Sprinter Van DIY $200 Roof Rack and Deck | Vanlife Hack
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- The Vankookz Van Conversion Masterclass is Finally Here! - www.vankookz.c...
In this episode, we decided to build our own roof rack and deck for your Sprinter for around $200. We were checking out an Aluminess Rack, but we're stoked on the $1,000+ we saved making our own! Check out how we did it here.
For more van conversion tips check out our website!
www.vankookz.com
Also, we have upgraded our roof rack since this video check it out!
• Sprinter Van Rack Budg...
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A few of our favorite items in the van are
Nature's Head Composting Toilet - amzn.to/2F8erzB
Snugger Diesel Heater - amzn.to/2FLRD5H
TruckFridge - amzn.to/2GUFAT1
Get this fan - amzn.to/2qhSVBA
Here are some products we recommend in your build.
Sink - amzn.to/2oKVbkE
Faucet - amzn.to/2PRH20j
Batteries - amzn.to/2C7xia8
MPPT Charge Controller - amzn.to/2JEWCID
Blue Sea Fuse Panel - amzn.to/36vaYVO
LED Puck Lighting - amzn.to/36vbhjq
12V Light Switch - amzn.to/36pgbyd
ShurFLO Sink Pump - amzn.to/336FiUx
Magnetic Child Locks - amzn.to/339rLvm
Lid Supports - amzn.to/2NE5wHD
Raptor Bed Liner - amzn.to/2WMrRqF
Eureka Camp Stove - amzn.to/2TX4Xg0
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Thanks for watching! For more van videos or to stay up to date with our journey, make sure to SUBSCRIBE to our channel on RUclips and FOLLOW us on Instagram @vankookz and check us out online www.vankookz.com.
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Just seeing this for the first time now. That bolt system at 2:23 is genius
thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ive been thinking about and researching this for literally 5+ hours and this is exactly what i needed to see! thank you thank you
You’re welcome! Happy Building!
Found this while searching for deck material to build a roof carrier onto my frontier roof rack.👍 LOVE what ya’ll did
Thanks 👍
Would you share how this deck has held up? Trex is not structural. It flexs. That being said i have some leftover and wanna make a roof rack. I'll bet it's fine for 5 to 6 years. @Vankookz
I wanted to add a little to this. I have a 2021 sprinter low roof. 1st the 1"x1" square tube at 1/8th thickness will flex and can break at 200lbs in the center. It also needs at least a 1.5" spacer using OEM installed roof rails to clear the center "bubble" in the roof contor. I am going to use 2"x2" square with 1/4" walls as they support 7x the weight and should flex much less. I bought a block of hard nylon plastic to use as the spacers (just cut it to size) and instead of the carriage bolts (which wouldnt fit my OEM rails when a washer was added) i've bought some "elevator" bolts and ground down the sides to fit in the tract. This should give me the height and support needed just in case more than 1-2 people crawl up there. It's been trial and error but the 1x1 square tubing flexes way too much and hits the top of the van so I had to figure out an alternative. This again is on a low roof 2021, so the older or tall roof maybe different and clear easier. I hope to have it completed today or Monday at the latest. thanks for the ideas!
Wow! Thanks for your input! This is great!
great idea. Gonna make my own roof rack with your prototype. thanks guys. Love it.
Dave Cooke thanks buddy yeah it’s still working great
That is awesome! Now all i need is a van
Niceeeeeeee, never though about doing that. I have a bunch of extra composite decking left over from a composite deck project. Thanks
Dope! Enjoy the views!
You guys are awesome. Looks like we're on the same page trying to get out there.
you guys are awesome! maybe we will see you guys out there somewhere ;)
Freaking amazing, you guys did great, I want mine like that
Willy Will thanks brother
That looks incredible!
J Gmail thanks!
I'm going to do the same on my van! I can't find any of the boards in that small of a amount though. Everywhere I find that has them, won't sell the by the piece. Only in large amounts, like for a full on deck.
We were able to buy single planks at Lowe’s
You mention that the cross braces are only a few mm off the van roof, if that is the case, how did you bolt the decking to them? It seems like you would not be able to get a nut under the braces, or if you could, the nut and bolt would damage the roof when it flexes against the roof with people/weight on it?
I would love to know how you hid the carriage bolt under the wood
I used a paddle bit to boare out the bottom of the trex decking where the bolts were.
great setup for no-track (drip rail) van
thanks! We may change it up here soon so stay tuned...
quick question, what holds the carriage bolt from turning when tightening the nut down? and if you needed to remove it, how would you hold it to losen the nut. I can tighten it im sure with an Impact, but not sure how i would remove it. seems like any bolt would work instead of using carriage bolts.
Yeah any bolt would work this is all I had to work with at the time.
Where can I purchase the two base racks that the solar panel was mounted on? My Promaster did not come with that.
They come factory installed you may have to get them installed at the dealership. I’m not sure.
I ordered mine on Amazon
Love the deck. Still debating on one for ours. I think our solar will take up to much room to make it worth it. Any issues with the aluminum rails flexing?
Outdoor Wanderlust the rails do flex a bit when out are on the deck but they are only about 2cm above the roof supports so they just rest on the van roof. But since there are 4 support bars it is very stable and it really isn’t an issue. Thanks for checking it out. We have tons of information on the build on our website www.vankookz.com
How is it holding up? I thought you couldnt put stainless steel to aluminum because of corrosion?
It held up great for a few years never had any corrosion we switched it up and got a rack made in Baja last year check it out ruclips.net/video/PAYpqoJTlfM/видео.html
Hey; I'm putting a similar set up together. Thanks for the idea. How did you attach the boards to the aluminum rods? I see you pre-drilled and used bolts. Do you have washers and nuts on the bottom, under the aluminum? Appreciate the help!
I used screws specific for self drilling into metal I believe they were wood to metal self tapping screws. I pre drilled countersink hole to have them sit flush on the wood.
@@Vankookz Thanks!
Would you be able to slip the bolts and bottom washers into the OEM frame rail without sliding them down from the end? Let's say you already have an awning or solar installed and don't want to remove the mounting brackets?
That’s the fun part about upgrading your van you get to take it all apart and put it back together again!
Hey, this is great, going to base my set up off this. Can you please post what size washers and spacers you used? Thanks, keep it up!
Awesome Jordan! It's worth saving all that extra dough!
@1:54 is were we give the break down on the sizes. I think the only things I forgot to mention were the size of the spacers... I think it was a 1/2". The washer size, I can not remember off the top of my head!
We went to True Value so often, that they let us take the stuff outside to check to make sure it worked before we bought it. They also had the pick-and-pull hardware section. So we could buy any amount we needed, small or large, of the bolts, washers, spacers, etc. I hope this helps!! Good luck on your build!
Looks great.
Love the look. I just picked up a sprinter and trying to decide on how to mount the solar panels and create more of a usable heat barrier on the roof.
How do you find the road noise from this setup? Any issues?
Hey John! I don't notice any difference in road noise! It has been awesome so far! Really glad we didn't blow a bunch of money on an Aluminess Rack :)
Van Kookz. That's great! Gives me much hope.
Insulate with noise cancelling stick on pads and add weather insulation. Then add wall liners. My van is very quiet now. Love the deck idea. I was looking for an example and you guys nailed it for me.
But where do I get the tracks you had already mounted on the roof??
quick question, how tall are the spacers? and how has it held up? it looks like the cross rails were super close to the roof in the center.
I think they are around 1" maybe less. They sometimes do sag a bit and touch the roof of the van. Luckily the sprinters are very solid on the roof. I added a little pad underneath each metal piece later on to protect the paint.
Did you end up attaching a cargo box? Wondering about the strength of the setup with a box trying to blow off at 70mph. About to go for it myself. (The bars, don't think I'll have much room for decking.)
Richard T I never found a good sized roof box but I have strapped many surfboards to it
Looks cool👍
looks awesome!!!!!
Thanks!
nice! but how is the corrosion so far? specifically on the bolts. just finished removing a ton of rust off my roof on my e350 from the last rack...
We no longer have the rack, we got a custom rack made in Mexico, but they used the same bolt system and same bolts... they are doing great, no rust or corrosion!
@@Vankookz what company in Mexico?
how do you plan to get up to the roof deck? is there a ladder attached to the side of the van?
We had a collapsible ladder. Now we have a new roof rack with a ladder built on.
How much did this thing affect your MPG?
Not much.
Thanks for sharing this; very informative and helpful, including the comments! ☺️✌🏼🚐
Was the channel already there where you added the carriage bolts?
webmstir yes
Is the deck holding up okay?
Yeah it was doing great I built a new rack and I gave it to a friend and they still have it on their rig
What kind of bolts did you guys use to hold down the decking? Still going strong?
Yes it was going strong until we built a new beefy rack. We used 2” self tapping wood to metal screws and counter sunk them into the decking.
Van Kookz thanks! Just finished my replica on my transit connect and made a five hour drive to Yosemite and it held up beautifully!
Hello Stainless Steel hardware....hello nylok nuts...great idea, might woulda used a couple diff components.
Thanks for watching, You can Definitely use much better components but $200 is $200. Hell you could ratchet strap just about anything these days! We’ve had it for over 2 years and I strap a lot of equipment to it. Max trax, 3 surfboards, inflatable SUP and a Bouldering crash mat is what I have on at them moment on the roof down here on Baja Mexico. I will be adding a new rack this summer or maybe here in Mexico since we are growing to the size of our fish bowl. Check back to see what we do!
@@Vankookz Def jealous, glad you're doing something you love. Will keep a close eye out for new content. So far I've only had the new 144" 4x4 for a week and all I got accomplished was one rear window. At this pace everything will rust before I'm living it up. Great vids, thanks again.
pvclassic hahaha just throw a mattress in there and send it!!!!
How do you get up and down from your deck?
We used to have a foldable ladder. We’ve built a new rack with a built in ladder
Great job guys. im building a roof top deck myself but was looking for a lighter option than 2x4's. How expensive was the water proof decking?
AK ROAM it’s called trex decking it’s at home depot can’t remember how much but it’s not too crazy
Van Kookz right on brother much appreciated
Do you have a blog post or list of the items used in the build?
Yes! Www.vankookz.com thanks for watching
I cannot seem to find a blog post on your website itemizing the components for the upper deck. Do you happen to have a direct link to it? It only shows me a link to the video which brings me back to here lol.
We don’t have a blog on the roof rack but all you need is the carriage bolts and the aluminum cross bars I thought I went through it all in the video there’s also this video with solar installation that may show what I used
DIY Sprinter Conversion | Under $100 Solar Panel Install | DIY Aluminess Rack ruclips.net/video/Rq0WKtCMkHw/видео.html
Van Kookz I watched the video multiple times and you did not specify what size steal spacer or washers you used or the size of hex screws. Which is why I was asking if you had a blog post that itemized everything you purchased and where you purchased. I guess I can just do it by trial and error at the hardware store. No biggy.
Austin Kindig the steel spacer is intended for the top middle roof(convex) of the van not to touch the aluminum cross bar. So it is entirely depends on your van roof type. Hope that helps :). Btw, great video.
Does this make noise whilst driving?
martin corbett no not that we’ve noticed I feel like the fan makes more noise
What size gauge are the aluminum rails you used?
Ryan Williams I’m not sure 🤔 just be sure you only have them sitting a few mm above the van roof so it can support weight when you get on it.
Thanks just trying to see how thick as most I have found are 16 gauge which seems weak and want to make sure they can support the weight of 1-2 people
Ryan Williams I’ve had quite a few on it if you notice on the video the rails are just a few mm above the van roof rails so when they do flex they are still supported by the van roof otherwise they would bend and not support the weight.
What kind of solar panel.fo you have?
What tracks are those?
Christopher Powell the tracks came with the van
@@Vankookz wondering if I could install a track like this for my ProMaster. This set up is ideal, great work!
@@loganmissner9362 wondering the same thing for mine. what did you find?
@@loganmissner9362 did you end up figuring out the track situation? I want to do the same deck build on my Nissan nv200 but it didn't come with tracks... I do have like mount spots along the sides to attach something to though