Diving into the Sprinter: Build Prep and Collaboration
Hey everybody, Matt here from AVC! Welcome back to the blog.
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we live and breathe Ford Transits. But today is a big day—we are officially kicking off our Mercedes Sprinter build series. We’re expanding our horizons to develop new products for the Sprinter platform, and to help us get started, we’ve teamed up with Luke from Go Code for a bit of a "Go-Collab."
This first post is all about the "unsexy" but essential part of any van build: Prep. Before we can add the beautiful cabinets and beds, we have to strip the van down and set a solid foundation.
The Platform: VS30 Sprinter (2019–Present)
Our test subject is a 2023 Sprinter 144" (VS30 platform). While Mercedes updated the exterior skin, headlights, and tail lights in 2019, the interior "skeleton" has remained largely unchanged since 2008.
Note: If you have a Sprinter from 2008 to 2018, most of this build info will still be 100% relevant to you! Just keep in mind that exterior accessories like tire carriers or window glass are often model-year specific.
Step 1: Exterior Plastics & Waterproofing
Our van came with white exterior plastics that—let's be honest—weren't doing it any favors. We swapped them for classic black Mercedes plastics, but the real goal here was sealing.
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The Problem: Water can leak through the factory clip holes (especially the top row) and get right into your wall insulation.
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The Solution: We used 3M 740 UV, a high-quality, UV-stable sealant.
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Pro-Tip: You don't actually have to remove your plastics to seal them. You can access the top row of "Christmas tree" clips from the inside of the van. Just wear gloves and smear a healthy amount of sealant over the clip from the inside to create a waterproof plug.
Step 2: Installing Mercedes Roof Rails
If you plan on adding a roof rack, solar panels, or an awning, you need accessory rails. Our van didn't come with them, so we ordered the OEM Mercedes rails.
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Remove the Caps: From the inside of the van, use a heat gun to soften the adhesive on the plastic factory caps.
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The Hammer Trick: Use the flat end of a hammer to gently push the caps up and out through the roof.
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Clean & Install: Wipe the area with isopropyl alcohol. Drop the rails in from the top and secure them with 10mm bolts from the inside.
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Double Insurance: Even though the rails have gaskets, we added a dab of sealant around each stud on the inside before tightening.
Step 3: Rivnuts and Metal Prep
To mount our AVC wall kits and cabinetry, we use 8mm Rivnuts. This creates a permanent, threaded mounting point in the van’s frame.
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Drilling: We opened up the factory holes to 7/16 of an inch.
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Rust Prevention: This is the step most people skip—don't be that person! Use a primer (like 5504 or Rustoleum Clean Metal Primer) on every freshly drilled hole to prevent future corrosion.
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The "Gorilla Glue" Hack: If you’re worried about a Rivnut spinning in the future, put a tiny drop of Gorilla Glue on the Rivnut before setting it. It’s cheap insurance against a total nightmare repair down the road.
Step 4: The Go Code Trim Kit
The Sprinter interior has several "blobs"—bulky factory foam and plastic covers on the pillars—that make fitting walls a pain. We replaced these with the Go Code 7-piece Trim Kit.
What’s in the kit:
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Two Vertical D-Pillars (the very back)
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One Overhead D-Pillar
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One C-Pillar
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One Over-Slider piece
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Two B-Pillars (behind the driver/passenger seats)
Removing the factory foam can be a "bear." Luke’s advice? Use a little heat or carefully bash it with a hammer to break it into pieces. Once cleared, these plastic trim pieces create a clean, professional surface to terminate your wall panels against.
Sprinter or Transit?
We are excited to see how this Mercedes stacks up against our beloved Transits. We want to hear from the community: Which platform makes the better camper van in the end? Let us know in the comments!
If you're ready to start your own Sprinter build, you can find all the products we used today at avcrig.com and the trim plastics at gocodeoverland.com.
Thanks for reading, and we'll catch you next time!