shouldbeasy
Observer
315/70R17 BFG AT KO's on the Black Rhino York 17x8 - certainly provides the look I was going for.
shouldbeasy's 'home away from home' 2017 4x4 Sprinter build
- Thread starter shouldbeasy
- Start date
shouldbeasy
Observer
Well, I hate doing write ups on items which are half finished which is why this update took so long (that and I've prioritized my energy to other efforts and not forum posts lately...) but alas, here is my auxiliary tank write up which will hopefully help someone in the future. Certainly not a simple bolt on mod!
First off was discovering that the diesel tank acquired is nothing specific to the Sprinter but the standard Titan Tank Spare Tire diesel tank kit which can be purchased at any of their retailers. This resulted in one significant problem - the tank would not sit flush again the bottom of the vehicle as the cross member interfered and would have resulted in crushed tank sides if you attempted to secure the tank. So... first hurdle was to build a drop down bracket which would allow the tank to clear the cross member and be sandwiched between the body and the tank.
Bracket tack welded
Completed bracket
Bracket in place in the tank
Moving on to the next hurdle, this one was self inflicted as I placed the filler neck exactly where I wanted it and that went fine - the issue was when I drilled a hole for the piece to go through the body and back to the tank. Unfortunately when I did so, I lined it up 'straight' and thus, the hole was just a bit too close to the rear leaf spring hanger and so I had to drill another. Whoops. Oh well, shouldn't be too hard to weld in a plate to cover it (or I take the easy route and silicone in a hole plug...).
Original location of the filler neck
BAD Location
GOOD Location!
The next step was to secure the tank to the vehicle and I used a HUGE piece of redi-rod to accomplish this. I may integrate a skid plate in to this rod so I went for overkill on the sizing. I had the room so why not?
Redi-rod was cut down from this - much easier to install the tank when it could hang lower.
Installed
Next was on to the plumbing and unfortunately the supplied fitting from Titan had a pinhole leak in it... it was quickly rectified with a small weld bead but still inconvenient.
Filler neck installed
Ran in to an issue with the plumbing where the 'obvious' spot to install the supplied fitting was not going to work - there is a check valve which prevents the diesel from entering the tank from this location. Bummer, would have worked beautifully.
So, it was a bit more complicated in that I had to drop the tank, remove the fuel pump, drill a hole in the top of the tank (while reaching inside to catch chaff) and then install a fitting to allow the diesel a uninterrupted flow in to the main tank.
Location of the diesel feed line hole - I went with a nice flat area on the tank. Little did I know but it aligned with a cross member and so a bit of cutting was required to get the fitting to clear.
My fitting was a bit too long and so I made a stainless/aluminum washer sandwich to prop it up a bit - there is another washer below the aluminum spacer
After doing some fitting I trimmed down the hose elbow to be as short as I could get it - this picture doesn't reflect that but does show the overall layout.
Notch created for the fitting - unfortunately I had to make it even larger but in reality it won't affect the integrity of anything.
Wiring along the underside moving forward to the cab
Titan controller installed
First off was discovering that the diesel tank acquired is nothing specific to the Sprinter but the standard Titan Tank Spare Tire diesel tank kit which can be purchased at any of their retailers. This resulted in one significant problem - the tank would not sit flush again the bottom of the vehicle as the cross member interfered and would have resulted in crushed tank sides if you attempted to secure the tank. So... first hurdle was to build a drop down bracket which would allow the tank to clear the cross member and be sandwiched between the body and the tank.
Bracket tack welded
Completed bracket
Bracket in place in the tank
Moving on to the next hurdle, this one was self inflicted as I placed the filler neck exactly where I wanted it and that went fine - the issue was when I drilled a hole for the piece to go through the body and back to the tank. Unfortunately when I did so, I lined it up 'straight' and thus, the hole was just a bit too close to the rear leaf spring hanger and so I had to drill another. Whoops. Oh well, shouldn't be too hard to weld in a plate to cover it (or I take the easy route and silicone in a hole plug...).
Original location of the filler neck
BAD Location
GOOD Location!
The next step was to secure the tank to the vehicle and I used a HUGE piece of redi-rod to accomplish this. I may integrate a skid plate in to this rod so I went for overkill on the sizing. I had the room so why not?
Redi-rod was cut down from this - much easier to install the tank when it could hang lower.
Installed
Next was on to the plumbing and unfortunately the supplied fitting from Titan had a pinhole leak in it... it was quickly rectified with a small weld bead but still inconvenient.
Filler neck installed
Ran in to an issue with the plumbing where the 'obvious' spot to install the supplied fitting was not going to work - there is a check valve which prevents the diesel from entering the tank from this location. Bummer, would have worked beautifully.
So, it was a bit more complicated in that I had to drop the tank, remove the fuel pump, drill a hole in the top of the tank (while reaching inside to catch chaff) and then install a fitting to allow the diesel a uninterrupted flow in to the main tank.
Location of the diesel feed line hole - I went with a nice flat area on the tank. Little did I know but it aligned with a cross member and so a bit of cutting was required to get the fitting to clear.
My fitting was a bit too long and so I made a stainless/aluminum washer sandwich to prop it up a bit - there is another washer below the aluminum spacer
After doing some fitting I trimmed down the hose elbow to be as short as I could get it - this picture doesn't reflect that but does show the overall layout.
Notch created for the fitting - unfortunately I had to make it even larger but in reality it won't affect the integrity of anything.
Wiring along the underside moving forward to the cab
Titan controller installed
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shouldbeasy
Observer
Next on my hit list was the boat motor mount and in turn a new place for the MaxTrax - I figured the driver side of the vehicle was bare enough that the ladders could go there as the boat motors HAD to go on the rear swing out, I couldn't think of anywhere else to put them. All in all I'm happy with the look and the functionality - just need to go out fishing now!
Butyl tape used on the exterior 4 mounts in order to keep them in place - I should have moved it further in towards the center of the disc as it spread out and I had to delicately cut it away from the vehicle afterwards. Lesson learned! On the interior I also used some aluminum as backing material so that the sheet metal isn't deflecting trying to hold the ladders in place. It's very secure.
Used some washers to add some distance between the backing plate and the MaxTrax
MaxTrax mounted!
Butyl tape used on the exterior 4 mounts in order to keep them in place - I should have moved it further in towards the center of the disc as it spread out and I had to delicately cut it away from the vehicle afterwards. Lesson learned! On the interior I also used some aluminum as backing material so that the sheet metal isn't deflecting trying to hold the ladders in place. It's very secure.
Used some washers to add some distance between the backing plate and the MaxTrax
MaxTrax mounted!
shouldbeasy
Observer
And so, off I went to the boat motor mount - using another piece of aluminum as a backing plate I drilled some more speed holes and then fitted a square piece at the top for support. Unfortunately the first one was too wide (3") and so I had to drill new holes and move the mounts over to accommodate a 2" wide piece for the boat motors to sit on. Thankfully I just used the previous holes as additional mounting for the rail going around the box.
Too wide!
Much better
Using some Kryptonite U-Locks to secure the motors to the vehicle - works great! Thankfully the locks are only 6" deep and hold the motor legs in place. These pictures show my temporary 2x4 but I decided to put in the work and make it out of aluminum.
Too wide!
Much better
Using some Kryptonite U-Locks to secure the motors to the vehicle - works great! Thankfully the locks are only 6" deep and hold the motor legs in place. These pictures show my temporary 2x4 but I decided to put in the work and make it out of aluminum.
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shouldbeasy
Observer
Some pictures of my yellow fog light set up - I FINALLY got them to work but holy crap, never change the bulbs to anything but stock. The circuit detects a different line resistance and simply won't work. I had to cut the stock bulbs apart (used my cut off wheel and destroyed the socket until I had just the two electrodes from the filament sticking through) at which point I plugged them in to my LightForce Striker 170 housings and ta-da! Finally functional fog lights - they're not the brightest but they work and I don't have to deal with another relay circuit (and I'd hate to lose the functionality of the dash switch).
TheBlueBus
Busdriver
Sweet! Interested to see what you'll be doing to the inside!
MAXTRAX
Supporting Sponsor
Next on my hit list was the boat motor mount and in turn a new place for the MaxTrax - I figured the driver side of the vehicle was bare enough that the ladders could go there as the boat motors HAD to go on the rear swing out, I couldn't think of anywhere else to put them. All in all I'm happy with the look and the functionality - just need to go out fishing now!
Butyl tape used on the exterior 4 mounts in order to keep them in place - I should have moved it further in towards the center of the disc as it spread out and I had to delicately cut it away from the vehicle afterwards. Lesson learned! On the interior I also used some aluminum as backing material so that the sheet metal isn't deflecting trying to hold the ladders in place. It's very secure.
Used some washers to add some distance between the backing plate and the MaxTrax
MaxTrax mounted!
Easy to access! Nicely done!
MAXTRAX
https://us.maxtrax.com.au
shouldbeasy
Observer
Yep, it's their Dodge option - the supplied hoses aren't long enough to properly mount the filler neck on the side of the van.
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shouldbeasy
Observer
Your van is looking really purposeful. Love the pic from the front on the bridge!
Thanks! I had a blast being out on the trails in the van for the first time and it held its own. I just need to keep in mind the limitations it has (open center differential, open front and rears too) and there is a bit less hunting for the perfect line as it's so big you just kinda have to take the line where it fits!
Crazy Schooner
Fortune's A Mistress
Gotta toss this shot in as well from your trail run. We should have gotten a group lineup going that day of all the vehicles.
shouldbeasy
Observer
That's a great picture too! That bridge made for a pretty good photo opportunity.
shouldbeasy
Observer
Thanks! It's certainly a unique build... super happy with how it's progressing. Slow and steady.