"The Hoff" 4x4 144" Low Roof Sprinter Build

[BajaVan]

Again, after the van was lifted, we adapted our skid plate system to it with the addition of a new steel front “bash plate” which was designed to work with the 2” lift. At the same time, we fitted our heavy duty front hitch which we were able to bring into production since we had the Hoff to develop off of.





We've pulled the whole front of the van 2 feet off the ground straight up using our front hitch and our forklift. How much do you trust your van parts? Our parts are not just an aesthetic accessory. Everything we make is built to function.

 

[BajaVan]

The interior has changed a lot since I first started this thread. But to recap, insulation went in on the floor, walls and under the head liner. When I had the headliner off, I ran the wiring for my solar panel which is mounted to a prototype low profile aluminum roof rack and installed a Maxxfan up top.

After insulation was done, rubber floor went down and Macs track was installed on the floor and walls.





Then came the fun part of paneling the rear and starting to build some interior storage solutions. Step one was a fender well tool box on the passenger side.

 

[BajaVan]

I don't have any good photos saved on the computer of the roof rack, but this kinda gives you an idea of how low profile it is. There is a 190 Watt panel mounted on it, along with an ARB awning.

 

[BajaVan]

Next up for the interior was the mounting of a 2 person ford transit seat. I wanted the seat as far over as possible and protruding into the sliding door entry way a bit to utilize the space since my van was equipped with the factory sliding door stop at halfway open.





I had originally gone with a Husky stainless toolbox as a galley. Cut a hole in it to fit a sink and had a very basic water system in the locker portion of the toolbox. I used the van like this for a while and while I liked the layout, I wasn't happy with the tool box. It was just too heavy and noisy. The drawers just made too much noise when the going got rough and the size of the drawers just weren't that useful.



With that being said, we have since started developing some really nice aluminum interior products to provide rugged, simple solutions for building out adventure vans. All of which are currently prototyped in The Hoff as I type this out, so I'll try to get some photos and details up about that stuff shortly.

 

[BajaVan]

We are going to start to try and do detailed blog posts on our website for every new product we come out with to really show the detail of each product and how / why we make our parts the way we do. Next up, was a customer request awhile back for an air compressor mount in the location where the factory auxiliary battery normally resides. We went a step further and made a bolt on bracket which utilizes factory mounting holes to mount a Viar or ARB air compressor and a 2.0 gallon air tank in the location where the factory auxiliary battery lies.

Not everyone ops for the auxiliary battery and we see a lot of up-fitters mount components in this location, so here's one take on an option to fill that open space under the hood. My van was equipped with the factory auxiliary battery, so I ended up relocating it to another part of the van. I'll go into detail on that feature shortly.



I won't go into a ton of detail about the air system mount or the way I plumbed / wired it in my van. But if you want to know more about it, check out the blog section of our website here:

https://vancompass.com/blogs/news/mercedes-sprinter-on-board-air-system-mount

As well as the product page itself for detailed installation instructions:

https://vancompass.com/collections/...ducts/2007-mercedes-sprinter-air-system-mount

But for those that don't want to venture off the site, here's a couple photos of the installed air system

 

[BajaVan]

Since we finished our first production run of our Rear Storage Trunk, this seems like a good time to go into detail about how I solved the relocation of my factory auxiliary battery and finalized the electrical system in my van. This part was again, a customer request from a handful of customers who were former E-series Sportsmobile owners. Apparently a rear storage trunk was a very common option for many of the E-series Sportsmobiles and sure seemed like a great option to have. At the end of the day, it's hard not to justify development of a product which increases the usable square footage / cubic volume of the van.

We'd also encountered a Sportsmobile Sprinter with a similar storage trunk fitted to the vehicle, albeit not as heavy duty as what we were looking to accomplish with this product, so we went about making a simple to install, heavy duty aluminum trunk specifically designed to fit the ribs and contours of the NCV3 Sprinter chassis.

We put together a detailed blog post of how I utilized the additional space the rear trunk provided here:

https://vancompass.com/blogs/news/van-compass-storage-box

The short summary for what I did with the space was house three 100 AH batteries and install a Snugger diesel fired cabin heater. Realistically, you could use the space for a multitude of different options. I just found it to be a great location and simple solution for mounting heavy batteries and still be able to easily service or add to the power system of the vehicle all while keeping everything out of the elements.



Detailed instructions are on the product page here for those who are interested:

https://vancompass.com/collections/.../van-compass-rear-storage-trunk-2007-sprinter

I got a little carried away with the plumbing of the cabin heater so that the lid could still open but I'm very happy with the turbo intercooler piping end result lol. And my dog Rufus sure did enjoy sleeping in the van this winter while I would go skiing because his bed sits right next to the heater outlet in the lid of the trunk.

 

[BajaVan]

Surprise, surprise, another customer request. LED light pod hood mounts. This is a super common and extremely popular application in the Jeep and truck world. Having a small powerful light near eye level is super helpful when cruising in the pitch black on the hunt for that perfect hidden campsite. I love having these lights mounted here and use them all the time.

We came up with a simple elegant solution to mount a small LED light utilizing the hood hinges of the van. These light brackets bolt onto the underside of the hood and utilize factory mounting studs. No hole drilling required. Instructions and detailed photos can be found here for those interested:

https://vancompass.com/collections/...ompass-hoodline-light-pod-mount-sprinter-2007



I'm running these 20 Watt Lifetime LED lights on my van;

https://www.lifetimeledlights.com/led_lights/3_inch_led_pods_20watt_led_light_pods









I'm thinking about upgrading in the near future to maybe some Baja Designs XL-R Pro Series lights. We installed a set on a customer's van and they sure are a step above everything else in the LED world.

https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/xl-r-pro-led-driving-combo.asp

 

[thebigblue]

All these parts looks nice - is there a Europa-based distributor or dealer ? Thanks

 

[BajaVan]

All these parts looks nice - is there a Europa-based distributor or dealer ? Thanks

Xtreme Sales 4x4 in the UK is one of our distributors. Take a look at his website here and give him a call / email:

http://xs4x4.parts/van-compass-450-c.asp

 

[thebigblue]

Xtreme Sales 4x4 in the UK is one of our distributors. Take a look at his website here and give him a call / email:

http://xs4x4.parts/van-compass-450-c.asp

Thanks!

 

[Wyuna]

That recessed battery box will be a winner.

You need all the room in these vans and being able to transfer the batteries outside, while protected is a great idea.

Haven't really looked at the sizing, but a WEBASTO DUAL TOP EVO 6 in the tub might fit as well.

 

[hoptroll]

What kind of MPG do you see?

 

[BajaVan]

That recessed battery box will be a winner.

You need all the room in these vans and being able to transfer the batteries outside, while protected is a great idea.

Haven't really looked at the sizing, but a WEBASTO DUAL TOP EVO 6 in the tub might fit as well.

Agreed. As large as these vans are, they run out of room quick.

What kind of MPG do you see?

I typically see anywhere from 14-18 mpg. Honestly I didn't see much drop in mpg when jumping up to 35s. It got about the same mileage even when it was bone stock.

 

[BajaVan]

It's time to let this thing go to the next owner. We need to move on here at Van Compass and pick up a couple newer models to develop parts off of. Makes me sad to let this thing go but am excited to see what the next owner does with it.

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...2015-sprinter-4x4-144-crew-van-95-000.228035/

 

[Surfdog]

Did you consider changing the gearing to compensate the larger tires ?