Sprinter Van Electrical System Phase II - 120VAC Circuits & More 12VDC Wires

[@chosmer1]

I think we're gonna have to award Colleen best supporting actress on this one. I have to admit I have not been faithful to you, I've been watching other van build videos. It's not my fault, it's my KZbin algorithm, it thinks I need to watch these other less qualified van build videos when your videos have everything I need and more, so I apologize. When I think of you "Always do your best" comes to mind, which by the way, is one of the four agreements! And then you throw in the very funny video commentary and that gives you "funniest documentaries by an engineer award"! Keep it up please, I'm actually applying your electrical van building practices today on my sprinter build, Chris

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey Chris, good to have you back and no worries we are another entry in the vast amount of information on the internet for converting vans. Unfortunately we don't score that high on the YT algorithm because we like to believe we do the work in a way that can't really just be slapped together quickly and skinned with Roman Clay to get the clicks & likes 😅... There are a lot of good ideas out there to incorporate, if you look for them, but I appreciate you thinking we are up there! Also thanks for all the awards!! Much appreciated and excited to hear how you van comes together! Let us know if you have any additional questions.

[@vanforallseasons]

Just wanted to add our appreciation for your channel as we're just embarking on our Sprinter build in the UK. The level of (and attention to) detail in your content is an order of magnitude higher than most content. The icing on the cake is the parts lists you give in the description for each video - these are priceless!

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey, thanks so much for stopping by and the really lovely comment. It means a lot to hear you say all these things and we are really glad they have been helping you out! Congrats on the Sprinter journey as well! It's a very time consuming, challenging, rewarding and super fun project to do together! Are you going to be documenting here or somewhere else? Would love to follow along! Thanks again!

[@johngavilan3249]

Love your attention to detail and the humor. I'm in the middle of my own Sprinter build and picked up some ideas from yours. Keep it coming - your channel is way under-rated and deserves more subscribers than it has!

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey John, thanks for the stopping by and the kind words. Super humbled to hear you say that, Glad some of the ideas are helping you out, I've been able to borrow a lot from those that came before me as well! So it's been fun to package some of those up and add my own take on them. Thanks again for the support! Are you documenting your build anywhere? Sprinter-source, YT or IG or anything? Would love to follow along.

[@thebriles]

Very few have any idea the extra editing time you put in. Love the videos. They've been super helpful with our family-van build!

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey thanks for stopping by and seriously thanks so much for you comment. I literally say to my wife at the end of each video edit "Do you think anyone actually appreciates the amount of time and late nights I put in editing all this stuff together." To which she replies "Well, it probably wouldn't take you so long if you didn't write custom songs or bits for everyone" .... Gotta love it. :P Anyways, glad the videos are helpful and thanks again for your comment, really made my day!

[@thebriles]

@@moonrakerdesign The attention to detail is insane (e.g., the illustration of your ground assembly for the factory wiring)! There are build videos videos that are informational that are slapped together (i.e., low producshhhh) and other build videos that are better production but way too much vlogging. This is the first informational channel that i have found that gets to the absolute point yet still provides entertaining flavor. Keep it up, and you will have a video that flies and changes your channel.

[@JeremiahSenn-ks1zs]

I was so excited to see you had a new video! I check daily with bated breath. Great info and entertainment. Thank you, guys!

[@moonrakerdesign]

Thank you for the continued support and the comment! I really appreciate you coming back and supporting the channel!

[@GlennInLaguna]

Todd, love your attention to detail. Excellent work!

[@moonrakerdesign]

Thank you Glenn that really means a lot to me!

[@cyclingtothemoon2539]

I absolutely LOVE your channel! I’ve gained so many good ideas from you. Love the content, please bring us more!

[@moonrakerdesign]

Thank you so much for the kind comment, I really appreciate you taking the time to drop this note! I'm glad the videos have been helpful and I wish I could crank them out faster for you all!

[@richgray5762]

Always love your level of expertise and craftsmanship. Romex in LFMC.... Bad idea. Difficult to pull and not rated for enclosed pull. FWIW. But I love your skill, knowledge, and craftsmanship,,,, oh and sense of humor.

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey Rich, thanks for the feedback! I'm using LFNC here, no metallic layer. I'm not an electrician by any means, but I'm using marine grade triplex here which is quite a bit different than the classical Romex NM cable used in residential construction. - Romex is not flexible - Marin Grade Stranded wire is. This is one of the reasons why Romex is not conduit rated because pulling can break wires. - Romex is not rated for damp and wet locations - Marine Grade Wire is completely tinned stranded cables with thicker insulation and a thicker sheathing. - In addition Marine Grade wire is rated up to 105ºC Curious if you were to do something similar with wire routing under the van what method would you use?

[@richgray5762]

@@moonrakerdesign Every run is unique depending on gauge, number of wires, route, nearby components. I'm over 70 and cheap so difficultly also plays a role. Just never find sheathed wiring in conduit something I want to do as a basic practice or for serviceablity. Your knowledge and skills are way past my level so I mention it with a smile because it is the first thing I've seen you do that was quirky. BTW the second thing was the oxygen free large gauge copper speaker wire. Amazing what you can use in speaker wire and not be able to discern a difference but it does maintain the upscale custom flavor.

[@moonrakerdesign]

@@richgray5762 Totally agree with you! Every run is different and there are different goals and requirements for every run. With these in particular I only want to add that extra layer as they come under the van. Life under the van is pretty rough for a lot of reasons and this felt like the best solution for a waterproof and tough layer around these cables. Yes, that's true, the OFC is mostly a best practice based on the driving conditions of my particular amplifier and speaker combination. Do you need it? Probably not so if it is a matter of saving money maybe for some it's better to use something else! I appreciate the dialog and the feedback! Thanks for sharing your POV and experience!

[@robertludwig5308]

Love the rear side box with no head screw, prety slick. I'm sure you would have a sustainable buisness plan if you'd consider producing all the custom machined parts you made for your van, for others that would like to follow your foot steps.

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey Robert, thank you for the continued support, and that is eventually the plan. I've been loading up some parts we've made on our website here - farrframeworks.com/sprinter-van-parts I'm casually supporting it at the moment and gauging interest on a few items as I want to eventually finish our build and am pretty busy with the actual day job at the moment.

[@robertludwig5308]

Hey Tod, thanks for your reply. If you're asking me , I would buy from you pretty much every thing you've made and follow your build by the book so far except for the AC as would prefer an undermount AC such as Cruise N Comfort. But hey, I need to buy a Sprinter van first 😂

[@mycolebeeson3028]

Love seeing your videos. I’m across the bay in Emeryville. The rain was tough on my van build timeline as well

[@moonrakerdesign]

Right! It was brutal like every weekend there for a while 😭. Thanks for the comment and continued support! We really appreciate it! If you ever make it over this way feel free to spot by!

[@Getlosttt]

Great video as always! I partially held off on my build so I can see what else you get up to and take some tips.

[@moonrakerdesign]

I wish I was faster for you all. Sooo much going on these days and the videos and documentation is a serious effort 😅!

[@PTG847]

Outstanding videos thank you. I see you are using liquid tight conduit under the van for your 120v runs. How are you going to run 120v inside the van. Conduit, split loom, techflex or ?. Thanks

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey there, thank you for the kind words, it depends on where the run is going, by the sink I just kept the liquid tight cord grip going, but over by the electrical panel tech flex since its lighter and there's no real sharp metal edges on the route.

[@robertludwig5308]

Beware, very addictive content!

[@tc.]

Great video as always! I have one question tho: Are there any gaps between the cables in the rubber boot? How can you ensure that no insects get into the van through those gaps?

[@moonrakerdesign]

The rubber boot cinches up tight with a zip tie so there are no gaps. These type of boots are super common in the Marine industry and are used by the Mercedes factory as well. There’s one under van under the drivers seat and one through the fire wall in the engine bay on the passengers side. I’ve seen people shoot expanding foam inside them before they tighten them up if they are really worried, but not a concern for us.

[@fernarango]

Hi Todd, Always waiting to watch a new video from you. They are all amazing. Thank you. Could you please advise when/where to you use Rust Bullet and Rust-oleum rust preventer. which is more recommended. Or, is each one for different application?

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey friend thanks for stopping by and glad you are enjoying the content! We’ve switched exclusively to Rust Bullet using this method How to Paint Exposed Metal Edges on a #SprinterVanConversion kzbin.infoGOBaAJjhO8A?feature=share Later in our build. It dries so hard/durable compared to the other options we tried. All rust preventative paints will probably work to some degree though unless you are in a really aggressive environment.

[@fernarango]

Thank you Todd for your kindness in responding to our questions further to your detailed and educational videos. I have one more question, I see you have used two different brands of rivet nuts, McMaster and Astro. Are these for different applications, I.e undercarriage vs interior of the van. Not sure if using stainless steel or steel zinc plated. Thank you.

[@moonrakerdesign]

@@fernarango I've switched entirely to the McMaster ones now. I found out the source too, they are Sherex CAL Series - fasteners.sherex.com/category/nd-rivet-nuts-american-style-rivet-nuts-cal-series I've heard if you buy them from here they are cheaper, I haven't checked yet because I'm still working through my supply - www.baysupply.com/products/cal2-610-4-2-25-sherex They are the best quality rivnut I've found and they are yellow zinc chromate plated so corrosion resistance is great!

[@nickh8370]

Great videos! Curious if 1/2" Coosa Board would be sufficient as,I look away from 3/4" thck Baltic Birch flooring. Thoughts?

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey Nick, thanks a bunch! Are you talking about the 1/2” Coosa Board? That’s what we put in our van and really happy with it. What are you looking to do?

[@nickh8370]

@@moonrakerdesign I love the idea of this lighter weight material, which I have never heard of! Wanted to make sure this type of florring wouldn't bend under my 225lbs weight. And I see you went with biscuit joints versus the puzzle piece joints suggested on Boat Outfitters... Pros/Cons if you get the time?

[@moonrakerdesign]

@@nickh8370 Hey Nick, Coosa board is actually stronger than it's equivalent thickness of plywood, plus the structure of the van flooring is really well supported the maximum span rib to rib is like 6". I'm 210lbs and the floor is solid as a rock! The actual joints really don't need to take load because it's supported by the van ribbed flooring so biscuits seemed like the easiest way to ensure things are super flat at the joints which is more important to me! If I were building this as a cantilevered floor I might use something different. Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!

[@nictones]

Hey man! Back again! Great video as always. Any fat chance you are selling these SWEEETT Rocker Boxes? I definitely dig the clean look that you have customized!

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey Nic! That’s the plan. Just going through all the testing to make sure they are good to go. I actually have a full video coming out on these shortly. Thanks for the continued support 🙏

[@bmxguy]

Clean my dude

[@moonrakerdesign]

Hey Nick, thanks a bunch for the continued support!

[@ZedEx186]

Trash the bad acting guys and just stick with the actual video. It’s too cringy

[@moonrakerdesign]

Always appreciate the feedback. Thanks for stopping by anyways 👋.

[@thebriles]

This is academy award winning stuff. How do you not get "amp'd" up by their acting? Also, posting a 2 minute dash cam video of a fender bender is a little more cringe in my humble opinion..

[@ZedEx186]

@@thebriles It was requested by the insurance company, clown!