catniles Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Have a new TC being built in Spain. Not here yet. Planning on doing some camping in it. I have seen several posts about removing the covers that are above the wheel wells. What is behind those covers? Just empty wall? Any reason I could not leave them off to gain more wall space to put stuff wider than the wheel wells there? Since my van is not here yet, I can't pry them off to look. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 You will just expose subframing, wiring, and bare metal bodywork. On the passenger side, there is an auxiliary junction box. If you have a passenger wagon, the seat beats retract behind the interior panels. Cargo van models have most, if not all of the interior panels stripped down. Up to you if you really want to leave the electronics and wiring exposed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catniles Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Thanks, that was just the info that I needed. Not sure if I want to have exposed wires all the time. Probably won't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonShockley Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Here's some pix from when I added power to my overhead console. I took the pics to show the routing on the power supply wiring I added, the red/yellow/orange bundle, so the other stuff isn't really shown well but you can see what's under there. My TC is a 2015 wagon. If yours is a van, then it won't have all the AC ductwork or the seatbelt winders. The trailer tow module above and to the left of the fuse box was an after purchase Ford accessory addition. And this is just on the passenger side where the Aux fuse box is located. The drivers side where the jack is located likely has much less wiring in the same areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catniles Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Wow, the photos really show just how much stuff is behind those covers. Not something I want to mess with. Thanks. The photos really helped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 Are you buying a van or wagon and is it an XL, XLT, Platinum? I have a 2015 XL cargo van and took the panels off a couple years ago. Mine does not have an aux junction box or most of the wiring that DonShockley's pics show. You'll notice the only thing that's the same between me & him is what I assume to be the fuel inertia switch (little box thing in second pic for each of us, right by the passenger sliding door). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 Mine is also an XL, and it came with the auxiliary junction box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catniles Posted April 12, 2019 Author Share Posted April 12, 2019 (edited) I just noticed more replies. I ordered a 2019 xl cargo van.. (still not here yet. taking longer than the salesman said it would- wonder if he said it wouldn't take long so I would go ahead and order it). Nothing fancy about the van except I wanted rear windows and passenger sliding door window. It is the long wheel base. Plus I didn't want the basic white one, so I ordered red. Edited April 12, 2019 by catniles typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidparker Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 9 hours ago, catniles said: I just noticed more replies. I ordered a 2019 xl cargo van.. (still not here yet. taking longer than the salesman said it would- wonder if he said it wouldn't take long so I would go ahead and order it). Nothing fancy about the van except I wanted rear windows and passenger sliding door window. It is the long wheel base. Plus I didn't want the basic white one, so I ordered red. Congrats! I wish I had the sliding door window! And although I like my white, there are a LOT of white vans out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sampa Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 According to a car salesman, so take this with a grain of salt...All Transit Connects are shipped from Europe WITHOUT windows. The openings are punched out at the factory and a gasket and steel blank are installed. Also no rear seats are installed before being exported. All this is to get around some sort of tariff based on seats belts installed in a vehicle. If you have rear seat belts (therefore seats) you must have a passenger vehicle. If you have windows but no seats, you are trying to pull a fast one. So according to the salesman, one reason why it takes so long to get a new T.C. is "dealer prep", done somewhere. The steel blanks are removed and glass installed and also seats with seat belts. So in theory, we should be able to take out that steel blank and install glass where desired. I can't verify any of this because I have a wagon with glass in all locations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonShockley Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 10 hours ago, Sampa said: .........All Transit Connects are shipped from Europe WITHOUT windows. The openings are punched out at the factory and a gasket and steel blank are installed. Also no rear seats are installed before being exported. ................ The steel blanks are removed and glass installed and also seats with seat belts........ Actually it's the other way around. The chicken tax does not apply to passenger vehicles but does apply to work vehicles. So they all start as wagons and get converted to vans by removing the seats and windows, not installing them. Here's a good summary of how and why: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-ford-tariff-chicken-tax-20180709-story.html jrm223 and G B L 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sampa Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 Wow! That is an interesting article. It more sense than the story I heard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G B L Posted April 17, 2019 Share Posted April 17, 2019 Great information Don! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm223 Posted April 18, 2019 Share Posted April 18, 2019 The window coverings also aren't steel blanks, they're some type of plastic - but only on the sliding doors. I have a windowless van and there are no cut-outs at all on the actual body (quarter windows), no cut-outs on the rear doors and then the sliders have paint-matched plastic where the window would go. I've had some other thoughts of what to do with those blanks, like perhaps built-in tool storage and hinge the blanks like a toolbox lid for external access - or even replace the blanks with metal toolbox doors, idk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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