Rab Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Hi everyone, I had what you might call a "fender bender" in the USA the other day, where I scraped up the whole side of the van. My van is a white base model, so has the black bumpers. I need both bumpers replaced, and some painting/dent removal done. I have it in the shop doing the dent work just now, but I'm thinking now is the time to put on a bodykit. I'm in Texas, and I don't think anyone in USA sells these, as the van scene is pretty dim - van's are seen as creepy LOL - it seems to be only in the UK (where I'm originally from) where they have street cred. Wondered if anyone could give me some advice on the following: 1. Is there any vendors in USA that stock bodykits for the 2016 Transit Connect - I couldn't find any on google. 2. I'm finding it difficult to find bodykit vendors in the UK even, that would have these things in stock with no lead time - best I've found is http://www.tradevanaccessories.co.uk/blog/ford-transit-connect-body-kit-soon-to-be-released/ 3. I'm looking for something which is only replacing front bumper, rear bumper and sill, and possibly a spoiler that would just bolt on and need painted. I'm not lowering the van and it's running on 17's so not looking to do any arch work. I still need to be able to go into a field now and then with it. I use the van for towing bikes for roadracing, and we often park in fields. I'd love to hear if anyone on this forum has done something similar to their van and if they have any strong recommendations on what I should look at. Thank you in advance. Rab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 13 hours ago, Rab said: - van's are seen as creepy LOL - A van with tinted windows. A van w/out windows. What's creepy about that? Not everybody is a kidnapper. I use mine to collect panties. 13 hours ago, Rab said: only in the UK (where I'm originally from) where they have street cred. I suppose in the UK, and Hong Kong, vans are cool.......watch any HK triad/gangster movie, and you will see large packs of criminals traveling in vans......now is that just in the movies, or do real life mobsters roll in minivans? 13 hours ago, Rab said: any strong recommendations on what I should look at. Rab, How much are you willing to spend? If you're willing to part with more money than the van is worth, then surely you can have whatever your want. I doubt if you'll find an aftermarket kit for a Transit Connect. But a good fabricator can easily sketch out what you want, design it with Auto-CAD software, then fabricate it. Fiberglass panels can be made. 3D printers are available. It's simple finding the right shop to do the work. You've seen on television how car builders can shape metal, mold fiberglass, and practically build whatever they can dream. It might sound crazy to find someone across the country, ship your car there, and spend a fortune. But if it's what you want, seriously, call the guys you see on television. Call Chip Foose. Call West Coast Customs. Try Galpin Ford. Or you might find a local coach builder who works on custom vans, limousines, et cetera. Is there a "tuner" shop in your area that builds "fast & furious" show cars? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Contact Paul Hayes in transit connect'ed facebook group. He seems to be doing fabrication work for Connects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeru Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 My 2014 transit connect came with a bodykit. It’s a custom job, though, not available for purchase. Customization was sponsored by Ford for the 2013 SEMA show when the cars first came out to the US. The body kit is made out of surprisingly thick, formed steel. The guy who made it used an English wheel. This would take a lot of skill to make, and be difficult to reproduce. I like it, but ground clearance in front when going through deep road valleys, I’ve had it bottom out before. The thick rolled edge at the bottom is very sturdy, but any impact is hard on the flexible bumper it’s mounted to, and front-end components, so really don’t want to do that if I can avoid it. It does affect at least a small bit how the car can be used/driven. The car has oversized wheels which I think makes this less of an issue, but am a bit concerned it’s going to be more of an issue if/when I put back the original wheels, (which I’d like to try doing here at some point.) Aftermarket modifications... so much easier to make things worse than they originall were. Hope this doesn’t dampen your enthusiasm. The car is unique and looks nice! Two-toned custom paint job, and custom front grill. I posted a picture in the introductions “sub-forum” if you want to check it out. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Here It Is https://xclusivecustomz.com/product/ford-transit-connect-body-kit/ FORD TRANSIT CONNECT BODY KIT FORD TRANSIT CONNECT BODY KIT £1,395 This is our BRAND NEW Ford Transit Connect Full Body Kit. Completely transforming your 2014 onwards Connect, into this beautiful and modern commercial van. ADD TO CART Category: Ford Transit Connect. Tags: 2014, Ford, Front Bumper, Full Bodykit, New, onwards, Roof Spoiler, Side Skirts, Spoiler, Transit, Van, Xclusive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Chell Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Sorry ... I really am sorry for my attitude and the bad feelings this post will likely generate ... but a minivan with racing stripes !!! ROFLMAO !!! I truly like my T.C. ... but I have no illusions as to what it is. It's a work van or a minivan. It's not a show car, it's not a race car, it doesn't even look that aerodynamic. Racing strips and custom stickers/paint ... lipstick on a pig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 4 hours ago, Mike Chell said: Racing strips and custom stickers/paint ... lipstick on a pig. If I'm going to ride a pig, at least let her be a little pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Ridley Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 It's all very subjective. Americans seem to have no problem dressing up pickup trucks to look like race cars. OLDSCHOOLFOOL and zalienz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Chell Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Oh yeah ... it's just my preferences and opinions. I've never been one to decorate my cars or trucks. I like functional modifications, but wheels and paint/decals to "make it pretty" are a waste of money. Again, not intending to offend ... just my viewpoint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OLDSCHOOLFOOL Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Don Ridley said: Americans seem to have no problem dressing up pickup trucks to look like race cars. Don't let it harsh your mellow, we like to modify EVERYTHING. Edited August 22, 2018 by OLDSCHOOLFOOL add pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonShockley Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 That camera distortion in the first bunch of clips makes it look worse than it appears in the later photos. That side to side narrowing makes the whole vehicle look weirdly tall and narrow. Even in the later pix without the distortion there's very little noticable change with the add-ons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKiZo Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 (edited) Right click on each image and "OPEN IMAGE IN NEW TAB" to get rid of the distortion. I'm thinking it's the board software doing that ... Edited August 22, 2018 by sKiZo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKiZo Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 (edited) PS ... body kits can be nice when done right. Here's what one of my Aurora's looked like ... Edited August 22, 2018 by sKiZo OLDSCHOOLFOOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 6 hours ago, sKiZo said: Right click on each image and "OPEN IMAGE IN NEW TAB" to get rid of the distortion. I'm thinking it's the board software doing that ... Weird. It looks fine on my screen using a desktop computer. But on my pocket size tablet screen, the photos are all stretched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKiZo Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 All about screen resolution. The latest browser tweaks automatically resize everything to fit your screen, and a lot of us old timers use lower res so we can read the type. Fer example, I use 1280x768 here, and the pics are squeezed. Another option is to hold down the CTRL key while turning the mouse wheel. That resizes the screen on the fly, and the pics should show normal at some point - just smaller than if you did the open in another tab thang ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 I love Aurora so much ? I never got one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKiZo Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 Not a practical car, but it sure am fun to drive, especially with the Autobahn kit installed. That takes it up over 300hp and ups the brain's limit to 130mph ... PS ... the Northstar engines have the reputation of being maintenance hogs, but not if you beat on them regularly. Biggest issues is piston seize due to carbon, but take it to WOT every now and then to clear it's throat, and yer good. Here's my current "classic" ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtn Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 They were never sold here. Alero only (POS, which I owned two of). I love the SAAB-like dash on the Aurora. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonShockley Posted August 23, 2018 Share Posted August 23, 2018 14 hours ago, sKiZo said: All about screen resolution. The latest browser tweaks automatically resize everything to fit your screen, and a lot of us old timers use lower res so we can read the type. Fer example, I use 1280x768 here, and the pics are squeezed..... That's what's causing it in my screen. Thanks for the help, it's the first time I've noticed this effect from how I have my monitors set up. I use a dual screen setup with two 24" monitors, one in portrait mode and one in landscape mode. Most of my web browsing is reading so I tend to do that on the narrower portrait screen for less scrolling while reading. This is the first time I've seen this cause a picture distortion on a web page. You would think the software doing the compression to make it fit assorted resolutions would be smart enough to maintain the ratios to prevent such distortion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 I have a TV that I have to adjust the picture, depending on what channel I'm watching. I don't need to watch a spaghetti western version of 3's Company. Nor do I need for Oprah to look any bigger. You would think that all modern electronics can detect and adjust for proper aspect ratio. And with the Google Chrome browser, I can't view certain videos. You would think that a modern browser would have the necessary plug-ins installed and updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Chell Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 Of course, if you're watching episodes of "3's company" and "Oprah" ... your causing electrical failures in your TV anyway !!! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 3's Company was the greatest show of all time. I watch Oprah with the sound turned off. I don't want to hear what she has to say. Just the poor man's version of softcore adult entertainment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sKiZo Posted August 27, 2018 Share Posted August 27, 2018 Nah ... greatest show of all time was Alf ... ;-} Let me guess what "parts" in the show you liked best ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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