Jsbrown44 Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 Hi everyone- this is my first post showing my new (used) 2016 Transit Connect Cargo that I bought a few months ago with 26,000 miles on it. I haven't owned an American car since the 1970's and I have to say, this van feels tight, it's quiet, handles great and has really good power- very peppy and fun to drive! I'm getting about 27-28MPG on road trips. A job well done by Ford in design and build quality. I had a 2001 Isuzu Trooper for 18 years and this has so much more room and handles so much lighter. I'm using it for my Carbon Cleaning business and as an everyday driver. As you'll see in the photos, I'm also getting it ready for camping this fall. The bed platform in the back is removable so I can load my business machines or set it up for camping. I can't wait until autumn to try it out! Feel free to ask any questions about the stuff I've built inside. I still want to mount 2 more eye hooks in the front of the roof for my camping awnings to clip onto- I just have to take the time to pull the headliner down so I can bolt them on inside. I'm gonna tint the rear and sliding door side windows too and maybe a tint strip along the top of the windshield. As you can see, I've upgraded the stereo to a Kenwood double DIN unit with 2 USB inputs for Apple CarPlay off my iPhone and I use my iPad for navigation. The drivers door armrest has one screw holding it in but the passenger armrest simply slides down between the seats and it's base sits on the floor- it's rock solid. They were easy to make out of pine. I have a Thule box for the roof too for longer trips. The VanTech rails came with the van. My craftsmanship isn't as fancy as some I've seen on here, but it gets the job done GTVan50, mrtn and windguy 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifty150 Posted June 28, 2019 Share Posted June 28, 2019 Good job. Everything looks good. I like the extra 12 volt power points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsbrown44 Posted June 29, 2019 Author Share Posted June 29, 2019 Thanks Fifty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 @Jsbrown44 - Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new van. Thanks for sharing your van pics. Very nice! You've added some interesting amenities to your van. Fancy craftsmanship isn't as important as form and function. As long as it works for you is all that matters. One mod you might want to consider is taping into the area behind the front seats under the deck or the footwell area for the passenger wagon version. You've got some decent storage under the platform that you can make use of. There have been several designs posted on the forum that you can replicate or use as a starting point to create your own custom design. I love having mine and am very glad to have made that addition. Below is one thread showing some mods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsbrown44 Posted June 29, 2019 Author Share Posted June 29, 2019 Hey Windguy- thanks so much man! I had no idea there was room under there and I'm all about using every square inch of space as long as I'm not adding too much weight. I'm gonna get under there tomorrow and check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windguy Posted June 30, 2019 Share Posted June 30, 2019 3 hours ago, Jsbrown44 said: Hey Windguy- thanks so much man! I had no idea there was room under there and I'm all about using every square inch of space as long as I'm not adding too much weight. I'm gonna get under there tomorrow and check it out. That's cool. You'll have fun with that project. Your mind will be dreaming up endless opportunities. First remove the step molding on both sides and peel back the mat. I took the entire mat out and replaced with plywood and carpet. I separated the foam lining that's spot glued to the mat and used that as a underlayment. Great for sound proofing. I also used added separate sound proofing, two layers, but in hindsight it probably wasn't necessary in this area. Some pics below to wet your appetite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsbrown44 Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 Great ideas- thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdarren Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Nice work! Looks like you got everything you need for your trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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