Hodakaguy's 4wd Sprinter Build - Pic Heavy!
Mighty Dodge Ram
Senior Member
5mm...the good stuff! Thanks for the reply.
Installing the trim rings on the Fans.
I ordered aftermarket Black trim rings from RB components to replace the white units that came with the fans. I like the looks of the black trim as it ties into the black light switches.
Fan unit ready for a trim ring.
Black and white trims rings...figured I would put them both up into place and see which one I like the best.
White....
Black...
And one of each...
Yep....I like the black trim rings! Now to install them for good.
Time to clean up the rear wiring. The factory runs the rear taillight wiring harness down the face of the pillar and then into the cavity at the first large opening. This creates a problem when trying to make a panel to cover the rear area as you have to work around the wiring harness. Time to move the wiring out of the way and make room for panels....
Here's a shot of the factory taillight wiring harness....Yep, in the way!
To pull the wiring harness out of the pillar the wires need to be removed from the factory connectors. Here the taillight connector has been unplugged from the passenger side taillight and I used my phone to make a quick wiring diagram so I can ensure the wires get replaced in the proper order.
Using a set of pin release tools to remove each pin from the connector. There is a small lock on each side of the connector and you need to apply pressure on both sides of the connector at the same time to get it to release. If you don't have a set of pin release tools they are super handy and very affordable. Pin Release tools available here: CLICK HERE
First carefully pry up the lock tab on each side with a thin screw driver and lift the tab up out of the way.
Then slide in the pin release tool on each side of the connector. Push to release while keeping tension on the wire and it will slide out the back of the connector.
And removed. You can see the two little catches on the top and bottom of the connector. The tool releases the catch on each side that grab onto these tabs.
There are two more connectors on each side above the taillight that you need to remove in the same fashion.
Continued Below....
I ordered aftermarket Black trim rings from RB components to replace the white units that came with the fans. I like the looks of the black trim as it ties into the black light switches.
Fan unit ready for a trim ring.
Black and white trims rings...figured I would put them both up into place and see which one I like the best.
White....
Black...
And one of each...
Yep....I like the black trim rings! Now to install them for good.
Time to clean up the rear wiring. The factory runs the rear taillight wiring harness down the face of the pillar and then into the cavity at the first large opening. This creates a problem when trying to make a panel to cover the rear area as you have to work around the wiring harness. Time to move the wiring out of the way and make room for panels....
Here's a shot of the factory taillight wiring harness....Yep, in the way!
To pull the wiring harness out of the pillar the wires need to be removed from the factory connectors. Here the taillight connector has been unplugged from the passenger side taillight and I used my phone to make a quick wiring diagram so I can ensure the wires get replaced in the proper order.
Using a set of pin release tools to remove each pin from the connector. There is a small lock on each side of the connector and you need to apply pressure on both sides of the connector at the same time to get it to release. If you don't have a set of pin release tools they are super handy and very affordable. Pin Release tools available here: CLICK HERE
First carefully pry up the lock tab on each side with a thin screw driver and lift the tab up out of the way.
Then slide in the pin release tool on each side of the connector. Push to release while keeping tension on the wire and it will slide out the back of the connector.
And removed. You can see the two little catches on the top and bottom of the connector. The tool releases the catch on each side that grab onto these tabs.
There are two more connectors on each side above the taillight that you need to remove in the same fashion.
Continued Below....
Continued from above....
Connectors removed and the wiring harness has been pulled out of the pillar.
I'll be routing the wiring back into the pillar up high and out of the way of the panels. Here I'm using a Unibit to open up the small factory hole to accept the wiring harness through.
Next slide a rubber grommet up the wiring harness and then slide the harness into the new hole and back down the pillar.
Just slide the wires back into the connectors and they instantly lock back into place.
And...no more wiring in the way
Process was repeated on the drivers side.
Wiring now enters the pillar behind the wood fir strip.
Next up installing more panels...
Screw installed to mark the location where I decided to install another power port in the drivers side rear ceiling panel.
Cutting and drilling the hole for the power port. Again using a heat gun to seal the edges of the fabric.
Power port wired in.
Continued Below....
Connectors removed and the wiring harness has been pulled out of the pillar.
I'll be routing the wiring back into the pillar up high and out of the way of the panels. Here I'm using a Unibit to open up the small factory hole to accept the wiring harness through.
Next slide a rubber grommet up the wiring harness and then slide the harness into the new hole and back down the pillar.
Just slide the wires back into the connectors and they instantly lock back into place.
And...no more wiring in the way
Process was repeated on the drivers side.
Wiring now enters the pillar behind the wood fir strip.
Next up installing more panels...
Screw installed to mark the location where I decided to install another power port in the drivers side rear ceiling panel.
Cutting and drilling the hole for the power port. Again using a heat gun to seal the edges of the fabric.
Power port wired in.
Continued Below....
Continued from above...
Panels going up. Velcro is installed on the back side of the panels and stapled in place. There will be 3 screws per panel as well as the Velcro for a nice tight fit.
Using matching colored Snap Caps for a finished Look. Snap Caps Available Here: CLICK HERE
Re-installing the LED Eyeball Light. This light will be for my son so he can have directional light while we travel at night. Light available here: CLICK HERE
Swapped out the black screws on the upper rear door panels with matching snap caps for a more finished look.
Coming together! Mike at Vanlab did an awesome job on the panels, They fit like a glove!
More to come....
Hodakaguy
Panels going up. Velcro is installed on the back side of the panels and stapled in place. There will be 3 screws per panel as well as the Velcro for a nice tight fit.
Using matching colored Snap Caps for a finished Look. Snap Caps Available Here: CLICK HERE
Re-installing the LED Eyeball Light. This light will be for my son so he can have directional light while we travel at night. Light available here: CLICK HERE
Swapped out the black screws on the upper rear door panels with matching snap caps for a more finished look.
Coming together! Mike at Vanlab did an awesome job on the panels, They fit like a glove!
More to come....
Hodakaguy
Mighty Dodge Ram
Senior Member
Mad skills!
12V Charger Ports - What's best for your build?
This in my 4th video in a series highlighting build out tools and tips. In this video I cover the differences in 12v power ports, advantages and disadvantages of each and when you might want to use each style in your own build.
Hope you find these videos helpful.
Watch the Video on Youtube Here: CLICK HERE
Amazon Affiliate Links to the products I use. When you purchase a product using my link I get a small kickback from Amazon for sharing the link. I don't get paid to review products and only share links that I actually use and like in my builds. Thanks for the support :beer
Blue Sea Marine Power Ports available on Amazon Here (Face plate is removable): CLICK HERE
Powerlet socket available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Powerlet 90 Deg Male Plug on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Hussel Metal USB 3.0 Car Charger on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Hodakaguy
This in my 4th video in a series highlighting build out tools and tips. In this video I cover the differences in 12v power ports, advantages and disadvantages of each and when you might want to use each style in your own build.
Hope you find these videos helpful.
Watch the Video on Youtube Here: CLICK HERE
Amazon Affiliate Links to the products I use. When you purchase a product using my link I get a small kickback from Amazon for sharing the link. I don't get paid to review products and only share links that I actually use and like in my builds. Thanks for the support :beer
Blue Sea Marine Power Ports available on Amazon Here (Face plate is removable): CLICK HERE
Powerlet socket available on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Powerlet 90 Deg Male Plug on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Hussel Metal USB 3.0 Car Charger on Amazon Here: CLICK HERE
Hodakaguy
Door Speaker & Panel.
VanLab Mike finished up the panel for the slider door and we started to install it when we came upon a problem.....The speaker grill sticks to far out and won't allow the sliding door to open all the way. Once the door was about 3/4 of the way open the speaker grill would want to contact the body of the van, no good. We discussed a few options, changing out the speaker (But I already have 3 others mounted and want them all to match) or making some kind of recessed adapter. Solution below.....
Here's a shot of the speaker and grill mounted on the lower sliding door panel.....To High!
I thought about welding up an adapter, then though about making a ring of wood to attach to the panel on the back side and cover the edges in matching carpet. Mike came up with a much more elegant and factory looking solution. Here Mike printed my up a recessed adapter on his 3d printer to allow the speaker to sit flush in the door panel. Nice!!
The mount consists of two parts, first the recessed adapter that the speaker will sit in and second a locking ring for the back side of the panel that will allow clamping the speaker in place without any visible screws from the front.
Test fitting the speaker and grill in the adapter....nice!
Next up modify the door panel to accept the adapter.
Sealing the edges
Speaker in the vice and drilling the mounting holes into the adapter, the HUGE vice comes in soooooo handy for many tasks.
Bolts installed
Next up I used some scrap aluminum to make some mounting tabs for the rear of the speaker. Since you won't be seeing these ever again I didn't spend a ton of time making them Pretty
Continued Below....
VanLab Mike finished up the panel for the slider door and we started to install it when we came upon a problem.....The speaker grill sticks to far out and won't allow the sliding door to open all the way. Once the door was about 3/4 of the way open the speaker grill would want to contact the body of the van, no good. We discussed a few options, changing out the speaker (But I already have 3 others mounted and want them all to match) or making some kind of recessed adapter. Solution below.....
Here's a shot of the speaker and grill mounted on the lower sliding door panel.....To High!
I thought about welding up an adapter, then though about making a ring of wood to attach to the panel on the back side and cover the edges in matching carpet. Mike came up with a much more elegant and factory looking solution. Here Mike printed my up a recessed adapter on his 3d printer to allow the speaker to sit flush in the door panel. Nice!!
The mount consists of two parts, first the recessed adapter that the speaker will sit in and second a locking ring for the back side of the panel that will allow clamping the speaker in place without any visible screws from the front.
Test fitting the speaker and grill in the adapter....nice!
Next up modify the door panel to accept the adapter.
Sealing the edges
Speaker in the vice and drilling the mounting holes into the adapter, the HUGE vice comes in soooooo handy for many tasks.
Bolts installed
Next up I used some scrap aluminum to make some mounting tabs for the rear of the speaker. Since you won't be seeing these ever again I didn't spend a ton of time making them Pretty
Continued Below....
Continued from above...
The Aluminum tabs squeeze the lock ring against the rear of the panel and pull the speaker in tight. Nice snug fit and no visible mounting hardware.
Mounted and looking great! The recessed speaker looks a lot more factory than the raised grills, gonna have to pull the other panels and do the same treatment to them now as well
No clearance issues on opening the door now.
Next up I need to start fabricating the rear bed mounts. These mounts will be vertical L-track sections to match the front bed mounts but I need to fabricate supports to bridge the rear windows before I can mount the track.
Here I'm holding up a straight section of L-track next to the forward bed mounts that are already installed in the van. The walls of the van here are curved and the mounted L-track is curved to match the walls. The rear mounts need to have this same curve so that the bed mounting bars will be even.
Starting to fabricate the rear L-track mounts by rolling a section of carbon C-channel to match the curve of the already installed forward vertical L-track.
One down and one to go.
Both pieces curved.
Here you can see how much the L-track has to curve to match the body lines.
More to come....
Hodakaguy
The Aluminum tabs squeeze the lock ring against the rear of the panel and pull the speaker in tight. Nice snug fit and no visible mounting hardware.
Mounted and looking great! The recessed speaker looks a lot more factory than the raised grills, gonna have to pull the other panels and do the same treatment to them now as well
No clearance issues on opening the door now.
Next up I need to start fabricating the rear bed mounts. These mounts will be vertical L-track sections to match the front bed mounts but I need to fabricate supports to bridge the rear windows before I can mount the track.
Here I'm holding up a straight section of L-track next to the forward bed mounts that are already installed in the van. The walls of the van here are curved and the mounted L-track is curved to match the walls. The rear mounts need to have this same curve so that the bed mounting bars will be even.
Starting to fabricate the rear L-track mounts by rolling a section of carbon C-channel to match the curve of the already installed forward vertical L-track.
One down and one to go.
Both pieces curved.
Here you can see how much the L-track has to curve to match the body lines.
More to come....
Hodakaguy
Mighty Dodge Ram
Senior Member
Following your build just reminds and reinforces that deep down...I’m a van guy. They say the first step to recovery is verbalizing . Owned two Westfalias, a ‘69 & a ‘70. I’m a sliding side door fan, works so well in parking lots and when it’s snowing at Mammoth Mtn. Your solution for the speaker works well...keep it coming.
The rear vertical L-track sections will act as the rear bed mounts but they need to span the rear windows, they also need to be curved to match the forward sections of vertical track. Today's project....start fabricating braces.
I started by cutting some mounting tabs out of some flat stock.
With the tabs cut I used a washer to mark out a radius on the corners then used a disk sander to round the corners of the tabs.
Next I applied some double stick tape to the back side of the tabs and stuck them in place, once installed I can start measuring the distance of the curved C-channel.
Next up I decided to remove the mill scale from the tabs, should have just done this in the first place lol. Removing the mill scale allows for cleaner welds and a better paint finish. The Ez-Strip disks make very quick work of removing mill scale without removing any metal, very handy!
Lower and upper tabs taped in place.
Here I'm using the L-track to set the location of the upper tab, the outer edges of the track need to line up evenly. The lower track will be off slightly due to the plastic trim.
Trimming the C-channel to size
Marking out the angle so the C-channel will mate up with the tabs correctly. Used a square block on the tabs to mark the angle onto the C-channel higher than it needs to be, then copied the angle and moved it down to the bottom where the actual cut is required.
C-channel cut and mounting tabs tacked in place.
My dad welding out the mounting tabs Always fun watching my dad work his magic
Next up I drilled the 1/4" mounting holes in the L-track
Then I clamped the L-track onto the brace and used a drill bit to slightly mark the hole locations on the brace.
With the holes drilled I installed some temporary bolts and added some 1/4" stainless nuts on the back side, these nuts will be welded onto the brace.
Continued Below.....
I started by cutting some mounting tabs out of some flat stock.
With the tabs cut I used a washer to mark out a radius on the corners then used a disk sander to round the corners of the tabs.
Next I applied some double stick tape to the back side of the tabs and stuck them in place, once installed I can start measuring the distance of the curved C-channel.
Next up I decided to remove the mill scale from the tabs, should have just done this in the first place lol. Removing the mill scale allows for cleaner welds and a better paint finish. The Ez-Strip disks make very quick work of removing mill scale without removing any metal, very handy!
Lower and upper tabs taped in place.
Here I'm using the L-track to set the location of the upper tab, the outer edges of the track need to line up evenly. The lower track will be off slightly due to the plastic trim.
Trimming the C-channel to size
Marking out the angle so the C-channel will mate up with the tabs correctly. Used a square block on the tabs to mark the angle onto the C-channel higher than it needs to be, then copied the angle and moved it down to the bottom where the actual cut is required.
C-channel cut and mounting tabs tacked in place.
My dad welding out the mounting tabs
Always fun watching my dad work his magic
Next up I drilled the 1/4" mounting holes in the L-track
Then I clamped the L-track onto the brace and used a drill bit to slightly mark the hole locations on the brace.
With the holes drilled I installed some temporary bolts and added some 1/4" stainless nuts on the back side, these nuts will be welded onto the brace.
Continued Below.....
Continued from above....
As you tighten the bolts the Track will conform to the brace.
Nuts in place, then welded to the brace.
With the nuts welded in place I decided to add a piece of flat bar on the back side to close it out for a more finished look.
Counter sinking the bolt holes on the L-track.
L-track mounted to the brace. Almost finished, just need to drill the mounting holes on the tabs and paint the brace before install. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.
And a quick picture with me holding the assembly in place. It started to rain and shut down my progress for the day.....lighting for pics was terrible but You get the idea
Now to replicate it again for the passenger side
Hodakaguy
As you tighten the bolts the Track will conform to the brace.
Nuts in place, then welded to the brace.
With the nuts welded in place I decided to add a piece of flat bar on the back side to close it out for a more finished look.
Counter sinking the bolt holes on the L-track.
L-track mounted to the brace. Almost finished, just need to drill the mounting holes on the tabs and paint the brace before install. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.
And a quick picture with me holding the assembly in place. It started to rain and shut down my progress for the day.....lighting for pics was terrible but You get the idea
Now to replicate it again for the passenger side
Hodakaguy
Up early this morning to start work on the second brace. Not as many pics of the process today since it's a repeat of yesterday.
Dad welding the mounting tabs to the C-channel
Marking and drilling mounting holes in the brace.
Nuts being welded onto the back side of the brace and then welding on the rear cover.
Both braces complete minus the mounting holes on the tabs and paint.
Drilling the 1/4" mounting holes in the tabs
Painted with two coats of textured satin black paint and ready for install
Installing the track onto the braces. I'm using stainless hardware so I'm adding anti-seize to prevent the bolts from galling in place.
Assembled....ready to install.
I used 1/4" Steel Rivets to attach the assemblies to the van...nice and secure! Sorry only one shot of the install as I got busy
Continued Below.....
Dad welding the mounting tabs to the C-channel
Marking and drilling mounting holes in the brace.
Nuts being welded onto the back side of the brace and then welding on the rear cover.
Both braces complete minus the mounting holes on the tabs and paint.
Drilling the 1/4" mounting holes in the tabs
Painted with two coats of textured satin black paint and ready for install
Installing the track onto the braces. I'm using stainless hardware so I'm adding anti-seize to prevent the bolts from galling in place.
Assembled....ready to install.
I used 1/4" Steel Rivets to attach the assemblies to the van...nice and secure! Sorry only one shot of the install as I got busy
Continued Below.....
Continued from above....
And installed....should make for a nice clean bed mounting setup. Going to be nice to have the bed mounted in place and not have any legs sticking down and taking up room like last summer. I'll paint the rivet heads satin black to match.
Mike at Vanlab printing me out 3 more recessed speaker adapters.....will look a lot more "factory" once the adapters are installed, it means having to pull the lower panels once more but it will be worth it for the improved looks.
More to come.....
Hodakaguy
And installed....should make for a nice clean bed mounting setup. Going to be nice to have the bed mounted in place and not have any legs sticking down and taking up room like last summer. I'll paint the rivet heads satin black to match.
Mike at Vanlab printing me out 3 more recessed speaker adapters.....will look a lot more "factory" once the adapters are installed, it means having to pull the lower panels once more but it will be worth it for the improved looks.
More to come.....
Hodakaguy
billharr
Senior Member
Enjoying your build. Just want to say that is the most unique vice stand I have seen.
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