Sean McConky

Well, I am pleased with these crossbars. I loaded up two J bar style kayak racks. I added rubber tape to the inside of the kayak rack clamps to prevent any slippage. Loaded up two kayaks and went for a 30 or so mile drive at speed to a local lake. No issues, nothing so much as shifted or budged at all.

So, I bit the bullet and purchased the racks by Parttech Ltd from eBay. (https://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-TRANSIT-CONNECT-ANTI-THEFT-ALUMINIUM-CROSS-BAR-RACK-75-KG-GREY/223320720321). First, they arrived well packaged from the UK. I should have taken pictures, but I didn't get any until after install. The crossbars come in multiple pieces. The extruded aluminum bars come with a plastic wrap on them to prevent marring the finish. You attach each of the ends on the bar, which allow for about 4" in total leeway for the vehicle width. In my case, they needed to be almost as short as possible, which I would think only adds strength to the connection with the end cap. Each end cap has a single socket head screw to loosen the clamp to attach to the flush rails (Allen keys are provided). Tighten up each screw. There are 4 plastic inserts which go into a slot to cover the socket head screw. Then a locking cover goes over the end to prevent removal of the bars. Pretty simple install and they feel pretty secure. To give a quick check, I put my elbows on the roof, hands under the bar and tried to lift (kind of like a lifting curl) the bar and it didn't budge. Took it for a quick highway spin. There is a little wind noise, but I think that is to be expected with most bars. Also, a few other notes about the bars: 1) They are tear drop shaped (which is I think similar to the Thule Aeroblade Edge bars). 2) The bars are about 2.7" wide and the usable length of the bars is around 41.3". I've attached a few pictures, so people can see how they look and how they clamp under the lip on the flush rails. I'll post more comments once I put on a kayak rack and see how it performs.

Bluega - Did you buy these crossbars? If so, how are they working? I'm interested in the same bars but was hesitant because I can't find much on them Thanks, Sean

I will most definitely take pictures and post. I already have the ballasts and both projectors. I should be getting the bulbs today. So maybe I will get to work on this over the weekend.

I find this funny because when I had a Jeep Cherokee I bolted on fogs and driving lights...

Fifty150 - I am looking to do something that improves lighting but looks close to stock. GBL - I have already adjusted the headlights as much as I am willing, the lights just don't seem very powerful. Another option I just found was this... https://store.ijdmtoy.com/Mini-HID-Bi-Xenon-Retrofit-Projector-Fog-Lamps-p/70-127.htm or a slightly cheaper version: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HID-Bi-Xenon-Retrofit-Projector-Lens-Replacement-Fog-Lamps-for-Subaru-CRV-Focus-/322377358892?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368 Both of those interest me because of the bi-xenon capability, but the biggest reason I originally chose the fusion projectors was because of the reviews on how crisp and clear the cut-off is. Plus, i already got the parts. So, I need to decide before I start any cutting. Or, at least I have a fall back if I completely screw up the conversion.

I am disappointed with the headlights and fog lights in the Ford Transit Connect. They don't really provide much down the road lighting. I am a little frightened by the idea of retrofitting the headlights (too much money to replace if I screw it up). So, I thought I would try retrofitting the fog lights with projectors. This should throw some more light down the road without the need for opening up the headlight assemblies. I put this into the "replacing fog lights with driving lights" category. After researching similar retrofits, I decided to utilize projector fog lights using in the Ford Fusion, Flex, Lincoln MKZ, etc. around the 2009-2012 time frame. These seem to be very popular and get good reviews from most people, i.e. good lighting, good cut-off, etc. I have ordered some used projectors and they should be arriving next week. I will report back on how this goes once all the parts are in. In the meanwhile, here are a few links to other retrofits that led me down this path: http://www.focusst.org/forum/focus-st-appearance/31034-diy-how-ford-fusion-projection-fog-light-retrofit.html http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/154-audio-electronics-lighting/219633-projector-fog-lights%3B-ford-fusion-retrofit.html https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=543994 https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ford-fusion-fog-light-retrofit-diy.407833/ Obviously the first link is the most similar to the Transit, but I am hoping to find a way to possibly keep the adjustment capability.