[lincolnjbutler]

Hey! I checked my door sticker and it said I was a cheap rascal and got no LSD. Could you let me know where the Christmas morning sticker is located because I'm a bit unhappy and would like a different answer.

I'm heading down to Quadvan next week to get upgraded to 4x4. He offers front and rear lockers at $1100-ish (each) so I'd say that was quite a sweet surprise for you to discover it on your van.

Well It sounds like your Christmas sticker is just hiding at the other end of a $1100 check. The eaton true trackers will be better than the OEM anyway. I saved myself $1100 this year, but I'll probably have to replace the clutch-style LS at some point.


Hey while you are at Quadvan getting a 4x4conversion, see if you can get a 2-for-1 deal. You pay for two conversions, I get one for free!

What a deal.

 

[MCQ]

Also added a Link connection from the CCP to charge the Yeti while driving. The connection required making a 17 foot cord from 4awg welding cable, which was no trouble. However once the cable was run and ready to plug in, I realized the Link charge module contained no indications of the polarity of the EC8 connections on the back on the unit, or any associated wiring diagram. Being an input connection, a multi-meter could tell no stories. If i plugged it in I had 50% chance of liberating the magic smoke from the unit. Goal Zero in their infinite wisdom (wisdom regarding how to best separate you from your money) wants you to buy their proprietary cable and boot plug connector. It is insulated like an extension cord so you can't easily tell how the terminals are wired from pictures. I would have loved to have just bought their cable, and be done with it, however their options were a 2 foot cord or a 12 foot cord. I needed 17 feet. I was never good at the maths but I am fairly certain 12+2 doesn't not equal 17. I called tech support, and after being on hold for an hour, they were not sure the polarity of the EC8 either. They told me that someone from the engineering department would contact me. They never did. I got tired of waiting. Luckily "a friend" took "his" link module apart and traced the wires inside to figure out the polarity. If anyone is interested, the positive terminal faces the open vent on the back side of the unit. I plugged it in, no magic smoke. Inputs 450 watts at idle.

Great workaround! Any chance of getting a few images of this link connection fab?

 

[lincolnjbutler]

Great workaround! Any chance of getting a few images of this link connection fab?

sorry, I didn’t take any pictures when I installed it.

 

[lincolnjbutler]

Finished the build a year ago. The van now has 9000 miles of washboard roads under its belt, and hasn’t rattled Itself to pieces...yet.

Now to install a ridiculously expensive bumper and fog lights...and a full-size spare tire somewhere.

.

 

[bitburger]

Great pictures!

My van is a Quadvan now. I had them add the Aluminess spare tire holder. $1250 installed.

It seems like the other options would be store it uninflated in the original underbody space, inside the van or on top. None of these appealed to me.

He suggested turning the old spare tire space into an underfloor store box with an access hatch inside which would be nice but I didn't take it up.

 

[lincolnjbutler]

Great pictures!

My van is a Quadvan now. I had them add the Aluminess spare tire holder. $1250 installed.

It seems like the other options would be store it uninflated in the original underbody space, inside the van or on top. None of these appealed to me.

He suggested turning the old spare tire space into an underfloor store box with an access hatch inside which would be nice but I didn't take it up.

What timing. I just spent the morning stuffing my extra large KO2 in the extra small under body spare carrier. Are you spying on me?


I will say it sort of fits. Its going to reduce my departure angle for sure, but it is still higher than the diff and shock mounts. It is definitely not ideal. I had planned to put it on my roof rack, but once I was holding all 90lbs of it, I decided that might not be very fun hauling it up 10 feet. I am going to try it out underneath for now, but I will probably end up giving Aluminess another mortgage payment for their door mount. Does quad van keep them in stock or did you order it ahead of time?

My aluminess bumper just just arrived this morning in a big @ss crate. $425 shipping. . For that price I was tempted to road trip to San Diego to pick it up myself, but they told me if I picked it up in person I would be subject for a $225 California tax. Between the tax and the gas it would cost the same. I may attempt to install it tomorrow. If I don't respond in a few days, I am probably stuck under the bumper, or died of shock from adding the cost of the bumper and the shipping together.

 

[lincolnjbutler]

Aluminess Front Bumper Install.

major surgery.

fin.

It is done..... and everything hurts.
New levels of contortion have been reached in the name of Vanity....(rimshot)
I hurt parts of me I never knew I had.

I needed multiple 12” drill bits, an angle grinder, a BFH, a sacrificial flat head screw driver, and a sawsall to take the old bumper off, that part wasn’t bad at all... It was putting the new bumper on that turned out to be a real good time. Took a bit longer than expected. I needed multiple 19mm wrenches, at least two 19mm sockets, with every size extension money can buy. Every size. If you‘re even thinking about putting this bumper on, you buy every extension you see from this point forward. Every one. The job would be made easier with a periscope, a map of Narnia, impossibly long yet slender fingers and arms that are also magnetic, And most importantly, being made only of unossified collagen...And if your are bolting it up alone, at least one torn serratus posterior and three direct abdominal hernias will be required. Then you should be good to go. Easy.

 

[bitburger]

I had planned to put it on my roof rack, but once I was holding all 90lbs of it, I decided that might not be very fun hauling it up 10 feet. I am going to try it out underneath for now, but I will probably end up giving Aluminess another mortgage payment for their door mount. Does quad van keep them in stock or did you order it ahead of time?

Quadvan has them in stock. It seems like a popular option. That said, when I asked about door sag due to the weight of the tire on the door, John didn't think the Transit door hinge was very durable. His experience with the commercial Transit vans showed hinge problems.

 

[lincolnjbutler]

Quadvan has them in stock. It seems like a popular option. That said, when I asked about door sag due to the weight of the tire on the door, John didn't think the Transit door hinge was very durable. His experience with the commercial Transit vans showed hinge problems.

That is good to know. It would cost me less to have it installed by Quadvan, then get it shipped from CA. Thanks for the info.

Interested to hear how you like the door mount. Did John at quadvan mention that the rear mount caused problems for any of his customers?

 

[lincolnjbutler]

I should mention that the Aluminess front bumper has some design changes from the models sold for last ~5 years. There is much more protection of the sides, and gives an improved aesthetic . I will post pictures when I get a chance.

It was a challenging install, and comes with very very vauge instructions, however the bumper is really well made, and the new design of the sides look much better on the transit.

The bumper can be purchased with Hella 500 halogen fog lights. I wanted to install LEDs, so I bought the Hella 500 LED driving lights seperately. Unfortunately the LED version of the Hella 500s have a different size diameter (~1/2 smaller diameter) and different mounting brackets than the halogen version. The do not fit well into the fog light enclosure or work with the mounting tabs. Just an FYI. I thought all 500s were the same dimensions, this turned out to be wrong.

 

[bitburger]

Interested to hear how you like the door mount. Did John at quadvan mention that the rear mount caused problems for any of his customers?

John mentioned that the doors had durability problem and that adding 100 lbs to it would only increase the probability of issues. That said, the rear door carrier is what he is offering if you want to go with the bigger tires. Note that the e350 aluminess rear tire carrier was a swing away that could work separate from the door but the Transit model is somewhat different, the rear tire carrier is attached to the door and doesn't swing away.

I'm waiting to put some dents in my current bumpers before I add the aluminess version but thanks for the experience and pics.

 

[Kabouter]

I would check out the Owl Van door mount. I think they are behind on production because their website does not show any Transit stock. But htey normally have it and I think they have the best solution.

 

[Ruadhrigh]

I would check out the Owl Van door mount. I think they are behind on production because their website does not show any Transit stock. But htey normally have it and I think they have the best solution.

Owl Van is out of the Transit game

Door Mounted Spare Tire Carrier

Looks like there are some more options now. Owl Vans: https://www.owlvans.com/transit/transit-tire-carrier Aluminess: https://www.aluminess.com/2015-2019-ford-transit-rear-door-tire-rack/ Any one have experience with either? Would be nice to see how far the door can open with one installed.

www.fordtransitusaforum.com

 

[lincolnjbutler]

Finished making the brackets to mount the LED fog lights.

Here a picture of the sides that have a new design. There is no longer an exposed washer fluid reservoir.

 

[bitburger]

If you are still looking at getting an intercooler skid plate, take a look at this build.
Sportscoupe installed the Vancompass skid plate. He did a nice job on his overall build as well.

 

[Kayakerandcat]

Found a lightly used van: 2016 Transit 250 3.5L EcoBoost with 12k on the clock, LWB, Mid Roof, factory equipped with an extra-slip differential and engine compartment irrigation system. Owned by an 80 year old woman, all highway miles, always garaged, she changed the oil every 60 miles. She said she used premium gas and only used it for Sunday drives and the occasional kidnapping. Muffler bearings and headlight fluid recently replaced.

Then I took this pristine vehicle (did I mentioned it was all highway miles) and immediately cut 3 large holes in it. I took extra care to ensure that the metal shavings got everywhere, and only measured once, because measuring twice is a sign of weakness.

After I sufficiently destroyed the resale value. I filled the holes with windows and a roof vent, that will later provide enough water damage to ensure the vehicle is a total loss.

Since I was previously driving a mini cooper convertible and did not know how to operate a vehicle longer than a standard roller-skate. I immediately installed stereo backup cameras.

Then I decided the empty van was not flammable enough, so I stuffed it with 60lbs of rattle trap, and enough extruded polystyrene and spray foam to make sure if it ever caught fire it would be roughly the mass and temperature of a sun and burn for a few billion years.

Now that the potential inferno could keep me warm all winter, I focused my attention and putting down a subfloor, which I anchored directly to my gas tank and brake lines for added support.

Then I put up a ceiling, while sparing whatever height I could since I am large and my van is medium. To add framing to attach the ceiling panels, I riveted joining plates to the roof supports, and connected them with furing strips that run flush up between the metal supports. Then used wainscotting panels for the ceiling-- an idea I lifted from Skagitstan's build. Thanks Skagistan.



I installed 4 LED puck lights from amazon. They require a 2.25'' hole. I have a 2 and 2.5" hole saw, and about 5 other sizes, none of which are 2.25''. How am I going to cut those holes? So I drank a beer and pondered this. Then after finishing the beer I realized the beer can was exactly with diameter needed for the hole. So I used it for a template, and enlarged a 2" hole with a dremel and coarse sanding bit to match, I then did this 3 more times. Cut a 2" hole. Drank another beer. Used it as a template, and sanded it out to match. Threw out the can. Drank another beer. Cut and repeat. I could have easily just used the light as a template, but that would have been way less fun. My 6th hole was perfect, its too bad I only needed 4.

With the ceiling done, I added the bed platform, which I finagled from harbor freight ATV ramps. The bed is quite sturdy, as the ramps have a 1500lb capacity. So that means minus my own weight I have room for a 1275lb girlfriend... or two 637.5lb girlfriends....Its good to leave your options open.


Now on to cabinets, countertop and wall panels.

OK, you are now officially my favorite van builder...sorry Surly Bill!!!!! Don’t tell my husband. Once I stopped laughing (boy, I needed that), I found some brilliant ideas - those joining plates are a great one! LOVE your ceiling!!! Need to spend some time with all this. Get ready for questions. 😂 😍

 

[Kayakerandcat]

Build list according to priority:

1. buy van. check
2. IMMEDIATELY INSTALL CUSTOM HOOD ORNAMENT! CHECK!
3. Pick up beer. check.
4. Pick up more beer. check.
5. Build everything else. Che....almost

Bed is finished, trimmed, and ready for anything.

Installed some custom cabinetry designed by a small boutique Scandinavian cabinetry company called Ikea. I further customized the cabinets by adding 400lbs of VHB tape, nails, screws, construction adhesive, wood glue, lag bolts, regular bolts, angle brackets, tears, hammer blows, mental breakdowns and yelling. No level, plumb line or square was ever consulted, because references are only for people without this level of pure talent. Unrelated: For some strange reason my drawer fronts don't line up that great. Weird. Must be a manufacturer defect.

Cabinets installed. Next I needed a counter top. Pre-fabed laminate counter tops were running between 150-200 bucks, and butcher blocks countertops were in the same range. Both weighing a metric [email protected]%$-ton.

Living in Oregon, I figured I could get a live edge slab of wood for a similar price and weight. I went down to Oregon Wood Mill in Salem, picked through their hundreds of slabs and found a nice 96"x19"x2" piece of free-range, organic, non-soy, gluten-free, dry aged, conflict-free, farm-raised redwood (sequoia) for a 100 bucks. I carried it out under one arm, its about half the weight of laminated particle board or butcher block. I used Tennessee cedar to make a back/side splash, and have covered it all in enough Spar Varnish to macke suer eye weill nevir reade goode agayne. The stuff smells like confusion and makes my face feel numb.

After putting a few coats of varnish on yesterday morning, I regained consciousness and spent the remainder of the day anchoring that thing to the frame. This way I can make sure it doesn't become a scud missile the next time I stop short at an intersection.

"Did you hear? Jack Died"
"What happened?"
"He was decapitated.... with some really well finished wood. It was beautiful, it didn't even scuff or scratch as it severed his vertebrate"
"He must have used Spar Varnish."

Also of note: While attaching the backsplash to the countertop with a bradnailer, one of the 2inch nails went into the cedar, banged a sharp left, exited the board, sailed through the air, entered my left thumb approximately 2mm lateral to the nail bed, completely exited the thumb midline on the front surface, then sailed back into the cedar where it thankfully remained for the rest of the incident.

Two inches of bent nail passed cleanly through my thumb without touching bone or thumb nail. That was like hitting the lottery. There was a tiny entrance and exit wound, a little bruising in between, but no damage. It hurt for like 10 minutes and I was back to firing more nails with little regard for safety. I'm typing with it right now. WIN. WIN.


Now I am going to work on some wall panels.....
QUOTE]
OWWWIIIEEEEE!!!! My God, I’d give a tooth for that piece of live-edge! 🥰 Pays to live in Oregon...also because it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. My hubbie’s getting annoyed by my loud guffaws. So refreshing to actually laugh these days!!! Please tell me about those window frames!

 

[Kayakerandcat]

Purchased in April, the white whale is finally ready to leave the harbor. It was erected out of half a ton of VHB tape, tears and empty beer cans. Only the trim work around the sliding door remains. Oh yeah and a **** load of wiring. But those are July problems. Mattress has been ordered. If it arrives by the weekend, Moby dick and the captain will be heading into the far depths of Cascadia.

‘Tis a thing of beauty! Oh to explore Cascadia in such as this! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

 

[Kayakerandcat]

No More Ice! A major victory for Cap’t Ahab and the crew.

Is that Paulina Lake??? Oh man, you’re killing me! Stuck here in Wisconsin trying to build this van!

 

[Kayakerandcat]

Thanks, I look forward to the angry DMs.



Here is some advice. For Van building the most critical skills one can learn are as follows:

1) Master the rhetoric of telling others how you have done things only the best way.


2) Photography and Photoshop. Why spend countless hours measuring and planning when you can rely on distant camera angles and post hoc editing to make edges join and give you that "finished" look? Want people to take an interest, and not notice half-assed build quality? Include a scantly clad female somewhere in your photos.


3) Rather than actually use your new vehicle, spend a good portion of each week debating the finer points of Van insulation on this forum. After you have been convinced that your van needs an R rating of 1x10^19 to achieve proper efficiency and comfort, design a layout that can insulate against absolute zero. Because if the van can't maintain temperature in zero kelvin, you're a hack. Your van is not going to be very comfortable if you plan to leave earth orbit, while boondocking on the moons of Jupiter.

4) Roughly half of all comments and suggestion you will receive will be aimed at trying to sell you something you don't need. Ignore them.

5) But definitely buy all the stuff I have for sale on my Ebay page. Your going to need all of that.

6). Secure the **** out of everything, use two methods of fastening whenever possible and isolate every joint or connection with some form of foamtape. Washboard roads will eat the van alive.

7) You can spend your entire life building out the perfect van, or you could spend your life actually using a less than perfect one.


8) Use the thing to take trips before it is finished, this will give you a better idea of what layout works for you and where you want hooks and storage, and electrical etc. Its much harder to change this stuff after its fully built out.

9) Most Van advice is self serving. Listen to none of it, especially what you just read, this is no exception.

10) And lastly remember to drink lots of Bitburger, Radeburger and Konig Pilsner while building it out; its very important to stay hydrated, you wouldn't want to cramp up while using power tools. That could be dangerous.


~Cap't Rehab.

[/QUOTE
Number 7!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏