SlackerVan Tour Video
The YogaSlackers
July 9, 2023
Check out the SlackerVan. In this video – filmed and published by the Overland Expo – we explain the intricate details of our van.
SlackerVan
YogaSlackers Nomad Hq
Basic Info
- 1988 4×4 Mitsubishi
- Delica L300 Exceed
- 2.5 L Turbo Diesel, mid engine
- 5-Speed Manual
- High-/Low-Range Gearbox
- Limited Slip Differential
- 7,400 pounds fully loaded with two crew
Why Choose A Delica L300?
Modifications
This list was compiled with the help of Jack Mac for Mitsubishi Delica L300 4×4 – “SLACKERvan” article published on Expedition Portal.
Power
4D56T 4-cylinder turbo-diesel (upgraded turbo to a TD04HL-13T, additional electric boost controller (9psi, 14psi, 18psi and 21psi) to help with temperature control and better performance at elevation
V5M21 5-speed, a stiffening plate from an L200 transmission increases the strength of the case
Ported and polished cylinder head
Aluminium radiator
Removed EGR valve
Electric vacuum pump (removed mechanical original as the oil line is a common point of failure)
Suspension and Drive
4.875 gears
Limited slip differential in the rear axle
Superwinch manual hubs (switched out our Auto hubs for more reliability and 2WD low range)
Custom Alcan rear leaf pack with military wrap eyes
Rancho RS9000 XL front shocks
Monroe Air Shocks rear shocks
26-millimeter torsion bars
Upgraded from single-piston calipers to dual-piston calipers
Brakes
Tesla iBoost Electric master cylinder (used to be Fuso 1-inch)
All stainless steel brake lines
315-millimeter rotors
EBC Yellowstuff Brake pads
Motul RBF 600 Brake Fluid
Wheels and Tires
16×6 inch Raceline alloy wheels
215/85R16 Goodyear Duratrac tires
Recovery and Armor
Hi-Lift jack
6x 2-inch receiver hitch on the back
Soft shackles
Stock skid plates
Chain hoist
Driving Lights And Night Vision
J.W. Speaker 4×6 inch low-beam LED with defrost
4x 6 inch VisionX High Beam LED with dual-beam wiring harness
FLIR Pathfinder II infrared imaging system (mounted on front bumper)
2x Rigid Industries D2 Driving Lights with amber cover (reverse lights mounted on HD bars)
2x Rigid Industries Ignite backup lights (mounted on rear bumper)
Internal Build and Storage
Aluminum frame around kitchen and electrical storage
Plywood construction
Vertical plywood support with router channels to eliminate the need for metal sliders
Large storage boxes made out of wood (fits on vertical plywood) and corrugated plastic sides (to reduce weight)
Made to be easily removable and brought into hotel rooms or houses for packing
Small boxes made of corrugated plastic
Interior and Exterior Lighting (MiLight)
50 feet of six wire LED strip lighting. Eight separate zones. All colors are adjustable and can be dimmed. This includes external auxiliary lighting and inside and outside of our roof boxes.
Gauges
Electronic boost controller
Diesel boost gauge
Exhaust temperature gauge
Water temperature gauge
PSI (air compressor under the van)
Air pressure shocks
Roof Rack System
Layered Yakima tracks with bolts and two layers of 80/20 (to increase height)
6x 68 inch Yakima HD bars
5x Yakima SkyLine towers
5x Yakima landing pads
4x 54 inch Yakima tracks with bolts
Yakima PlateMate (mounted on tray)
Roof Boxes and Tray
Yakima Offgrid Tray (M)
Yakima SkyBox 21 Carbonite
Yakima SkyBox 12 Carbonite
Yakima RocketBox Pro 12
2x Yakima ripcords (straps with locks, used to lock diesel can and spare tire)
Additional Roof Components
Yakima TopGrip (clasps for shovel)
Yakima SlimShady awning, 6-foot
Yakima WindShield fairing, 52-inch
Ragtop, a soft cover that allows access to the top of the van
Six Merlin Solar Panels (Total 1,065 watts)
240-watt semi-flexible panels mounted to Yakima SkyBox 21 Carbonite
240-watt semi-flexible panel mounted to Yakima SkyBox 12 Carbonite
185-watt semi-flexible panel mounted to the Yakima RocketBox Pro 12
160-watt Rigid panel bonded to aluminum honeycomb board, which slides out to cover the windshield
80-watt Rigid panel bonded to aluminum honeycomb board, mounted to the right side custom aluminum pop-out
160-watt flat-folding panel under the bed
Electronics
4x 100 amp-hour 12V LiFePO4 heated batteries from Battle Born Batteries
2,000 watt Compact Victron inverter/charger (CMP122200100)
300 watt fanless Morningstar SureSine Wave inverter 115VAC
100 V/50 A Victron Blue solar charge controller MPPT
4x 75 V/15 A Victron Blue solar charge controller MPPT
Cerbo GX Victron computer interface
210 amp-hour Sterling alternator to battery charger
702 Victron battery monitoring gauge with Bluetooth dongle
20x 120 volt outlets
24x 4.2 amp-hour USB outlets
Insulation
Lizard Skin Ceramic Insulation (to reduce radiant heat)
Lizard Skin Sound Barrier (removes tin box sound and vibrations, lighter easier to use solution than kilmat)
Oros Apparel Aerogel Impregnated Foam (Insulates high heat areas, over the engine and aluminum pop-outs)
Havelock Wool (hard to reach places, doors and frames)
Neoprene Insulation (roof and exposed metal areas)
Polystyrene Foam (used on floor, between ribs to create a flat floor)
Heating and Cooling
12-volt DC air conditioner
12-volt fan
600-watt 12-volt infrared forced air heater
Two 12-volt DC radiant heat panels (foot of the bed, 35 watts; head of the bed, 72 watts)
Electronic Appliances
WeBoost 65 decibel gain 4G signal booster
Wilson Electronics 9.88-inch 4G Wide Band Omni-Directional Marine Antenna
Dehumidifier with thermostat switch
Engel MD-14F 12/24-volt fridge freezer
Engel SR-70 AC/DC front-opening fridge freezer
True Induction single burner counter inset energy-efficient induction cooktop (Model: TI-1B)
Fuel Capacity
16 gallon fuel tank
5.2 gallon Justrite safety can mounted on the roof tray
Fresh Water
Cold
18 gallon custom 316 stainless tank with 1.5 inch insulation and an aluminum shell
Hot
2.6 gallon insulated tank with coolant heat exchanger and 200-watt 12vdc Elgena heater
Water Filters (In this Order)
50 micron pre-filter
5 micron carbon block
1 micron carbon block
Luminor UV-C LED GUV-5S disinfection system
Building Blogs
And other random SlackerVan adventures
Delica Like No Other: This 1988 Mitsubishi Might Be the Most Impressive Van Life Build Ever
Raquel Hernández-Cruz
December 9, 2021
Gear Junkie wrote an article detailing the modifications made to our van and a few of our stories from the road. Head to their site
Mitsubishi Delica L300 4×4 – “SLACKERvan”
Raquel Hernández-Cruz
October 20, 2021
Our SlackerVan has been with us for over 4 years. It has taken tons of human hours, ingenuity, boldness, stubbornness, blood, sweat and tears to
Manual Hubs with Titanium bolts
Sam Salwei
March 10, 2021
Why a Manual Hub ? We chose to change from the stock auto hubs for one main reason, reliability. The auto hubs tend to take
A Complete Guide to Car Camping:
Kitchen Edition
Raquel Hernández-Cruz
November 30, 2020
After living on the road for over 8 years, we know a thing or two about what you need to cook while traveling. This guide can be used to create your car camping kitchen anywhere you go. Even while flying places!
A Complete Guide to Vanlife Kitchen
Raquel Hernández-Cruz
November 18, 2020
Check out the SlackerVan kitchen setup. After living on the road for over 10 years, Sam (co-founder of YogaSlackers) and Raquel have identify a list of ‘must have’ items for cooking on the road.
Our Social Media
We tried to load images in Instagram every week. A few comments and likes from you will help us stay motivated. Like our Facebook page: YogaSlackers Nomads and stay informed of our travels, gear use and other fun adventures.
Let us know what you want to see, and we’ll load it!
Acknowledgements
Sponsors
Financial and gear support provided by Yakima Racks.
Generous gear support provided by Merlin Solar and Battle Born Batteries.
Friends of the Industry
Additional Gear Support by: Havelock Wool, Flir, Luminor UV, Aquamira, NiteIze, Cotton Carrier, Eagle Creek and Sea to Summit.
Affiliate Programs
These are companies that support our nomadic lifestyle. We use their products because we like them. And requested affiliate codes to share with our friends and family. Purchasing products directly on their website by following these links, will pay us a small incentive, without costing you anything.
NEXT: EXPLORE OUR PRACTICES
