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DonShockley

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Everything posted by DonShockley

  1. I did the the USB & Power Point addition to the overhead liner also. The writeup for that project details the routing I used. USB and Power Point in Overhead Shelf
  2. If you add a piece of wider solid lumber like a 2x4 to the flatter plywood and then cut the slot into both, the width of the pin would add a lot of side to side support. You could make it longer front-to-back and deep enough so it rests on the bottom of the bracket in addition to the pin. Basically, think about trying to get as much contact as possible between a solid wood base and the bracket, with the pin just being used to hold it down. And oversizing it slightly so it wedges into the bracket would help also. Of course that might make installation and removal more difficult. FYI: Although I eventually bought a set of hole punches, before that I used to use pieces of copper pipe or fittings as impromptu punches for holes in soft material where exact sizing wasn't critical. You can sand/file down the edges to get more of a cutting action for firmer materials.
  3. Looking at how the salvage fuse box I bought is put together and comparing it to my installed fuse box, trying to add factory options after the fact is likely to be an exercise in frustration. I would have thought it would be more cost effective to standardize the supply side of the box and add relays, fuses, and the load side circuits as needed. If built that way, add ons would be fairly simple. But comparing the two boxes I have access to, they're not built that way. Each only has the exact wires needed for the existing options and nothing more. And since some of the wiring for both the main power supply to some of the accessory relays and the switched power to activate them are done with additional wires crimped in the existing connectors on the underside of the fuse box, it would be very difficult to duplicate the connections without making a hack job of the existing wiring.
  4. That's what I eventually ended up doing. I've used the RAM bases and arms in the last couple vehicles I've owned. The stock RAM bases were close but not quite what I wanted in the TC. So in the end I used a bit if Kydex sheeting and some trim pins to get a low profile base mount attached to holes drilled in the lower dash trim panel.
  5. I removed the seats from my 2015 Wagon to convert it to a Van and installed a flat plywood floor. Easy to add attachent point anywhere you need them to anchor a cargp net or other divider as needed.
  6. My solution was to add a small accessory fuse box that was originally designed to go on motorcycles. One big advantage for me was the ability to easily make each circuit either swiched or unswitched simply by which side you plug the fuse into. Here's the thread where I detailed the parts used and installation in my 2015 LWB TC wagon. Accesory fuse box insrallation Another benefit for me, but maybe not for others, was the ease of hard wiring my phne charger, dashcam, etc. without having a bunch of lighter plug adapters sticking out.
  7. I had a problem on an F150 about 20 years ago where it would randomly die. Then once towed to the dealer it was fine. Eventually I found it myself by methodically checking every connection. It was a bad ground connection. I forget the exact setup but a ground wire to the frame in the engine bay had stripped threads where the self tapping bolt went into a hole in the frame. The intermittent comnectiom caused by road vibration was randomly killing the engine. A few bucks to replace the self tapper with a SS through bolt and lock nut gave me back a good ground and I never had another problem after that.
  8. Here's the thread where I detailed how I added a small prebuilt accessory fuse box. It includes links to all the parts I used. No switches were used. I just needed to power up phone charger, dashcam, etc. Added My Own Accessory Fuse Box And here's the thread where I showed how I ran wiring from that accessory fuse box to the headliner to power the USB ports. Addded USB Power to Overhead Shelf
  9. Another option is to just move the wire in the fuse box. When I was investigating a salvaged fuse block, I noticed that groups of fuses have their hot side supplied by a common bus bar. And some of these are powered by an already installed relay. So if you have an open slot along one of these switched bus bars, you can move the load side wire to that slot. The little catches for the wire terminal can be a bit tricky to release so you can pull the wire out from the back, but then you just plug it into the open slot.
  10. And here's the parking brake info (BTW: Attachments and photos since the forum upgrade is driving me nuts. Sometimes allowed, sometimes not. I keep having to try different methods until something finally works)
  11. No shop manual but I do have the wiring diagrams for the 2015. Didn't find a reference to the speed signal but here's the page that includes the backup signals.
  12. No need to heat it unless you need to mold it. Just score it 3-4 times using a utility knife and it'll snap cleanly along the line. And a kitchen greenie works great for softening the edges.
  13. I find small sheets of Kydex very hand for all kinds of uses. Mostly for making custon holders for any variety of EDC items. https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Kydex-Plastic-Sheet-Black/dp/B00CBWPC5I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1473386547&sr=8-2&keywords=kydex+080 BTW: Those look like the same sockets I installed in my overhead shelf about a year ago and they've been working very well.
  14. There is some power in the area for the map lights, but I doubt you would be able to tap that for so much power. Better to run a dedicated circuit. If I recall correctly, somebody mentioned the connection for the upfitter harness (if yours included that option) being under one of the rear trim panels near the fuse box. I doubt it's routed all the way to the overhead console. The full size transit has a well designed connector that the matching switch assembly plugs into. I'm not aware of a similar setup for our small Transit Connects. When I was research the upfitter wiring option prior to my TC purchase, my search results often took me to the Transit info instead of the Transit Connect. Since I bought off the lot instead of doing a custom order, I didn't get the Upfitter Wiring option so I had to come up with my own solution to run power to my accessories. That's how I supplied power to USB & Lighter sockets in the overhead shelf if you need more details on the process. Here's a couple photos from those threads that show the existing wiring in the area (the red/black with crimped ends are my wires) and the pillar trim removed. The trim pieces just pull off. The blue pegs fit into the black socket in the photo.
  15. I knew about the wagon to van strip down process on the Gen1 imports, which was part of the reason I went the direction I did. This being my first TC, I wasn't sure which version I wold prefer, and the wagon had some advantages like the extra insulation under the trim which would be a big benefit in the Texas heat. Being unsure of which would fit me best, I figured it would be much easier for me to repeat the wagon-to-van strip down process by removing already installed items than it would be to try to find and install seats, etc. which would be necessart to convert a van into a wagon. Several forum members have started the process of finding and installing seats in a van and have ran into assorted difficulties. I don't recall seeing any threads documenting the successful completion of the process. Although this thread may make it seem difficult since I included all my experimentation and errors, that was more about me taking my time to find what worked for me. And I wanted to use every bit of available space, including the wasted space under the floor extension of the factory vans. Several van owners have posted their own methods of recovering this missed storage opportunity, The reason for posting this thread was to provide a quick and dirty resource for anybody that didn't enjoy the problem solving like I did. Somebody who just repeats the end results by buying the materials listed ahead of time, doing the cuts/floor assembly to the same plans, and does the seat removal and wood floor installation all in one shot could do the whole job in probably 2-4 hours on a weekend afternoon. Quicker if you have help to remove and install the large items. That was the only "hard" part of the job for me, moving the larger second row seat and the large sheet of plywood by myself. It adds a lot of time moving them a few inches at a time until something hangs up and then moving around to another door to free it up. With 2 people to hold everything off the floor while you move it into position, a 30 minute install becomes less than 5 minutes.
  16. Here's the link: http://www.adriansteel.com/item/cargo-vans/accessories/SLPTC
  17. The floor is essentially flat right up to the brackets for the second row seats. I would double check the clearance under the back of the seat with it raised and 'ocked before extending any added floor under the seat. And there would be a two levels if you rwmoved the third row but left in the second row. The TC actually has a nice flat floor woth both rows in and it just costs you 6 inches of height. If it were me, I would either keep both rows or loose both rows. And if you still want the stronger, smoother floor it can still be installed on top of the laid down seats. And strategic hinge placement would still allow raising the second row.
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