New Adventure Rig build!

You're gonna dig this ride. IMO MB makes the best vans out there. We did some work for Mercedes at the plant where these are built. Got to see them from scratch up to rolling out the door. If I was in the market, there is no doubt what I'd buy. Go with as light weight materials as you safely can for the build. You have decent ground clearance so building a couple of boxes into the floor shouldn't be an issue. Worse case, get a small lift(2"ish) to help. If you go that route make it look like Joe Plummer's rig. nothing flashy, and the belly boxes painted to match the exterior color-or better yet, after everything is finished undercoat or Rino line the underside. This will help with noise a bunch and will blend in any mods.

 

Got the engine tuner installed and went out for a Rip in it to see what was what, holy crap, they weren't lying when they said it would be about a 20% improvement in power! WOW, this thing screws real good now, not that it was slow before, but it's much more snappy and pulls harder through the gears and hits 75 on the freeway much faster then before! Dropped it off at the exhaust shop for a full turbo back system! I don't want it loud, but don't care if it has a growl to it, as long as it makes power and runs better!
Fixed a couple of the known issues with these rigs, one electrical and one with the turbo, and hoping it stays good! So far, weight wise, the only heavy stuff is the Ply for the floor, I went with 7/8 inch Marine Ply, figuring I would need both the insulation and floor protection for when I am carrying heavy cargo ( Like Heavy engines) and I am running the same ply up the sides 18 inches, but then using 1/8 finish ( paneling) ply sealed with epoxy, then carpeted with thin pile work carpet! I'm less then 100 pounds so far!
Got the storage boxes figured out, now I need to start fabbing before I cut the floor! With some creative bending, I can get pretty spacious boxes under and remain hidden from sight, unless one were to crawl under for a look!

 

Found some full length running boards/steps that are well built and strong, they drop aprox 4" and would allow the boxes to be a little deeper while remaining hidden, the Wife would really appreciate the steps, and i think they would really help with the side doors as well, so got those on hold in Portland and will make the hour trip after the exhaust work is done! Good test run for the mods so far, see how the fuel economy changes ( Hopefully the 20% claim holds true or better) so I will top off the tank and hit the road!
Thankfully its a one stop shop, the Freightliner/Sprinter dealer ( Factory owned dealership) has a Surplus store and they have a bunch of goodies to dig through, including the steps and the door glass I need! Will see what else they might have that I gotta have! LOL
That place is a lot of fun, I get really good seats from them, top of the line semi truck seats, and I fitted out my Peterbuilt with a nice set when I first got it! Wish I still had that Pete, what a rig! Anyway...................

 

Those big box door panels have a lot of potential,Just say'n

 

YIPES!! Seems, somehow, that hauling that sort of cargo in a living space might be contraindicated, modular stove, reefer etc. Weren't you thinking about a trailer? (The modules will be relatively weighty, too.)

 

What I don't want is a R.V. as that is giving up the utility we are after, and I need the load carrying capabilities more, which is why I went with a 1 ton duelly, The trailer is for pulling the bush plane around, so it needs to be light and ride nice! The boat is gone now, and I'm prolly not going to replace it, so the trailer needs are pretty simple! The ideal is a simple camping rig, basically portable stuff we can load in and strap down and then remove when not in use!

 

Bruce that was a cool post. My Grandfather had an old weapons carrier that he used to plow the fields on his farm near Ft.Smith. Would love to find that old rig..