First: The disappointing van.
Someone on a Facebook group revolving around the T1N Sprinters posted yesterday a fresh FB Marketplace posting for a 2003 Sprinter for sale in Denver, 331k miles, for $6,700. I reached out this morning, the fellow was planning to show it around noon, so I made arrangements to see it and rolled on down.
The photos posted didn’t look too bad; the interior was built up in a very odd fashion. I found out that it was previously used for some sort of healthcare/medical use; not an ambulance to be sure. The owner mentioned refrigeration having been set up (along with a generator), so maybe it was some sort of mobile blood donation vehicle or somesuch. It matters not.
The body didn’t look too bad, very minimal rust, and some minor damage to bumpers. But the kickers were twofold: The engine was one. The owner (of two years) had repaired a couple of things, but one big red flag was a fuel system hose that was rigged up with zip-ties. The owner claimed the part needed for a proper repair goes for around $1,000, so he just jury-rigged things. There was also the “cap dance test” – when loose, that cap bounced around in a minimal way, but any bounce is not the best sign.
The second kicker was the interior at the rear of the van. Apparently the generators I mentioned earlier were installed here, and the previous owners cut huge holes in the floor of the van in order to slot in some equipment; I expect for exhaust purposes. I expect this could be dealt with fairly easily, and it would be hidden in the end.
The van has two fans installed in the roof already, but they look like they’ve not been used in some time, and the owner had no idea about them.
The owner is open to me taking the van to a shop for an inspection, and the best shop in town, LinDen Engineering in Golden, charges a $165 flat rate for inspections. But I have to wonder what else they would find wrong with this van, what else I would be compelled to address, as the plan for this van is to be out on the road for months and months at a time; I’m not going to roll the dice on whether a particular component is going to last much longer or not. The two issues with the engine I’m aware of make me worry about what else is going on there, and how much it would cost to fix.
I think I’m going to pass on this one as well. The owner has several other folks looking at it, including one fellow who rolled up about the same time I did; he’s looking at it as a work van, so I expect that van’s issues would be less of a concern for him.
Second: goodies have arrived!
Today I came home to find my linear actuators and cigarette-lighter plugs (not pictured) had gotten dropped off. Still waiting on the rocker switch.
On my way home from looking at that Sprinter, I stopped by Harbor Freight and picked up some tools and a box of connectors that I’ll use for wiring everything up.
Speaking of wiring… I forgot about wiring. And Harbor Freight wasn’t any real help there. So now I need to puzzle out a source for wiring. I expect Home Depot or Lowe’s will be a decent source.
(Later edit: I had forgotten that my plan was to go with marine-grade gear whenever possible, including the wiring. Found some suitable wiring on Amazon, but it’ll be two weeks before it arrives. I can wait.)
It’s too cold outside to be monkeying around with my bed prototype anyway.
In ot
her news, a local friend who is looking to do a van build got into an adventure yesterday! That’s his silver Promaster in the middle of a multi-car pile-up on one of the worst stretches of interstate highway in the state, that being I-25 just south of Loveland, Colorado. There’s wrecks there practically every day, weather notwithstanding. People are idiots.
Fortunately, it wasn’t built out at all, and he was in the process of trying to sell it. Hopefully insurance covers what he had in it, and he’s already got a new Transit on order, which he’ll get his hands on in a few weeks.