money_bagski
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Everything posted by money_bagski
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For some reason Ford filled the area under the seat with a 4" thick foam material. I ripped the foam out from both driver and passenger sides and covered with kilmat.
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We all know Ford was not thinking clearly when they made the storage space under the floor impossible to get to. And then when you get to it, it uses space inefficiently (as far as campervans are concerned). I ripped out the front support beam that takes up so much space and replaced it with a custom support beam made out of recycled bed frames (with the help of my Dad). Then I built a floor on top of it in 4 sections. In hindsight the floor should have utilized the van floor instead of more angle iron. The side supports are cut to shape and held in place with more bed frame (angle iron) I have to move the seat all the way forward to access, but it provides nifty storage. I eventually finished the side supports with wood stain and gloss. I cut the original van floormat to not overlap the plywood, then I put a layer of mass loaded vinyl MLV on top of it all. Van is currently in the shop. Will post more photos later upon request.
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The fear of toxic fumes was too much for me so I returned the GC2s and bought 4 75 AH AGMs. The plastic step doesn’t fit anymore so I’ll have to extend the floor.
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The height of the GC2 batteries (golf cart) is a bit of an issue. You have to choose a battery that will clear the floor piece. Long term plan is to replace the entire supporting structure down there to give me easier access and more room. And a wood floor.
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I could get the weize to work and was able to return it. Disillusioned with lithium I went with 2 225 ah flooded lead acid 6v batteries wired in series. I have more than twice the ah, for a little less money. Downside is of course weight, longevity and water maintenance. I’m ok with it considering I’ve ruined 2 batteries already.
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After working in the van for 2 days with minimal driving my battery was practically dead. I had a 2 hour drive ahead of me so I thought it was the perfect time to measure charging effectiveness. After the first hour of driving I had gone from 12.2 to 12.5v. After the second hour it got to 12.7v. I was disappointed. I expected to be at 13.5v —full. The next morning I woke up and turned on my led light connected to the battery. Nothing. I couldn’t believe it. The voltmeter/usb outlet light was off. I was worried that the vehicle battery may have been impacted. Strangely as soon as I entered the key in the ignition the voltmeter turned on at 11.7v. My understanding was that entering the key did nothing and I had to actually have the engine running to connect the batteries via the relay. I drove 2 miles and it was somehow back to 13.1 which quickly settled to 12.9. I am very confused. Maybe the bms shut off the battery during the night for some reason? Maybe my relay isn’t working as intended?
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I got tired of looking at the bare walls so I decided to do something about it. For almost 3 years I had considering how to attach panels to the wall without losing headroom (I’m 6’ 3”). I decided on 1” foam insulation board decoupaged with fabric and held in place with the decorative duct tape. Since I was covering up the walls, I decided to go ahead and do 18 sq ft of kilmat.
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The key line pro isolator stopped working when I switched to lithium battery. The lithium battery rests above the cut off of the isolator so the isolator stayed connected until enough juice transferred back to the start battery to drop the voltage below 12.8. My solution was to use a wired relay. When the engine is running the relay connects the 2 batteries and disconnects as soon as you turn off the engine. There are people out there who swear that charging lithium batteries off the alternator will ruin the alternator. They claim that because the lithium doesn’t resist a charge that the battery will suck up more juice than it should. I obviously don’t believe that. I connected my battery charging cable to an open 80 amp spot on the van (see earlier post) which means that anything it does has to be played by the ECU. I will of course report back if I blow up my alternator in the middle of nowhere. I tapped into the big yellow wire on the passenger side. It powers something right behind the passenger sliding door inside the van.
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I bought these roof rails off of Amazon Crown Remanufacturing to fit Ford Transit/Tourneo Connect LWB Roof Rails+Cross Bars Full Set 2014+ (Silver) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D715JS6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_Y0Z4WF61H0QGTB2A830K I initially installed them about a year ago. Since then I discovered that they leak. So I uninstalled them and used some butyl tape to prevent the leaking. I also discovered a small amount of rust under the plastic pieces. I sanded and repainted. I think the trick is to not over tighten. I put some lock tight blue on the bolts and just snugged it down.
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I replaced the stock front 12V outlet with a Blue Sea outlet connected to my house battery. I work from the front seat, so its nice to have power right there. I think it required a T35. It was not very difficult. I also utilized a space for an outlet at the rear of the center console. I made it a USB with voltmeter so I can monitor the battery while I work and charge my devices.
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Fan tastic fan installation today. I used a home depot jigsaw blade for thin metal. Drilled to get it started, then finished it off with a file. I'm letting the putty tape settle before I apply the lap sealant. I didn't want to frame it on the inside so I just cut the bolts. I plan to cover the cut bolts with something. Definitely moves a lot of air.
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Here is the stock ford light I mentioned. You can tell its on the driver side.
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I ordered some curtains off amazon and the fit fairly well. I tied a fisherman's knot to a d ring on both sides to make it tight. It's easy to stuff the side of the curtain into a hole in the body to make it more private. I'm happy with how it turned out.
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Here is the passenger side panel. The outlet labeled 12V is connected to the vehicle battery and the front 2 are connected to the house battery. Here is the driver side panel with the rocker switch for the light. I ordered a ford light to keep the stock look. This one is mounted opposite to the exact same light that comes on when the door is opened.
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Here is what the battery and isolator look like. I secured the battery by myself and it shows. Good thing is no one will see this. We placed the fuse box so that it could be accessed from the stock fuse panel in the stock plastics. I took out those boards because they took up too much space. I wired up 2 blue sea 12v outlets and 2 2.1 amp USB outlets and one light switch.
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I finally got around to working on the electrical system. I went with a Keyline Battery Isolator and a 100 AH Renogy battery. A friend in the SoCal area helped with the install. He did a great job and is willing to work on other vans in the area. The first step was locating this bus bar under the computer, and then under the "fuze box". There was an open spot with a 80 W fuse where I connected my 15' 4 gage battery cable. Next we routed the wire through the engine compartment and underneath the van to that secret spot in the middle of the van and sealed it off with some RTV. We were able to route the cable into the cab through an existing hole. We just had to push out a rubber grommet. Here you can also see where we grounded the battery to an existed threaded hole in the van.
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OK So i finally started the build after owning it for more than a year. ? I don't know all the detail of the build, but I know some of the stuff. Instead of trying to plan every last detail in advance I decided to just get started. 1. I bought a couple 4x8 sheets of cardboard from a local shipping supplies store. $18 2. I already had various cutting tools for the cardboard. 3. I cut out the templates fairly quickly. It helped to have extra. I was able to make 4 4x4 panels which translated into 4 tries to get it good. 4. I bought a Black and Decker jigsaw off Amazon for $50 5. I bought a 4x8x0.75 sheet of unfinished birch at the home improvement store for $50. I had them cut it into 2 4x4 squares. 6. I took it home and traced the cardboard templates onto the back side of the birch 7. I i got to cutting. It was way easier than expected. 8. There was one existing threaded hole near the top of the panel. I marked it as best I could on the board and drilled it. It took 2 tries. 9. I screwed in each panel with only one bolt. Eventually i'll need plus nuts or riv-nuts to put in more bolts. 10. I already had basically all the plastic removed. I wanted the boards to be resting on the floor of the van in order to support the most weight possible. 11. I threw back in the foam floor mat. The edges are going up the sides of the boards. Once I feel like everything is good I will cut the floor mat to fit. I do not intend to put in a wood floor. 12. I went to the hardware store and purchased a T40 torx bit to remove the panel behind the driver seat. 13. I cut out a section of foam and took some measurements as that is where I intend to put my battery. 14. I searched the interior for Ford's Customer Connection Points like they put in the full size transits, but the TC doesn't appear to have them. I wanted to charge my battery with the CCP. 15. I searched the inside of the engine compartment for a place to put a solenoid. There is very little room and this part of the job is very intimidating to me. Still not sure where it will go. 16. I searched the van for a path to bring the cable from the solenoid to the aux battery. This is also not obvious. Anyway, that's where I am. Very interested in hearing how others are charging their aux battery with the alternator. Next steps include: 1. Making cross beams between the 2 boards to put my elevated bed. 2. Making some kind of contraption in the front to support the bed. I'm thinking 80/20 as much as I can. 3. Getting all the electrical bits installed: fan, switches, lights, charging ports, etc
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PM'd you. But for the benefit of others: Make sure all the stuff on your handlebars are rotated to give it the lowest profile. Mine will fit without compressing the fork, but I compress the fork anyway just to make it a little easier. To compress the fork I loop a ratchet strap between my aftermarket front disc guard and the fork.
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The center console is still there. I don't feel the wheel chock is necessary. Tie down's to the pegs and the rear wheel seem to be good enough. I'm not even using the ones on the forks anymore.
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Here is the current strap setup. I plan on making all custom straps with the high quality cam buckles and swivel locking caribiners.
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- motorcycles
- motovan
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I bought a white 2019 Transit Connect XL for 24K on 5/3/19. I got the tow package, cruise control, and SYNC3. My long term goal is a modular set up that allows it to be both a camper van and a moto van without a lot of hassle. Moto Van Requirements: Able to secure my 2008 WR450F without it bouncing around on a dirt road (a second dirt bike would be nice) Able to fit riding gear Able to fit camping gear Campervan Requirements: All equipment removable for motorcycle hauling purposes Lightweight for the mpgs and modularity Pretty wood and cool design for the future lady Secure for when leaving valuables at a risky trailhead Able to sleep 2 Immediate goals: Floor mats Sun shade Equipment for securing motorcycle
