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Old 06-15-2009, 10:57 PM   #1
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Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

I’ve been jonesing for a camper van for about three years now. Looking at the different models out there, I finally, I found one in San Diego for a great price from a family who needed a bigger RV. Not only was it a great price, but it was oine of those Sportsmobile types that I have been dreaming about but thought I could not presently afford one. I was wrong about that. I found this deal and I acted quickly. I live in the Bay Area and the van was bought in the San Diego area with the help of a good friend, River Rat, who lives in the seller’s area. In one of his past lives, he was a mechanic and I could not have done this so well (possibly not at all) without his help. You’ll want to know the basics about this van. It’s a 1994 Dodge Ram 250 and it needed some work to get it reliable.

The van was in pretty good condition when I bought it. This is what we had to work with:
77,000 miles
Power doors/locks
Cruise control
5.2L V8
Oversized All Terrain tires
Sportsmobile pantry, long cabinet, porta-potty cabinet with porta-potty, sink and counter with underneath cabinet, two pull-out couches that face each other and make out to be a van-wide bed when fully extended, the pop-up canvas top with the three-pad bunk-bed assembly, degraded water tank and grey water system, two-wheel drive (not the 4-wheel), and a crappy stereo.

First, my River Rat went to work taking these “before” pictures.




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Old 06-15-2009, 11:02 PM   #2
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

River Rat likes to camp as much as I do and he just wanted to help me out. So after it was bought and sitting in his garage, he made some changes to the van that ended up totaling about 60 hours of work. I am so happy with this van and the modifications that I thought others would benefit from knowing about the upgrades. First, River Rat and I talked about the kinds of modifications that I would like and any others he suggested as an experienced camper.

Here’s the list that we came up with:
Efficient refrigeration for food
Killer tunes- it’s got to rock and roll
Efficient battery life
Generator for extended camping time if not “hooked in”
Good lighting both inside and out
Safe water system

Less necessary and expensive upgrades to be added later:
New metal plate for the engine battery to replace the rusty one
Festive flagpole and disco ball or LED party lights
Rear locker, lift
Solar Panels
Additional stereo speakers because you can never have enough sound if your camping neighbors don’t mind music.


He then started out checking out with an engine inspection as any good mechanic would. He changed the engine oil and filter, transmission fluid and filter, air filter, pcv, distributor camp and rotor, power steering fluid, and brake fluid. More complex maintenance included the rear differential fluid.
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Old 06-15-2009, 11:05 PM   #3
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!



inspected, front wheel bearings, brake linings, transmission, spark plugs and wires, cooling system condition, brakes and brake lines, rotated the tires, inspected the house and engine batteries, and some other general stuff. He then installed a rear hitch for phase two of the campervan upgrades- a motorcycle hauler / tote and a street-legal dirt bike!
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Old 06-15-2009, 11:26 PM   #4
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

Congratulations! I also live in San Diego and just got a used SMB. Makes you feel spoiled to have such a cool vehicle. Enjoy and maybe we will see you at one of the campgrounds.
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Old 06-15-2009, 11:32 PM   #5
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

Good for you! I'm glad to see that these things last that long.
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Old 06-15-2009, 11:52 PM   #6
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

I'll post more pics and more of the story of this van in the next few days. Stay tuned, folks.

Suz
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Old 06-16-2009, 11:58 AM   #7
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

Nice find.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperSuz
Additional stereo speakers because you can never have enough sound if your camping neighbors don’t mind music.
Um, unless your camping neighbors are blaring their own music, then they probably mind.
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Old 06-16-2009, 12:51 PM   #8
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

Great! Welcome aboard. I know you will love it as much as the rest of us.

steve
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Old 06-16-2009, 01:52 PM   #9
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

I'm so jealous, congrats! It'll be another year or so before I take the plunge.

BTW - Is rear differential fluid supposed to look like chocolate syrup.
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Old 06-16-2009, 08:39 PM   #10
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Re: Wow! I own a Sportsmobile!!! And it's Super!

Thanks for checking out the van. I know it's always fun for me to check out the vans posted on this site so here is my contribution...

Battery replacement in the house compartment was a little tricky also since it’s underneath the portapotty.

He almost changed the water pump hoses but decided against this since the system had no visible cracks or leaks.

The stereo system installation had a few extra details. The stereo has two inlets for mp3 devices and a plug for to use for any device that has a headphone jack. These come out of the side dash via a 12-volt plug cap. The stereo has a remote control and that was placed in the back with its holder attached to the sidewall of the kitchen counter. The stereo has its own power switch installed next to it that accesses the house battery instead of the engine battery. Two infinity 6x9 inch speakers were installed in the doors and sound deadening material on panels

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