Bill Jackson

Yes I downloaded a copy for my 2012. It may not be very different from the version you already have if you had a first gen TC. There may be new information on the SYNC system for the sound system and the different versions of traction control. Not much critically different.

Great recommendation from fifty150. I should have seen his recommendation before I did all the work I have done. I built out an L shaped couch/bed system that is removable piece by piece. All of the cushions are hand made and backed with 1/4" ply for support. The frames/supports keep everything 1 foot of the floor so that there is plenty of storage. I will post pictures.

Ditto on the government vehicle advice, I found mine at a commercial vehicle wholesaler about a year ago. The wholesaler had trouble selling it for a premium price because it "wasn't plain white" as most contractors prefer. I had just left a Ford dealer who had many of the Gen 1 vans with the same mileage as mine, but at premium prices. Mine was a 2012 with 72000 miles on it and painted blue and gray. It was in service at a shipping port as a security vehicle which means upgraded charging systems and scores of 12 volt outlets throughout. Spent most of its time idling to keep the passengers air conditioned or heated / or slow cruising the yard. Great gas mileage and plenty of life left in it.

I apologize if I'm stating the obvious but for me the key to focus on is that in these newer vehicles we're running a low viscosity oil 5w20. That means that we will be spending more money and attention to the issues of keeping seals and gaskets in pristine condition. Put some of that 5w20 on you hand and rub it around....pretty thin stuff. Much harder to keep contained under pressure - like in a running engine - unless the engineering, machining, assembly and seal placement and care comes up to a much higher standard. Just my thoughts.

I have always had that problem with my 2012 with 85,000 miles on it. I'm not seeing any oil leakage. The smell just comes and goes and many times it happens even after a short trip. I have recently taken the van on a 600 mile round trip. The smell seemed to dissipate after a couple hundred miles of driving. Must be some small amount of seepage somewhere in or around a seal. Thanks for bringing this up I will look closer at the seals you have mentioned above.

That's what I did for nine months with no consequences. In my experience the cooling system in this particular model of little van has enough extra capacity to keep the needle from moving even with a little defect. Just my experience.

Yes, makes a great seat for someone to navigate from. Also we find we have more lively conversation like we're sitting side by side and can see who we're talking to. My next project is a folding L shaped couch/bed. I really like SemperKeith's design...everything folds out of the way. Thanks for the interest and encouragement....makes the van work a lot more fun.

Wow! Never in my life have I had a vehicle that anyone asked for a photo. I love the TC van and I enjoy spending time improving on it. Well here goes. I really like the polished look of the install done at the top of this string. Mine is still just assembled and not yet covered and finished. As I said I got a jumper seat from a new F250 and after many fails decided on rails two feet apart using super-strut and their fasteners. On the Gen1TC you need to be very careful before drilling/screwing into the floor - the passenger side is all gas tank from behind the rear seat footwells to the rear axle. I was able to attach the rail at front and back under the false floor up front and through the floor in the back. Just crawl under there and pick your locations carefully. The seat I chose was a bit narrow - my back seat passenger would slide back and forth on the vinyl. So I built a small frame for armrests and extra side cushion...choose the widest seat you can find. With just a few turns of a wrench I can loosen this seat to move, remove or turn it around. Then I can torque it down tight for a passenger - when torqued you rock the whole van if you do a push test on the seat. Exactly what you want. Please post comments/questions/suggestions for improvements. Thanks to Fifty150 for asking.

My 2012 TC had that issue. I inspected everything....I mean everything and found nothing. Then one day as I looked through the engine compartment from an unusual angle to the back side of the radiator I saw a little orange discoloration on the radiator fins. Van had 72,000 miles on it and some of the fins were leaking at the seams/creases. The van had spent most of its life as a port security vehicle at the Port of Norfolk. I can only guess/assume that at some point those fins may have been bumped, gouged, scratched by a mechanic or a curious person looking under the hood. The salt air may have done its work to the damaged fins. Just my guess. I had the radiator issue remediated and the smell is gradually going away. Who knows how much residue may be on assorted parts of the engine/body from the long standing process of decay. I may be opening a can or worms but here we go.....make sure you have the system filled with the Ford branded Orange fluid or a product that you have verified to be an absolute equivalent. I had some challenges with an abundance of conflicting opinions about that. I finally went to the dealer and gave up a few dollars....tired of hearing yet more, more, more than I wanted to hear about types of radiator fluid.

I did something similar in my 2012 TC cargo. I picked up a jumper seat from a brand new Ford F250, the seat was removed by the dealer to be replaced with commercial vehicle equipment. The seat had a built it lap and shoulder belt and it folded flat into a cup holder/table like all truck front jumper seats. After months of head scratching I too settled on superstrut and all of their attachment hardware to securely attach the seat to the van floor and yet have it easily repositioned, turned around, or removed when need. Just four bolts loosened and the seat can to moved or removed easily.

Yes it does help. There is nothing like the thick rubber backing of the carpet laying directly on the floor and lower sidewalls to cover any pin holes to the outside and items inside the van that would rattle/vibrate against the bare metal.

Fantastic TC conversion. I have seen your TC on the web better than fifty times and while researching for a design for my 2012 I kept coming back to look closer at what you did. I am still looking and learning. So far I have learned to: 1. Leave the headliner alone. It was designed by professionals for the van. Though it is not fancy it works; I doubt I could design and fabricate something that will look better. 2. Leave as much open floor space as possible - make everything fold up out of the way. You may end up with more floor space than the big vans with all of the cabinets, bathrooms, kitchens and permanent bed platforms eating up every square foot of foot room. 3. Use sheet goods for your cabinetry - they cost $ but use less hardware to become sturdy and rattle free. 4. Repurpose metal framing for the bed frame - I bought some used metal foam mattress foundation frames. 5. Let your upholstery be your insulation and keep it removable so that it can be cleaned and eventually renewed with fresh fabric. Wayfarer vans has a kit that takes this concept to the limit. I'm sure I'm just scratching the surface of the obvious. These things have been gleaned from pictures of your design. Would you please share with us your wisdom gained from designing and building your van. What to avoid, how to thing about using space and creating storage areas.... Thank you so much for posting the pics and especially the build process. You've taken a different approach from the everything-big-and-built-in crowd. You have a very versatile yet comfortable van with room to move around in bad weather.

I just went to the overstock store - Ollies Discount - and bought sixteen commercial two-by-two rubber backed carpet squares. They fit perfectly on the 4ft by 6ft floor of the TC with no cutting and I can just flip them from carpet to rubber when I want to carry something messy. I left the vinyl liner that came in the van in place. If one square get too soiled or even ruined by oil, liquids etc. I just throw it away and replace it; that's why I bought so many of them. They also provide great insulation for the floor in the winter time..

Read many posts regarding non OEM tires for my 2012 TC. Bought my TC with Cooper tires on back and Continentals on the front. Good tires for a truck/van right? So I thought. While shopping to replace the original mud/snows I ended up at Sam"s Club two miles from my house. The prices for most brands were within 10 dollars per tire. I spotted a set of Pirelli P4 Plus in stock. Consumer Reports rates these tires at 90,000 plus miles. I thought "well this is not a sports car so why would I buy Pirellis for a cargo/camper van?" My answer - they're the same price at this shop as all the other tire brands and they are rated well for poor weather. I bought the Pirellis......you can not even image how much the handling has improved. As for durability my experience so far is that they wear like iron and ride like silk.The van used to handle like a buck board wagon. Now, less road thump, much less noise, great traction dry, wet, or ice/snow. When I point the van in a certain direction it actually goes there, takes some getting used. Just place one hand on the steering wheel and point - awesome. Buy performance tires and get performance....image that.