Hodakaguy's 4x4 Sprinter Build

[ericvs]

Tom, just did the wet wiper upgrade to my NCV3. Very excited to have washer fluid spray evenly onto the windscreen v spraying every direction except onto the windscreen.
As always, thank you for doing all this, documenting it and posting it up here so we can be inspired.

Side notes: I am stoked that you are getting into aviation and then more stoked that you are keeping your van

Cheers!

 

[Farfrumwork]

^^ I just received my parts this weekend for the 'wet wipers' as well.

I currently have the stock 2017 spray nozzles zip tied to the arms as the snap features are broken. Well, one of them zip tied and the other fully MIA (so just the feeder tube tied to the arm on that side). Really looking forward to having better function. Thanks again, Tom, for bringing these new wipers to light!

 

[cwvandy]

They make great stuff, hopefully their customer service will improve with the change. I haven't talked to a single person at shows that's had anything good to say about their customer service.

Hodakaguy

Their customer service has not improved. I have been waiting for a paid-for rack for 4 months. No response to my inquiries, no delivery date. This is the last part needed for anotherwise complete, 6 month build at Atlas Vans. This is unacceptable.

 

[Hodakaguy]

Tom, just did the wet wiper upgrade to my NCV3. Very excited to have washer fluid spray evenly onto the windscreen v spraying every direction except onto the windscreen.
As always, thank you for doing all this, documenting it and posting it up here so we can be inspired.

Side notes: I am stoked that you are getting into aviation and then more stoked that you are keeping your van

Cheers!

Thanks Mate, sharing information and ideas is what makes these forums great!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Their customer service has not improved. I have been waiting for a paid-for rack for 4 months. No response to my inquiries, no delivery date. This is the last part needed for anotherwise complete, 6 month build at Atlas Vans. This is unacceptable.

Dang, you would think they would learn. StokedAdventureOutfitters was absolutely awesome to deal with. Hope you get your stuff soon!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Bug Wall grab handle clearance mod.

Installed a Bug Wall on the slider door recently (A magnetic bug screen so we can leave the slider door open and keep bugs out) and when the wall is rolled up and not in use the remaining sides get in the way of the slider door grab handle, making it a pain to reach around the bug wall each time to grab the handle. Time for a bush fix

I used a piece of VHB tape to mount a rare earth magnet between the door and the handle. Then took a second magnet and made an aluminum pendant for it, attaching the two with more VHB tape. Lastly I attached a braided steel leader to the assembly to keep it in check when we're using the Bug Wall and the magnetic latch isn't needed.
The magnets pinch the fabric and bunch it up, keeping the handle open and available when the Bug Wall isn't in use

Here I'm making the pendant to hold the rare earth magnet from a piece of aluminum flat bar.

Yep...missing quite a few blades and still cuts like butter . That said it's time to change this blade out!

Drilling the hole for the key ring so I can attach the unit to the wall.

And some VHB tape to attach the magnet to the pendant.

Pendant assembled and ready to be installed.

And here's the original problem. The sides of the Bug Wall block easy access to the grab handle that you use every time you get in the van.

And here's my solution. I used some VHB tape to attach a rare earth magnet next to the grab handle.

And here I've attached the Pendant to the plastic pillar with a steel braided leader. This will keep the catch from falling out of the van and keep it handy and ready for use when needed. This is the position the unit will be in when you are using the Bug Wall.

And the catch in action. The magnets keep the Bug Wall bunched up next to the handle so the handle is exposed and ready for use. Simple and effective.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Just returned from a 4k mile family road trip to AZ, Death Valley and NV. We had a blast and the Vans performed great! Dad loved his new camper setup! Sooooo much to explore out there, I absolutely love the AZ & NV Desert! Some of the Highlights from this trip: Bonny & Clyde's Death Car, The Worlds tallest Thermometer, Classic Route 66, The Ghost Towns of Jerome, Two Guns, Rhyolite & Skidoo. Death Valley, Abandoned mines & wild weather for this time of year.

I started a FB Group where I'll document pictures & details of our trips in one place. You can join my FB group (Hodakaguy's Travels & Adventures) if you'd like to follow along on our Trips. Group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/765075118271516

Here's a few pics of this last trip. I posted almost 900 pictures on my FB Group for this trip, it's just to many pics to document in the forums.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Snapped an early morning pic with my Phone this morning. Placed a pocket RGB light inside the van for a bit of color.

Hodakaguy

 

[Arjan]

Nice !

 

[Choff]

You have a great sense of what it takes to do things right !! and take some great photos also.

 

[Hodakaguy]

You have a great sense of what it takes to do things right !! and take some great photos also.

Thanks Mate ?

Hodakaguy

 

[Todd780]

Great pics! An abandoned car in the middle of nowhere could be kind of ominous and eerie.
But an abandoned plane in the middle of nowhere? That's next level! I wonder what the story is there?

 

[Hodakaguy]

Great pics! An abandoned car in the middle of nowhere could be kind of ominous and eerie.
But an abandoned plane in the middle of nowhere? That's next level! I wonder what the story is there?

Here's the info on the plane.

As you leave Beatty just to the north you will find the remains of a BEECH C-45G airplane laying along side the road, under a sign for the now out of business "Angels Ladies Brothel". In 1977 the owners of Angels Ladies hired the plane for a promotional stunt. The plane would fly over and drop sky divers who would try to land on a mattress that way laid out in front of the Brothel. The sky diver who landed the closest to the mattress would receive a free visit to the establishment. Well things didn't go as planned and the plane ended up crashing in front of the brothel. The official NTSB report shows engine failure/blower Impeller Assy as the official cause of the crash, however other sources have listed pilot error. Either way the plane was totaled and the owner pushed it out by the highway to attract attention to his business. The brothel eventually closed in 2014 but the plane is still attracting attention and pulling in visitors that pass by. I stop here every time we pass through and snap a few new pics.

I have more pics of the wreck posted on my FB group "Hodakaguys Travels, Adventures and a bit if Misc". Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/765075118271516

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Scanngauge Upgrade from the II to the III.

If your not familiar with the Scanngauges they are almost a must have in my opinion. Totally customizable and allows you to see and monitor all the info that the vans ECU (computer) is able to see. You can watch things such as Coolant Temp, Turbo/Exhaust Temp, Transmission Temp, DP across your Particle Filter, Know when your engine is doing a Regen Cycle, Engine Oil Temp, Boost Pressure, Engine % Load (Great when driving for fuel economy), MPG, DTE, Speed (You can calibrate to your GPS so you can have correct speed, DTE, MPG Etc even with larger tires!). And a Ton More.

I've ran the older Scanngauge II for the past 5 years and it's been great but only shows you 4 info fields at a time. The new Scanngauge III allows you to see up to 9 fields of info at a time and has 3 pages you can swipe through...27 total fields

. It's also in full RGB color and you can set alarms for any of the points your monitoring...nice!

It comes with a windshield mount but I fabricated an aluminum mounting plate and attached it to the dash using 3M VHB tape. The same setup I had with my older model and I find the placement perfect for me, easily viewable and out of the way...plus I can put my Vanmadegear window shades up without having to remove the Scanngauge from the window

Highly recommended if your a nerd like me and love monitoring your vehicles vitals

The Scanngauge II next to the III. The III is quite a bit bigger but once mounted it doesn't get in the way at all. I'll make a similar mount as the one I had on my Scangauge II but I'll angle it a bit more towards the driver.

Supplies used:

Note: The links below are my Amazon Affiliate links, I make a small portion each time someone purchases from Amazon using one of my links, at no extra cost to the buyer. I only provide links to items that I personally like and use myself. i use the money to put back into my builds and support making videos/posts. If you prefer not to use my links you can search for the same items directly off Amazon. Thank you for the support!

Scanngauge III: CLICK HERE

Taking a piece of aluminum plate and laying out the mount. I'll cut it out with a Jig Saw.

Hole drilled for the cable that attaches the OBD2 Port to the Scanngauge

Bent it in the Vise

Getting ready to paint. I taped off the areas where I'll apply the VHB tape.

And painted Black

Applying the VHB Tape

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued From Above....

And all mounted up. You can see here how I configured my screens for now, soooooo many possibilities.

Hodakaguy