sarah.thib Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 (edited) As an avid outdoors and mountain biking enthusiast, I wanted a small van in which I could sleep in to facilitate and enhance my weekend adventures. I stumble upon a brand new 2019 TC that was already a bit converted (minimalist set up, but still), so I jumped right in and I haven't regret it! The initial set up allowed me to start using the TC as a little campervan right off the start which was awesome, but the optimization-design-comfort-lover in me wouldn't settle forever with that set up... So I made a mid-term iteration plan to get the van to my perfect set up, slowly but surely. Here's how it goes: PHASE 0 (aka what was already included in the initial conversion) Duration: 0 weekend, 100% completed Interior paneling finition Sofa-bred module (including 2" mattress) Amovible table Side and back windows Curtains tailored to each windows PHASE 1 (easy, quick and mostly necessary add-ons for the van's purpose) Duration: 1 weekend, 100% completed 2" Hitch at the back Bike Rack (Sportsrack 2 bikes, but upgraded to Panache T6 in 2022) Roof bars (Thule) Solar/roof shower (Yakima RoadShower, 10 gallons) Awning (GoXplore) Roof cargo box (Thule Pulse Alpine) Interior roof light switch (so that it doesn't turn on in the middle of the night whenever I open the door) That Thule roof cargo box also didn't make the cut in the next phase, although I loved the extra storage, I loved even more the solar pannel. PHASE 2 (body work and not-so-fun stuff so that my dog can stay cool in the van during summer) Duration: 2 weekends, 100% completed Sound deadening (Kilmat) Insulation (Thinsulate) Ventilation (2 Maxx Air Dome fans) Lighting (4 DEL 12 volts lights) Plumbing (23L water container, small electric pump and faucet) Solar panel (1 Renogy 100w) All-in-one battery (Goal Zero Power Station, 1000w) Secret flooring storage (backseat feet area of the Passenger version is unused/covered in the Cargo version) Even if I love the dark look, the interior space being so tiny, It just made the interior feels even more cramped. So since I already have to remove all the panels for this phase, I figured, eh, why not just pull out the black carpet finition and paint everything white. Looked less "finished" than before, but I knew this was only temporary. PHASE 3 (Interior finition and added storage) Duration: 2 weekends, 75% completed Roof & wall panelling (5/16" x 3" x 8' lambris) Overhead storage in the cabine (not shown in the pictures) Added Reflectix to the curtains (not shown in the pictures) 1.5" suspension lift kit New all-terrain summer/four-season tires is we can find something that fits! (got advice? comment away please haha) *Wow! Now it's starting to look like a tiny home ? PHASE 4 (New slide out sofa-bed & kitchen counter construction) Duration: 2-3 weekends, 0% completed Slide out sofa-bed construction Kitchen counter construction with a sink (finally) Refrigerator (probably an Iceco 12volts model) *Sorry for the few french notes, but I figured you would get the idea anyway! * ADVICE REQUEST ABOUT TIRES/SUSPENSION LIFT * I'm looking to buy new all-terrain tires for this little baby and I'm not exactly sure up to which tire profile I can go. The original tire size is 215-55R-16, but I would like more sturdy, heavy load capable and good looking tires. Last time I got towed, the guy told me the original Continental tires were not rated for such heavy load (considering the bike rack, bikes, fully loaded roadshower, etc.). I was thinking of these Falken Wildpeak or these BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain, but they got high aspect ratio which worries me a bit event if I'm thinking of adding a 1 to 1.5" suspension lift kit. Got tips? Please help this is waaaaay out of my comfort zone! Got questions? Don't hesitate, I might add product links and more specifications if there's an interest. That's it, I hoped this can be of use to you somehow ? For more photos and future updates on the van conversion you can go checkout my Instagram account @sarahthibo ! Edited March 23, 2023 by sarah.thib SierraVans 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted March 21, 2023 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Welcome to the forum. Congrats on your new TC. All your mods look very cool. You've done a lot in a short amount of time. Re tires, over the years there have been a sprinkling of posts on Geolander tires for offroading adventurers. Do a Search on those to get ideas. See the thread below as well. Good luck! sarah.thib 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah.thib Posted March 21, 2023 Author Share Posted March 21, 2023 Hey @windguy thanks for the reply! I've had this TC for 3 years now, but I just decided to document its transformation here (better late than never hehe). I'll definitely look up the threads about lift and AT tires, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah.thib Posted December 20, 2023 Author Share Posted December 20, 2023 Update: project completed! Here's a sneak peek photo and you can see the van build recap here. Full detailed post coming in soon :-) mrtn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted January 7 Share Posted January 7 That's a lot of work. Very impressive. High 5. sarah.thib 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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