Overland Sprinter Build

[luthj]

Here are some shots of the sexy new driveshafts.






I have been having some irregular and rough torque convert clutch engagement since the trans overhaul. I ordered the sonnax TCC damper valve repair kit. The valve body needs to be removed and split in half to install the retainer ring. Otherwise its pretty easy. The existing piston had an obvious catch, and was difficult to remove. Symptoms have improved, but I may still swap in my original TC if the mood strikes me (not likely).

TCC Damper Valve Kit - 68942-23K

Late-style Mercedes 722.6 valve bodies added a TCC damper valve at a previously vacant bore in the casting. This damper valve acts like an accumulator

www.sonnax.com

Late last year a friend took us on a short tour through some areas in central California. It dumped 10 inches of snow the night before we showed up, which made it quite interesting. The winter mods paid off, and we stayed warm and the water system stayed liquid. The spot below was decent track, but one gatekeeper required both lockers and low range. Plus having Jen spot me coming up and down. 4WD got a workout on that trip.




There was a hot spring nearby we got to enjoy at least! That sunrise was quite nice.

 

[RVflyfish]

Great to put a name to a face. With your skills I imagined you to be older. Extra kudos now.

 

[luthj]

With your skills I imagined you to be older.

Not having children, and hating desk jobs has cultivated a certain skillset.

Plus when my friends and brothers were out chasing girls, I was in the garage trying to keep my car running.

 

[RVflyfish]

Well it looks like you got the last laugh. Running van and the girl…in a hot spring no less.

 

[john.travel]

MWD,

Greeting! ? I'm still alive in the Tampa, FL area with my 2006 Itaska Navion 23J T1N 3500. I'm taking my rig up to Joel at Million Mile Sprinter in July for some mechanical work and a complete brake rebuild, then heading to South America (maybe via Mexico); FINALLY! My rig has been rotting in the yard for so long, that I'm now replacing/fixing stuff that I put on it myself. What a crazy world Covid has created, but I'm not complaining. Happy times are ahead!

Anyhow, I'm happy you and your wife have kept active in your rig. Good for you.

Hey, what kind of mileage are you getting on those BFG KO2s? I like them cuz they have the 3-ply sidewall, but was also looking at the 2-ply Goodyear Duratrac. I'm wondering if either the KO2s or Duratracs would survive this South American trip of 30,000 miles on treacherous roads carrying my 11,000 pound rig.

I want a more aggressive tread than my current Michelin LTX M/S2 tires. As you may know, my rig has a mechanical weakness in the form of an overloaded torque converter, which seems to blow up every 65,000 miles due to overloading (these rigs often carry 11,000 pounds and have significant wind resistance). Do you think the KO2s 44 pound weight, over the OEM Michelin's of 38, would add to my torque converter stress issue (?) The Duratrac is just 40 pounds and a great tire, but I'm no fan of the thinner, 2-ply sidewall. I'll hit a million potholes down there, plus no telling what else.

As a compromise, I'm thinking about the Goodyear Wrangler A/T Adventure with Kevlar appropriately sized at 225/75R16 at 40 pounds. This is a tradeoff of more aggressive tread for weight/strength. Stupid money, but seemingly a very strong tire, albeit less aggressive. Also, I'm a little concerned that a KO2 sized tire may rub if I excessively air down in sand, since I have dual rear tires. The Aventure's side wall and tread is pretty tame, but I think the increased strength may allow it to last the entire trip.

Thoughts? Keep livin the dream!

 

[luthj]

I'm still alive...

Glad to hear it!

Hey, what kind of mileage are you getting on those BFG KO2s?

Not sure its comparable, but I average 17-18 with my van currently. Before the 4x4 conversion it was 18-19mpg. Tires brand didn't seem to affect it much (size and width does though). I wouldn't sweat the fuel economy impact regardless.

KO2s or Duratracs would survive this South American trip of 30,000 miles on treacherous roads carrying my 11,000 pound rig.

I got 40k+ out of my bfg KO2s. However I ran them a bit too long, and despite being just under the treadwear limit, I had two rears break a belt within 50 miles of each other. They were VERY out of round, and ready to explode. I put some random non name brand on in NZ, and ran those. They lasted a bit less than 30k. I know how Cooper AT3s. They have worn well, and traction seems quite good. To be fair to the KO2s, we did over 10k miles of dirt roads in Aus, and I didn't baby them. Weighing in over 8klbs, and lots of washboards, and rocky bits.

I want a more aggressive tread than my current Michelin LTX M/S2 tires.

Sadly an aggressive look has little to do with actual traction. In the few tests I found, the AT3 and KO2 both had very good traction on dirt and snow (not as good as a dedicated snow tire). Anything besides a mud tire just doesn't work well on mud. However mud tires are inferior in all other traction conditions to a regular AT tire.

Do you think the KO2s 44 pound weight, over the OEM Michelin's of 38, would add to my torque converter stress issue (?)

I wouldn't sweat the tire weight with regards to your transmission. Given the low speeds in south and central America, I would bet your TC lasts a long time. Tire weight does impact ride quality (unsprung weight). Heavier sidewalls also make the ride harsher. Heavier sidewalls are nice, but plenty of road debris will shred even reinforced sidewalls.

Tires are a consumable, so I just plan to replace a couple every 20-30k. Either due to wear, or road damage.

You might be interested to know, We bought an older 40ft 5th wheel 5 months ago. We have since undertaken turning it into a full time home for ourselves. Going to hopefully go remote with work for a few years, and just park it on some nice property. Eventually it will be fully off grid with solar, etc. It has been a lot of work, but for the 10+ years we will use it, its worth it.

 

[john.travel]

Thanks MWD,

This is great information. Thanks so much. Yea, I should have been clear. Was asking how many miles you got on the tires, not fuel mileage, but you answered it. My bad. The Cooper AT3 LT was high on my list, but I took it off the short list because it was similar to what I already had, plus only 2-ply sidewall. But they are only a pound heavier than my OEM, so I'll look at those some more. I like the sidewalls, which look like they'd do well aired down a little in sand.

The Goodyear A/T Adventure with Kevlar that I have on my F350 are $305 x 7 = $2,135 including the spare. The KO2 is $238 installed with 7% tax. The Goodyear Adventure offers a lot of strength for less weight due to kevlar. I ran them to Alaska and survived, but I was never that thrilled.

Great to hear about the fifth wheel. I traveled full time for years and still have my 2011 Carri Lite 36XTRM5. I'm living in it now. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you all with. Did you buy a tow vehicle?

 

[luthj]

Great to hear about the fifth wheel. I traveled full time for years and still have my 2011 Carri Lite 36XTRM5. I'm living in it now. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you all with. Did you buy a tow vehicle?

We have mostly figured out the basics, just trying to round out the outfit (hopefully move into it in a few weeks). We basically gutted it, and rebuilt with all new insulation, mini split for AC/heat, all electric appliances, and converted the garage to a workshop. We haven't bought a tow vehicle (we borrowed one for the initial move). Depending on how often we move it (twice a year tops?) we may just hire it out, or rent a truck. This is more like a tiny home than an RV for us. We have the sprinter for when we want to get on the move! Drop me an email if you want to talk 5th wheel stuff, always good to get additional perspective.

 

[luthj]

Hello folks. It's been a while (over three years!) since I posted any updates.

We have been working to build up funds for our retirement and next long term adventure. Most of the happenings with the van are posted over here. https://sprinter-source.com/forums/index.php?threads/41215/page-63

The biggest event was an overfueling injector with took out a piston while crossing TX during a major heat wave 2 years ago when we moved to Arizona. Details on that even here.

Possible Cracked Piston: Investigation and Rebuild

Crossing TX in 110F weather (while towing our car). Our 06 T1N suddenly ejected most of its oil through the dipstick hole. More discussion of the details will follow. My plan is to document my investigation and whatever the final remedy is here. The van was pulled over and immediately shut...

sprinter-source.com

Due to changes in travel, and family changes, we are starting down the path of possibly replacing the van. He's been with us over 10 years now, which is about what we expected during the 2+ year build out.

What would, or even could replace the van? Not sure yet. Depending on budget and timing it could be anything from a composite box on a cabover chassis, to a heavily modified mini Class C. I am still trying to determine if the van could be reasonably modified to meet our needs. I am not terribly hopeful, there is only so much volume in a 140" wheelbase van body. It's a bit painful given how many hours we investing in making this ideal for our usage, not to mention the 4x4 conversion. But that is always the way of these things.

In general the van has been great (holed piston notwithstanding). Honestly I knew I was on borrowed time (over 200k on factory injectors, and running a tune). The driveline needs a few minor things, and I still have a touch of vibration over 67mph, but its been quite solid now, and the van is over 240k miles. Yeah, I know its got cosmetic wear everywhere. Multiple continents and years of full timing tend to do that.



Here is a trip earlier this year down Baja.




Random spots all over the southwest as well.

 

[luthj]

Sadly we need a larger rig that can handle a child as they grow. So we are selling the van. Ad down below.

When I was looking for comparables, I really struggled with finding the right price. I know the van isn't pretty, 10 years of overlanding will do that. But pricing for vehicles and equipment has gone bonkers the last 6 years. Even a moderately used lower spec sportsmobile is $120k. So I find myself in the unenviable position of needing to list high, because I have to buy high. Then again I could just be another dumb overlander who built something only they could use.

2004 4x4 T1N Sprinter Overland Camper - Price Reduced - Fresh Paint!

Fernweh (fɛʁnve) Update: Fresh paint job, and price reduced. Interior is getting a few touch ups, and a trim panel, new photos in a few weeks. Asking $60,000USD. Open to offers. Not all accessories/tools/equipment need be included. Can be made mostly turn key for travel with tools and...

forum.expeditionportal.com

 

[luthj]

Took a few days of prep, but shot the van with a couple coats of single stage catalyzed enamel.

 

[luthj]

A few notes on using the Majic (tractor supply) equipment enamel. Catalyst/hardener is required if you want any real durability. You must wear a fresh air respirator, or a high quality full face organic vapor mask (with fresh cartridges). Painting outdoors is less sensitive, but indoors wear a full body coverall from a vapor blocking material. Secure it tightly around the gloves and neck. Isocyanates (hardener) are nasty.

The ratio i used was 8:4:1 Paint:reducer:hardener. I used naptha, and my temps were around 60-70F. I got some full sun on the front, and it cured pretty fast for the type of paint it is. In colder weather, or maybe indoors on smaller projects, acetone will work as a reducer. In hot weather I would use mineral spirits. But evaluate the relative humidity as well. I used double the hardener they call for as folks suggested it after talking with tech support. The suggestions they give need to meet the VOC requirements in various states, so you can get better results in some cases by not following them. I used double the hardener, and much more reducer/thinner than suggested.

Power mix a minimum of 5 minutes to ensure no separation in the can. Once you add the hardener, the pot life is about 8 hours at 75F, put it in the fridge to get another 4-6 hours.

I did all my mixing in 1 liter batches. The handheld self powered sprayer I used was a 65$ one from Amazon, and it worked just fine for what it was. I selected the 1.5mm tip, but you could go larger or smaller depending on how you thinned the paint. My DIN cup test was about 35 seconds at the ratio above.

I added the paint to the mixing cup first (you can use a ladle to keep things clean). Then I measured the hardener, and rinsed my measuring cup with the required amount of reducer/thinner.

I used a drill mounted power mixer for at least 90 seconds. Hold the container to prevent the drill from spinning it, as the paint is thick.

Filter all the paint through a fresh strainer into the gun. For each batch do a quick test on a fresh piece of hardboard, or other smooth/flat surface. Use a wet film gauge to ensure your film is matching the specs. About 0.002 (2 mil, not to be confused with millimeter). You can go thicker, but dry time will be impacted. Once you confirm good thickness, go ahead and spray. It went on pretty quick, and with decent technique coverage is good. I was able to get by with 1 medium-heavy coat, except a few touch up spots. It helps that my existing paint was a fairly good match color wise.

In direct sun the paint was tack free in about 2 hours give or take. In the shade it took a bit longer. It will still show fingernail marks at that point. But once it starts to go tack free you can do another coat if you are using hardener. But beware of wrinkling if you want a smooth finish. Better to wait overnight to recoat if you need a high quality finish.

This paint is brushable. So I will go back, sand a few runs, and then catalyze and apply via roll/tip to the areas that need it. Door jambs etc. Down the line if the next owner needs to do touchups, they can just buy a quart of paint, and do the same.

Still curing, but good enough to put the windows back in. I have never seen the van this shiny... The gloss is pretty high, but should fade over a couple of weeks somewhat.

 

[ExpoMike]

So I am curious how you got the texture from a paint that should normally be smooth? I didn't think that Majic was a "Raptor Liner" type texture. Loving the color. Nice job.

 

[luthj]

So I am curious how you got the texture from a paint that should normally be smooth? I didn't think that Majic was a "Raptor Liner" type texture. Loving the color. Nice job.

This van was Monstaliner (urethane bedliner) coated about 10 years ago. I later discovered that the factory primer was not properly applied in a few areas, and I have been fighting minor delaminations for years. I would prime and touch up, but finding a match for the monstaliner, which faded with time, was difficult. Hence why recoating the whole van with something that would allow for easy touch ups was a goal. Since the enamel was a close color match, I faded it into the existing liner at the jambs, and it blended pretty well.

 

[ExpoMike]

This van was Monstaliner (urethane bedliner) coated about 10 years ago. I later discovered that the factory primer was not properly applied in a few areas, and I have been fighting minor delaminations for years. I would prime and touch up, but finding a match for the monstaliner, which faded with time, was difficult. Hence why recoating the whole van with something that would allow for easy touch ups was a goal. Since the enamel was a close color match, I faded it into the existing liner at the jambs, and it blended pretty well.

Ah, that makes total sense. Thanks for that info.