Overland Hadley
on a journey
Coffee, aluminum, I like the direction you are headed with this. 
InssssssssVANity!!!!!!!......or ****** did I just fly to Maine to by a Sprinter!
- Thread starter Cole
- Start date
Cole
Expedition Leader
Thanks guys!
The wheels were a little bit of a tough call. The stock 2500 Sprinters run a 225/75/16 on a 5x130 wheel(Porsche and some other wheels will fit) That is a MUCH larger tire than the tiny 195/70/15s on the 3500 dually vans. Which has a crazy 6x205 bolt circle that is shared with NOTHING!
15" tires for the stock wheels were strangely pricey for any of the desirable tires. With only 3-4 choices total. By stepping up to the 16" wheels from the 2007+ dually Sprinter I gained about 40 more tire choices in all sorts of sizes.
Wheels were about $45 each plus shipping. I only ordered 6 figuring that I would have to have 3 flats before needing a spare tire. The spare wouldn't fit with my intended tire size anyway. Not ordering a spare really pissed off the guys over in the Sprinter forum:coffeedrink:
In theory, I should now be able to fit a 235/85/16 on all 6....with a touch of trimming:snorkelI've got a cut off wheel and lots of air). This is a whopping 6" total diameter larger than the stock wheels!
Now.....MUDs or just ATs.......:smiley_drive:
The wheels were a little bit of a tough call. The stock 2500 Sprinters run a 225/75/16 on a 5x130 wheel(Porsche and some other wheels will fit) That is a MUCH larger tire than the tiny 195/70/15s on the 3500 dually vans. Which has a crazy 6x205 bolt circle that is shared with NOTHING!
15" tires for the stock wheels were strangely pricey for any of the desirable tires. With only 3-4 choices total. By stepping up to the 16" wheels from the 2007+ dually Sprinter I gained about 40 more tire choices in all sorts of sizes.
Wheels were about $45 each plus shipping. I only ordered 6 figuring that I would have to have 3 flats before needing a spare tire. The spare wouldn't fit with my intended tire size anyway. Not ordering a spare really pissed off the guys over in the Sprinter forum:coffeedrink:
In theory, I should now be able to fit a 235/85/16 on all 6....with a touch of trimming:snorkel
I've got a cut off wheel and lots of air). This is a whopping 6" total diameter larger than the stock wheels!Now.....MUDs or just ATs.......:smiley_drive:
even 100 year old houses have ventilation by design. Your car does not have passive ventilation.
Chimneys were natural draft makers, and fireplaces were also draft makers- most of the moisture would get sucked out of the house, being drafty and all.
Houses since the early 1920's have been designed with attics- or crawl spaces- uninsulated spaces which allow excess moisture to travel to, which then get whisked away by roof gables, louvers, and other roofing methods. The vapor barrier implementation has been done much earlier than has been given credit, alas with different materials and much bigger sizing.
You are the cause of most of the moisture of sleeping within a vehicle. Condensation forms due to the temperature differential from the outside, and most windows offer less than R1.
you need a little bit of cross flow. Its just a difficult balance when dealing with a small space. In a home, the sq feet of space to body is much larger. In a car/van, it would be equal to 30 people in a studio apartment. Your producing a lot more moisture than can be sublimated.
Chimneys were natural draft makers, and fireplaces were also draft makers- most of the moisture would get sucked out of the house, being drafty and all.
Houses since the early 1920's have been designed with attics- or crawl spaces- uninsulated spaces which allow excess moisture to travel to, which then get whisked away by roof gables, louvers, and other roofing methods. The vapor barrier implementation has been done much earlier than has been given credit, alas with different materials and much bigger sizing.
You are the cause of most of the moisture of sleeping within a vehicle. Condensation forms due to the temperature differential from the outside, and most windows offer less than R1.
you need a little bit of cross flow. Its just a difficult balance when dealing with a small space. In a home, the sq feet of space to body is much larger. In a car/van, it would be equal to 30 people in a studio apartment. Your producing a lot more moisture than can be sublimated.
Cole
Expedition Leader
You haven't seen the daylight through the body gaps on this van:coffeedrink:
Keep in mind, I live in the high desert, not along a coast.
The 9 trips we took in the Eurovan with 5 of us sleeping inside, never produced condensation alone. Even with the top down. The only time we noticed any condensation was after running a propane furnace.
Keep in mind, I live in the high desert, not along a coast.
The 9 trips we took in the Eurovan with 5 of us sleeping inside, never produced condensation alone. Even with the top down. The only time we noticed any condensation was after running a propane furnace.
Cole
Expedition Leader
Only the duallies!
Cole
Expedition Leader
Got a few moments of play time with the Sprinter today.
Quick check of my left over wood vinyl to see how it may look in the Sprinter.
Eh.....it will look fine, whatever, I already own it so it may as well go to good use.:costumed-smiley-007
This is a much more important topic. I need to ad a rear seat in the van for my daughter. She really is the whole reason for my growing collection of vans in the first place.:coffeedrink: (the cars and motorcycles are for me:coffeedrink
The theoretical ideal situation is to find a stock Sprinter 2 person bench seat with built in seat belts. Unfortunately these often sell for more than $500-1000:Wow1:.... And that's before I buy $90 of factory brackets that need to be installed. Which from my research don't "exactly" install as stock fitment. You still basically end up putting nuts/washers under the floor to secure the stock bracket. The bracket then allows for quick release operation of the stock (heavy ***) seat! With dual sliders I would have to center the 2 person seat and only have the width of the step on each side to squeeze by the seat into the back of the van.
This brings me to my next thought. I'm open to thoughts on this. I have a Eurovan "cooler" seat base. This is a true OEM seat base that holds the mini-fridge in its base with pockets on both side of the base. I've already cut off the seat back mount off this one since I was going to make a "foot stool" in the Eurovan out of it. I could weld on a steel top plate to this seat base and incorporate the attachment points for the Recaro Child seat. It would mount to the floor just like the stock seats would.
We really don't need seating for more than 3. So this would give us more room for the 2 big dogs, room to get I tot front seats, etc. I would add a table base and seat swivels on the front seats. This way we could all face each other around a table camping. Probably make the table out of a skim board or skate board deck.
This is just a mock up below. I'd also paint the metal parts of the seat base the color of the van to match the front seat bases. It's hard to see the difference between the plastic pockets and the metal frame in these pictures since they are the same color.
The disadvantages I see to not mounting an automotive seat here first is that it loses some height and cushion of the seat. It also might appear to be less secure, even though it will probably be more secure in reality.
Adding a adult seat would also eat up more space. My daughter will be in a child seat for years!! So that isn't a huge concern.
Quick check of my left over wood vinyl to see how it may look in the Sprinter.
Eh.....it will look fine, whatever, I already own it so it may as well go to good use.:costumed-smiley-007
This is a much more important topic. I need to ad a rear seat in the van for my daughter. She really is the whole reason for my growing collection of vans in the first place.:coffeedrink: (the cars and motorcycles are for me:coffeedrink
The theoretical ideal situation is to find a stock Sprinter 2 person bench seat with built in seat belts. Unfortunately these often sell for more than $500-1000:Wow1:.... And that's before I buy $90 of factory brackets that need to be installed. Which from my research don't "exactly" install as stock fitment. You still basically end up putting nuts/washers under the floor to secure the stock bracket. The bracket then allows for quick release operation of the stock (heavy ***) seat! With dual sliders I would have to center the 2 person seat and only have the width of the step on each side to squeeze by the seat into the back of the van.
This brings me to my next thought. I'm open to thoughts on this. I have a Eurovan "cooler" seat base. This is a true OEM seat base that holds the mini-fridge in its base with pockets on both side of the base. I've already cut off the seat back mount off this one since I was going to make a "foot stool" in the Eurovan out of it. I could weld on a steel top plate to this seat base and incorporate the attachment points for the Recaro Child seat. It would mount to the floor just like the stock seats would.
We really don't need seating for more than 3. So this would give us more room for the 2 big dogs, room to get I tot front seats, etc. I would add a table base and seat swivels on the front seats. This way we could all face each other around a table camping. Probably make the table out of a skim board or skate board deck.
This is just a mock up below. I'd also paint the metal parts of the seat base the color of the van to match the front seat bases. It's hard to see the difference between the plastic pockets and the metal frame in these pictures since they are the same color.
The disadvantages I see to not mounting an automotive seat here first is that it loses some height and cushion of the seat. It also might appear to be less secure, even though it will probably be more secure in reality.
Adding a adult seat would also eat up more space. My daughter will be in a child seat for years!! So that isn't a huge concern.
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Cole
Expedition Leader
Well, since I didn't want to spend $1,800 on Alcoa wheels, the only aftermarket wheel option for a dually Sprinter, I opted for the $7.50 option:coffeedrink:
Conveniently shipped in wheel painting boxes:coffeedrink:
These are a used set of 16" wheels from a newer Sprinter.
Conveniently shipped in wheel painting boxes:coffeedrink:
These are a used set of 16" wheels from a newer Sprinter.
Cole
Expedition Leader
I'm not a fan of rebadging a vehicle to something it's not! Especially when it's done by manufactures/importers to seamingly try to trick/market a vehicle.
I have no desire to add back all the Mercedes logos as I'm also a fan of debaged vehicles in general Just think they look so much cleaner than the over badged crap that comes from the factories. Just drive down the road an look at the back of cars. They almost ALL have the same chrome raised letters for make and model! Then some even add engine size and drive sytem to the back too!
Anyway, I will probably add the Mercedes grill since its black and seems to fit the design better than the bulky after thought of a Dodge chrome piece. Other than that, all the misplaced badges came off today!
I have no desire to add back all the Mercedes logos as I'm also a fan of debaged vehicles in general Just think they look so much cleaner than the over badged crap that comes from the factories. Just drive down the road an look at the back of cars. They almost ALL have the same chrome raised letters for make and model! Then some even add engine size and drive sytem to the back too!
Anyway, I will probably add the Mercedes grill since its black and seems to fit the design better than the bulky after thought of a Dodge chrome piece. Other than that, all the misplaced badges came off today!
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Cole
Expedition Leader
Hmmm.....here is the insane thought for the morning!:coffeedrink:
Remember that "box" we were suppose to think outside of? Well, I dropped my box off at Goodwill this morning and have stepped way outside of it for the next thought:coffeedrink:
Cork! Apparently makes a good insulating material, sound deadener, flame resistant, moisture resistant and is 100% Renewable!:victory:
So why haven't we seen it used here? Hmmm.....
I know I could simply go buy cork insulation. Wonder how many wine corks I could get dropped off at my door if I asked on craigslist?
Glue some in, pour some into the vans cavities!.....hmmmm
Remember that "box" we were suppose to think outside of? Well, I dropped my box off at Goodwill this morning and have stepped way outside of it for the next thought:coffeedrink:
Cork! Apparently makes a good insulating material, sound deadener, flame resistant, moisture resistant and is 100% Renewable!:victory:
So why haven't we seen it used here? Hmmm.....
I know I could simply go buy cork insulation. Wonder how many wine corks I could get dropped off at my door if I asked on craigslist?
Glue some in, pour some into the vans cavities!.....hmmmm
bknudtsen
Expedition Leader
This is a much more important topic. I need to ad a rear seat in the van for my daughter. She really is the whole reason for my growing collection of vans in the first place.:coffeedrink: (the cars and motorcycles are for me:coffeedrink
The theoretical ideal situation is to find a stock Sprinter 2 person bench seat with built in seat belts. Unfortunately these often sell for more than $500-1000:Wow1:.... And that's before I buy $90 of factory brackets that need to be installed. Which from my research don't "exactly" install as stock fitment. You still basically end up putting nuts/washers under the floor to secure the stock bracket. The bracket then allows for quick release operation of the stock (heavy ***) seat! With dual sliders I would have to center the 2 person seat and only have the width of the step on each side to squeeze by the seat into the back of the van.
This brings me to my next thought. I'm open to thoughts on this. I have a Eurovan "cooler" seat base. This is a true OEM seat base that holds the mini-fridge in its base with pockets on both side of the base. I've already cut off the seat back mount off this one since I was going to make a "foot stool" in the Eurovan out of it. I could weld on a steel top plate to this seat base and incorporate the attachment points for the Recaro Child seat. It would mount to the floor just like the stock seats would.
We really don't need seating for more than 3. So this would give us more room for the 2 big dogs, room to get I tot front seats, etc. I would add a table base and seat swivels on the front seats. This way we could all face each other around a table camping. Probably make the table out of a skim board or skate board deck.
This is just a mock up below. I'd also paint the metal parts of the seat base the color of the van to match the front seat bases. It's hard to see the difference between the plastic pockets and the metal frame in these pictures since they are the same color.
The disadvantages I see to not mounting an automotive seat here first is that it loses some height and cushion of the seat. It also might appear to be less secure, even though it will probably be more secure in reality.
Adding a adult seat would also eat up more space. My daughter will be in a child seat for years!! So that isn't a huge concern.
If you could inset some sliders like this and use the base you have shown, that would be pretty sweet. Having the kiddo within easy reach when traveling, but being able to slide the seat base back for room when stopped or eating seems ideal.
Cole
Expedition Leader
The long slider idea a sweet!......and more work damn you!:coffeedrink:
I scored a nice Recaro from my neighbor for $46:victory:. Lots of welding and drilling later and we have this! Not fully mounted and I red yet, but a good start to a platform for the Recaro child seat.....
Testing....sorta:coffeedrink:
I scored a nice Recaro from my neighbor for $46:victory:. Lots of welding and drilling later and we have this! Not fully mounted and I red yet, but a good start to a platform for the Recaro child seat.....
Testing....sorta:coffeedrink: