My 2010 Ford Transit Connect conversion.

[BigT]

Just curious what height you left under the bunk?  I'm looking at 16" to accommodate a Koolertron 12v cooler.

With those little wooden blocks I put under the feet, I have 13 inches under the bed.  If you're shorter than I am you can get away with longer plumbing nipples to give you more room without hitting your head.  Personally, at 6'4", I need all the headroom I can get, so 13 inches is all I can afford.

 

[Almost There]

  Just curious what height you left under the bunk?  

Just make sure that whatever height you put the bed at that you can get in and out of it easily...

BigTs' bed height of 13" would have me seriously stuck trying to get to standing position - that's the same height as my backpacking chair is and I always have trouble standing up from it.

The easiest way to tell how much headroom you need is to sit on a chair and have someone measure from the seat up to the top of your head. Count on this distance from the finished ceiling to about half the compressed thickness of your mattress. Any less and you'll be smacking your head. Normal chair height is around 18" for comparison sake.

My bed is so high that I have to literally slide down off of it but I did that to allow for a 65Q Whynter to reside under the bed and I have short legs.

 

[BigT]

Just make sure that whatever height you put the bed at that you can get in and out of it easily...

BigTs' bed height of 13" would have me seriously stuck trying to get to standing position - that's the same height as my backpacking chair is and I always have trouble standing up from it.

That's 13 inches under the bed, not the height of the mattress/foam.  When I sit on the bed my knees are at a 90 degree angle, so getting up is cake.  
The top of the bed is closer to 17 inches.  That's just slightly taller than a folding, metal chair.  But everyone's knee needs are different, so some may need more height than that to comfortably get up. 

The only issue I may have to deal with now is that with the wooden blocks and thicker flooring, my table is slightly lower than it was before in relation to the bed.  It's not a big deal to raise it, and may not even be necessary, but I have noticed the change.  

 

[darude]

That's 13 inches under the bed, not the height of the mattress/foam.  When I sit on the bed my knees are at a 90 degree angle, so getting up is cake.  
The top of the bed is closer to 17 inches.  That's just slightly taller than a folding, metal chair.  But everyone's knee needs are different, so some may need more height than that to comfortably get up. 

The only issue I may have to deal with now is that with the wooden blocks and thicker flooring, my table is slightly lower than it was before in relation to the bed.  It's not a big deal to raise it, and may not even be necessary, but I have noticed the change.  

is that the regular transit connect or is it the xlt version :huh:

 

[BigT]

It's the XLT.  Not sure what the different is between that and the other models besides trim and power windows, etc.  
The interior dimensions should be the same.

 

[masterplumber]

BigT, I'm not sure if you have a sticks and bricks place also, but frequently around here when cars are broken into and nothing stolen, but the glove box and console have been ransacked, the culprits are looking for your home address. They usually hit pretty quickly though, like right then as they know you're not home at that moment. Just be extra vigilant about locking up at home also.

 

[BigT]

I thought about that, just for a second...  I say just for a second because the van was in my numbered carport.  

I'm pretty sure it was just one of the more criminal homeless people who frequent our recycling bins behind the building.  They likely check car doors to see if they find one open, like they did that night.  When they didn't find cash, or whatever was on their "shopping list", they moved on to greener pastures.  

As for their not taking anything from my van, and this is just an assumption on my part, I would have to think the local pawn shops likely won't do business with homeless people who bring thing in to sell, knowing the items are probably stolen.

 

[BigT]

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!

As promised I'm adding pics of the new(ish) window coverings.  I also bought my first roll of Reflectix today and installed it on my side, sliding door windows and rear door windows.  I opted for indoor/outdoor carpet for the driver's and front passenger's windows for a few reasons.  
1) I live in the SF Bay Area where we are blessed with what is commonly referred to as a "Mediterranean Climate".  That means it's like Hawaii.  We don't have any real seasons here.  It's pretty much always warm, sunny and mild.  
2) I wanted something that would "breath" like a screen when the window was rolled down, but not let much light out.  
3) Those windows are not tinted as darkly as the rest, and nothing screams "There's somebody over here living in their van!!" like foil insulation so bright and easy to spot, you can see it from space.  

As for mounting the carpet to the windows, I simply used the "scratchy" side of adhesive-backed Velcro and stuck it to the weatherstripping.  The carpet acts nicely as the "soft" side of the Velcro, so there's no need to use both.  I did however find it necessary to back up the adhesive with a little Super Glue so it would stick better to the rubber surface.  



The reason I went with window covering on the driver's and front passenger windows instead of hanging a curtain behind the front seats, is simple.  
The Transit Connect is so small inside, I wanted to maximize the living space as much as possible, and even though I can't inhabit the area in front of the seats, forgoing a curtain makes the living space larger and less cramped-feeling.

 

[BigT]

The Reflectix I really got more for privacy than for insulation, but I'm sure it can't hurt for keeping things a bit more pleasant on cold mornings.  

I really like how easy it is to work with and how well it blocks the windows from prying eyes outside the van.  I should have done this a long time ago. 

I'm keeping the cloth curtains because I don't plan to leave the foil in the windows all the time.  The curtains are great for when I need a little quick but temporary privacy in the back, like when I'm changing into my kayaking gear in a crowded parking lot or using the potty at a campsite.  

I plan to install some of that stiff, foil-backed, foam insulation behind the folding table and in the matching recess on the right side of the van to cover the sheet metal where it's thinest and exposed to the outside temps.  I found it at the Home Depot today, and it's dirt cheap!  



The windshield sun visor is already foil-backed, but I did cut a small piece of Reflectix to cover the area around the mirror cut-out so as to reduce any light escaping around the rear view mirror or unwanted eyeballs peering in.  

 

[BigT]

This last photo illustrates the open space I get by omitting the ubiquitous sliding curtain mod.  
Without the curtain I don't end up feeling confined to a 6' X 5', insanity-inducing, windowless cube.  

Please excuse the mess, I was in the middle of the installation at the time. 



I hope you enjoyed the photos. 

 

[BobBski]

Looking good

 

[myke]

As promised I'm adding pics of the new(ish) window coverings.  I also bought my first roll of Reflectix today and installed it on my side, sliding door windows and rear door windows.  I opted for indoor/outdoor carpet for the driver's and front passenger's windows for a few reasons.  
1) I live in the SF Bay Area where we are blessed with what is commonly referred to as a "Mediterranean Climate".  That means it's like Hawaii.  We don't have any real seasons here.  It's pretty much always warm, sunny and mild.  
2) I wanted something that would "breath" like a screen when the window was rolled down, but not let much light out.  
3) Those windows are not tinted as darkly as the rest, and nothing screams "There's somebody over here living in their van!!" like foil insulation so bright and easy to spot, you can see it from space.  

As for mounting the carpet to the windows, I simply used the "scratchy" side of adhesive-backed Velcro and stuck it to the weatherstripping.  The carpet acts nicely as the "soft" side of the Velcro, so there's no need to use both.  I did however find it necessary to back up the adhesive with a little Super Glue so it would stick better to the rubber surface.  

How much air gets through the window coverings? Not as much as a screen?

 

[Konaexpress]

Nice job dude!

I hope to get a kayak some day as I live about 2 hours from Bodega but work in that area quite a bit throughout the year. Would love to fish and crab a bit.

John

 

[BigT]

How much air gets through the window coverings? Not as much as a screen?

Hard to say, but definitely not as much as a screen.  It's fairly thin carpet though, so it breaths pretty well.  
Generally I just crack the window for ventilation.  This way I get privacy and bug relief at the same time. 

 

[waverider1987]

Same idea I have...keep the cab area open for more living space. I like it.

 

[myke]

Too bad Ford redesigned this vehicle... This model is better than the current one. They should have just made this model about 1.5' - 2' longer, that would have been so nice...

 

[SVan]

Too bad Ford redesigned this vehicle... This model is better than the current one. They should have just made this model about 1.5' - 2' longer, that would have been so nice...

Actually, Ford currently sells a midsize van in Mexico, Europe, and just about everywhere else with a manual tranny and small turbodiesel. Comes in two wheelbase lengths and short/high roof options. They call it the Tourneo Custom in the UK-

http://www.ford.co.uk/CommercialVehicles/TransitCustom/Models

Here it is converted to a rather posh campervan-



Now that Mercedes is selling the mid-size Metris in the US, there's some hope we'll get the Ford Custom. 

My "rig" is a 2013 US Transit Connect, like Big T's, which is why I'm following his thread. Lots of good ideas. Thanks.

 

[myke]

Cool... yeah I checked out the Metris in person and was surprised by how small it was... thought it would be a bigger... So I bought a Sienna...

 

[BigT]

I spent all last week sleeping in my van/camper at work, and will be doing it again next week.  I'm using it, not only so I can get 8 hours of sleep each night, but as a way to figure out what I need, don't need and can't live without in the long-term.  This next week I'm packing more food, my camp stove, and the items I need for bathing in the van.  
I figure a couple of small pails, soap, washcloths, towels, etc. would be nice.  I'm not about to use my solar shower in the parking lot, but I will use it for warm water supply.  

This is why I don't have a curtain behind the front seats.  No curtain makes for a roomier feeling and easy access to the Acc. plugs, ignition, windows, and AC/heater controls from the rear of the van.  

It's really quite snug and comfy in there.  I sleep very well. 

 

[SoulRaven]

Could you give me the specs of how you built the bed? What thickness of plywood used? I'm not familiar with plumbing nipples or floor flanges, could you give more detail on those?

I'm thinking of copying your bed's platform and want to make sure I get things right.

Is it possible/easy to take your bed apart and put it back together again?

Thanks for the awesome write-up, I love it!