windguy

We've been over this issue a few times before on this forum. Believe what you want but I'm convinced my van was imported as a wagon model with seats and belts and converted to a cargo model. My only proof if that where the belts were mounted to the side of the van was crudely touched up with paint on both sides. The side plastic panels also have cutouts for seat belts. Below are two pics of the floor with the extra threaded inserts highlighted. Similar to what JRM223 showed above. Not sure how a second row seat is mounted so perhaps others with a wagon model make sense of the hole pattern. There may be more that I'm not showing.

@mgordon - Great post on your first excursion. It didn't take you very long to get the van setup. Good work. Sorry to hear about your van problems. Crap. Hopefully you'll get that all sorted out and it will be smooth sailing going forward. Car camping in the winter must be cold at night. You have three dogs, so I've got a potential name for your new van. How about "Three Dog Night". Maybe you're too young to remember this band from the 60's/70's but there's some folklore to the origin of the name. Below is a thread regarding towing the TC and references the tow hook as GBL posted above. If you buy one you will never need towing again. If you have a trailer hitch the rear bumper doesn't have a socket for the tow hook. Just the front bumper. https://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/3188-towing-the-transit-connect/?tab=comments#comment-9497

For those not familiar with the footwell area hidden in a cargo van, pic below shows the amount of space available. Plenty of legroom for this jump seat application and storage space.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new TC. Sometime newcomers make a post in the "WELCOME" section so it's easy to find them. You're going to have a good time with your new van. Enjoy!

Thanks. There's actually plenty of leg room right now in that well area. It extends all the way forward. My wife has no problem getting her size 6 feet in but my size 12's have to be angled in, but I'll never be sitting back there. She actually likes having her legs extended on top of the deck. It's like sitting in a low beach chair with your legs on the sand. Very comfortable. The seat back can be angled back a bit so it has some adjustment. The seat bottom has some decent padding. For short trips it will work out just fine. Will report back after it's been road trip tested.

Below are my project notes for installing a jump seat to a Gen 2 cargo van. The need has come up to add a 3rd seat so my wife and I can transport a relative (MIL) about 100 miles. My first option was to strap her to the roof rack as inspired by Lampoon's Aunt Edna scene, but I didn't want to affect gas mileage with all that drag plus she's still alive. The plan is for my wife to sit in the jump seat and the MIL will be in the passenger seat until her dementia aided driving commentary puts me over the edge. Then all bets are off. Might be other occasions to need that 3rd seat but guessing not very often. I needed to find a jump seat that had a low profile since I have a hanging rack above that limits head room. The rack is removable but I don't want to bother doing that unless I have to. I found a jump seat on Amazon that's used for forklifts and it met the criteria of low profile, folding back for easier storage and comes with a seat belt. Vestil LTS-C Cloth Fork Truck Seat with Seat Belt Below is the link for the jump seat. The cost was $122 plus tax. https://www.amazon.com/Vestil-LTS-C-Cloth-Fork-Truck/dp/B0052PNSIY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548552589&sr=8-1&keywords=vestil+lts-c There's ample leg room in the storage area I created and legs can also be extended outward in a more reclined position as an option. I think it will work out okay for short trips. Below are pics of the install that should provide enough detail. The seat was mounted to a 3/4" plywood base that's 18" x 24" using 5/16x1.5" bolts. The base is mounted in the rear to a section of superstrut that's bolted to the van floor using the existing cargo hold-down threads (M10-1.50x80). The front of the base is mounted to the existing holes for the platform (M8-1.25x80). The base is setup to be mounted on either passenger or driver side. It takes about five minutes to install the rear brace and seat so the setup if very easy. Will provide an update after we've had a chance to test it out. Below is the bottom of the jump seat showing the mounting holes available. Below is the top view of the mounting board. The strip of wood gave the seat a little rocker for more comfort. Below is mounting board bolted to the seat bottom with four bolts and fender washers. Below is a close-up of the superstrut. Ends were bolted to the existing cargo tie-down threads. Strip of black painted wood to the right is to cover the mounting bolts not in use. Fits on either side not in use.

Thanks Herb. The panels are actually painted grey to kind of match the color of the van. Not the best match but close enough. Panels are made of 1/8" masonite. Conforms nicely to the curvature and easy to work with.

Thanks for posting the pics in a different format. Very nice job on the panels and kudos for figuring out a way to make brackets to mount that.

@govandlaw - Thanks for sharing - interesting read. Curious to know how the sales are divided between cargo and wagon models. I see mostly cargo models in SoCa and most appear to be fleet type vehicles for repair services. Very popular now. Occasionally I'll see a wagon model but not very often. I wonder if Ford would consider building the TC in the US now that the Gen 2 TC is building some momentum. Sure would be cool to cut down on that long lead time for import from Spain. MBenz is building the 2019 Sprinters in South Carolina now rather than building in Europe and then disassembling for import to the US, which seems ludicrous if you think about it.

Thanks for sharing your tire experience. Very good to know. The OEM Conti's aren't holding up very well for my driving conditions with only 18K miles on them. They will need to be replaced soon. I checked out those Pirelli's on Discount Tire's website (AKA America's Tire for those of us in SoCa). That's the shop I've been going to for the past 10 years or so as I like their service where other places have failed. The Cinturato looks like a decent tire and priced about the same as the OEM Conti's so I'm willing to give it a try. Please update us when you've had more experience with them.

Congrats on your new to you TC. Looking forward to seeing the pics.

@johnBowerbank - Thanks for sharing your project. I added rear panels to my Gen 2. It's a lot of work but worth the effort. See pic below. I'd like to see your pics but can't open the *.heic format. Sorry, I don't live in an iOS world Any chance you can post a *.jpg format instead? Thanks!

I'm guilty of doing things like that so you're not alone. Shows you're human.

@project bike truck - Thanks for the update on your repair. What symptoms did you experience to make you want to get it checked out? I'm wondering if my transmission would need the same. It's not the smoothest thing at times. Makes me wonder if a repair like yours could make things better. My van just turned four years old with only 18K miles so I've got a year left on the transmission warranty to sort this out. Did the techs have problems getting your low rider onto their lift?

@eddy kw - Thanks for sharing your problem. Sorry to hear about your transmission woes but glad you're getting it fixed under warranty. Good luck with the repair.

Sorry to hear about your accident and losing your TC. Bummer! Glad you're okay - most important. I have a 2015 LWB Cargo Van. Below are pics of the footwell area you are asking about. I turned this 'hidden' space into a storage area, which was greatly needed. With the original carpet cut back, which has molded foam that can be quite thick in areas, the depth is about 11-12". The width is basically 48" with two 20" sections and an 8" wide hump in the middle that has a shallower depth. The platform has three pieces: two sections of decking and a brace that bolts to the floor of the van.

@cyberpine - I would also suggest getting a LWB model instead of the SWB. You're really going to appreciate that extra space picking up an extra 16" of cargo length. There are a few forum members with SWB vans but they are in the minority. Not sure if any of them use their vans for camping. I have barn doors in the back of my cargo so I can't speak for a liftgate version, but I doubt you're going to capture much space in there. Same for the sliding doors. Below are two pics showing that with the masonite panels removed.

@desert_connect - I like the idea. Good thought! It would be fun to see different spots around the US and beyond and how other forumites are using their TCs. Maybe the thread should be located in the 'Lounge Transit Connect' (The place for off-topic discussion). Making the thread a 'sticky' so it's at the top of the heap would be helpful, if the moderators can set that up.

@petermboth - congrats on your new van. Please post some pics. I've removed those plastic vapor barriers so I could add sound deadening material to the doors. Helps a lot with road noise. It's easy to peel away the barrier and then put it back when done. The adhesive around the edges has a good tack to reattach. My van only had three barriers, missing was the one for the left side upper part. Not sure why Ford left that one off.

@eddy kilowatt - great looking van, nice color - congrats! You got the van for 1/2 the cost. Very cool! So is this your van or her van?

Welcome to the forum. Are you getting a wagon or cargo model? Regarding the cab area shelf, check out the thread link below. They added the shelf I think you're asking about to the rear of the van.

@wild-surfwood - nice to see the finished job. Great work!

@Fifty150 - glad you got your van fixed under warranty and you're back on the road. That must have been one heck of a pot hole.

jrm223 is spot on. Poster SKiZo added a Fiberine top and it's a very cool conversion. See thread link below

@john - welcome to the forum. There are companies that convert vans for those with mobility issues. I would check their websites to see what van models they are using for their conversions. Best of luck in your search.