BigT
Well-known member
I spent years deciding what model van to use before settling on the TC.
I was sure I didn't want a full-sized van with its lousy mpg because I knew I'd be using it as my daily driver for work and such. I also knew I wanted a high-top design, but I wanted one that came as a seamless high-top from the factory, so my choices were few.
I considered the Sprinter (for a New York minute), but anything made by Mercedes is going to be very expensive to own and operate.
I admit the Ford TC is a bit small, but since I don't plan to quit my job and live my life on the road full-time, traveling from town to town, I'm hoping it will work.
For now I'm just using it for camping trips and music festivals, but eventually I hope to move out of my overpriced apartment and stop funding my landlords retirement plan.
The idea is simple: Keep my job and get a small, affordable storage unit to use as a walk-in closet for the things I don't want to carry around with me, a gym membership for regular showers and swimming laps on my lunch, and a PO box for my mail.
My job as a corporate coach driver gives me daily access to free WiFi, multiple 120V and 12V power outlets for charging stuff, comfy seats with tables for surfing the Net, and even a bathroom with a flush toilet that somebody else dumps and cleans for me.
The kitchen in the office has a fridge and microwave that I can access 16 hours a day.
But I digress. This is supposed to be a thread about my build project, not my future life plans.
I started with a clean slate.
Then I went to Home Depot and picked up supplies for the floor, bed and tables.
Sorry, I don't have any photos of the floor going in. I used 1/4" plywood, two-sided carpet tape, and indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot. The same carpet I used for the bed, but a slightly different shade of gray.
Plumbing nipples, floor-flanges and plywood make for a good start.
The bed was simplicity at its best: Plywood, foam, spray adhesive, indoor/outdoor carpet, pipes and flanges, and lots of staples.
Wanting a little extra legroom, I added a folding leaf to the bed, making it 6'10" when extended.
This is how the leaf works. Again, keeping it simple. Yes, placing the legs where I did to clear the leaf means you can't sit too close to that end of the bunk, so that's the foot of the bed when it's extended.
I have an aluminum, telescoping leg that's just waiting for a quick release flange/mount that I'm planning to attach under the leaf for added support.
I built the folding table that sits across from the bed using the same materials and design as I did for the bunk. Simple and lightweight.
I decided a single support leg, resting on the fender-well, was the best plan as it saves space and increases legroom under the table.
This is the rear "kitchen counter" where I'll prepare meals and cook my food.
I bolted "L" flanges to the insides of the rear doors and installed pins at the corners of the table/counter to keep it from falling off if the doors moved.
In the end, though I don't have pics to show it, I covered the counter with plexiglass like I did the table.
Wanting a place to store the kitchen counter when not in use, I mounted these coat hooks to the underside of the bed and covered them with rubber tubing so they wouldn't scratch the counter when I slid it into the hooks.
I also stapled a piece of carpet to the underside of the bed for the same anti-scratch purpose and to reduce rattles on the road.
This is just a mock-up to show the basic design. I've done a few other things to the van, like adding window covers to the front doors, but I don't have photos of them yet. I'll add them later when I get pics.
Stay tuned, more mods to come!
I was sure I didn't want a full-sized van with its lousy mpg because I knew I'd be using it as my daily driver for work and such. I also knew I wanted a high-top design, but I wanted one that came as a seamless high-top from the factory, so my choices were few.
I considered the Sprinter (for a New York minute), but anything made by Mercedes is going to be very expensive to own and operate.
I admit the Ford TC is a bit small, but since I don't plan to quit my job and live my life on the road full-time, traveling from town to town, I'm hoping it will work.
For now I'm just using it for camping trips and music festivals, but eventually I hope to move out of my overpriced apartment and stop funding my landlords retirement plan.
The idea is simple: Keep my job and get a small, affordable storage unit to use as a walk-in closet for the things I don't want to carry around with me, a gym membership for regular showers and swimming laps on my lunch, and a PO box for my mail.
My job as a corporate coach driver gives me daily access to free WiFi, multiple 120V and 12V power outlets for charging stuff, comfy seats with tables for surfing the Net, and even a bathroom with a flush toilet that somebody else dumps and cleans for me.
The kitchen in the office has a fridge and microwave that I can access 16 hours a day.
But I digress. This is supposed to be a thread about my build project, not my future life plans.
I started with a clean slate.
Then I went to Home Depot and picked up supplies for the floor, bed and tables.
Sorry, I don't have any photos of the floor going in. I used 1/4" plywood, two-sided carpet tape, and indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot. The same carpet I used for the bed, but a slightly different shade of gray.
Plumbing nipples, floor-flanges and plywood make for a good start.
The bed was simplicity at its best: Plywood, foam, spray adhesive, indoor/outdoor carpet, pipes and flanges, and lots of staples.
Wanting a little extra legroom, I added a folding leaf to the bed, making it 6'10" when extended.
This is how the leaf works. Again, keeping it simple. Yes, placing the legs where I did to clear the leaf means you can't sit too close to that end of the bunk, so that's the foot of the bed when it's extended.
I have an aluminum, telescoping leg that's just waiting for a quick release flange/mount that I'm planning to attach under the leaf for added support.
I built the folding table that sits across from the bed using the same materials and design as I did for the bunk. Simple and lightweight.
I decided a single support leg, resting on the fender-well, was the best plan as it saves space and increases legroom under the table.
This is the rear "kitchen counter" where I'll prepare meals and cook my food.
I bolted "L" flanges to the insides of the rear doors and installed pins at the corners of the table/counter to keep it from falling off if the doors moved.
In the end, though I don't have pics to show it, I covered the counter with plexiglass like I did the table.
Wanting a place to store the kitchen counter when not in use, I mounted these coat hooks to the underside of the bed and covered them with rubber tubing so they wouldn't scratch the counter when I slid it into the hooks.
I also stapled a piece of carpet to the underside of the bed for the same anti-scratch purpose and to reduce rattles on the road.
This is just a mock-up to show the basic design. I've done a few other things to the van, like adding window covers to the front doors, but I don't have photos of them yet. I'll add them later when I get pics.
Stay tuned, more mods to come!
