Hodakaguy's 4wd Sprinter Build - Pic Heavy!

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

Bolting the air compressor mount in place.

I installed a piece of plastic flex loom to keep the wiring harness from chaffing on the air compressor mount.

Shiny new ARB Twin Compressor ready to be installed.

Bolting in the compressor.

The vacuum line on the brake booster can easily be re-routed to clear the compressor, just slide the retaining clip from the side of the metal tubing and place it up on top.

Now to get the unit wired and the tubing ran.

More to come....

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Time to get the plumbing installed on the air compressor.

I stopped by a local industrial supply company and had them make me up a Teflon lined stainless steel braided hose, this hose will be the one that connects to the compressor. With the hose and parts in hand it's time to get started.

Note: The links below are my Amazon Affiliate links, I make a small portion each time someone purchases from Amazon using one of my links, at no extra cost to the buyer. I only provide links to items that I personally like and use myself. i use the money to put back into my builds and support making videos/posts. If you prefer not to use my links you can search for the same items directly off Amazon. Thank you for the support!


ARB Twin Air Compressor - On Amazon here: CLICK HERE
1/4" Industrial Male air fitting - On Amazon here: CLICK HERE
1/4" Brass Air Fitting Male - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
1/4" Brass 90's - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
1/4" Bulkhead Fittings - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Agile Offroad Billet Air Caps - CLICK HERE


I'll be using this setup for the bumper mount air connection.

These billet caps from Agile offroad are a great way to keep dirt etc out of the couplers when they aren't in use.

I'll be mounting the air coupler on the passenger side of the front bumper step. I found a scrap piece of stainless steel angle that will work perfect for fabricating a mount. A Porta-Band, Belt Sander and a Drill make quick work of this step.

Test fitting the new bracket for location.

The bracket is recessed back into the step making drilling holes very difficult. I bent a piece of 1/4" all-thread and then heated it with a torch, using the stainless mount as a template it was easy to melt through the plastic...Done.

1/4" Stainless Steel braided Teflon lined air hose. This hose will handle high temps making it a reliable long term solution.

Continued Below.....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above.....

Assembling the whole setup.

And installed. I used Stainless bolts with large washers on the back sides to reinforce the back side of the plastic.

I installed another quick connect at the compressor. This gives me the option to plug my fill hose directly into the compressor if anything ever happens to the lower connection or the hose...I like options.

Next up I'll be wiring the compressor. More to come!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Wiring Time!

The wiring that comes with the ARB compressor is quite extensive and includes wiring for diff lockers and a bunch of stuff I won't be needing. I started by removing the wiring that I don't need so I'll end up with a clean harness.

Here is a the factory wiring diagram, the red X is the wiring I removed and won't be using. I cut the trigger wiring down and I'll be triggering the compressor through the Switch Pro SP9100.

I started with the main power harness. Here I'm shortening the harness, the ground will be installed on the factory ground stud next to the compressor.

I'll be wiring the compressor to the starter battery. When running the compressor I'll run the engine so the alternator carries the load. Located under the hood is the factory jump start terminal for the positive cable of the battery. The factory jump start wiring is connected to the battery under the van at a terminal on the rear of the battery box. This terminal makes a perfect point to connect the compressor with a nice short run of wiring.

The protective red plastic cap just pops off the terminal. I'll modify this cap shortly to make it compatible with the new compressor wiring.

Adding some marine ring terminals to the ARB power wires.

Power wiring ran and snap tied in place.

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued From Above....

I used a 90 Deg air tool and a rotofile bit open up a hole to clear the new wiring, this will allow the cap to snap back in place and protect the terminal from accidental shorts.

Shortening the trigger wire harness, only the small section on the bottom will be used.

Printing some heat shrink labeling for the trigger wire to Switch Pro connection. This tape cartridge is getting old and is a bit light but it's still legible so I went with it.

Tying the trigger wiring into the Switch Pro, This assembly lives under the passenger seat and controls my lighting and air compressor.

Trigger wiring connection under the hood.

This is the routing that the trigger wire takes to get from the passenger side seat base Switch Pro unit to under the hood. The wiring crosses over from the passenger side to the drivers side under the flooring (There is a built in wire chase for this purpose), then exits the drivers base and runs under the plastic on the drivers foot well and out of a rubber grommet where the roof AC lines used to run.

Wiring under the hood.

Continued below.....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued From Above....

The controls to the Switch pro are in my headliner, located within easy reach just above the dome light.

With the compressor wired and now fully installed I turned my attention to setting up a dual tire inflation setup. This setup will allow me to fill (Or deflate) two tires at once. Since I run my front tires at a different pressure than the rear I'm going to make a two tire setup so I can fill the fronts as a pair and then the rears as a pair. You could also make a 4 tire setup with the addition of two more splitters. I'm making up two of these units, one for myself and one for my father to carry in his Tacoma.

You can buy these dual & quad inflation setups pre-made but the cost is higher and with the Flexzilla Pro hose I can change the length of hose as needed, if I get a hole in a hose I can shorten the hose in the field with the re-usable ends and keep on using the setup.

This setup costs $135 to make, including all three sections of air hose and the digital gauge.

Note: The links below are my Amazon Affiliate links, I make a small portion each time someone purchases from Amazon using one of my links, at no extra cost to the buyer. I only provide links to items that I personally like and use myself. i use the money to put back into my builds and support making videos/posts. If you prefer not to use my links you can search for the same items directly off Amazon. Thank you for the support!

1/4" Brass ball Valve (Quantity 1) - On Amazon here: CLICK HERE
Lock on Air Chuck (Quantity 2) - On Amazon here: CLICK HERE
Flexzilla Pro Hose (100' is perfect for two setups, 50' for one) - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Digital Pressure Gauge - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Flexzilla Extra Ends (Quantity 4 for 1 assembly) - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Milton 1/4" Male Air Fitting (Quantity 1) - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Milton 1/4" Quick Coupler Air Fitting Male (Quantity 2) - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Milton 1/4" Quick Coupler Air Fitting Female (Quantity 1) - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Milton 1/4" Female Air Fitting (Quantity 3) - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
1/4" Brass 4 way manifold (Quantity 1) - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Storage Bag for completed twin filler system - On Amazon Here: CLICK HERE



Laying the parts out to get started, most but not all of the parts are laid out there.

After measuring enough hose to reach just past the rear of the van I cut the hose at that location. I wanted the main hose to be long enough to use by itself at all 4 tires if I choose...I like options!

The ends are aircraft aluminum, you slide the hose through the flexible whip then press the hose onto the barb. When you screw the fittings together it compresses the hose and locks it in place. Simple, fast and works great!

Manifold assembled and shorter hoses made up.

Both units finished.

JT Tire Pro Deflators. I carry a set of these in the van to make quick work of deflating the tires. You set the desired pressure and screw them onto each tire. All 4 tires will air down till they meet the set pressure and then they will seat and stop blowing, unscrew the units and your ready for off road travel! I like these units as they save a lot of time if your deflating all 4 tires over doing each tire individually. I've found the accuracy to be within a couple pounds of set pressure, perfect for deflated tires.

Note: The links below are my Amazon Affiliate links, I make a small portion each time someone purchases from Amazon using one of my links, at no extra cost to the buyer. I only provide links to items that I personally like and use myself. i use the money to put back into my builds and support making videos/posts. If you prefer not to use my links you can search for the same items directly off Amazon. Thank you for the support!

J.T. Pro Automatic Deflators - On Amazon here: CLICK HERE

Continued below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued From Above....

After using the deflators to drop the pressure in the front tires to 25psi It's time to test out the new compressor and manifold to see how long it takes the compressor to air up the two 34" tires from 25 psi to 50 psi.

Attaching the air hose to the valve stems.

All hooked up and ready to go!

The new compressor setup works GREAT! It took exactly 3 minutes to fill the two 34" tires from 25 psi to 50 psi. This will make short work of airing tires back up for the highway after off road travel!

Short video showing the setup in action.

And all packed up in the storage bag, ready for travel and use.

Now on to the next project.....

More to come..

Hodakaguy

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Great mod for your van. I’m about to mount my Viair under the hood in the second battery location and run lines fore and aft. But the speed and CFM of the ARB twin is impressive!

 

[craig333]

I've got to get a labeler. Pricey little machine but would make my life so much easier when I need to diagnose a problem.

 

[craig333]

Picked up a Brother labeler. Not nearly as nice as the one you use but its still gonna help a bunch.

 

[Hodakaguy]

Great mod for your van. I’m about to mount my Viair under the hood in the second battery location and run lines fore and aft. But the speed and CFM of the ARB twin is impressive!

I'm pretty impressed so far with the ARB Unit....time will tell how it holds up.

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Picked up a Brother labeler. Not nearly as nice as the one you use but its still gonna help a bunch.

Your gonna love it, very handy!

Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Beautiful Morning Sunrise....

Travel Light, Travel Fast!

Weighted our van this morning, fully loaded for travel (Except clothing and food) and weights in at 7320 lbs total, GVRW is 8550. Not bad as that includes the roof rack, 34" tires, full 47 gallon fuel tank, suspension with 2" lift, ladder, rock sliders, fridge, bed, cook gear, etc etc.

Just a reminder to keep weight in mind when building your setup, the trip is much more enjoyable and safer when the vehicle is light and handles well

2017 Sprinter Wet Wiper System Upgrade!

Seen this upgrade in a previous post and did it to our van today, great upgrade! For this install you install Mercedes OEm wet wiper arms and blades from a 2019-2020 Sprinter. The washer fluid travels up through a hose on the arm then into the blade itself where it squirts out small holes that are drilled all the way down the length of the blade.

The OEM washer nozzles on the 2017 clip onto the arm and they break off super easy, especially when washing the window with a squeegee. They also don't spray where you actually want the fluid to go. With the Wet Wipers the fluid is evenly distributed onto the windshield

Install took maybe 10 minutes, pretty happy to have this addition on the van.
Total $175. If you want to order this setup here are the Mercedes Part Numbers.

Wiper Blades (Set): 9108240100
Wiper Arm Left: 9108205600
Wiper Arm Right: 9108205700

New parts.

The washer fluid travels up the wiper arms through tubing then into the wipers themselves, there are holes all along the wiper blade that the water squirts out of.

Photo of the wipers/washers in action.

Video of the washers/wipers in action.

https://youtu.be/BRB4q6JR25A


Hodakaguy

 

[Hodakaguy]

Backland Expedition Gear Slider Install.

After installing the lift I wanted to install a set of sliders. The sliders offer several benefits: They act as a solid step, protect the rocker panels from damage, protect the side of the van from door dings, can act as bench to sit on or a table platform to set drinks on etc at camp.

I wanted a set of sliders that are built solid and able to be scraped/banged on something without denting or folding up. After a bit of looking I settled on Backland EG steel sliders as I liked the construction and looks of these units. They offer two sizes on the sliders, 4" and 6". I ordered the 6" as I wanted them to be a solid step platform that your whole foot can fit on, not just your toes. I thought about fabricating my own setup but just don't have the time right now.

Install went pretty straight forward with a couple minor hiccups.

The sliders bolt onto the Van with 4 braces on each side, bolted into the van with rivet nuts and a series of screws along the pinch seam. The rivet nuts and bolts were sealed with Sikaflex 221. The sheet metal screws that go through the pinch seam was sealed with Sikaflex between the slider and seam and will have a Waxoil coating on the bolt heads and washers (Not applied yet). The rivet nut on the front mounting brackets required the plastic to be removed on the OEM drivers and passenger foot wells to drill/install the rivet nuts, there are plastic tabs on the underside of the foot wells that need to be trimmed to allow clearance for the rivet nut (Sorry got busy and didn't get pics of this step). The two drivers side middle brackets had a gap between the brackets and the body, looks like there were possibly built slightly off. I fabricated and painted some steel spacers to install between the brackets and van body then the fit was perfect.

The sliders are very solid and fit and finish is top notch. The bed liner coating that comes on the sliders looks to be ultra durable and offers a great grip. They make stepping up into the lifted van a breeze, a huge improvement!


The Sliders arrived packed very well in a wooded crate and foam bits. The sliders are coated in INDY Bed Liner and should be very durable over time.

Mounting brackets and hardware. Brackets are coated in the same INDY coating as the sliders.

Test filling the slider. Fit perfectly.

Drilling holes (and painting) in the pinch seam. There are 8 screws that are installed along the pinch seam.

Sikaflex 221 applied between the slider and the pinch seam for a waterproof seal.

Will Sikaflex installed at all 8 hole locations the sliders are pressed into place and held in place with the jacks as the screws are inserted into the sliders from the underside.

The 8 supplied mounting brackets are mounted to the van via Rivet nuts. First you find the location that you want to install the brackets then hold the brackets in place and use a marker to mark out the bolt/Rivet Nut locations. You then drill the holes (1/2") and install the Rivet Nuts using a install tool (Not included with the sliders). Once the Rivet Nuts are installed I sealed the edges with Sikaflex then bolted the brackets in place using more Sikaflex to seal the bolts themselves.

Manual Install Tool

Bracket 1 out of 8 installed.

Continued Below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

The two middle brackets on the drivers side didn't quite match up with the body and left a gap, looks like maybe a slight error in manufacturing. I fabricated some steel spacers to fill the gap and everything fit up nicely.

The rear mounts get drilled and bolted in place.

The front mounts

And some installed shots. Fit and Finish is excellent.

Hodakaguy

 

[goinoregon]

nice work HKG !

 

[Hodakaguy]

Hello Folks, for those who have followed me on my past builds this won't be a surprise . Squirrel mode has once again kicked in and our van is now up for sale. I sold the last vehicle to fund an airplane and ended up building the van instead, now I'm selling the van to make the airplane dream a reality.

If your looking for a quality turn key Adventure Van look no further!. Sales ad here: https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/23745-2017-sprinter-144-high-top-4wd-adventure-ready/

Hodakaguy

 

[craig333]

Someone is going to get themselves a really nice van!

 

[Hodakaguy]

We had our van up for sale for a very short time and then decided we use it to much to let it go so pulled the ad. With camping season fast approaching it's time to get a few things done on the Sprinter

I'm tired of constantly unzipping the Mule bag every time I need a paper towel sooooooo......Time to fix that!

I ordered a ratcheting paper towel holder from Amazon (The ratcheting units prevent the towels from unrolling when going down the road or tearing a towel off the road. See video below). Once I had the holder in hand it was time to fabricate a mounting plate to mount it on my L-track in the van.

Supplies used:

Note: The links below are my Amazon Affiliate links, I make a small portion each time someone purchases from Amazon using one of my links, at no extra cost to the buyer. I only provide links to items that I personally like and use myself. i use the money to put back into my builds and support making videos/posts. If you prefer not to use my links you can search for the same items directly off Amazon. Thank you for the support!

Paper Towel Holder: CLICK HERE

I'm using a piece of 1/4" aluminum flat bar to fabricate the adapter/mount for the towel holder. I'll use L-track studs to mount the assembly into the van.


Holes drilled for the mounting studs.

Trimming down the factory towel holder mount to match the width of the aluminum plate.

Marking the corners to round them off.

Drilling and tapping holes for the mounting plate.

Tip for tapping aluminum. Use Anti-Seize for lubricant on the tap, it will prevent galling between the tap and the aluminum.

Fresh satin black paint on the mounting bracket assembly.

Continued below....

 

[Hodakaguy]

Continued from above....

I decided to mount the towel holder in front of the forward Mule bag, I have a nice open space in that location and it's a perfect location for easy access.

Mounted onto the L-track.

And a roll of towels installed.

And a quick video showing how the ratcheting function works, This unit is slick! Click the link below.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Sprinter...X4sW/0/f805079d/1920/20230205_140704-1920.mp4


Hodakaguy