Sprinter Van

[David W. Jones]

Progress update...

I insulated and built panels for one small area so far.

 

[David W. Jones]

Little by little.

 

[Alexis Vanier]

Awwww... I love doing that kind of stuff! Keep the updates coming!

 

[David W. Jones]

Thanks Alexis,
my wife has me on task pressure washing this weekend before landscapers get to work on the backyard. But the wheels in my head have been turning.

Being the frugal kind of guy I am, my plan is to assemble most of the components from my B suite, which I had shut down last year, instead of a complete from scratch custom buildup. Then a shift of A suite to truck when I can afford a makeover for my A edit suite. So the version 1 of my van will include...
Mac G5 w/AJA Kona & AJA IO, MacBook Pro, MOTU Traveler w/Boom Recorder, Digi MBox ProTools, Yamaha console, Radix DA, Headphone Dist Amp, Digital TBC, Avalon Vt737sp, SCA Mic Pres, EL8 Distressor, Gentner Hybrid Coupler, Event monitors, Samsung 32", Gateway 24" Monster Power Pro 3500.
My thought now is to have this all mounted on an old wheeled edit desk, with a removable partition mounted to the back of it. This can then be wheeled in and out when needed and the bulkhead locked into place. Allowing for safe storage of components off truck, and for larger load-ins when needed.
Come to think of it, by keeping everything modular, you could really change the configuration any time you wanted to. All cases out, convertible Sofa, fridge, wine cooler, beer tap, hookah, high def in.:yesnod:

 

[Stephen Lovett]

Hi David,

Thanks for posting this. I'm in process on a similar project, and we've reached fairly similar conclusions. Specifically with regard to portability and the ability to reconfigure based on the job.

I went an entirely different direction on the vehicle, choosing the ubiquitous box truck instead. It has the advantage of being so common that it doesn't scream steal me, and it provides substantially more room. The ride is worse, and you have to deal with the trucking regulations if you go beyond a 100 mile radius of your home base.

Horses for courses.

It's primarily a camera / grip truck, but it will be able to be configured for DIT / Post, and workspace pretty easily.

Nice work!

Steve

 

[Jarred Land]

i love seeing this stuff... Thanks Dave and Steve you should post some pics.

 

[David W. Jones]

Will do Jarred.
Steve, I was looking at box trucks for a while and almost pulled the trigger on an NPR, but I got a good deal on the Sprinter.
I also think I am going very light on the exterior graphics to start, with removable magnetics rather than a full vinyl wrap, as some of the places I shoot are best suited for a herkimer battle jitney.

 

[Stephen Lovett]

Box truck conversion and pictures

Box truck conversion and pictures

Jarred,
I'll post pictures as work progresses.

I too love a project that lets me learn about new to me cool stuff. This time around it's Unistrut. Totally overkill, but it gives me tons of flexibility in structuring the interior, and it should look badass in an industrial sort of way as a side benefit.

David,

That's exactly what I bought. A 14' box on an NPR. No side door, so that if I back it up to a solid wall, they've got to tear open the truck body to get in.

I wanted hinged doors, but at twenty grand more due to the deal I put together, I settled for the pulldown.

I'm already in love with the lift gate. Getting the "Kino Coffin" in and out of the SUV has always been a spectacular PITA.

I get started in earnest tomorrow, and pictures as I go,

Steve

 

[Jarred Land]

yeah there is something to be said about no side doors... backing it into a wall and sealing it up is great.

Magnetic graphics.. another good idea.

 

[Chip G]

yeah there is something to be said about no side doors... backing it into a wall and sealing it up is great.

Magnetic graphics.. another good idea.

Funeral home might be a good topic for graphics.

 

[Bob Torrance]

I like this thread. I've started a small camera rental company in Burbank, and was toying with the idea of a Sprinter based Camera Truck.
Camera gear only, with a small DIT space (where a darkroom would normally go). Very good deals on them now but in January Mercedes takes over.
I bought a Transit Connect for delivery but still like the Sprinter Idea (just not sure I want to be in the car rental business). I will watch this thread with interest.

bob torrance

 

[Steve Sherrick]

For those in cold weather climates, how do you handle keeping computer gear in these vehicles. In other words, if you have more permanent installations, with CPUs and hard drives what happens during the winter? Can't imagine you'd want to be pulling this stuff out on a regular basis.

Great thread!

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

For those in cold weather climates, how do you handle keeping computer gear in these vehicles. In other words, if you have more permanent installations, with CPUs and hard drives what happens during the winter? Can't imagine you'd want to be pulling this stuff out on a regular basis.

Park the vehicle in a garage. Really no other option other than perhaps installing an electric heater to keep all the gear warm and plugging it in when parked. May as well throw an engine/block heater on there too.

Most computer / electronic gear actually does alright in the cold. But hard drives don't like to spin up at freezing temps and LCD screens freeze...

 

[David W. Jones]

As jeff states, adding electric heaters is an option.
Which makes me realize how little I have paid attention over the years...
I have worked on a number of production trucks, both analog & digital, mainly in an A1 or audio mix situation, going back longer than I care to remember.
But for the life of me, I can't recall anything about heat & air handling on these trucks.

It would be great support if a few of you Sprinter or NPR owners that have a heat & air solution already in place would add to this thread.
Thanks!

Dave

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Seems like you would need an oversized garage door/ceiling height for those Sprinters. If that is not an option, what else can you do? Could you install some kind of solar paneled powered heating system? Something that can just keep temps at or above say 40-45 degrees. I would assume the electric heater Jeff mentioned will drain power, so seems like a solar powered system might be one way around it. Thoughts?

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

I don't really have any experience with the Sprinter van. ...Got to see Blair's right after he bought it (back at Gibby's LART event). I've looked at them a bit, but the Sprinter hasn't fit my needs -- too weak for winter mountain driving around here. If memory serves, the Sprinter needs about 8'2" of flat clearance and another 10" for the high model. No good for most residential garages. Most commercial doors are 10ft to 14ft, so to park it indoors you do need the right facilities.

Air handling in any vehicle is important. Try keeping computers and people comfortable in the summer and warm in the winter. I don't know how well the air handling works on a bare-bones Sprinter with all the AC/heat up front. I would definitely run some vents into the rear section or find a way to circulate air as best as I could.

That's fine and dandy when the van is running. But what if you need to park it outside? Especially in freezing temps? The electric heaters are probably the most efficient means and solar can be an option. Unfortunately solar doesn't help a whole lot when much of the necessary run time for the heater will be through the night. And loading up the van with extra batteries isn't efficient either. Solar battery arrays could be useful at your parking location though.

Engine block heaters are also a great idea in cold areas and a must if the temperatures regularly get down to 15°F or colder and you need the van to start. Starting up from temps like that are hard on the engine.

Most engine block heaters and internal electric heaters can be powered with a standard 110V plug you can add to the front of the van.

If I were building a van of this size or larger to house mobile post systems, I would definitely make sure it was capable of keeping the gear within optimal start-up temps and within optimal operating temps when running. I think I would also equip the van with an RV power plug as many broadcast vehicles have so they can be connected to external power to run all their gear. Either from a facility power feed or external generator. For the cold-weather heaters, it's pretty common to just run power. Here's our "hot rail" for plugging in trucks during the winter. Sorry for the crappy pic, but it's all I had handy on this computer.

 

[Jeff Barklage]

I have a tall 140" Sprinter [the mid-size], bought new in '05.
I'll shoot a few shots of the interior when I get a change. I shelved out the interior, ran both invertor power & 'shore power' recepticals to juice up when parked near set generator or when at home. We custom built our new home & had a special 'carridge garage' built specifically for this vehicle...funny watching the contractors trying to figure out what we were to put in it...most voted for a boat.
Always make sure you have 10' clearance when driving under overhangs & fast food drive thru windows...and NEVER trust hotel valets!!! Bad incident in Kansas City!!
In winter months, I keep a small electric heater on the interior workbench to keep temps above 50 degrees....unless we are to shoot in cold exteriors and the optics need to adjust to these temps.
Also, humidity is a KILLER on gear! Run to Sears & buy a small dehumidifier....when parked overnight, run it to suck out the water vapor. With today's plastic storage cases, like Pelican & Storm, the humidity you pack your lenses & camera gear in STAYS in the case, so if possible, open all possible cases [I keep a magliner or 2 in the Sprinter's center isle] and run the dehumidifier to dry out the case, gear & foam].
The Sprinter is a comfortable ride & easy drive...LOVE it over any typical cargo van, great to be able to stand up & not have to lift heavy cases while kneeling. Great mileage as well.
I get near 26 miles per gallon [diesel] and am hauling usually about a 1,000 lbs of camera gear.
You can charge camera batteries while driving with an invertor, but some battery chargers do not like the half-wave signal that some invertors create...my G&M & Victory cinebatteries hate inverted voltage, but my Red chargers do not seem to mind

 

[David W. Jones]

Thanks for the post Jeff.
Same here, '05 tall 140".

 

[David W. Jones]

Well I thought I would have interior pics by now, but noooo.
The remainder of the covering needed to finish the panels had a shipping error,
and it had been non-stop rain so I am way behind on this project.
I did manage to have a rearview camera installed which is a huge safety feature.
I can't believe that all vehicles don't come equipped with one in this day and age.

 

[David W. Jones]

The rain finally stopped so I was able to panel up the Sprinter a little further along today. As you can see not perfect, but still totally adequate for storing gear.