Budget, Bigger 4x4 Van

[vwhammer]

Naturally everyone wants a 4x4 Sprinter or new AWD Transit van.
Obviously, not everyone has the kind of budget to buy one and then spend many more kilodollars building out the interior for life on the road.

That got me thinking about other ways to take an existing platform (or maybe a couple) and build what some of us are looking for on a little tighter budget.

Then I came across this video.
The guy talks a lot but that's not the point.

Naturally that build might not have been the cheapest but many of us have the skills to do such a thing ourselves and might already be driving a donor chassis or have one lying around.
Box trucks of various styles are pretty easy to come by these days also.

Found this one on my local marketplace that has some potential.

It would just be a matter of having the time and space (maybe a little money) to do it.

 

[iggi]

That's a neat rig. I considered a step van before I got my ambo.

 

[turbodiesel]

I have wanted a step van for a long time for a restomod type project. Never considered it for a camper, but I bet that would be a nice conversion.

 

[luthj]

If you don't mind essentially replacing everything, a 60s or 70s rig like that could be made to work.

There might be some step vans which were offered with 4x4. Some step vans use common ford or GM powerplants and transmissions. It would probably be better to go with a 90s step van with compatible parts. The swap the front axle for a 4x4 one. Then do the necessary transfer case and driveshaft work.

There are also military ambulances which were built with 4x4. They can sometimes be found with the box body at reasonable prices (if you don't mind a lot of work).

 

[vwhammer]

It would be simple enough to put a transfer case and a front axle in most step vans I suppose and maybe a lot less work but I kind of like the idea of making things a bit more modern.

Would be super cool to swap some interior parts so you have some extra safety features like air bags but that might be way more complicated given the engineering involved.

As always there are a million ways to build anything you want but as far as simple and reliable I can imagine that using a stock 4x4 chassis would be a good starting point.

Of course some leaves an axle and a divorced transfer case could get you in 4x4 mode with a stock step van chassis but its not going to ride and handle as nice as a more modern truck.

 

[Mwilliamshs]

Putting SRS into a vehicle not originally equipped with it is illegal, as is removing it. If you got in an accident and your modified airbag went off, your insurance company could deny payment, blaming your injuries on your modification. If the airbag didn't go off, they could make the same claim with opposite reasoning. That's a no-win situation.

 

[nilloc]

Yeah having removed a few airbags and sensors from a car before scrapping, the mounting of the sensor seems pretty critical, not to mention the problems with Takata and other airbag recalls in recent years.

Good luck getting a home-made 60s box truck warrantied.