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
The SlackerVan

Why Choose A Delica L300?

  • Diesel

    Diesel vehicles tend to be long lasting. We also wanted a flexible fuel source; with minimal modifications we could drive off waste vegetable oil if needed.

  • 4x4

    Having 4x4 is great to get yourself out of trouble and add some safety when driving in the winter and/or back roads.

  • Manual Transmission

    If you know how to drive a manual car you probably agree with us when we say they are simpler. They are also lighter vehicles, their parts are less expensive to repair and easier to rebuild. Plus you can push start them if the starter motor or battery dies.

  • Small Footprint and Maximum Indoor Space

    We wanted a car that was easy to maneuver off road and easy to part in the city.

  • Simple Maintenance

    Older vehicles tend to be simpler to maintain, fix and modify. Something to keep in mind when headed to remote locations.

  • It Is Old and Used

    Older vehicles are cheaper to insure and register. Parts are usually - not really in this case - easy to find. Plus, if the vehicle is relatively efficient, the environmental impact is less than that of making and purchasing a new vehicle.

  • They Are Darn Cute

Modifications

Extreme Upgrades

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

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

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)

Building Blogs

And other random SlackerVan adventures

The SlackerVan

SlackerVan Tour Video

This video was filmed and published by the Overland Expo. We were honored by teaching slackline yoga, yoga and acroyoga at the 2022 festivals. There,

Read More »
SlackerVan Kitchen View

A Complete Guide to Vanlife Kitchen

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.

Read More »

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!

Instagram

Facebook

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

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.