Off-Road in Style: The Ultimate K9 Adventure Van Build

Bringing a whole new meaning to being in the doghouse

We all love our dogs – and keeping them safe when they come along with us on our adventures is top priority. Knowledgeable dog owners who love to travel probably know that while it’s all good fun for your furry copilot to hang out in the passenger seat, that’s actually not the safest place for them. In case of an accident, sudden stop, or other travel mishap, the safest place for your dog is in a crate that has been secured down with a seatbelt or other strap. Don’t believe us? Just ask the Humane Society of the United States, or Ryno Lieberman, a K9 trainer and overlander who seriously knows his stuff, whether you’re asking about dogs or vehicles.

The 2019 Chevrolet Express 3500 on these pages is more than just a home away from home on wheels for Lieberman. It’s also his main method of transportation for his K9s and all of his gear, including the bite suit he wears at police and military trainings. Though it wasn’t his original intention to create a build as custom as this one, his years of experience building custom vehicles with his business, Rynobuilt Rods and Customs, meant that, as he explains it, “[He doesn’t] leave anything stock.” With that in mind, the build progressed faster than he had anticipated, taking only about three months to transform from stock to the totally custom van you see on these pages.

“In case of an accident, sudden stop, or other travel mishap, the safest place for your dog is in a crate that has been secured down with a seatbelt or other strap.”

“Before I even bought it,” Lieberman shared, “I already knew a lift, wheels, and tires were going to happen quickly.” Those tricky gateway upgrades… they always lead to more. Before even taking ownership of the Chevy, he’d already purchased those. It wasn’t until bringing it home to Missouri, though, that the adventure really began. “I drove 4 hours away and came home with it,” he tells us, before stripping out the interior and “spraying lizard skin everywhere.”

Beginning the build

The build truly started out with lots of wiring, as well as custom metal and woodwork. All of the van’s modifications and many of its accessories, including rock sliders, swing out spare tire holder, roof rack, and ladder, were done by Lieberman himself though Rynobuilt.

The van serves multiple purposes. It’s Lieberman’s daily driver, but it also carries his K9s and training gear as well as being a fully livable overlanding basecamp. It mostly stays close to home, but Lieberman has made several high-mileage trips in it, including 1,800 miles out to Vegas for SEMA Show 2022, where the van turned quite a few heads at the MB Quart booth, including ours. We first got the chance to take a tour of the build last year at SEMA Show, and this year we caught up with Ryno and the van again at MOORE Expo 2023. There, we talked about some of his recent upgrades to the van and snapped some photos around the event space. Just like the first time, we’re still just as impressed with Lieberman’s dedication to building such a purposeful and capable vehicle.

As Lieberman explains, “Being able to expose a wide range of folks to my different styles and cues,” has been a major advantage of the build. He finds himself in the middle of the metaphorical Venn diagram between overlanders and dog people. Basically, “The K9 crowd has lots of vans, but none are built out like this and livable, and then the overland crowd [has] dogs but not a secure spot to keep their pets safe.” Lieberman and his van are the bridge that connects the two groups – and he’s absolutely doing it in style.

“All of the van’s modifications and many of its accessories, including rock sliders, swing out spare tire holder, roof rack, and ladder, were done by Lieberman himself though Rynobuilt.”

Practicality – and safety – first

Since the Express is Lieberman’s daily driver, and he has K9 pals with him more often than not, lots of thought went into designing the van to be as safe and practical as possible, not sacrificing on either front. Between its totally custom interior and bulked-up exterior, this van is truly ready for anything. At its base, Method Race Wheels 312s wrapped in 17-inch Toyo Open Country A/TIII tires keep everything rolling smoothly. Rear lift springs and front coils elevate the suspension, paired with trimmed fenders and a relocated bumper, give the van enough clearance to handle any obstacles it encounters with ease. In the event of a mishap or rougher terrain, Viair onboard air is available, located in the factory spare tire well. Safety upgrades on the interior also include custom crates for Lieberman’s K9 companions.

“The van serves multiple purposes. It’s Lieberman’s daily driver, but it also carries his K9s and training gear as well as being a fully livable overlanding basecamp.”

While he did build the van with practicality in mind, Lieberman wasn’t going to give up on comfort, either. His seats and steering wheel don custom suede and leather covers, while a queen-size bed platform takes up space in the rear of the cabin. A set of custom drawers hold gear and his bite suit securely during travel. It’s one good-looking interior, too, with butcherblock countertops and a copper sink.

Rounding out the interior of the rig, there’s no shortage of tech anywhere. It’s business in the front, party in the back, with a Redarc Manager 30, MB Quart nav, and Midland radios on the dash and custom rear sliders holding a Snomaster fridge that keeps all of Lieberman’s drinks cold in the rear. Plus, wakeboard speakers mounted outside and Hifonics amps and subwoofers inside make the van a serious sound machine when the time comes for a party.

Rugged Exterior

Ok, so we’ve talked about how the van is prepared for safety, work, and even a party, but what about some off-road adventure? That’s where its exterior upgrades come out to play. Outfitted by Rynobuilt, the van is terrain-prepped with rock sliders, a swing-out spare tire holder, roof rack, and ladder. An upgraded and relocated front bumper from MOVE Bumpers houses a WARN EVO 12K winch. Up top sits a QuickPitch roof top tent and awning that provides plenty of shade for Lieberman and his K9s. Storage boxes, also from QuickPitch, give Lieberman a convenient place to store any accessories needed, no matter what the day calls for. Hiese LED headlights, taillights, and light bar round out the exterior, putting out more than enough lumens to keep visibility high.

Mission Accomplished

Keeping his K9 companions safe on all their journeys, whether for work or play, is of paramount importance to Lieberman. That’s the inspiration behind this build: it’s a perfect down-for-adventure rig that also keeps pups safe and him comfortable. He’s continuing to travel this year, growing his business, and even testing out a new Land Rover build. We can’t wait to see where he heads next.

You can keep up with Ryno Lieberman and Rynobuilt on Instagram @rynobuilt.

“lots of thought went into designing the van to be as safe and practical as possible, not sacrificing on either front”

UPGRADES

2019 Chevrolet Express 3500

Engine: 6.0L V8 with JBA Offroad exhaust system

Suspension: Chevy 10.5 differentials; 4:10 nitro geared with Eaton TruTrac; 3-inch spindles with 2-inch coils, front; lift springs and Air Lift Performance air bags, rear

Wheels & Tires: Method Race Wheels 312 Method Bronze Matte Black Lip, 17×8.5, 4.75-inch backspacing; Toyo Tires Open Country A/T III tires, 285/70/17

Interior Accessories: custom suede- and leather-covered seats by Trujillo Auto Trim; custom bed platform; custom dog crates; butcherblock countertops; copper sink; custom pull-out sliders; Snomaster Dual Zone Low Profile 651 fridge; Redarc Manager 30; Rebel wire harness; JVC and MB Quart GMR navigation systems; Midland Radio MTX 575; Hifonics Alpha amps and subs

Exterior Accessories: Hiese LED headlights, taillights, light bar; WARN EVO 12K winch; QuickPitch storage box; Rynobuilt rock sliders, swing out spare tire holder, roof rack, ladder; MOVE front bumper; sound system with wakeboard tower speakers; powder coating by Rocky Willis Powder Coating

Additional Modifications: Front fenders trimmed and front bumper moved to increase clearance; removed spare tire to house batteries and Viair onboard air; QuickPitch RTT, awning, storage boxes; custom flip top storage for k9 stuff on top of sub enclosure

Editor’s Note: A version of this article appeared in TREAD Nov/Dec 2023.