davidparker

I suspect that the camera is an aftermarket camera. The original equipment camera does not have an RCA style output. Ford Part No.: FT1Z-19G490-C The bad news is that it cost $325. Hopefully, that will be all you need.

I haven't taken mine apart to know for sure and mine has the barn doors so it may be different. But, it does look like the washer nozzle is part of the motor assembly. The wiper arm has a slot in the base that allows the nozzle to shoot the water "through" the arm onto the window. My guess is that someone installed an aftermarket wiper arm and had to cut the nozzle off the motor to get it to fit.

It certainly will be cool! Please do let us know. We love pics!

So others may think differently, but IMHO @175k it is not worth the effort to radically mod it. I get the 200k with "body on frame" vehicles and the incremental cost to keep them running. But TC's are throw away at end of life. Just my opinion.

First off, its a unibody car frame. So lifting is going to be really expensive. If you just wanting to turn it into a mini-camper, there is a lot of info here. The gen 1 (prior to 2013) has more headroom and a leaf spring rear suspension but they are getting up there in mileage. Most folks are going for the gen 2. Its weakest link is the transmission. You can read about that here as well. Some folks are getting over 200,000 miles, but Ford only designed it for 150,000. They have a high resale value because for their size (and price), they can do a lot. After looking at your pics, I don't think a Connect will work for you. You might be better off with the full size Transit.

This thread has me thinking about pulling mine out and silicone them back in.... That way I know they won't leak...

Take a look at the transmission threads, its the weakest link in the drivetrain. If it was my vehicle, I would drain and fill the transmission fluid to be safe. Other than that you should be ok. The original roof rails are too expensive to add afterwards, but there are several aftermarket solutions. It really depends on what your wanting them for. Thule has a lot of different carriers that fit their rails. you may want to check them out. Agree with @G B L , a trailer hitch is a nice addition.

You may want to check these out. I have a set for the front (cargo van) and I really like them. I have used them in other vehicles, so I am a repeat customer. https://www.lloydmatsstore.com/rubbertite-floor-mats

If its not a leaking roof rail (or plug if you do not have the rails), or the radio antenna, it may be the windshield.... In this post: https://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/7409-water-on-passenger-footwell/

I don't know if the TC bearings require "packing" with grease.... But, when I was first learning about cars, I changed a wheel bearing but didn't know how to properly pack the bearing. It failed about a month later.... So it may not have been the bearing that failed, just the installation. Here is how...

Sounds like a wheel bearing to me. Disengaging the clutch or turning changes the load on the bearing and therefore the amount of noise. And if one has gone recently, the other one is certainly suspect.

I have been on both sides of this fence. I had a pickup truck that I took to the car wash once a year in the spring (to wash the salt off) and a hot rod that I washed weekly and waxed about six times a year. My motorcycles get washed often, but only waxed once a year (They are a PITA to wax), I have only had my TC for a few months, but the first week I had it, I gave it a good wax. While doing so, I was surprised to find a build sticker still on the roof! Apparently the dealers don't wash the roofs of vans. Anyhow, my plan is to hand wax it at least twice a year and wash it about every two weeks. As @Jaymz said, I have started using 303 protectant on the plastic and I really like it. It seems to hold up better than others I have used. I'm a fan of Meguiar's products ( I used the professional glaze on the hot rod), so I will be using their basic cleaner/wax on the TC. I agree with @BSUPC about Dawn detergent, not good! I use cheap powdered clothes detergent. A few of my hot rod buddies, swear by it. It seems to work ok, but I am not as sold on it as they are. But it is really cheap! I don't plan on cleaning the engine bay often. Maybe once a year. I probably will just use a simple degreaser like Simple Green. I have used Gunk engine degreaser aerosol spray in the past, but its a little too strong for normal maintenance. @Fifty150, I think I will give your method a try. It might get me to wash it more often. Getting the step stool out to wash the roof, tends to cause me to find something else to do!

What a waste of a beautiful 1959 bel air!

I keep a roll of TP in a waterproof bag in my tote. I guess that makes mine a true Oh Crap tote!

Congrats on your new TC and welcome. I know I like mine, so I am sure you will. too! A lot of plumbers use large diameter PVC pipe mounted on the roof rack to hold pipe. Depending on the size of the reels on your fishing poles, a 4 or 6 inch PVC drain pipe might hold them out of the way. You could mount the pipe inside using the holes in the roof supports or outside. Definitely consider a sun shade for the windshield. That monster piece of glass up front provides a great view, but really catches a lot of sun in the summer. (Bugs and stones, too!)

Yep, I hear you. I spent some time researching it. Here is a link to an aftermarket lug nut with the shoulder on it, for future reference. Dorman 611207. It turns out that my stock lug nuts are two piece with a cone that spins on the nut. They seem to work ok for holding the cap on. However, my caps are from a Crown Vic Police Interceptor which has a 114mm bolt circle. So I had the bend the tabs down to the 108mm. They seem to be staying on. There are a couple of guys on the Focus forum that are running them. I'm not sure if they would work with the Ranger caps you have pictured. Your spikes are definitely cool, but I would probably hurt myself on them!

Congrats on your purchase! Hey look at the bright side, get all the bugs out now and it will be trouble free forever.

I have had to do this on an old hot rod I built. First you have to find a good connector the same as what is damaged. That is probably the hard part. Junkyards can be a source. Then with an ice pick or paper clip pull out each of the individual terminals in the connector. Then its a case of cleaning up the oxidation of the terminals/or replacing them and reinserting the terminals in the connector. It is a big pain. If the connector wasn't visible, I would have just spliced the wires from the salvaged connector.

LOL Yes sir, but I realized I was getting too old to compete... It just wasn't fun anymore.

Well not much of a story. I was living in Kansas City and we had a two week period when the jet stream dipped down from Canada and brought negative temps and snow. My diesel tractor would not start so my wife and I had to shovel the driveway by hand (it was a large one). We both had jobs that we could not call in, so we had to clear it to get the vehicles out of the garage. During the first snow fall and driveway clearing, she twisted her back and was out. The next three snow falls, I was on my own. So the exact moment occurred halfway through the fourth shoveling when my feet slipped on the ice melt from the last snowfall and I fell on my butt. At that moment, while still sitting on my aching butt, I yelled out loud "THIS IS B*** S****". Got up finished the driveway and starting making plans to move. A year later I was in South Carolina.

It was one of those day in Kansas City, that convinced me to move! I still remember the exact moment when I had enough...

I haven't like the hubcaps on my 2018 XLT, since the day I bought it. (They reminded me of snowflakes!). So after a little bit of research, I decide to go with center caps and possibly trim rings. Originally, I was going to go with black wheels, but it looked too much like a cop car. I still haven't decided on the trim rings. But I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

@Eddy Kilowatt - Sorry you will have to wait to get your ride back. But a 3 year old vehicle with a free, rebuilt transmission sounds like a good deal to me! If it takes another 60,000 to crap out again, you win!

Ford considered 150,000 miles as the "life" of the vehicle during testing, if that helps. A few members have gone beyond that. As with anything mechanical some miles are harder than others....

Have you checked the level of gear lube in the transmission? If its low, it could cause some sticking. You might have lost some fluid during the clutch change.