advertised" range of 1 mile. I've has the alarm remote tell me info from up to 3 miles away in backcountry, but blocked at as little as 300yards with buildings inbetween.

Sold! I wasn't aware of this. Thanks for the tip! Which specific main alarm system are you running? Did you have the whole thing professionally installed? I wanted to install one myself to do a good stealth install, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of info for DIY installs on Viper systems or the other DEI brands, so I'm thinking I should probably just have it professionally installed. That's one of the first things on my list as I've already had random people slowing down in front of my house and staring at the van. Consequently, I've put her into hiding until I can get an alarm installed.

 

[Sheep Shagger]

Sold! I wasn't aware of this. Thanks for the tip! Which specific main alarm system are you running? Did you have the whole thing professionally installed? I wanted to install one myself to do a good stealth install, but it doesn't seem like there's a lot of info for DIY installs on Viper systems or the other DEI brands, so I'm thinking I should probably just have it professionally installed. That's one of the first things on my list as I've already had random people slowing down in front of my house and staring at the van. Consequently, I've put her into hiding until I can get an alarm installed.

Mine is a Viper (5900 or 5700 I can't remember), installed by a installer, then I ripped it out and did it myself from scratch as they just kept messing everything up (long story). But if you do it your self, it's not hard, as you said, all the information is on the web. The CTS wire was the hardest thing as I couldn't get any info on it off the usual web sites on an E350 only info on F350. CTS = Clear Tack Signal, needed for correct remote start on Diesel, although there are other ways, that's the best wire to use. All alarms and accessories are interchangeable, so I'm sure you can make that DEI piece work with just about any other alarm system you like. But I liked the Viper / DEI as there are lots of accessories and it has great programmable features if you have basic electronic knowledge. ie I have programmed the internal switches to turn on/off my roof rack/camping lights from the key fob or alarm activation, also controls my garage door & house alarm etc etc.

 

[notmiller]

Mine is a Viper (5900 or 5700 I can't remember), installed by a installer, then I ripped it out and did it myself from scratch as they just kept messing everything up (long story). But if you do it your self, it's not hard, as you said, all the information is on the web. The CTS wire was the hardest thing as I couldn't get any info on it off the usual web sites on an E350 only info on F350. CTS = Clear Tack Signal, needed for correct remote start on Diesel, although there are other ways, that's the best wire to use. All alarms and accessories are interchangeable, so I'm sure you can make that DEI piece work with just about any other alarm system you like. But I liked the Viper / DEI as there are lots of accessories and it has great programmable features if you have basic electronic knowledge. ie I have programmed the internal switches to turn on/off my roof rack/camping lights from the key fob or alarm activation, also controls my garage door & house alarm etc etc.

Good info. Expect some PMs from me when I get head over heels in wiring and I can't figure it out! I was thinking of the 5200 which is basic 2-way, but having it tell you interior temp, etc, seems like a good reason to go to the 5700 for the active temp control we've been talking about.

 

[McZippie]

FWIW To help out with the dog cooling issue; Fantastic roof top fans come with a remote that can be set to auto open and run at selected temperature.
If don't want a roof fan on a pop-up roof, could use 12volt computer cooling fans, Fantastic's Endless Breeze or other 12volt fans custom fabricated for side window and adapt the controls from a Fantastic roof fan to run them. Two fans on opposite sides, one pushing and the other pulling will move a lot of air.

In our small Limo Bus, we get an amazing amout of air movement, by setting the roof Fantastic fan to vent out and open a sides window to about a 5 square inch opening.
With window shades downs and windshield sun blocked, even with 90F+ heat, there is no real heat build-up and a lot of cooling effect close to the small inlet window opening.

http://www.fantasticvent.com/products/products.html

 

[pratty85]

I use the 12v computer fan with adjustable bracket that can be removed to mount in a window. I just pop out my rear windows and crack the front and it makes a nice draft!

 

[notmiller]

FWIW To help out with the dog cooling issue; Fantastic roof top fans come with a remote that can be set to auto open and run at selected temperature.
If don't want a roof fan on a pop-up roof, could use 12volt computer cooling fans, Fantastic's Endless Breeze or other 12volt fans custom fabricated for side window and adapt the controls from a Fantastic roof fan to run them. Two fans on opposite sides, one pushing and the other pulling will move a lot of air.

In our small Limo Bus, we get an amazing amout of air movement, by setting the roof Fantastic fan to vent out and open a sides window to about a 5 square inch opening.
With window shades downs and windshield sun blocked, even with 90F+ heat, there is no real heat build-up and a lot of cooling effect close to the small inlet window opening.

http://www.fantasticvent.com/products/products.html

I've considered this as well and may do it. My concern is actually not knowing what the internal temp is while you're away. A 2-way Viper alarm can tell you that, but I would probably get the auto-start add-on as well for a little more money and a lot more peace of mind. When I was originally thinking about building the internal temp monitoring myself, I was thinking about tying it to some 12V fans as well. You could make it a progressive cooling system based on real-time temp monitoring, going from low speed fan to high speed fan to auto-start and A/C.

 

[CodyY]

Being a diesel cargo with front air only, i just use two keys and leave it running


Another good option would be a turbo timer

 

[McZippie]

Being a diesel cargo with front air only, i just use two keys and leave it running


Another good option would be a turbo timer

Our 6.0 Diesel puts out a lot of heat at both fast and slow idle. So much heat that I only idle it for a few minutes now, after repairs: (oil leak, new water-pump, new turbo)
What's a turbo timer?

 

[pratty85]

I would suggest hood louvers from www.hoodlouvers.com to help the heat escape. I purchased some, but I haven't installed them yet.( I have heard really good things about them in vans though!) A Turbo timer is a delayed shutoff system that can be adjusted from 1 min up to 30min maybe longer. It tells the vehicle to continue idling even after you pull your key out and lock the doors for what ever specified time its set at. I had one on a Subaru STI, it was designed to allow the oil cycling through the turbo to cool down before it shuts off.(If I am wrong, someone correct me) Its been awhile since I owned that vehicle. I haven't heard of anyone running one on a diesel though.