bvz2000

Looks very lightweight! I love it.

Pulled from a non smoking, low mileage 2013 transit connect. Very nearly perfect condition (some small wrinkles from being pulled, but they are much more noticeable in the photo than in the real world). Free! (local pickup only. I’m located in the San Francisco Bay Area). Looking to sell your transit connect but the headliner is nasty? Update it and reap the rewards! You can’t beat the price. ?

I used plus nuts (similar to rivnuts but they are bigger and a bit stronger) for my build. The tool I used was this: https://www.astrotools.com/product/13-plusnut-and-extra-long-rivet-nut-setter-kit-metric-sae/ Apparently this tool will also do rivnuts as well. You do not need this exact make and model, but look for something similar. Also, you should use the right nut for the job. If it is not a structural item, rivnuts are fine. But if you are trying to tie down heavier items (like a cabinet) then you should consider using plus nuts. Same idea as rivnuts but they are stronger and have a higher pull-out rating. One thing to note, however, is that plus nuts can wind up spinning in the hole you drill (or in the existing hole of your van if you are using an existing hole). This is because the sheet metal is often too thin for it to properly grab onto. Once that happens, it is almost impossible to fix without getting a power file and grinding the metal plus nut down to nothing and pounding it out again (ask me how I know... sigh). So if you are putting these into your van I would add a washer to "thicken" the sheet metal they are attaching to. Basically get a washer with the same sized hole as the plus nut and put that between the head of the nut and the sheet metal. That fixed the spinning issue for me. I don't think rivnuts are likely to have the same issue because they are rated for thinner sheet metal. Here is a description of plus nuts vs. rivnuts: https://www.pointsunknown.com/blog/2016/10/lessons-learned-rivnuts-vs-plusnuts/ How to install plus nuts: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+install+plus+nuts&oq=how+to+install+plus+nuts&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i20i263i512j0i390l2.3095j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_bOw6YfO-Gp-d5OUPjoWN2As43 (Note, they are using a different tool. Trust me, if you are doing more than 4 or 5 it pays to get the more expensive tool I linked to above). Finally, if you over-tighten the plus nuts (and I suspect this also applies to rivnuts) then you might crush the threads. This is not hard to fix. (start by not over-tightening the nuts... but this takes a few until you get the hang of it). If you crush the plus nut threads just get a tap (a tool used to cut threads) that matches your plus nut (usually named something like 1/4-20) and run it through the nut to "reset" the threads. It might sound complicated but it is super easy. Tap's can be found at any hardware store. Good luck!

For a long list of reasons I won’t go into here, my van was left unlocked overnight. Somebody spent the night in there, smoking and generally leaving a disgusting mess. I want to thoroughly clean the seats. I used a steam shampoo device, but I want to do a deeper clean (it was kind of disgusting). I’ve got the seat out, and want to take the cloth off. I’m stuck on both the armrest (I made another post for that) and the little plastic clips that hold the headrest in place. Anybody have any idea how to remove these? Specifically the little black clips that hold the head rests in place. thanks!

I’ve looked around this forum and found a few mentions that this is possible, one even suggesting that there was a simple clip you could remove with the square pliers. But I can’t seem to get that to work. Can anyone tell me how to get this armrest off?

Aha. these are apparently plus nuts that someone put in. Luckily they were put in incorrectly (never expanded) so I am able to pull them back out. (At least the first one).

2013 TC. I am trying to remove the headliner from the cargo area. I have removed all of the plastic clips, but right above the driver and passenger there are four metal clips that I cannot figure out how to remove (maybe I don’t have to?). Any idea how to remove these, or even whether I need to to remove the headliner? Thanks.

I have a 2013 TC. I purchased an always on backup camera system (I have no side or rear windows). Apparently the two power ports in the dash are always on, which I don’t want. The auxiliary port in the back appears to be off when the ignition is off. So could I wire the dash display unit to the fuse box #174 which powers that rear power point? Thanks.

Didn’t get the wheels. We agreed on a price and a day to meet and then at the last minute he sold them to someone else. but now I’ve done the hard work of learning about wheels and tires so thanks for all the help. Eventually I’ll get something.

Thanks! The seller just got back to me so I think I'll probably go get them.

Found these in my (kind of) local Craigslist: https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/wto/d/santa-cruz-volvo-rims-and-new-all/7216324720.html not even sure if they are still available but I’ve written to the seller. I asked which model they were pulled from (hoping it helps me determine if they would fit). as far as I can tell, they are close to the same outer diameter as the original wheels on my van. (205/50R-17XL) that should equate to 25.071 inch diameter. the original tires on my van are 205/65-15 which is, I think, 25.492 inch diameter. the Volvo wheels are 5x108 but I don’t know the offset or the center bore. I hope to learn that from the model of Volvo they were taken from. my questions are as follows (I’m new to all of this): 1) did I do my math right? 2) do you think the difference in diameter will cause a problem? The Volvo wheels are 98.35% of the diameter of the originals (if I did my math right) 3) if the offset is different, how much difference is acceptable and what are the implications of a different offset? 4) will the ride be significantly affected by the shorter sidewall? 5) is the extra load designation (XL) an issue?(my current van might already have that as well, I can’t remember). I’m not really after 17” rims specifically. I just want something nicer than the stock steel wheels, need new tires anyway, and these seemed nice and a good price. thanks

Thanks again. And good idea on keeping that panel.

You might consider these folks. No idea how expensive they are (nor their availability) but their work looks amazing: https://www.bespoke-creations.net/

I’m with you on that one. Especially the blind spot. Thanks. I think the $125 is probably worth it for me. I have plenty that I need to get done and this is one area that I just have no idea how to even get started. I might see if they will let me watch them do the work. Probably not, but worth asking. Thanks again.

Thanks. I might go for that myself. I could probably do it myself but it would take me three days and I’d be sure to break something. Only one side? Where did you buy the window itself from?

How much did Safelite charge? Did you supply the window or did they source it?

Great. Thanks for the info!

I found one that has low miles and has a decent price. But it is a cng vehicle. I will be using it for long distance trips and cannot guarantee that I will be near CNG capable stations. Can this car (which was presumably converted to CNG by one of the authorized conversion houses that worked with Ford to convert these to be sold new as CNG vehicles) also run on regular gas? And if so, is there any disadvantages to doing so (other than the increased cost and emissions that are endemic to gas versions of the Transit)?

mrtn and 103west43rd, Thanks so much to the both of you for the info (and mrtn, thanks for the effort - its the thought that counts ). With this info I can continue to be totally unproductive as I design a mini RV for a vehicle I don't even own instead of living my life

Hi, My wife and I are looking forward to buying a TC (2010-213 U.S. models) to convert into a mini RV. For the moment the cars are still out of reach for us, but we hope to scratch together enough coins to get one in the next year. In the mean time, I am designing the interior components for when we finally get one. Unfortunately, the one dimension I can't seem to lay my hands on is the length from the inside of the rear doors to the back of the rear seats in the wagon version. If anyone out there has a moment, could you measure the distance at the floor from the rear doors to the base of the rear seats (rough measurements are fine) as well as the distance from the rear doors to the rear seats at the belt-line (window height). I greatly appreciate any help. Thanks!

Thanks again. Good info. I was looking at the one you mentioned. Looks good and though a little pricey, it seems like a decent amount for what you actually get (low miles especially). Thanks for the heads up. I'm kind of resigned to paying about that much for a low mileage version. I'll report back here if I do buy one in the next month or two.

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I have one more question and you guys have been such a help. G B L, you mentioned that the passenger models had a full headliner. Does that include the wagon without the rear quarter panel windows? Aftermarket windows might be my best bet if the rest of the van is more or less the same.

Thanks all. In all likelihood I won't have a chance to interact with this particular seller so I will not be able to get more details. But it was helpful to hear about the standard warranty. Thanks.

I am looking at a used one on craigslist and the seller (a dealer) claims that it comes with a 7 year/100,000 mile factory warranty (it has 80K on the ODO at the moment). Did these vans come with (or have the option for) this kind of warranty?

Will do! I obsessively check cargurus.com and cars.com. Eventually something will show up (I hope ) Thanks again.