Jump to content
Ford Transit Connect Forum
   

remove interior wheel well covers


catniles
 Share

Recommended Posts

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

   

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.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

20150806_225556.jpg

20150806_225631.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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). 

IMG_9575.JPG

IMG_9576.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

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 by catniles
typo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. :thumbsup:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...