Fifty150

Nice work. You should get some safety shoes. Or at least some socks for your bare legs. What if you drop something? Like the circular saw you were using to chop the mirror mount?

Those just stick on. Peel away the waxy paper strip, and stick it on. The dealership tech finally used some sort of weatherstrip adhesive in a tube, and it held better than the low quality adhesive it came with.

You just have to wire it. In today's day and age, consider installing USB ports.

The cardboard lower skid plate will protect it.......I hope.

Where are these "tabs"? What is a "tab"? Is it a part of the windshield gasket seal? I am trying to imagine what this looks like. Does anyone have a parts diagram which shows tabs at the top of the windshield?

Sorry. I was thinking of the aftermarket drain plug I was using. I drink.

Point taken

I refuse to Facebook. Period. Some think it is because back in the old days, Zuckerberg was a regular visitor to certain bathhouses, and now he acts like he doesn't know me and that we haven't seen each other take a bath. The truth is that I'm very much in support of free speech. I refuse to participate in a cancel culture forum which believes that they have the right choose who gets to speak, and who doesn't get to speak. The only way for me to empower myself against Facebook's selective censorship, is to refuse to participate. They won't be able to sell information about me (which is how they really make their money). Facebook sells ads, and sells information about you to other companies. Facebook is probably the world's largest marketing research database. I would rather let this forum sell information about me.

I got an inexpensive camera set from eBay. I mounted it on the roof, right above the windshield, centered approximately with the steering wheel. The drivers side viewpoint corresponds with the OEM backup camera on the drivers side above the license plate. Since the windshield was already blacked out, I used duct tape and secured the power cable right down the windshield edge in the groove where the weather seal is, slips right alongside the hood hinge, and to the fuse box. To run the RCA cable for the video feed, I drilled a hole through the roof and headliner. I mounted the screen on the dashboard right in front of the steering view, to simulate what I would see if the windshield weren't spray painted black. Now the only problem is that it's a backup camera, with a reverse screen image. I have to turn left when I want to turn right.

In snow states, the entire underbody turns to crap together.

On my truck, there is a similar part called an "axle spindle nut". The factory torque spec is 295 ft lbs. Stamped right on the part is "do not re-use". People re-use them. People do not install with the proper torque spec. The wheel bearings go out. But in the case of the truck, it is also rumored that it was bad engineering. Some say that the truck's weight is just too much for the little bearings. Some say that the OEM sourced bearings are poor quality, and that you can get better quality from aftermarket companies Centric and Powerstop. On this particular model, the bearing is built into the brake rotor - as a 1 piece assembled unit. The bearings always go out way before the rotor warps or the brake pads wear down. When the truck was still under warranty for the 1st 5 years, the dealership replaced the OEM Ford Motorcraft brake rotors and pads 3 times - after technicians confirmed brake noise and less than desired stopping performance. After the warranty, I installed Power Stop brakes. They lasted longer, and stopped better. But the bearings also gave out before the pads wore down and/or the rotors wearing beyond useable. As I look around, I don't see a lot of aftermarket performance parts for the Transit Connect. Has anyone found aftermarket front end components which are suppose to be an upgrade?

After the Firestone scandal, Ford used Hankook as an OEM tire. I've driven on them. No complaints from me. But I have yet to drive on a tire which was so great that I became a fan. I still buy tires based on pricing.

Or aftermarket parts which aren't very well made. When I was a kid, my dad always went to Grand Auto & Scherba's because they sold parts for less than dealership prices, and offered the lifetime warranty. A lifetime warranty on a cheap aftermarket auto part. Auto parts stores used to offer "lifetime warranty" on all sorts of parts......water pumps, alternators, universal joints, drive shafts.........Not because O'Reilly's or Auto Zone sells superior auto parts. Their parts are terrible compared to OEM parts. Most people don't own old cars long enough for those parts to fail again, and again, to take advantage of the warranty. If you replace a water pump at 200,000 miles after 20 years, you probably won't own that car for another 5 years or drive it another 50,000 miles. Does Pep Boys install OEM parts?

Last week, as I was in Sacramento working on recalling Newsom and electing Caitlyn Jenner as the next Governor, I noticed that there was a terrible reflection on my windshield. Right before my very eyes, was the Krispy Kreme I got for free because I had a vaccine card. Erik Estrada, who was riding in the 3rd row, behind the tinted windows, said that his cousin Stevie might know a guy. So we headed over to NYC to see what's up. Stevie's guy was up in Calgary, and couldn't enter The US, because Canada hasn't vaccinated him yet. The only thing to do was go over there. He had the fix. He had this spy coating for the glass which eliminated the glare and reflection 100%. Now my windshield looks like this. By now, Bruce Penhall was getting grumpy. His wife kept calling, and nagging him about what time he was getting home.

The windshield seal is not it. Water doesn't travel up. Most likely entry point is 1 of the holes in the roof. Maybe all of the holes. On a cargo model, from the inside, you can actually see water coming in from the plastic cap. On some Ford cars, there is a drain tube. It clogs. You can buy all new caps. They will leak also. My plan is to lift the caps, clean off the surface and the cap, apply a ring of sealant, then reinstall the cap.

That could change with North American production. Mexico uses the same size plate as USA.

With a rear wheel drive van or truck, you want the weight over the rear axle. On the Transit Connect, with the configuration the same, where you have most of your stuff behind the sliding doors. Unfortunately, it's not a rear wheel drive truck. With the Transit Connect, the same amount of weight would be better distributed evenly along the floorboard, between the front and rear wheels. Sort of the same way 5 passengers are in the middle, with the weight of only 2 passengers above and behind the rear wheels. Is there any way to reposition your equipment or tool racks to shift some of the weight forward towards the middle of the van?

Sorry Children

Now you just need to photoshop a tent on top.

I would use aluminum framing. It's light weight, and incredibly strong. Measure to exact needed lengths, and easy to cut. Very easy to bolt together any size platform you want, with as many cross pieces as you want.

It depends on your setup. If you have 2 crossbars, then add a third, that could help. Adding a 4th cross bar, may be even better. Imagine that it's like a ladder, with more rungs. Look on the roof of the van. There are black plastic caps. Under each cap, is a hole. I don't remember, and I'm not going outside to look. As I remember, those holes will allow you to mount at least 4 cross bars. I don't want to discourage you. Just keep in mind that you are trying to put a lot of weight on a roof which is fairly thin and not designed to be load bearing. However, the roof is designed to be safe in case the van rolls. Keep in mind that one of the reasons for the rooftop weight recommendation is not that the roof will collapse with 200 pounds of cargo. The problem is safe operation of the vehicle. You and your wife wanting to sleep on the roof of the van is not the problem. The problem is when people load the roof racks with building supplies and tools. That much weight at the top of the vehicle changes how the vehicle brakes and corners. Not to mention that people load hundreds of pounds of lumber and ladders.....but don't know how to properly secure the load. That's why you see ladders, plywood, sheetrock, and 2X4s all over the side of the road. Get a ladder. Go up on the roof of the van. Get a feel for how soft and collapsable the thin metal roof is. Climb up on the roof. Stand up. Maybe take a chance, and jump up & down few times. It's not crazy. It does give you an idea of how strong that roof is, and help you really decide if you want to add the weight of 2 people, plus the weight of the rack system. This system can mount to the roof of any vehicle. Drill holes and rivet. Where you need to be concerned is that those are small rivets, and the strength or weakness of 1 rivet could change your experience. Those rivet anchors will be fine for light cargo, a couple of bicycles, etc. But imagine 2 adults on the roof of the van, and you're putting weight on the rivet. A commercial product like Adrian Steel uses holes already built into the van's body, and has support rails which distribute the weight across the roof from front to back. Most likely with 1/4" bolts, not rivets. On the Adrian Steel rack, you can also add more crossbars. On this system, you could easily install 4 cross bars. Then add whatever platform you want.

For me, that works every time.

You have a 2019, so the sensors should not be bad. But it could still be a probability. I can't imagine that all of the sensors are bad. Impossible that all your sensors have failed. You could rotate the tires front to back, then start all over again.....and this time, the driver side front will have a good sensor. Then work your way around until you get to the bad tire, which would confirm that sensor is bad. Since the van does enter sensor training mode, I want to believe it's the sensor. But, it could still be the van. The van needs to read the sensor, and it may not be reading the sensor. If all else fails, put the original wheel and tire set back on the van, and let the dealer figure it out under warranty.