The following outlines a 'summarized' chronology of events that transpired during our quest to acquire our Sportsmobile. Many emails were sent back and forth to Sportsmobile... as well as a number of other parts suppliers (too many to list here). The bottom line is that there is a tremendous amount of involvement in crafting exactly what you want - especially if you are looking to build a one-off custom project.

Called Sportsmobile to set up appointment to talk with one of their sales reps and schedule a tour of the Fresno, CA facility. Appointment was scheduled for that Friday at 3:00pm.

Started driving to Fresno at 8:00pm in the evening (after work). Our goal was to reach Canby, OR (a three hour drive south) so that we could make some headway before our anticipated 17 hour drive on Friday. We arrived at our Canby destination at 11:00pm.

Alarm went off at 1:30am (after a two hour nap). We were on the road south to Fresno by 2:30am. Remarkably enough for us, we arrived in Fresno at 3:15pm (only 15 minutes late for our scheduled appointment). Greg White gave us the tour of the Sportsmobile facility - and we were hooked. After our tour, we checked into a Fresno hotel for the evening.

We woke very early in the morning and headed north west to San Francisco and up the coast for more of a scenic drive home. After touring a few ocean beaches and taking a quick detour to see some giant redwoods, we made it as far as Crescent City, CA before we checked into another hotel for the evening.

Back up very early again, we completed the last part of our homeward journey by 7:00pm.

Mailed our Ford order form for a 2007 Ford E350 EB 6.0L PSD along with our $2,000.00 deposit check.

Received confirmation email from our sales rep Greg White that our check arrived. The van would be ordered as early as that day.

Update. Greg stated that our van was the second to last diesel van ordered before the Ford and International dispute. Our diesel van should arrive around the beginning of April if there were no delays.

Received official production order in email from Greg at Sportsmobile.

Received confirmation that our van arrived in Fresno (@ Freedom Ford). We now have a build number (27063F).

Mailed personal check for the remaining amount we owed for the van itself.

Received a scanned copy of the van order from Greg at Sportsmobile.

Received confirmation that Greg did in fact receive our check for the remainder of the van.

Jumped on an airplane out of Seattle, WA in the morning and headed to Fesno, CA to meet with Greg and go over my proposed floor plan and options. Sportsmobile picked me up from the Fresno Air Port and brought me to their manufacturing facility. I met with Greg for at least three hours hashing out the many details of this build. Sportsmobile arranged to drop me back off at the airport after meeting with Greg. As it would happen, the ride back to the airport also included a trip to Freedom Ford so that a couple of Sportsmobile employees could retrieve a couple more vans. I was fortunate enough to get out, find my van, and take a few pics (below). I was then dropped off at the airport where I caught a plane home by dinner. As there were still a few misc. items that needed to be finalized, I did not sign the consent to build form/approval letter while in Fresno.

Received official production order in email from Greg at Sportsmobile.

Sent our signed 'approval letter' to Greg... allowing Sportsmobile to build our specific van.

Received confirmation that my signed 'approval letter' made it to Greg.

Sent mail to Dave at Aluminess and Greg at Sportsmobile detailing the custom 'safari roof rack' that I wanted built HERE

Sent mail to Dave at Aluminess and Greg at Sportsmobile detailing the custom 'camp box' that I wanted built HERE

Sent mail to Dave at Aluminess and Greg at Sportsmobile detailing the custom 'front bumper' that I wanted built HERE

Sent mail to Dave at Aluminess and Greg at Sportsmobile detailing the custom 'rear bumper' that I wanted built HERE

Received information from Greg about the status of our van.

Quote: "Your van is currently in production in our prep department. In this area of production we will be installing walls, windows, insulation, flooring, and the PH top".

Received more build photos from Greg at Sportsmobile.

Quote: "Currently you are in the beginning stages of our bolt down department. While in bolt down we will be installing your cabinets."

Received from Buji via SportsmobileForum.com.

Received pics from Greg at Sportsmobile.

LaPaz 5-Light, Light Bar ordered from Baja Designs.

Voyager AOC130XP Low Light Color Camera, cable, mount, and monitor was ordered from Rearview Systems.

Received pics from sdwindansea via SportsmobileForum.com.

5 Light, Light Bar ordered from Baja Designs was delivered to Sportsmobile.

Voyager AOC130XP Low Light Color Camera, cable, mount, and monitor was mistakenly delivered to my home address (should have been delivered to Sportsmobile West). Merchant owned-up to the mistake and will cover the cost of shipping (overnight) to Fresno, CA.

Voyager AOC130XP Low Light Color Camera, cable, mount, and monitor arrived at Sportsmobile West.

Received pics of Baja Designs light bar from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

Received pics from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

Quote: "Currently we are working on all of the wiring for 12V and 110V systems in the van".

Voyager AOC130XP Low Light Color Camera, cable, mount, and monitor arrived at Sportsmobile West.

Received pics from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

I am getting a bit worried now. We have approximately a month before our drop-dead date to take delivery of our project - and still make good on our vacation plans. Progress has been very slow (visually) over the past three weeks. Pictures from SMB have shown the same interior shots with the same hanging wires for a while now. The interior looks to be far from done. The 4x4 system has not been started - nor has the exterior. Gulp!

The first image below was taken from the front of the van looking toward the back. One of the two opposing pantries has been pulled out. One will be used for food while the other (shown here) will be used to store my camera equipment.

SMB has been tasked with making a custom light bar rack for me (shown in the second image below). The estimated cost was quoted at around $800.00. Price is pretty steep, but I dont know of any pre-manufactured bars that would work. In any event, it looks good so far.

Applied on-line at my credit union for 'RV' loan.

Based on my previous experience with trying to finance a used Sportsmobile through my credit union, I had no worries about whether or not I would get approved for a loan. However, I also realized that 'approval' is different than actually leaving with a check for the full amount requested, in-hand.

Latest update from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

Greg sent me the itemized work order of all of the expenses incurred so far. This is supposed to help my credit union determine the 'real' value of the vehicle (which they attempt to do, one item at a time).

Greg also informed us that our SMB project may not fall within our hard-target completion/delivery date (this is the first we had heard of any delays). Should this happen, my wife and I may have to cancel a once in a life-time trip (for us) into the Canadian Rockies this fall. We built in what we assumed was a safe buffer beyond what we were given as an original production estimate. On top of this buffer, we then added one additional week for break-in/familiarization prior to allocating nearly all of our vacation this year for our trip. Working from what we thought was a comfortable date… we submitted our respective vacation requests far enough in advance to ensure approval. Now, with approximately three weeks left on our production clock, we were just informed that the remaining build-time could double (jump by three additional weeks). While this overrun is not set in stone… the fact that this is even on the table has us scrambling for plan B (come up with a shortened trip) to plan C (cancel this trip altogether).

My 'RV' loan amount was 'credit approved'. This means that based on my credit rating, I can borrow the amount I am asking for. However, this does not mean that I can just run down and pick up a check. The credit union still has to verify that the vehicle I intend to purchase is valued appropriately. As this is a 'conversion van', this is where all of the 'value determination' problems arise.

I sent an inquiry back to my sales rep at Sportsmobile requesting clarification for a few items that I noticed were missing from the itemized work order I received on Wednesday.

Here is a follow-up exchange I had with Sportsmobile regarding my financing woes.

Latest update from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

Greg responded to my inquiry regarding a few items I noticed had been left out of the latest work order. Well, Greg's response... really through me for a loop. Greg had started to explain how some of the missing items were either a) not accounted for or b) not configured they way I was expecting. Greg went on to tell me how we could custom order anything that was different than what I expected, but that any 'change' may lead to a delayed delivery date. It was as if we were reviewing these options again for the very first time. Keep in mind that I had spent hundreds of hours detailing exactly what I wanted and I felt that I had communicated my intentions as well as could be done - months ago. I was so flustered that I did not even know where to begin. I could see the wheels coming off of this project with every passing moment.

As an example of just how far astray Greg's response was to my own expectations, lets take the storage 'box' I wanted mounted outside (to the rear bumper). Greg had indicated that I was down for an Aluminess Baja Box. What I had ordered was a customized Aluminess 'Double Tall Camp Box'. These items are very, very, different (not only in configuration but also price). Here are the specs for my custom box I had sent both Aluminess and Greg back in May:
      (Custom Double Tall Camp Box)

Specific enough?

To compare, here is an example of a standard Aluminess Baja Box:
      (Baja Box)

The design and purpose for each box is completely different. I sent Greg email right away (one email for each item where there was a apparent discrepancy). I included links back to my original emails - with all of the details. Documentation, documentation, documentation.

For the first real sign of progress in weeks - Greg also sent an image of our van up on a lift. After a three week delay, we are finally starting the 4x4 conversion process - YEA!!

Continuing my exchange with Sportsmobile regarding my financing difficulties.

Latest update from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

Greg returned an email letting me know that everything was ok. Greg had double checked with the production and purchasing managers with regard to my 'custom' parts and as it turns out Sportsmobile had indeed received these parts long ago. This was a huge relief to me and I am now slightly less pessimistic about the outcome of this project.

Here is a picture that Greg sent along with the above email to show our custom Aluminess Double Tall Camp Box. This box was customized to open from the passenger side rather than the rear as we would most likely have a motorcycle hanging off of the rear, restricting access to the original doors. Note, that this box does not have the custom top railing I had specifically asked be added... (per (Custom Double Tall Camp Box) ), but this is a very small detail that I can live without at this point.

Below is an image of our Aluminess full size Safari Rack (custom). It is hard to make-out the details as the rack is upside-down, but the large solid area will be home to 2 x Kyocera solar panels. Notice the gap between the rack supports (those tabs sticking out) around the solid surface area. This will allow me to (someday) mount these solar panels on sliding rails which I can then extend out-board from the centerline of the van. Each panel will be hinged at its outer edge, allowing at least one of these panels to tilt toward the sun as needed. This is key when we have two sea kayaks mounted to the top of the rack - obscuring direct sunlight to the panels.

Yet another trip to my credit union, the Washington State DOL, and my insurance company.

I went back to my credit union armed with more information that I hoped would help finalize my RV loan. I made sure to speak with the same loan advisor who helped me before - so that I did not have to re-visit previously known dead-ends. The loan was 95% complete and the loan advisor was on her way upstairs to get my check, when we hit a snag. The snag was due to the fact that the van was titled outside of my home state of Washington. The credit union would not first cut me a check… then actually trust me to transfer the title of the vehicle from CA to WA (as the amount was more than their max of $40K). The credit union was not flexible here - at all. The loan was stopped dead in its tracks - right here. On the other side, Sportsmobile could not license the van in WA first, as they are in CA. Total dead-lock. There were a number of other schemes that we looked at, but still there was always one showstopping issue that killed the deal. Finally, I asked my loan officer if I could terminate my loan application for an RV loan and apply for a HELOC instead. The terms were exactly the same (borrowed amount, length of payback, interest rate, all identical). After 3+ hours of applying for loans, it looked like I might finally get one. Approval was pending more documents plus four more days of waiting. To be continued…

Next was off to the Washington State Department of Licensing (a different office than I visited the first time). The experience this time was slightly more informative than my first trip. The bottom line was that to license this van in Washington, I had to pay the difference between CA state tax and WA state tax. The rough tax differential was around $1,500.00. If I could pay for the van in full (now) and I could get Sportsmobile to send me the van’s MSO and title, I could take this paperwork plus $$ to the WA DOL and get my WA license plates immediately. This would allow me to take the WA plates to CA on delivery day and mount these plates on the van before I ever left the building.

Next was off to my insurance agent. My agent was in the office but on a lunch break and I was told to come back later. Nice. In any event, I left my information and asked what it would cost to insure such a vehicle. Later in the evening, I got a phone call back stating that the estimate was $903.94 per year. Paid in full - annually. No policy suspension allowed.

Latest update from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

It is now official, there is no way to take delivery on August 23. The new delivery date has been pushed out 3 to 4 weeks as Sportsmobile is just this far behind right now building a large number of 4x4 vans.

Front end getting installed (4.56 gears, ARB Air Locker).

Front brake upgrade (Brake Man, Storm Brake Kit - Rotors and Calipers).

Rear brake upgrade (Brake Man, Storm Brake Kit - Rotors and Calipers). Also, rear air bags installed.

Rear end getting installed (floating axle, 4.56 gears, ARB Air Locker)

Atlas Transfer Case

Back to the credit union... again. This time the HELOC loan was approved, the three day waiting period was over, and we were finally cut a check for the requested amount. Progress! We then obtained cashiers check(s) for the remaining cost of the van and mailed the works to Kim at Sportsmobile (express, return receipt). Also sent Kim an email letting her know to expect this package on Monday.

Our payment checks successfully arrived at Sportsmobile.

Kim mailed us the following documents (overnight):

1. Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form
2. Customer Cash Payment Authorization (Ford's $2,000.00 rebate paperwork)
3. Delivery Receipt
4. Certificate of Origin (MSO)
5. Bill of Sale
6. Sales Invoice from S&C Ford

Kim also mailed us instructions on what she needed back:

1. Original signed 'Sales Invoice'
2. Signed 'Delivery Receipt'
3. Copy of the signed 'Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form'

Package from Kim arrived to our home with all of the above documents.

I made copies of all of the paperwork I received from Kim.

I left work early and b-lined it to the Washington State Department of Licensing in hopes of obtaining our license plates before they closed. I explained to the teller that I was trying to transfer a CA vehicle to WA. I provided all of the documentation supplied by Sportsmobile. Everything looked to be going smoothly - until... another snag. The teller needed to know the Gross Vehicle Weight of the 'finished' SMB. This weight was not listed on any of the official paperwork that I had in my possession (only the GVW of the stock Ford van). I did, however, have a copy of an email correspondence with Kim where she clearly stated that the final GVW was less than 10,000 lbs. Of course, this was not good enough. The teller wanted the exact weight and she wanted 'official' documentation showing that. I called Kim right then and there on my cell phone and asked if she could fax the GVW of the completed vehicle (on Sportsmobile letterhead) to the DOL. Kim did so - immediately. Fax came through, DOL was finally satisfied, and our new Washington State plates were issued (after paying a additional $1,300.00 in tax).

Mailed all of the completed documents requested by Kim back to Sportsmobile.

Went back to my insurance agent and provided them with all of the paperwork (plus some) so that they could enter this info into their computer and get my policy ready. My intention would be to stop by again the day before we would be taking delivery, activate the policy, and obtain the necessary paperwork I would need to show proof of insurance.

Never heard a peep from Greg regarding the possible new delivery date of our van.

Then...

Then...

Finally...

Received pics from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

Well, the drop dead dead-line of August, 31 has now come... and gone. My wife and I just today canceled our long standing vacation plans. Van is still multiple weeks from being finished. However, SMB feels that they are close enough to set the 'official' delivery date. Looking at the latest photos (below), I still have my doubts.

Here is the latest round of pics from Greg...

I honestly have a hard time spotting any real progress. Based on this latest round of photos, the tires are wrong, there is no front hitch, the front grill has not been replaced, and I dont see the diesel generator. Is this even the right van??

Received pics from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

Received pics from Greg @ Sportsmobile.

The official delivery date is Monday September, 17 (@ 9:00am). The original plan of taking delivery of the van in late August, speding a couple days driving it back up to Washington, rigorously checking every nut and bolt, fluid level, etc… packing all of the storage spaces cleanly and efficiently, and getting aclimated to the vans numerous systems in the safety/security of my own shop has all been thrown out the window. The build-time overruns have so played havoc with our limited vacation time that my wife and I basically have to start any vacation the moment we take delivery (if not before).

The new plan of record is to rent a spacious car (one way), pack what we think we will need for an extended road vacation (just guess), drive to Fresno (starting right now), drop off the car and store all of our belongings in a Fresno hotel room (the evening prior), take delivery on the promised date (hopefully), and head off down the dusty trail (finally).

1. Day 01: Drive from North Bend, WA to Bend, OR
2. Day02: Drive from Bend, OR to Truckee, CA
3. Day03: Drive from Truckee, CA to Fresno, CA
4. Day04: Monday, take delivery. Spend evening camping in van at Bass Lake, CA (just outside of Yosemite and about 60 miles from Fresno).
5. Day05: Allocate a buffer of one day (just in case something goes wrong). Spend evening in same campground.
6. Day06 plus: Continue east and north hitting a number of national parks during our scenic trek back to Washington.

Rental: Ford Edge

Out of Truckee… the weather is great and the roads are even better. Twisty, very little traffic, lots of elevation.

We are determined. Not even hundreds of free roaming sheep could keep us from our destination.. :-)

Upon arrival in Fresno, we stop at our hotel to unload the car. Hotel staff thinks we are moving in - for good. Hotel room is now stuffed with food, clothes, tools, gear, camera equipment, papers, etc. We return the rental car - unscathed - and the rental agency shuttles us back to our hotel. Last night - no more waiting, no more planning, no more wondering.

8:05am. We call Sportsmobile for a lift (bring a truck). Sportsmobile obliges us. We arrive at Sportsmobile in time for our morning appointment. This is the big moment. I have not seen any pictures of our project in anything near a completed state (interior or exterior). No matter what happens now - it will be a complete surprise to me. I envision the following:

We are directed to step through the door and proceed into the factory. Oh well, here goes. I open the door for my wife and we walk through. We immediately see a number of finished SMB’s - none of which is ours. However, they are all stunning their own right. Wow, I tell myself that if ours looks half this good I think we will still be ok. Next, I see Greg in his office. He comes out to greet us and takes us over to the ‘finish area’ where the final touches are being put on our rig. H.. o.. l.. y.. COW!!

My wife asks... "is that really ours?" I had visulized every option, every part, every bolt. Yet, to see it completed - and in one piece - was really quite something else all together. The size/scale of it all never really sinks in. The next few moments are lost in a sureal blurr. I keep trying to convince myself that there are no more hurdles and that we really are going to drive this one away.

Workers are clamering all around our rig (four or more at a time). Apparently, there was an issue with one of the lights in the aftermarket light bar I had purchased. One of the lights would not fire (consistenly). As this was not an SMB specific item, I was preparing myself - already - to accept that something was busted... and I had not even barely been there for two minutes.

Well, one of life’s lessons - one that I sometimes forget - is that anomalies present opportunities… and sometimes truly outstanding people rise to the occasion and turn such opportunities into memorable successes. This is one of those cases. The staff at Sportsmobile worked on the lighting issue all through my orientation. Ultimately, they figured out the root cause of the problem - a defective connector. One staff member - presumably an electrician/electrical engineer (who self admittedly rarely throws anything away) found a one-off match to this defective connector amongst his archive of old stashed connectors. He replaced the defective part - and all of the lights worked flawlessly… before I ever drove out of the parking lot. Some might say that for the price, this was ‘expected’. I was there. I was hopeful that a solution could be found, but it was not expected. My hat is off to the Sportsmobile staff that turned this challenge into a success.

Oh, but wait… this success story does not end here. A new issue cropped up - again, with my aftermarket light bar. The covers I had purchased to cover the lights did not fit - they were too small. In California and many of the other states I had intended to visit, it was illegal to have lights such as these uncovered. Enter the Sportsmobile upholstery gurus. They said that they could fabricate a set of custom light covers in about 90 minutes. Sure enough, after a number of fittings and I had a matched set of custom tailored fabric light covers that matched the light covers I already had on my front bumper. No additional charge or delay in delivery. Again, adversity turned into a memorable success. Thanks Sportsmobile for going the extra mile to ensure that we drove off with a completed, functional, safe, and drop dead gorgeous vehicle!!

Other than a few minor discrepancies, this project came together as promised in the end. My previous concerns of the missing generator, custom front grill, custom front hitch, etc… were all put to rest on delivery day (as they were all there). The tires did not turn out to be what I had wanted - but fortunately, tires are replaceable items that I can swap out later to best suit my needs as these wear out.

This part of the story ends here - happily.

Best of success with your own projects. My wife and I are finally out exploring with ours... :-)

Special Thanks To:

Everyone who provided images of this build as it progressed.

Thank you!!