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We have made arrangements to build a brand new 2024 AWD Sprinter HR Van and have it completed before end of the year! Its super difficult to find modular builds built for families that are truly modular. You want the van to function like our $225k but you don't have that kind of budget? This build will meet those goals. It will do 90% of our higher end builds functionally but approach the build in a more budget friendly way doing the "must haves" for functionality. It will be very similar to this build below but we will highlight the significant differences to take a $225k van like this build, but do things a bit differently to reduce build costs and time.
Van will be similar to this build below (same color, Van Speed Capsules, Pop Top...but approach will be a bit different to keep costs down.
We started with a 2024 High Roof AWD Sprinter "Crew" trim van
Outside just about completed...Pop Top to be added in a few weeks!
HOW WILL WE DO THIS? - Make cost cutting decisions starting with purchasing the van.
Things add up very quickly, and its not difficult to hit the mid 100"s with van cost on a build. This build in particular above got expensive quickly with things such starting with a "cargo" van vs Crew, Smart Floor/seats, Audio system, roof, rack, wheels/tire, extra lighting, and awning alone added $36k..just in those items... There are lots of ways to build a van, there are no real "hacks" to make a van cheaper and maintain quality unless you decide to build it all yourself and you have the tools to do so.
What are some the keys ways we will keep this build costs down but keep functionality similar.
Goals:
SEAT UP TO 8, SLEEP UP TO 4+ FULL SIZE ADULTS! You will not outgrow this van!
Super functional high end Aux lithium power system with AC/DC power with tri-charging ablity
Modular interior with lots of storage
Make it look cool but focus on functionality rather than cosmetics eye candy keeping costs down
What are some of the ways we will do this?
Start with a Crew trim van, and minimize the dealer options to keep the van price down (they are still crazy expensive easily into 80K + just for the van
Use stock seating vs custom seating, saves a lot of money, you still have seating just not as flexible (no captains chairs for example)
Minimize eye candy and some functionality (no roof rack, awning (can be added), or aftermarket wheels
Hold back and stick to the "basics" for functionality (no outside lighting , rear door racks, expensive flooring/seats, different solar solution, and other exterior/ interior mods that can be added on easily later but don't need to be part of the build initially.
Use a simpler basic Pop Top pop up type top that is smaller compared to Colorado Campervan Pop Top (the gold standard), but still features entry from inside the van that is a must have. This top is about 1/2 the cost of a Colorado Campervan Pop Top. (It is very different)
EXAMPLES OF KEY FEATURES THAT WILL BE IN THIS BUILD:
AUX Power
460 ah AC/DC power system with 2000w inverter with 3 way charging -shore,solar, and alternator. Ultra compact. The high end batteries included heating and low SOC over ride. This is not found on most batteries including high end ones.
300w roof solar panels and Max Air Fan Pop Rak Pop Top getting prepped to install. This is about 1/2 the cost of other tops we could use. Fits 2 full size adults very easily. Its not insulated and there are a few other small features that are not as nice as the more expensive tops and you still enter from inside. Totally better than putting on a tent top on a roof rack and WAY safer to enter vs climbing a ladder outside.
Swivel seats and dinette
Seat rails for 2 Positions to be able to seat up to 8 in crash tested OEM quick release bench seats. Floor covered in interweave vinyl and insulated. Photo below is longer rails installed to fit up to 2 bench seats using OEM Crash Tested inserts from factory.
Van Essentials Cabinet storage solutions so all of your gear will be very smartly organized. Totally removable and modular as well.
Will be incorporating Van Speed Color matched Capsules allowing side sleeping for people up to 6 7". Removable bed panels allow seating up to 8 with two bench seats w/o removing the bed. The Van Speed capsule is much larger than standard Flare Space bump outs, gives you a window on passenger side, and looks better with the Sprinter lines.
Van Speed capsules with rear CRL vented/screened windows, these are used so that the rear bed can stay in place with seat in "rear" position and allows someone up to 6 5" to sleep sideways giving a lot more room in back. You can't really sleep sideways comfortably if you are over 5 7".
BUILD BEGINS:
AWD vans are very difficult to climb into...these Aluminess Tour Steps will make it much easier and they are Pet Friendly! They have just enough width for a great step, but don't look bulky.
Installed
Drivers Side
Stock Fender needs to be modified for larger tires This is stock fender
22 gallon water tank to be mounted next to gas tank. This particular tank does not hang low and is slightly slanted to allow the most water possible to the water pick up outlet.
ADDING REAR SPEAKER WIRES
To add rear speakers its not just simply adding some speaker lines, you need to take the dash apart, install special harness pins into the factory harness to tap into the radio system (this is OEM way) then run and connect wires to the rear. Not a very simple nor quick modification, but once done you have rear speakers or if you want to do an amplifier upgrade you now have ability to get 4 high output inputs to an amplifier with a bit more work. Here is the radio pulled out and now we have access to the main harness.
WATER SYSTEM
Water tank we use has 22 gallons with an off set bottom to get as much usable water capacity as possible compared to other tanks. It also hangs up very high...out of the way with maximum ground clearance. We put this outside so that the interior has the most room for gear and people.
Inlet for fill and outlet for shower hose/head. This is on side of van due to the large step bumper on the back of this van.
HEATER
Aux Heater is installed under passenger seat to keep it out of the way and we leave enough room for an amplifier if in the future owner would like do to an audio upgrade. We use the new Espar AS3 D2L heater with built in high altitude adjustment. This heater uses as little as a quart of fuel over night out of your main diesel gas tank. Super efficient. The newer model puts out the same heat as old one, but fan life is longer (they have thousands of hours...regardless) and its set up to run at slightly higher altitude...but both are good at 10k feet...more than enough for most situations. We also purchase these through authorized distributor insuring mfg warranty is valid.
Simple clean neat installation
Swivel Seats and wiring completed in the seat pedestals with two USB/USBC outlets as well on each pedestal. We also added a 12v cigarette outlet to aux battery as well in drivers seat. Outlets will throughout all key areas in the van running off aux power system keeping your starter battery separate.
New Scopema seat for 2025, its just a bit lower and the swivel mechanism has a larger hole and is a bit smoother. These are our favorite swivels for "mid range" price point.
We completely gut the van to metal to modify it. This was a crew van with panels and headliner. We must completely take the van apart to do all wiring, insulation, sound deadening and other mods. We do a lot more than run a few wires...:)
Upgraded tires to Wild Peak 265/75/16 at tires. This is a class leading tire. We even upgraded the spare, all FIVE tires. We find this diameter a very practical size functionally, especially off road and in snow allowing for more clearance than 275/70/17 around fenders. You can see the fender clearance is needed for larger tires. We saved $1500 by not going to fancy wheel while keeping 100% of functionality of upgrading to a larger AT tire.
Stock tire on left and Falken tire on right. Superior traction in all conditions and better braking. We used stock wheels to save a lot of $ but still using the exact same tire we would use on fancy wheels, and we also put a full size spare on the van as well. No short cuts taken.
Van Speed Capsules painted to match...this is expensive but gives an upgraded OEM look. These will allow anyone up to 6' 6"+ to sleep sideways in the van giving more interior room.
NEW UPDATE, we have decided to install one of the first Pop Rak Pop Tops in the country on this van. This is a less expensive alternative to our highly recommended Colorado Campervan top. It is not the same but does allow 2 full size adults to sleep in it. You will not out grow this van! These are not as fully featured or as large but at just about 1/2 the cost a good budget alternative. You enter this from inside the van...so its is a true Pop Top, not a tent.
INSULATING/SOUND DEADENING VAN
We don't just insulate, the van also uses a sound deadening. Dynamat (a top tiered product with no asphalt/Tar) will be used in all the walls and doors with layering 3M Thinsulate, automotive specific insulation on top of it providing a superior insulation and sound deadening solution. The slider door we use an ultra light version of this to reduce weight on the slider door. Refer to our other blog about insulation for more details of what we can do in a van. To save money there are builders who skip sound deadening or use a tar mixed product. This can save hundreds of dollars but is not good for health and inferior product. Some of the most popular brands use tar in their product.
SLIDER VENTED WINDOWS
Here is another area builders skip a lot of money in the builds- no vented windows or using only a few. This build we will put in 4...two in back and two of the larger front windows. This is a mus have to circulate hot air out and let cool air in. We are using the new next gen slider/vented window with dual locking positions. You can open window all the way or open it just a little wiht a lock. A nice new feature to allow ventilation and still secure the van when away. Not putting windows in saves thousands...each window is easily $1k or more each installed. We don't skip this step...its a must have. Its hard to sleep when its hot at night!
Partial opening of window in lock position (it also opens all the way-screen and window separately)
Fully open position
A must have, ventilated windows. These have an OEM Look
AUDIO UPGRADE
You can easily spend over 2k or more to upgrade the audio. The factory system is pretty bad to say the least, but the head unit is ok and needed to operate the van. A mid grade will be done in this van by swapping out front speakers, insulating/sound deadening front doors and adding rear speakers. This alone makes a big difference. To ad rear speakers you need to take the dash apart, pin/tap into main radio harness and run wires to the rear. This set will also allow a major upgrade with amp easier in future if wanted. This will not win any sound awards, but will get the van to what I would say be "normal" in a regular basic modern car vs stock is like something out of the 1980's/.
Main wire harness behind radio
Rear Door speakers- best placement for maximum result for sure
Front door speaker swap- big difference -need a custom trim ring to do this swap but requires no cutting doing so and remains "stock" looking.
FRONT FLOOR Insulation/Sound Deadening
To help improve driver comfort we added sound deadening and insulation layer to front floor and in combination doing this as well in the front doors we end up making the front considerably quieter. This is a step often completely over looked in most builds, but has a really nice benefit for those long trips.
Foam insulation layer
Back together- notice the heating duct? This is ONLY available in a crew or passenger van
The rear floor sound deadening is over the rear wheel wells (another area skipped in a lot of builds) and then they are upholstered for finished look. You can also purchase rubber covers form MB to cover them as an option as well.
Upholstered and insulation put down. To reduce costs keeping to our focus of this build we are using a cork based insulation and sound deadening layer that will not be glued down. This also will allow easier modification if future owner wants to upgrade the seating/floor system to a Smart Floor. Optimizing ROI on this van is the focus of this build. Significant reduction in noise and saving $400 just in materials alone compared to our higher end flooring insulation solution.
Stock floor back down with cut out extended seat rail openings that we modified earlier in the build to be able to use 2 rows of bench seats.
Interwoven vinyl (Compass Metro) being installed. We pre-cut before install to make it a cleaner install. Floor is used as a pattern.
This flooring has foam and a bit of a cushion. Very durable and stain resistant. Also ads another layer of insulation and sound deadening.
We modified the flooring and floor to that it would accept two position seat rails so you can have two positions (front or back) or put in 2 bench seats to fit up to 8 in the van. This is using factory OEM seat inserts for maximum safety. (not in a cargo van) Also since this is a crew van there is a crash reinforcement bar in the slider door as well. (this does not exist in a cargo van)
Cut out for Vanspeed Capsules. I like these much better than Flarespace cosmetically and they are slightly larger than standard Flares. This will allow to sleep sideways and gain 8-10 inches of space inside the van while still allowing someone over 6 5" to sleep in the back.
Installed with CRL Pill windows. We have 4 ventilated windows allowing for maximum adjustment and airflow to keep van cool at night with a Max Air fan that will help with circulation. No shortcuts in functionality on this van at all. It will function very similar to the 225k build minus a off grid AC unit.
Interior panel dry fit of the capsule panels before upholstery work and insulating panels. These panels can be a bit tricky especially with window cut outs and time consuming to finish out inside especially if you have not templates. Its a 4 step process to get them to look nice. We will be using the stock headliner as well to keep costs down. You can see as well wiring prep for the power system and lower wall outlets.
Raw Capsule interior
Dry fit panels for capsule with window trim
What a finished panel looks like, drivers side will have 2 USB/USBC ports on each side to charge phones.
The Pop Rak Pop Top with the internal opening from inside has arrived. We will be installing solar and a fan on this over the next week. We have a complete first impressions review of this new top in our blogs. This top is half the cost of some of the other tops...but compromises of course would be expected in performance/features, but this top for the price point is a good value and it sleeps two full size adults easily. One of the key choices to keep this build in our target price range...a $225k van for $145k with similar functionality minus a AC unit. (it is not possible to do this on this top)
REMOVABLE BED
Some interior work...3 panel bed dry fitted. This is custom made upholstered and reinforced panels are totally removable. By removing the mini middle panel the rear position 3 seat OEM bench seat will fit or you can fit two rows of bench seats in the van and still have bed behind the seat...just a few inches less wide. Nice custom feature...modular. Small details like this make our vans a step above the rest for daily drivers and keeping our family friendly designs in mind. You can see as well the finished panels to the Van Speed Capsules using Go Code Trim rings and the custom panels.
Custom 4 layer memory foam Roam Rest Mattress cut to fit each panel perfectly
Aux Power system mock up. 460ah of lithium heated batteries with low SOC over ride. These are not low end cheap batteries. 2000W inverter, shore, solar, and alternator charging. DC 12v, USB/C, and 110V outlets. Super compact and modular. All of the circuit breakers, fuses, and switches all in one place with remote panel and battery monitoring panels in front of van. Since these batteries have a very smart BMS and are heated...this system will charge and function even in the cold. A lot of cheaper lithium batteries do not do this. We took no shortcuts in this high end power system. We cover this system extensively in another blog.
Entry hole cut it for the pop top that will be installed soon. There is a custom gasket and we will have to modify and make custom changes to this opening to be able to hang cabinets or in our case Van Essential storage system along the drivers side allowing the ever important storage needed for a family.
The custom seal from van to Pop Top entry from inside van.
Front Door insulation
Often a skipped step, especially in RV's. We not only insulate the door...we also sound deadening it. An important step to help bring down noise while driving in the front of the van.
Here is a stock door...almost no sound deadening
After we are done with it...Dynamat Extreme with some insulation
The door panel before we install the upgraded speaker. Insulated as well as a custom speaker adapter trim ring to be able to install the larger speakers in the door to improve sound. The insulation and sound deadening to be honest is a greater impact that the speaker truth be told in improving sound. Don't expect anything special, its a very big improvement, but you really need an amplifier to really get an big improvement. We don't like cutting into the sheet metal if we can so we did this type of upgrade. In a very high end, super high power install, you would cut into the sheet metal in the actual door...there is no need to really do this with this modification or even with a amplifier pushing 50w a channel to each speaker...its just fine. We are not putting an amplifier into this van to keep costs down. That is a significant upgrade and costs a bit of money. We added rear speakers and upgraded the front door ones.
Speaker comparison stock vs up grade. Its pretty easy to see the difference. Stock speakers are like something out of a 1980's truck...just horrible.
Installing the Pop Top. This is very awkward and heavy and requires a crane to lift onto the top. A bit is involved to install...cutting a hole, installing special trim ring seal, and prepping the top for fan and solar if desired. Solar can be added on later, but the fan ideally needs to be installed before putting the top on, it would be difficult to do this later. What is not shown in this photo will be an front extension of the PopRak front extension allowing for awing to be mounted in future or it can act as a rack for adding lights or other accessories in the future.
300w of solar and a Max Air Fan...we used high end flex flat solar panels to get a perfect fit. This is a very good amount of solar for this system as well as you can charge the 460ah aux power system with the alternator and even shore power!
We will be adding this extension in the front. This is needed to mount an awning or can act as a place to mount lights as well. It requires however modification to assemble and some special tools (tap), a large saw to cut the frame, as well as some hardware that doesn't come with the kit...so will have it on in a few days. Even us as a pro builder deal with the same issues as a DIYer even with "out of the box" parts, especially when they are new on the market.
We have cut the frame and assembled the front extension
Here it is on the van. You will need this if you want to put an awning on later on and it can act as a light mount as well.
Interior prep with access hole with top on. We are doing custom modification to be able to work with upper cabinets with top opening. The opening is a bit narrow for decent sized cabinets that in our opinion is a must have to optimize storage and maximize space in a van. You can see with this particular top no roof beams are cut...keeping the vans structure as is from factory However it is a much smaller entry hole compared to SMB or CCV tops.
Like the rear van speed windows fitting interior trim to the inside wall is often times a step that can be very time consuming to end up with a professional look. The access hole to the top in this case is similar for us to be able to use cabinets. Its just about 1" to wide...enough to be challenging. We begin here with a pre-cut to figure out exactly how we will do this as we have to run L track down the roof to hang the cabinets on and this comes into the top opening about 1 inch.
Modified trim panel to work with the L track that interfered with the stock trim. The stock headliner is curved a bit so the trim as well had to be mounted a bit differently as well but in the end a clean look was accomplished.
Head liner is all back in with A and B pillar trim back in. L track for the Van Essentials cabinets mocked into place as well. The headliner is one of the very last things that go on before buttoning up the interior. We still have to finish up the rear aux battery box, a little more wiring, and the rack extension and some final bed modifications that will get this van completed. Only a few more days of work to complete this van!
Notice how we use the stock headliner to save money from building new one and upper panels. No reason to change this and it save a lot of money.
No Shortage of storage. We love these removable semi-rigid cabinets...they hold 2x more than wood cabinets, a removable shelf, don't cut up your head if you bump into them, (you will) and they have tons of pockets and clip webbing...so much better than regular cabinets. You can never have enough storage with a family. Being organized is key to a stress free van set up.
No functional shortcuts in this van...all the must haves...The newest Espar heater with high altitude sensor and interior LED lighting. The Pop Top is colder, there is no direct heat plumbed into the top, but it will be a bit warmer than a tent. It is not insulated...but its also 1/2 more less than other Pop Top options.
Van builds quickly come together on the last few days of the build as the real work leads up to the point of putting in the "eye candy features" that most people refer to the build itself. Its this work that leads up to this point that separates most builds between a DIYer and a Pro Build...the small details and they do matter a lot.
A lot of thought goes into flexibility of our builds and this van is no exception. Seats up to 8 with additional bench seat and still has a full size rear bed. There is a very small extension that goes in the rear bed panels if seat is moved forward. We use OEM seat mountings (no drilling in floor) to insure safe OEM mounting points for the factory bench seats. This van we upgraded the bench seat to the comfort rear seat that has the ability to recline a little.
Rear view. Everything in this van comes out...giving you the option to use the van as a true "cargo" van letting you use this like a truck to move large objects. Heck you have a van...its nice to be able to use it as a van AND camper.
Upgraded flooring and insulation layer front and back of van make this van very quite down the road even if the van had an "insulation" package from the factory. It as well is great on the feet and very durable and easy to clean.
The Lagun table system gives you a dinette area in front, especially with the front swivel seats. When using a single bench seat there is tons of room to fit a sink or fridge in front or behind the seat depending on seat position. This photos shows the seat in rear position. You are able to put another bench seat as well in front of this one giving you the ability to seat 8 and still have two beds that will sleep 4 full size adults. You could as well sleep more under the rear bed as well if needed. You won't outgrow this van.
Here is van with extension installed finally...exterior is completed.
See rough overview video link below: (more to come)
Rough Walk through on main features of van
Front seat position dinette...moving the seat forward with swivel seats
What are the main differences between your $225k van and this $145k one? How did you cuts costs?
The objective of this build was to maintain the key features of the high end shop van but at a much more reasonable budget. There is no secret "hacks" - all builds are simply parts + labor time. You can however make smart choices cutting down labor time, different choices in parts, and eliminating a lot of the "eye candy" stuff that is nice to have, but are not needed for van to function as a nice van.
Main Objectives for both vans:
Be a daily driver for family errands and be a very comfortable camper
Modular
Sleep 4+, seat more than 5
4 season capability
High end Power System with lots of power
No compromise in quality and function
Main differences, just some of the areas that are different, these cut costs roughly about:
Seating - we used "factory" bench seats and added a longer rail to fit two bench seat rows instead of a smart floor and individual captains chairs. This cuts costs $14-18k depending on amount of seats
Rear door storage Owl racks and boxes greatly add to costs easily adding $6-8k on a build
Extended Gas Tank $2k+
Agile Off Road Suspension 8k+
Audio Amp/sub upgrade $2k
Fancy Wheels $2k
Different Pop Top CCV vs Poprak $15k
AC Delete $8k
12v vs 48v Power system $5k
Bed $4k
Additional aux lighting and outlets $2k
Wall Panels $2k
Floor Insulation alternative $1k
Small stuff ads up, these are just some of the differences that separate the vans. The only functionality difference that was deleted in this build was rear aux AC...this cannot be done with the Poprak and greatly ads to costs due to structural and aux power that is needed to run AC in a van. (See our AC Blog). Both of these vans a toilet, sink, and stove would not be difficult to add (modular) to give further functionality similar to an RV.
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