Hodakaguy's 4x4 Sprinter Build

[Hodakaguy]

This past weekend the wife and I took a drive over the North Cascade HWY, van did great (other than the air mattress). Weather was perfect, the more I drive this van the more I love it.

Up on the Pass

On the ferry leaving Whidbey Island

Stumbled onto a cool aircraft museum that I had to stop and check out, turns out that my father and I's first aircraft is now in this museum!

As soon as we walked in the door I was greeted with the plane that I solo'd in, a Piper L-4J cub. This plane served in the Philippines in WW2, my father and I purchased it from CA and flew it home to WA 20 years ago! We ended up selling it to a guy in Arlington WA. The folks at the museum offered to let me hop into the seat again, felt great! I have a lot of hrs flying in this bird with my father...great memories!!

Hodakawife and I

Chatting with the Museum staff, always fun swapping airplane stories. These guys were great!

They also let me climb up and sit in their DC3...man what an awesome stop! They just returned from over seas with this plane where it participated in the D-Day anniversary. They were working on the right engine and doing run ups when we arrived....what a sweet sound!

I want to take this baby up for a spin!!!

Back home....

Well after quite a few nights in the van we decided that the air mattress has to go! The mattress on the floor eats up a lot of valuable real estate and leaves no room to stand or move since your cloths etc are laying in the only open area behind the front bench. On this last trip we had the mattress go flat on us for the second time (I think the one way valve in the built in compressor is leaking) so it's time to come up with a better temporary solution.

After we returned home I built up a temporary wooden elevated bed platform, this will give us storage room below the bed and standing room in front. Eventually I would like to install an Adventure Wagon interior kit but this should do the trick for now.

Fabricating brackets that will lock the bed frame to the walls using the factory rear seat mounting bolts.

Painted and installed on the frame

And installed in the van. I covered the frame in vinyl for easy cleaning and used turn buckles on the legs to lock in into position, coupled with the side brackets the bed is very secure and easily removable from the van to haul cargo etc.

I'm 6'1" and can fully stretch out sideways by angling my legs slightly, this should be a lot nicer setup for now. The bed will be a FULL size trimmed down slightly for length.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Trip Update.....

Just returned from a 1000 mile family road trip through the SE Oregon and NW Nevada Deserts. The new bed platform worked great! Still need to get a roof rack, solar and battery setup in the near future.

After stopping at rivers and sight seeing along the way we headed deep into the Oregon desert to mine Sunstones at the Spectrum mine. We did a combination of ground searching in the free area and some sifting through some pre-dug high grade ore at the mine.

My Son playing Mad Max with his Nerf gun

Heading into the desert....30 plus miles from the nearest pavement.

My son loved riding on the bed once we got off road....he though that was pretty cool!

Pulling into the Spectrum Mine

The Mine Office

Ready for mining!

We elected to sift some high grade ore....everyone had a lot of fun sifting and picking out the sunstones.

Our ore being crushed and getting ready to be loaded in the backhoe for delivery.

Going through the Ore...

We found some nice stones, my son found this red centered stone.

I found a nice AAA Shiller (A Sunstone with copper infused that creates a nice copper sheen)

My Son having a geology conversation with the guy running the mine

More stones collected at the Specrum Mine, later we would find quite a few more shillers in the batch.

We camped for the night in the free public collection area, super quiet and calm out there! We spend maybe 30 minutes looking for Sunstones then called it a day.

My son and I went out looking for stones again in the morning before we hit the road, you don't need a shovel but he really wanted to carry it

The ground is like glass down there with Sunstones

We collected some nice clear stones that my wife will make a rock wire tree out of later.

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above...

After traveling the next day we ended up staying at Bog Hot Springs in NV. Bog springs is a Hot flowing river, the water flows from the source out into the desert and eventually just soaks back in. This is one of my favorite soaks.....the scenery is amazing, the temperature is perfect (102 deg) and there is very little sulfur smell. The family really loved this camp spot.

The depth of the water varies and there is a couple spots where people have created dams and larger pools. It's a very nice soak.

Back at camp my wife was cleaning the sunstones and checking for shillers.

A view of the Pueblo Mountains out of the van...not a bad camp site!

Next morning we stopped at Fields Station for fuel, breakfast and a world famous milkshake!

On the Alvord dry lake bed

Steen Mountains in the background....beautiful!

Getting some exercise and driving the RC tank out on the Playa.

50 miles of gravel to make it back to pavement again....and amazing scenery!

On the way home we got in an awesome lighting storm, I only managed to capture one lightning bolt in the few minutes I was trying. Love these storms!

Can't wait till next trip!

Hodakaguy

 

[1leglance]

Really great trip report, the mining and hot springs will make some fun memories to talk about in the future.
Very cool to have family outings while the kids are young enough to NOT be off in their own rides

 

[Teamoatmealpie]

Looks like a great rig for the whole family. You gonna run that thru High Rock Canyon?


Kidding of course, you need a hitch rack for the KTM/bike on the back.

 

[Arjan]

Very Nice !

Can you tell us more on the 4WD / AWD in this van and how you use / like it please ?

The Mrs. is considering swopping an LR for a 4WD van...

 

[Farfrumwork]

Nice!
My kids ride on the bed when off-pavement as well. The bouncer the better for them. If not the bed then 'surfing' in the galley... van surfing we call it.

Every now and then we make them buckle-up, when the terrain gets a bit too hairy. A tumble off a shelf road might not survivable buckled in a seat, but it would certainly not be survivable bouncing around the van like a dice in a yahtzee cup.

We did something similar for a bed in the back of our 4x4 (but yours is more secure for sure). I wanted a fixed bed, after years of constantly making and unmaking the bed in the Syncro. So to start we bought an Ikea frame and mattress ($100 or so), shortened the frame ~3" to fit behind my bench (which I mounted in a custom location) and lifted the whole shebang by at least a foot giving ~22" of space underneath for storage. Super comfy and just fits a full size mattress and my 74" body.

We are designing the permanent solution, which will be built around 80-20 framed wheel-well boxes and bed frame, and upper cabinet complete with an aluminum tambour door. Full sized cardboard rough-prototypes are built and I'm detailing what I need for 80-20 to start building this winter.

We're installing another CRL window in the open rear driver quarter panel space (with a vertical slider for ventilation)




Those sunstones are cool. Never heard about those before.

 

[Hodakaguy]

Looks like a great rig for the whole family. You gonna run that thru High Rock Canyon?


Kidding of course, you need a hitch rack for the KTM/bike on the back.

I'll probably save High Rock for the dirt bike lol. Oh yeah, definitely going to have to set up a way to haul the 500
Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Very Nice !

Can you tell us more on the 4WD / AWD in this van and how you use / like it please ?

The Mrs. is considering swopping an LR for a 4WD van...

Sorry for the late reply. This van is 4wd with a transfer case, we will use it mainly for camping trips and getting off the worn paths. We really love all the interior space and the ability to just pull over and have camp for the night. Try one out, we love ours.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Nice!
My kids ride on the bed when off-pavement as well. The bouncer the better for them. If not the bed then 'surfing' in the galley... van surfing we call it.

Every now and then we make them buckle-up, when the terrain gets a bit too hairy. A tumble off a shelf road might not survivable buckled in a seat, but it would certainly not be survivable bouncing around the van like a dice in a yahtzee cup.

We did something similar for a bed in the back of our 4x4 (but yours is more secure for sure). I wanted a fixed bed, after years of constantly making and unmaking the bed in the Syncro. So to start we bought an Ikea frame and mattress ($100 or so), shortened the frame ~3" to fit behind my bench (which I mounted in a custom location) and lifted the whole shebang by at least a foot giving ~22" of space underneath for storage. Super comfy and just fits a full size mattress and my 74" body.

We are designing the permanent solution, which will be built around 80-20 framed wheel-well boxes and bed frame, and upper cabinet complete with an aluminum tambour door. Full sized cardboard rough-prototypes are built and I'm detailing what I need for 80-20 to start building this winter.

We're installing another CRL window in the open rear driver quarter panel space (with a vertical slider for ventilation)
View attachment 533693



Those sunstones are cool. Never heard about those before.

Looks good! These vans are sooooo versatile!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Time to remove the roof AC unit. The roof top AC unit is engine powered by its own compressor and designed to keep the interior cool when loaded with passengers. Unfortunately the unit eats a lot of valuable roof top space that for us could be better used for roof racks, solar panels, vents etc. Since spring we have put almost 12k miles on the van and tested it in temperatures up past 100 deg, in all but the hottest temps we found the dash AC proved to be sufficient and it should be even better once the van is fully insulated. For now I'll be installing a couple Maxair Fans on the roof, solar panels and insulation, eventually I'll add a roof rack down the road as well.


Supplies that I used:

• Astro rubber eraser tool - Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
• 3M Panel Bond Adhesive 08115 - Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
• Sikaflex 252 Sealant - Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
• Maxxfan Deluxe - Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
• Dicor Lap Sealant x two tubes- Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
• Nitrile Gloves - Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
• Wax/Degreaser - Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
• Raptor Liner - Available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE

First up remove the interior in preparation for AC removal and insulation. Start at the front and work your way to the back of the van. I didn't take pictures of the removal process but do have before and after shots.

Before...

And after headliner removal.

Removing the side panels. The trim around the windows can stay in place since insulation can be pushed up into the open areas with the trim in place.

Pile of interior parts

Next up is to remove the upper AC unit from the roof. First up take your van to a shop that can reclaim/drain the refrigerant in the upper AC unit, once the unit is drained of refrigerant your ready to start the removal process.

With winter setting in I ran the van over to my buddy Mike's at VanLab to put the van in his nice heated shop....thanks Mike.

In the next couple shots I've already completed a lot of the smaller prep work. At this point you should remove the interior refrigerant lines from the AC unit, the lines run from the unit then down the A pillars. You will need to remove the plastic A pillar trim from both the drivers and passengers side so you can remove the AC lines from the interior of the van. There are two condensate drain lines that get removed at this time as well. Disconnect all the electrical connectors at the AC unit at this time.

Here you can see where I disconnected one of the two AC lines that go through the roof. Next remove the 10mm bolts that attach the upper unit to the roof, there are two 10mm bolts at each AC line connection.

Next move to the roof and remove the bolts from the plastic covers.

Remove the rear plastic cover. Note: The front cover is trapped in place until you remove the rear condenser unit.

In this shot you can see how the condenser unit is attached to the van with 6 studs. The nuts and washers you need to remove are buried under a bunch of white sealant (Looks like Sikaflex).

Next you need to uncover the nuts and washers. A screwdriver, putty knife and pair of pliers are handy tools here.

Continued Below.....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

Once you have all 6 nuts and washers removed you need to separate the condenser mount from the roof of the van, which is also stuck down with more white sealant. For this task I used plastic scrapers, a hammer and some scrap pieces of wood. Start at the rear and use the hammer to drive the scraper between the mount and the roof, this will split the sealant and won't damage the roof. As you move forward tension the mount by lifting up on the rear of the mount and installing a wooden block to keep tension as you go forward. Take your time.

Once the condenser unit is free hand it down to someone on the ground, the unit is really light.

Remove the front plastic cover and the foam block under the cover (pictured here). Mike at VanLab front and center.

The front portion of the unit is sealed to the van using a black adhesive sealant. To remove this portion use a wooden block and pry bar to slightly lift the edges of the unit while you use a long thin razor knife to reach in and separate the sealant. Go slow and work your way around the unit, place wood blocks under the lip as you go so the unit doesn't stick back down to the van as you move forward. A second person is handy here for sure, it took maybe 5 minutes to remove the front unit using this method. Again the unit is light so hand it down to the person on the ground once it's free.

Front unit removed.

Next up remove the wiring coming through the roof. The wiring has a round rubber grommet but is buried in white sealant. Have a person inside the van push up on the rubber grommet with a screwdriver etc and then use your razor knife to cut the sealant around the rubber grommet. Once free stuff the wiring/grommet down into the van.

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from Above......

With the upper unit removed its time to do some clean up.

Use a razor knife to trim off as much of the white sealant as you can without getting into the paint.

Next up use a automotive rubber eraser wheel to finish removing the white sealant without damaging the paint. This wheel makes quick work of removing the sealant.

Like all erasers it's messy so wear a dusk mask.

From this.....

To this...in a couple of minutes.

Next up the condenser mounting areas. I will leave the studs in place and reseal the base of the studs once finished.

Don't use the eraser wheel on the black sealant as it will gum it up and ruin the wheel. Wax/Grease remover removes the black sealant almost instantly, just put some on a shop rag and wipe the sealant off.

Sealed for the night.

More on closing in the holes soon.....

Hodakaguy

 

[Arjan]

Very Nice !

Pls keep it coming...

 

[Hodakaguy]

Progress........

Adding some additional sound dampening material, the whole family got into the game on this one.

Time to get this hole on the roof plugged up, I'm tired of putting tarps on the roof to keep water out of the van lol.

I fabricated an adapter plate to cover the hole that was left behind from removing the Roof AC and create a 14" square opening for the Maxair vent fan. I also made up 3 smaller covers that will seal up the smaller holes left by the AC wiring and hose connections. I covered the plates in Raptor Liner, Raptor Liner is a bed liner material that is very durable and holds up great over time.

Here's the adapter plate in primer, getting ready for the Raptor Liner to be applied.

Raptor Liner fully cured. Here the adapter is setting in place and getting ready to be permanently attached.

The adapter will be bonded to the roof with 3M Panel Bonding Adhesive.

Panel in place with adhesive applied. The panel is being held down with weights and clamps while the adhesive cures, no screws or rivets needed which helps to eliminate leak points.

Next up its time to cut the hole for the rear Maxair Fan. A little measuring, marking and a skinny wheel made quick work of this task.

Here we are cutting a blades width off each side of the fans base. By slightly trimming the base it will fit perfectly between the roof ribs without having to use a separate adapter plate to raise the fan base up, this gives a perfect fit and reduces the number of sealing surfaces and leak potentials.

The fan bases are sealed in place with Sikaflex 252 sealant.

With the bases cured in place I sealed the screws on the bases with Silaprene and sealed the edges of the black adapter/seal off plates with black Sikaflex 221 (Not really a necessary step but can't hurt .

Good coverage of sealant squished down inside, nice waterproof seal.

Continued Below....