Tiller

Maybe... I'll definitely look at them. Thanks for all the ideas!

The first shot is from the driver's side sliding door. This middle seat will eventually be covered by a floor panel that can be removed or folded out of the way. The second shot is from the passenger side sliding door. I should have access to a good size storage area here.

Below I have installed the first piece of flooring. It's not totally cut yet to it's finished size. But I wanted to get something bolted in so I can use the car for transport. I hope to build out the floor next weekend. The right hand side will have a 6" step/storage built in to to make it easier for the dog to load up.

So in the above shot is where I decided to add washers to the floor bolts. I'll go back and add them before I'm done. Below the first shot is where the front of the frame was bolted to a middle seat bolt. The middle support on the end is not not bolted to the floor. The added cross supports added more than enough added support.

Finally started to work on mods for my Titanium. I'm outfitting this to haul my SAR dog and my SAR gear. I had a few goals in mind when I started. 1- Be able to restore for resale someday... maybe.. 2- Maintain capability to have a least one rear seat so two passengers can be handled 3- Maximize hidden storage area to keep SAR gear out of sight. 4 - Be able to put out sleeping bag and sleep in van. I have other things as well but these drove this set of mods I'm posting. I first removed both rear seats and the passenger side middle seat. I wanted to build a raised floor with storage underneath. I saw in this thread http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/5542-diy-roof-rack-for-under100/#comment-15382 the use of uni-struts for a roof rack and that gave me the idea of using them for the supports of the raised floor. I was able to bolt the unistruts to the floor using the same bolts from the seat holes. While the bolt heads are big enough, I recommend adding a washer to them because the heads are just barely larger than the hole cutouts in the uni-struts. After trying a few configurations i decided on the layout in the photo below.

Sorry, I haven't been back in awhile. :-( I haven't yet decided on what lights I'll add. Since I will use this for search and rescue I'm probably going to have some type of exterior lighting for area lighting which will probably be mounted in some manner to the roof rack. I'll also have some extra interior lighting and an inverter. So I might use these as maybe master shut-offs. I'm just now beginning to start working on mods. Been researching and evaluating right now.

Yes. I think I could even take the current blanks that are in there and drill them for either for a toggle switch or push-button style switch. I like the small toggle switch idea as it would put less force impact on the plastic blanks then a push-button style.

Thanks for the pictures! I want to see if maybe I can get some of those switches and wire them up for aux. lighting. Now I kind of know what I'm looking for. Thanks!! Tiller

I probably have things similar or exactly like some of those. But not all of them. Where to you get those? Do you have a link to them? Tiller NEVER MIND: I found them! Thanks! http://www.tooltopia.com/otc-tools-6642.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=paid_search_google_pla&scid=scplp6824503&sc_intid=OTC6642&gclid=CJaL0YeOqM8CFQ9ahgodIDwNIg

What!? No Coffee or cappuccino machine? Definitely having a one cup Keurig coffee maker in my TC as STD equipment some day! Tiller

thanks Don!! I'll let you know what happens!! Tiller

Has anyone removed the lift gate interior panels from a Titanium? I want to install some LED's on the lift gate so when the lift gate is raised, I can flood the rear area behind the van with light from above. This means routing wires from the fuse box and into the rear lift door. Being able to remove the panel would be a big help. Tiller

My guess is the frame was tweaked one way or another. It would explain why he had driver side door issues. I know there are places that can straighten frames but its not cheap nor always reliable. Once metal has been bent, it's always going to be suspect unless reforged. You might want to buy it back. you might find a market for the parts just here on this forum!

It does happen. Rare yes. Most FF'ers and LE will go out of their way to avoid that. And yes..the dog is usually either scared, or just protecting its owner(s).

I've just got my TC last week and it's primary purpose will be for hauling my dog. I can only recommend that you use a crate. The crate should be fastened down securely as well. Right now, because of the new TC, her crate is not fastened down yet and I hate traveling with her. There are some horrific pet restraints on the market and there are no mandated testing standards for them. Some were tested a few years ago and resulted in extremely serious "injuries" to the test dummy dogs. The worst one resulted in decapitation of the dog. http://www.centerforpetsafety.org/test-results/harnesses/2013-harness-crash-test-videos/ http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/10/pet-restraints-may-be-inadequate-in-a-crash/index.htm Also, as a first responder to auto accidents, we have, over the years seen pets get loose after an accident. We've also seen them killed in accidents. The worse, is when a dog has to be killed in order to provide assistance to trapped or injured patients. We make every attempt not to, but it has been required on a few occasions. Hopefully as I get my mods started this year I'll post some of them.

Reminds me of my Toyota Mini van! This is a stock photo. Mine was "copper" colored. Way back in 1984. I actually really liked that van. I was able to fit two large dog crates in that plus gear. Also had a utility trailer I used for a motorcycle hauler to go with it.

Thanks! I tried to get to that video but it was via the Ford site. It kept telling me it wasn't applicable to my car. :-) Now I gotta figure out what the second button there is for. Craig

I'm actually thinking of doing that. What I'll probably do is take the pop on panel cover in that head liner which I think is for optional dome lights and I'll get my handy Dremel tool out and modify it for 4-5 switches and figure a way to mount it more securely. But my first project will be Don's auxiliary fuse box. But I think I'll put one in the rear cargo compartment for some rear accessories I have planned and I'll add a second one up front I think in the passenger side, floor compartment under the seat. The one upfront I'll power directly from the battery, maybe via cable underneath to the battery. The ignition trigger line coming from the cargo fuse box. That way the 40 amp circuit in the back can be used for the rear accessory fuse box. Otherwise I'd be limited to the 40 amps combined on the two accessory fuse boxes. Instead, I should be able to have 30 amps available up front and 30 amps in the back. If I understand correctly what Don did.

What is it Auto stopping and starting? :-) Tiller

Right behind the shifter, on the climate control panel there are two switches on the drivers side of the midline. They are switches for the defrosters. To the right of the midline in the same spot is an identical space for two switches but in mine there is dummy cover there instead. What optional equipment gets installed here? I can see switches installed in Don's pic but I can't make out what they are for. I'd like to but switches in here and use the owner installed mods. You can see where I'm talking about in the pic.

I'm not planning on removing the compartment behind the front seats. Pretty much using it as is. I'm know I won't be doing any welding projects! :-) I want to be able to return the vehicle back to stock as much as possible if I decide to trade it in or sell it. I've been looking at the customization's of course. One of the reasons I bought this. Any raised floor I put in will probably be designed to take advantage of existing anchor points.

Don, I probably will be looking at doing the fuse box project first. Did you consider using the floor compartment under/behind the passenger seat for the fuse box location? I got to see if i can find anything that will fit in that space. I'm thinking of using that location and running the wires from the rear fuse box either underneath the vehicle or under the side panels along the floor. Your fuse box that you referenced says it's 1.6" in height. (out-of-stock) so I have to find it elsewhere. The compartment seems to have at least two inches of clearance. And that would be before I cut the carpet so I can mount directly to the metal.

Thank you both for replying! Sorry it took so long for me to get back. Crazy weekend. Anyway. I'm trying to decide on exactly what lights and system I want to put in. I have two objectives. Lighting up areas around the vehicle to use as work areas is probably the primary one. But I don't want to go crazy and I don't want to look like some nutty lights crazed guy. Right now I'm actually toying with the idea of only putting some work lights on the cross bars of the roof rack. The cross bars look pretty easy to add and remove and I would simply install them before I left on a call. The second is a few blue lights. I don't need to use them very often. A few times a year maybe. Max once a month. I'm planning on hidden grill strobes for sure. Then maybe visor area lights. Fifty150 - thanks for the posting and lights. I really like the switchbacks!!! Might try to use something like that. I appreciate the concern on the interior lights. My problem is two fold though. One, I'm not crazy about mounting roof lights or roof bar. I could possibly add a light to the cross bar of the roof rack. Secondly, I live within 10-60 minutes of 3 different states besides mine. I'm often out-of-state, almost on a daily basis. I can get in trouble in other states for just having the blue lights on the car. Most of the time the officers don't hassle the out-of-state FF'ers unless they have reason. But why push it? So I'd like the blue lights to be very discreet. Don: Do you know what switches or item mounted in the overhead storage system that you did your wiring through? I'm wondering if there are any switches specifically built for that area? I included a picture of my overhead. You can see the oval cover just above the mirror. That's where I'd like to put some work switches. Thanks! Craig

I just got a Titanium and I'm looking at adding a couple of things. I think I can add a standard 4-switch set in the headiner storage section, (behind the sunglass compartment). Does anyone know if I have to run the power to this area or is there already wiring there for it. I see an upfitting wiring harness for these switches. Does that harness simply reside in the headliner or does it need to be run to the fuse box? If I have to run it, how is the trim removed from the passenger side pillar to run the wire? I'm planning on adding a visor line of blue lights for fire and search response along with embedded grill lights and I want them switched control. I also plan on mounting some LED work lights as well on the exterior as well. And in the overhead storage area I also want to install a scanner and a two-way programmable fire radio.