Sprinter V30 LWB High Roof - 519CDi - 4x4 Camper Build

This turned out to be really very easy, just took my time as cutting any hole in the side of a new van is daunting.  Getting a watertight seal was a little more problematic, it took two goes and a more weatherproof inlet to make me happy. Locate the Centre Point for the inlet hole Working from the location inside the van, noting where the flattest section of the external panel was, I drilled a pilot hole from inside the van to centre the template outside. TIP : don't locate the inlet on any curved surface of the external panel, the plastic inlets don't seal well on a curved surface and if you bend them they won't stay closed. I decided that my 240 Volt - 15amp power would come in the left side of the van next to the battery bank and Victron gear between the reinforced wall pillars (the slots shown below) in the rear panel. Make a Big Template I made a large template that covered the side of the van so that I could drill and jigsaw the larger hole in the wall panel without a...

Ametalin   There are so many options for insulation and sound deadening out there from wool insulation of the walls, to expanding foams that fill the whole of the wall cavities.  There a lot of horror storeys out there about rusting out of vans caused by condensation build up in walls. So the product needs to be a vapour barrier as well.  Wool, typically fibreglass is not good. After a lot of research and the advice of Unique Van Conversions at 7-25 Hiles St, Alexandria NSW 2015, I settled upon using Ametalin ThermalBreak™ Product Code: TB7 . The best things about this product are: You can buy it at Bunnings - Ametalin 1350mm x 22.25m ThermalBreak Roof and Wall Home Insulation Its a Heavy Duty reflective insulation, Provides a Thermal Break  Is Vapour Barrier Has some fire resistance Is also an Acoustic dampener "no buying seperate sound deadener as well". Removing the Wall Panel The timber wall panels that came with the van were fixed with the standard pla...

  There are numerous definitions for Serendipity: the faculty of making desirable but unsought-for discoveries (Macquarie Dictionary) the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. "a fortunate stroke of serendipity" (Oxford Dictionary) the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance (Cambridge Dictionary) the luck some people have in finding or creating interesting or valuable things by chance (Collins Dictionary) the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for (Merriam-Webster) an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident, good fortune, good luck (Dictionary.com) a happy accident or an unplanned fortunate discovery (Wikipedia), and hundreds more variations. The favoured variation for us: "finding something nice while looking for something else".

 The Back Seat The first photograph shows the factory fitted flooring and the timber walling.  The general location of the seat is taped and measured, ready for  Unique Van Conversions  fitting.   The factory fitted floor and the timber walling is a highly recommended option.  It will save weeks of work trying to cut the flooring and the walls in and getting the anchoring to align with the vans existing fixing points (no more drilling holes in van walls).   I will pop the walls off and use the standard hole locations in the walls and Rivnuts to put the walls back on later.  Importantly, fixing the walls back on with Stainless Steel Button Socket Heads will be clean looking ( Loctited  in Blue), allowing for the panels to be removed and finished (how and I want) and allow access to the wall areas later when required. But first things first the passenger seat . I wanted a seat that was comfortable enough for day use and that would no...

The 519CDi In late 2020 I ordered a Mercedes-Benz 519CDi 4x4  in a Long Wheel Base (LWB) and high roof van configuration with upgrades that included the flooring, wall linings, and the Camper Package that include the swivel seats, bigger alternator and a long range fuel tank and other upgrades. The options list includes: Genuine MERCEDES-BENZ fitted options N23Z-Campervan Pack (this include swivel seats, 90 litre fuel tank and other stuff) VA2-Floor to Roof Wood Trim V43-Wooden Floor ZG3-AWD oicw  "High & Low 4x4" Manual Gear Box M60-14V/250 Alternator ET4-Distronic Active Distance Non-Genuine Dealer Fitted Accessories Sliding Window In Door (AMBO TINT) 684.00 Towbar Suit Sprinter 2850.00 I bought this new as it comes with a 5 year, 250,000km warrantee and it is simply a beast of a van with 3.0litre V6 Turbo Diesel and 4x4 to allow some off road ability. I also added an openable window in the left side sliding door with really dark Ambo Tint, a heavy duty tow bar and ...