Sprinter Sportsmobile 4x4 Van

In a shop littered with polished aluminum Airstreams and their competitors, some 6 or 7 decades old, it’s nice to see something modern roll through the door once in a while. While the ancient restorations really get our blood pumping, modern vans make our job easy. This Sprinter arrived at Reparadise ready for transformation — with its Sportsmobile conversion complete and its interior gutted from the front seats back. All it needed was a lot of imagination and a custom interior build.

Preliminary Build

The build began with insulation and sound deadening. Before getting started on the insulation, we added sound-deadening material to the factory walls. We use 3M™ Thinsulate™ synthetic insulation whenever possible, because it regulates temperature, cuts down on noise from outside, and helps control condensation. The team then finished the preliminary phase by adding the sub-floor. We chose rubber penny flooring for its weatherproof durability, subtle cushioning, and clean look.

  • Sound deadening material
  • 3M™ Thinsulate synthetic insulation
  • Rubber penny flooring

Interior

With the basic structure in place, the team began on the interior. We chose maple paneling because it provides a durable wall covering with a warm, natural look. We milled the tabletop in the shop from Black Walnut and finished with clean, modern furnishings and drawers with minimalist cutout pulls. Finally, we installed a hydraulic piston to assist in raising and lowering the tabletop.

  • Maple wall paneling
  • High-end cabinetry
  • Black Walnut tabletop + hydraulic piston

House Appliances

We chose a few of our go-to standards for the house appliances. These are our favorites because of their reliability, styling and space-efficiency. For the kitchen, we chose an Isotherm Cruise 130 refrigerator and a Dometic sink / stove combo. The sink uses 3 removable, 5-gallon jugs to make refills easy. The interior is kept comfortable during the winter months with an Eberspächer Airtronic D2 diesel heater.

Appliances

Custom Camper Galley
Custom Camper Galley

House Electricity

What modern home-on-wheels would be complete without a solar array? The team installed 2 170-watt Zamp panels on the roof, which are enough to run all the house electronics on a sunny day. They feed a pair of LION Safari Lithium-Ion house batteries through an MPPT charger. Then, we installed a Renology 200-watt inverter / charger to charge the batteries and power the outlets when the coach isn’t plugged into shore power. Finally, we installed a Redarc DC-DC 1240D smart charger to charge the house lithium-ions from the engine. It also isolates the battery banks to prevent interior accessory use from draining the starter battery.

House Power

While we love tearing an old camper down to its bare skin and rebuilding it with modern technology, there’s something appealing about the clean simplicity of a modern build. And while the old Airstreams are more aesthetically appealing, it’s tough argue with the reliability and capability of a 4×4 Sprinter pop-top. Are you ready to take your camper van to the next level and get way off the beaten path? Contact Reparadise today.

Meet the team
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