Hodakaguy's 4x4 Sprinter Build

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above.....

Now it's time to mount up the new rear tires/wheels. Just a bit of difference!

Installed.

It's got that 70's hot rod vibe going on lol. I will fix that soon!

The 285/75-17's and Arsenal wheels play well with the sliding door....but only by about a 1/4".

The shock adjusters are easily accessed.

Rear is complete! Well almost, I still need to remove the small spare from the OEM location.

Lots more to come!

Hodakaguy

 

[jgaz]

Excellent write up (as always).
Thanks

 

[Hodakaguy]

Well....time to get rolling on the front lift kit install. I installed the front lift and shock upgrade mostly by myself over a couple days this past weekend. The Vancompass instructions were spot on and very well done! I'll also compliment VanCompass on the quality of the kit, everything is absolutley top notch with awesome fit and Finish! I'd also like to thank Cory at Peak10Customs for the awesome service and for getting my 6.3 kit out to me so quickly!

Time to install the 2" Lift.

First up disconnecting the battery.

Separating the upper steering shaft from the U-joint.

Next I'm installing the provided hose extension on the low pressure side of the power steering pump.

Safety tip.....The edges of the hose clamps can be sharp, always have first aid supplies handy in the shop so you can keep progress going

Next the van was supported on some 7.5 ton jack stands, these stands have the height to reach the factory front jack points.

Removing the steering shaft.

Separating the speed sensor and brake pad wear sensor from their mounts.

Lower strut bolts removed and brake calipers removed. I always try and put the bolts back into the holes they come out of, it's a easy way of keeping track of them so they don't get misplaced. The caliper was supported from the sway bar with a snap tie.

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[Hodakaguy]

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Removing the struts. I marked them as they came out so they can go back in on the same side. Note, I also used a scribe to mark the lower bolt locations so I can get the alignment close again upon re-installation. I'll have the van re-aligned once everything is complete.

Removing engine mount bolts.

A bottle jack was used to support the transmission (not lifting here, just holding it in place).

In preparation for lowering the sub frame you need to remove the bolt holding the front diff breather in place as well as separating the wire harness from the sub frame on the drivers side.

Separating the transmission mount.

At this point another stationary jack is placed under the engine oil pan to support the engine and a floor jack was used to support the sub frame. All 6 bolts are removed that attach the sub frame to the van then the floor jack is slowly lowered to separate/lower the sub frame.

You only want to lower the sub frame far enough to install the provided spacers and no further. Both sides are completed at the same time.

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[Hodakaguy]

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Removing the upper transmission bracket to install the new drop bracket. The quality of manufacture on the VC kit is top notch!

At this point I ran into my one hang up with the VC kit...they forgot to prove the M10 bolts to bolt the transmission drop bracket back to the lower mount. A quick trip to Tacoma Screw fixed that issue.

Installing the new motor mount spacers. Everything is snugged at this point but not fully torqued yet.

Torquing the sub frame bolts.

Re-installing the power steering mount bolt, it's a LOT easier to get to with the lift spacers installed.

Diff breather line re-attached.

Installing the front Sumo springs in place of the OEM bump stops. A pry bar makes easy work on getting the springs in place.

OEM Bump Stop

And compared to the new Sumo spring.

The spring won't be in a bind against the sway bar once it's back on it's wheels.

On one of the Sumo Springs the stud pulled out rather easily (Full disclosure I wasn't using a torque wrench here)....Dang! Luckily the base is steel so it's over to the Tig machine to get back on track.

Cleaning off the paint to get a good ground in preparation for welding.

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[Hodakaguy]

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Using a counter sink bit to give some surface area for the weld and keep the weld from becoming to high (The steel washer needs to fit flush).

Since most of the spring is rubber I had to use the C-clamp for the ground.

Welded and painted...disaster adverted. I put a slight counter sink on the under side of the washer as well to clear the weld and allow the washer to sit flush.

Installing the lift spacers onto the struts and re-installing them onto the van.

Re-installing the brake calipers.

Modifying the steering shaft to install the extension adapter. You need to grind off the two tabs on the end of the OEM steering shaft.

And back in the van.

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[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above.....

Installing the brake hose drop brackets. I'll bleed the brakes at the end of the install.

A good shot of the front composite suspension. The sprinter uses a single transverse composite spring on the front, very unique setup.

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[Hodakaguy]

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Next up I'm installing the front Falcon shocks and mounts. This job is pretty straight forward and again the VanCompass instructions are excellent.

Installing the lower mount.

On to the upper mounts.

On the 17's there are a couple bolts on the drivers side that need to be cut flush. One of the bolts is back in the corner, a ultrasonic tool with a cut off blade makes reaching and cutting the bolts an easy job. I don't use this tool often but when I do it's soooo handy for situations like this one.

Cut and bare spots painted.

For the upper mounts you utilize the OEM holes and the supplied mounting tabs that are placed on the upper side.

Starting the first two bolts to hold the assembly in place.

The rear bolt utilizes a tab to fish the nut into place.

Drilling the hole for the lower front mount, I won't be utilizing the rear as this van has AC lines in that location.

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[Hodakaguy]

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Drivers side front shock going in.

On the passenger side these two tabs need to be removed, once again the ultrasonic tool made quick work here.

Using snap ties to hold the wiring in place.

Passenger side shock installed.

Trimming the inner fender liners to fit around the strut drop brackets and the upper shock mounts. A air powered saw works awesome for this task. A De-burring tool works really well for cleaning up the edges after the cuts. The instructions also cover further trimming to fit 35" tires, since I'm running 34" tires I decided to skip the further trimming and see how everything plays together before completing these steps.

Test fitting for clearance around the shock....just a bit more needed.

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[Hodakaguy]

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That's better!

Ready for the tires to go back on! Here I just finished bleeding the brakes and topping off/bleeding the power steering fluid.

First shot of the front wheels installed....oh yeah! Unfortunately the tires are rubbing pretty bad so the tires are coming back off to do some further trimming.

I'll be removing the mud flap and trimming back some metal as the tire is slightly touching here as well.

I'll be opening up the front area as well.

Trimming the front bumper.

With the opening in the lower front fender I didn't want the wiring exposed. Buy cutting the snap tie on the outer wire attachment and rotating it 90 Deg the wire will be hidden once again behind the fender and out of harms way.

Trimming the rear metal pocket under the mud flap. This area was full of dirt, at least having this opened up will keep it from filling and retaining dirt and water.

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[Hodakaguy]

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Paint-able marine sealant installed. Once this fully cures I can paint match. I'll eventually make a custom mud flap setup.

Trimming the inner liners to fit.

Lot's of clearance now and looks great!

And out driving it around! Spent a good chunk of the day driving the van, mostly in town with some highway. So far the ride is Awesome! I should have done this sooner!

I'll report back with a full review after I get some more time on the setup. LOVE IT!

More to come....

Hodakaguy

 

[Arjan]

Very, very nice.

 

[Farfrumwork]

Awesome!

Do the Falcon shocks bolt into the same mounts that the Fox kit came with? I installed the original VC Fox-shock setup (with adjustable rears), and am wondering if I could easily upgrade in the future to the Falcons, with adjustability on all four corners.

Your van looks really good with the wheels/tires and lift! I run 255/85/16 (33") ST Maxx on mine, with no lift or additional trimming required, but your setup is tempting me...

 

[Hodakaguy]

Awesome!

Do the Falcon shocks bolt into the same mounts that the Fox kit came with? I installed the original VC Fox-shock setup (with adjustable rears), and am wondering if I could easily upgrade in the future to the Falcons, with adjustability on all four corners.

Your van looks really good with the wheels/tires and lift! I run 255/85/16 (33") ST Maxx on mine, with no lift or additional trimming required, but your setup is tempting me...

On the rears they should be a direct swap, you would have to ask VanCompass on the fronts. Would be cool if you can just swap out to the Falcons. I'm really loving this kit and tire size so far....I won't lie, the looks are a big part of it

Hodakaguy

 

[BajaVan]

@Farfrumwork Yes you can upgrade to the Falcons front and rear. They bolt directly into same mounts as we designed for the Fox shocks previously. Shoot us an email at Sales@vancompass.com and we can help you out.

@Hodakaguy build looks great. Appreciate the full writeup and feedback on here and the Sprinter forum of the 6.3 kit install. Shoot me a PM with what size T-shirt you wear. We'll get one sent your way in appreciation for the detailed writeups.

-Rob @ VC