dixoncj
New member
Hello guys - some of you may have seen this ad on SMB forum. I'm essentially re-posting it on ExPo. We think this price is fair, but the market will pay what it will bear. If you have a reasonable offer, throw it our way. This is a very, very nice rig with a meticulous service history.
A few of you may in the forum know of me, and this Cruiser Top van, from some of my work and posts in the past. I’m a journalist and outdoor writer who has been a #vanlifer since way before there was such a thing as #vanlife. Since the mid 90’s, I’ve bought, sold and/or upfitted 8 VW campers (two of them Syncros) and a couple of Sportsmobiles. Back in 2008, I oversaw purchase and upfits of this particular 2004 diesel SMB for a very cool friend and colleague who has since spared no expense in keeping her ready for Baja, the Sierra or San Onofre at a moment’s notice. I’ve overseen care and feeding of this van for 12 years now, and we have every receipt for every bit of work done to it during that time. You will simply not find a better maintained or more capable low mileage SMB of this vintage.
The owner has decided to sell it. Since I’m knee deep in a Westfalia camper project, I decided not to buy it myself. But I was close. Everything works on this remarkable vehicle.
The basics:
- 2004 SMB EB50 Extended Body layout. 6.0liter Diesel. 46,830 miles. Cruiser Top Fixed High Roof. $60,000 - or reasonable offer.
- VIN: 1FDSS34P04HA73996
- All maintenance records - absolutely no expenses spared on maintenance. We have every receipt going back to 2008 - and some from before that. And because we’ve taken care of everything - in most cases before it’s an issue, there are a lot of receipts.
- Van has lived its life in dry Southern California.
Automobile stuff:
- 4wd. Atlas transfer case/Sportsmobile 4wd with front/rear leaf springs. No differential lockers. All fluids changed regularly — and often — since purchase.
- Power driver’s seat
- Rotating front seats
- Extra removable middle captain’s seat with shoulder belt
- Three seatbelts on rearmost seat - 1 shoulder belt, 2 lap belts.
- Power windows
- Power door locks
- Cruise control
- Remote control anti theft unit with auto start
- Frigid dash A/C. The Starcool 120 Volt rear A/C the SMB came with has been removed. The Starcool was tied into the van’s primary dash A/C and it self-destructed a few years ago. Because SMB no longer services Starcools, we instead yanked it out and completely rebuilt the front dash A/C with new hoses and compressor. It blows Antarctica cold. If you want a shore power A/C you can easily mount a Coleman or Dometic camper unit on the roof, or install a split semi-truck system in the space the Starcool took up.
- Tires: Nearly new 33” BFG AT/KO2’s - including spare.
- Wheels: American Racing teflon coated.
- Added gauges: Turbo boost. Exhaust gas temp (pyrometer). Air shock pressure. New tire pressure gauge with built-in voltage meter.
- Ball joints and nearly EVERY rubber suspension bushing pre-emptively replaced in the last 1000 miles.
- Engine always checked and engine pre-emptively maintained if any parts show any wear or concern. But NOT bulletproofed. Intake, EGR and everything engine-wise kept entirely stock for reliability and California emissions compliance. All fluids have been replaced several times. Comes with a Ford diesel control unit which allows for setting high idle and diagnostics.
- Recently smogged.
- Engine bay and van cab have been soundproofed with lots of Dynamat. It’s remarkably quiet inside for a big diesel.
- Brakes: Recently replaced all stopping components and ALL hoses front to rear - both rubber and steel.
- Ride Rite rear air shocks/airbags.
- SMB specific Fox Shocks upgrade with Fox steering damper. An incredible improvement in ride quality. Very plush on the highway.
- Waste Veggie Oil fuel system by Plantdrive. With complete fuel heating and separate fuel pump system. It works fine, but we don’t use it. Recommend either simply using it as extra regular diesel system (again, it works), or routing tank so it becomes a simple auxiliary system. Veggie system has a 25 gallon fuel tank which is located in the rear of the van.
- Engine block heater
- Tow package with trailer brake controller
Sportsmobile Camper Gear/Upfits
- Top: Beautiful, padded and fabric lined. Gives well over 6' of standing height inside van.
- Audio Visual: ALPINE 6" INEW960 remote control model touchscreen stereo with steering wheel control and DVD (2016 model) with ACCELE AXFD17 17" HD overhead monitor
- Sirius FM
- Apple TV
- Rear DVD player
- Sine wave 2000 watt inverter (Prosine). Recently replaced with new unit.
- Remote control Fantastic Fan.
- 100 watts of solar with all associated hardware/monitors.
- Propane water heater.
- Propane furnace with thermostat.
- Propane tank has full/empty gauge.
- Inputs for city water
- SMB installed Freshwater and greywater tanks
- Rear hot/cold water rinse off shower.
- Butane portable stove.
- Microwave oven. Runs on shore power or inverter.
- 12v Norcold Fridge 3.6 cu ft.
- Inside and outside extra 12V and 120 volt outlets
- Thetford porta-potti with cover - fits in cabinet.
- Fiamma F45 awning
- Powerful ARB Air compressor, air hose, air chocks front and rear for inflating. Also ties into air shock system to inflate/deflate air bags from driver’s seat.
- Aluminess bumpers front/rear with locking storage front/rear - no winch. - Aluminess box, rear, locking.
- Aluminess spare tire carrier.
- Yakima Roof racks.
- Side eyebolt rack setup by Sportsmobile on high roof for carrying surfboards up top.
- Two ladders on driver’s side. Great for surfboards too.
- AMP retractable motorized running boards on both sides give incredible ground clearance.
- Hi-Amp 12V plug at rear bumper.
- Window shades all round - including front curtain.
- Sleeping: The van has queen size bed below. When our kids were small, we let them both sleep together in the huge, padded top rear cabinet (obviously with the cabinet doors open). The top shelves are sturdy and you could put up a memory foam and a rollup bed slat like one of the below one for a top bunk.
https://bit.ly/2QUSaIn
https://bit.ly/2N03Et9
- Selling this van outfitted with full toolbags, linens and camping/cooking gear. It is ready to be lived in — from the get go.
Other stuff.
This van has been expertly serviced for years by Rincon Truck Center in San Clemente California. If you want to ask about it or want an independent evaluation, email or call Kevin Thompson at Rincon. kevin@rincontrucks.com, (949) 492-3520.
The van is stored and watched over in San Clemente, California. I’m on the East Coast. If you want to see it, contact me at dixoncj@icloud.com and I’ll arrange a drive/showing with its caretaker. If you want to see a bit more of my writing work, check http://chrisdixonreports.com for campers I rent and have overseen built out on, see http://eastcoastwestys.com
Here’s a video link to a tour of the van photos follow .
Here's a GDrive with 64 photos.
drive.google.com
A few of you may in the forum know of me, and this Cruiser Top van, from some of my work and posts in the past. I’m a journalist and outdoor writer who has been a #vanlifer since way before there was such a thing as #vanlife. Since the mid 90’s, I’ve bought, sold and/or upfitted 8 VW campers (two of them Syncros) and a couple of Sportsmobiles. Back in 2008, I oversaw purchase and upfits of this particular 2004 diesel SMB for a very cool friend and colleague who has since spared no expense in keeping her ready for Baja, the Sierra or San Onofre at a moment’s notice. I’ve overseen care and feeding of this van for 12 years now, and we have every receipt for every bit of work done to it during that time. You will simply not find a better maintained or more capable low mileage SMB of this vintage.
The owner has decided to sell it. Since I’m knee deep in a Westfalia camper project, I decided not to buy it myself. But I was close. Everything works on this remarkable vehicle.
The basics:
- 2004 SMB EB50 Extended Body layout. 6.0liter Diesel. 46,830 miles. Cruiser Top Fixed High Roof. $60,000 - or reasonable offer.
- VIN: 1FDSS34P04HA73996
- All maintenance records - absolutely no expenses spared on maintenance. We have every receipt going back to 2008 - and some from before that. And because we’ve taken care of everything - in most cases before it’s an issue, there are a lot of receipts.
- Van has lived its life in dry Southern California.
Automobile stuff:
- 4wd. Atlas transfer case/Sportsmobile 4wd with front/rear leaf springs. No differential lockers. All fluids changed regularly — and often — since purchase.
- Power driver’s seat
- Rotating front seats
- Extra removable middle captain’s seat with shoulder belt
- Three seatbelts on rearmost seat - 1 shoulder belt, 2 lap belts.
- Power windows
- Power door locks
- Cruise control
- Remote control anti theft unit with auto start
- Frigid dash A/C. The Starcool 120 Volt rear A/C the SMB came with has been removed. The Starcool was tied into the van’s primary dash A/C and it self-destructed a few years ago. Because SMB no longer services Starcools, we instead yanked it out and completely rebuilt the front dash A/C with new hoses and compressor. It blows Antarctica cold. If you want a shore power A/C you can easily mount a Coleman or Dometic camper unit on the roof, or install a split semi-truck system in the space the Starcool took up.
- Tires: Nearly new 33” BFG AT/KO2’s - including spare.
- Wheels: American Racing teflon coated.
- Added gauges: Turbo boost. Exhaust gas temp (pyrometer). Air shock pressure. New tire pressure gauge with built-in voltage meter.
- Ball joints and nearly EVERY rubber suspension bushing pre-emptively replaced in the last 1000 miles.
- Engine always checked and engine pre-emptively maintained if any parts show any wear or concern. But NOT bulletproofed. Intake, EGR and everything engine-wise kept entirely stock for reliability and California emissions compliance. All fluids have been replaced several times. Comes with a Ford diesel control unit which allows for setting high idle and diagnostics.
- Recently smogged.
- Engine bay and van cab have been soundproofed with lots of Dynamat. It’s remarkably quiet inside for a big diesel.
- Brakes: Recently replaced all stopping components and ALL hoses front to rear - both rubber and steel.
- Ride Rite rear air shocks/airbags.
- SMB specific Fox Shocks upgrade with Fox steering damper. An incredible improvement in ride quality. Very plush on the highway.
- Waste Veggie Oil fuel system by Plantdrive. With complete fuel heating and separate fuel pump system. It works fine, but we don’t use it. Recommend either simply using it as extra regular diesel system (again, it works), or routing tank so it becomes a simple auxiliary system. Veggie system has a 25 gallon fuel tank which is located in the rear of the van.
- Engine block heater
- Tow package with trailer brake controller
Sportsmobile Camper Gear/Upfits
- Top: Beautiful, padded and fabric lined. Gives well over 6' of standing height inside van.
- Audio Visual: ALPINE 6" INEW960 remote control model touchscreen stereo with steering wheel control and DVD (2016 model) with ACCELE AXFD17 17" HD overhead monitor
- Sirius FM
- Apple TV
- Rear DVD player
- Sine wave 2000 watt inverter (Prosine). Recently replaced with new unit.
- Remote control Fantastic Fan.
- 100 watts of solar with all associated hardware/monitors.
- Propane water heater.
- Propane furnace with thermostat.
- Propane tank has full/empty gauge.
- Inputs for city water
- SMB installed Freshwater and greywater tanks
- Rear hot/cold water rinse off shower.
- Butane portable stove.
- Microwave oven. Runs on shore power or inverter.
- 12v Norcold Fridge 3.6 cu ft.
- Inside and outside extra 12V and 120 volt outlets
- Thetford porta-potti with cover - fits in cabinet.
- Fiamma F45 awning
- Powerful ARB Air compressor, air hose, air chocks front and rear for inflating. Also ties into air shock system to inflate/deflate air bags from driver’s seat.
- Aluminess bumpers front/rear with locking storage front/rear - no winch. - Aluminess box, rear, locking.
- Aluminess spare tire carrier.
- Yakima Roof racks.
- Side eyebolt rack setup by Sportsmobile on high roof for carrying surfboards up top.
- Two ladders on driver’s side. Great for surfboards too.
- AMP retractable motorized running boards on both sides give incredible ground clearance.
- Hi-Amp 12V plug at rear bumper.
- Window shades all round - including front curtain.
- Sleeping: The van has queen size bed below. When our kids were small, we let them both sleep together in the huge, padded top rear cabinet (obviously with the cabinet doors open). The top shelves are sturdy and you could put up a memory foam and a rollup bed slat like one of the below one for a top bunk.
https://bit.ly/2QUSaIn
https://bit.ly/2N03Et9
- Selling this van outfitted with full toolbags, linens and camping/cooking gear. It is ready to be lived in — from the get go.
Other stuff.
This van has been expertly serviced for years by Rincon Truck Center in San Clemente California. If you want to ask about it or want an independent evaluation, email or call Kevin Thompson at Rincon. kevin@rincontrucks.com, (949) 492-3520.
The van is stored and watched over in San Clemente, California. I’m on the East Coast. If you want to see it, contact me at dixoncj@icloud.com and I’ll arrange a drive/showing with its caretaker. If you want to see a bit more of my writing work, check http://chrisdixonreports.com for campers I rent and have overseen built out on, see http://eastcoastwestys.com
Here’s a video link to a tour of the van photos follow .
Here's a GDrive with 64 photos.
2004 Sportsmobile Diesel 4x4 – Google Drive
drive.google.com
