Water Lily will be built on a 2020 Mercedes Sprinter Van Chassis. One of the objectives in using all aluminum framing will be to keep the build as light as possible but with a ton of functionality.
First up is to use Killmat to totally go over the whole van to sound deaden it. Time to remove that stock floor. We want as much of a road noise free environment as possible. Our client is a retired Engineer so stay tuned for more specific design elements to come. We are beyond excited.
Down to the bare floor after removing the stock wood floor.
When laying down the kill mat you do not have to put it on every single part of the metal but our client purchased plenty so we made use of it. Overkill maybe but I love overkill lol.
After covering the wheel wells up Raul works on laying down the DIYVAN.com Floor insulation kit which starts with minicell strips between the floor ribs.
Take your time to get it all nice and clean, a good foundation makes all the difference.
In most cases the floor insulation kit from DiyVan gives you the option for a thin layer of 3M TAI but our client chose to go with a full layer of 3M Thinsulate™ Acoustic/Thermal Insulation SM600L. For the whole build on this 144 Wheel base Sprinter we used 80' total.
Weight of a van build is one of our top priorities because the lower curb weight you can keep a build the better the van handles. There is nothing like going down mountain passes having to worry about brakes being too hot which can lead to failure. Keep the weight down on your builds. I take the van to the weigh station to get us a base weight. Yes the sound deadening and insulation kit weighed a bit but not much at all maybe 35 lbs total.
Back to the shop and it is time to start installing one of the nicest features of this build which is the Arctic Tern Electric Deluxe Roof Hatch. We start by carefully measuring the position of the cutout on the roof. We use a DIYVan.com Artic Tern adapter that matched the roof ribs for a perfect fit.
Be very aware to clean all metal shavings because if not cleaned up they can lead to rust. Next its time to prime the cut area and let sit before another coat of primer is added.
Module work begins after a few layout meetings with our client.
After the module is welded together we set the first module into the van so our client can get a feel for it. It is one thing to see the module on a three dimensional drawing but another to actually walk around it in the van.
We recently added the Fiamma Eagle F65 to another van build and with the legless awning option and auto retracting feature the F65 Eagle is prety awesome. Our client decided on it as well so we will add it to this build.
The Baja Designs 55-7805 LED Wide Cornering Lights are a great addition to the rear of the van. They will allow our client the option to use them as reverse lights or just kick them on at camp.
A couple of plus nuts are used in the back bumper and with a few parts we create a mounting solution.
We will be adding some Rigid Scene lights to the side of the van so we use our template and align them, drill them out and then primer paint for installation.
Next Yuri and Eduardo prep the back of the light with Sikaflex adhesive and mount them. One person is inside the van and another outside the van so we can get the mounting tight.
