From DIY Disaster to Dream Van: The Grumley Van Build Story
Every van that comes through our shop has a story. Most start with a bare cargo van or a continuation of a professional build. The Grumley van started somewhere very different.
How The Van Arrived
This 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500 didn't show up as a blank slate. It showed up partway through a DIY conversion that wasn't just unfinished, it was unsafe.
Improvised wiring. Flooring that wasn't properly secured. The kind of shortcuts that don't show up as problems on day one, but eventually show up as a fire risk, a leak, or a system that fails when you're far from home. Once our team got a real look at what was going on inside this van, the decision was easy, even if it wasn't simple: we weren't going to build on top of it. We were going to start over.
Gutting It Down to a Clean Slate
So that's exactly what we did. Meticulously, and from the ground up.
Every trace of the previous build came out. The wiring, the flooring, the wall panels, all of it. A lot of elbow grease and a couple of dumpsters later, we were standing in an empty shell again, the way every build should start: clean, safe, and ready for a real plan.
From there, we rebuilt Grumley as a semi-custom conversion for a local couple planning extended trips across the country. They needed a van that could handle real time on the road, and they needed to trust every system in it. That's exactly what we built.
The Build: SAGA Interior with Custom Touches Throughout
At the core of Grumley's interior is the SAGA system from Camper Reparadise, one of our favorite semi-custom platforms that gave us a strong foundation to build on. From there, our team layered in a handful of custom upgrades to make the space feel both functional and homey, tailored specifically to how this couple wanted to live and travel.
The Build Highlights:Interior
CNC-cut Sprinter 170” ultralight ply subfloor with 2tec2 woven vinyl flooring and a full floor trim and threshold kit at every door opening
SAGA interior fit kit by Camper Reparadise, including wall backing, mounting hardware, electrical chase, and finish panels for the ceiling, walls, and door transitions
Sound-deadening material and 3M Thinsulate insulation throughout the cavity
Ultraflex oak lightweight flexible wood wall panels as a ceiling upgrade
Custom backsplash artwork installed in the galley
Comfort
SAGA Murphy bed system for a 170, complete with base cabinets, HEX ply 3-piece top, piano hinge, and bolt latches
SAGA upper cabinets with under-cabinet lighting, drawer module, full stack cabinet, and a bench seat with drawers
Cherry countertop and maple tabletop, paired with a black stainless sink and faucet
Isotherm Cruise 130 fridge
Custom topographic upholstery upgrade throughout the seating and cabin areas
Custom mattress to conform perfectly to the van’s contours and fold cleanly away when the murphy bed is folded up
Power & Water
Rebuilt 12V system with solar, shore power, and DC-to-DC charging
Blue Sea AC distribution panel and GFCI outlets throughout
12V dimmer switches, push-button on/off switches, and panel-mount dual USB device charging
20-gallon water tank upgrade with an electric tankless water heater and water fill panel
Interior shower box with hose and sprayer
Exterior
RIGID DC scene lights in amber, fully wired and installed
A Dream Vehicle, Built the Right Way
The final result is a van that is safe, beautiful, and comfortable on long trips. Every system was chosen and installed by our team to fit the exact way this couple plans to travel, not patched together from someone else's shortcuts.
You can see the full build, including before-and-after photos from the teardown, on the Grumley build page.
And, here’s an Instagram reel showing more about the transformation.
Starting From a DIY Mess of Your Own? Or, just looking for an upgrade?
If you've got a van project that's stalled, or one that was never quite finished right, you don't have to live with it or start over alone. We've seen it before, and we can help bring it back to life!
