Well I did it...Introducing "Dobby" my 2010 Ford Transit Connect XLT

[deryk_the_gypsy]

probably the wrong coast... NJ or Pa...rent in NJ own in Pa lol

 

[deryk_the_gypsy]

and the mattress cover is cut and sewn.  Looks real tall but when you sit, it compacts down nicely I have about 3" of head clearance while sitting, so it is fine.  Super comfortable..I laid back for a few minutes and started dozing lol.  30" wide by 72" long, extends out to 45" wide.  The 30" width is fine to sleep on alone..hoping 45" is wide enough for 2 lol 

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

 ..hoping 45" is wide enough for 2 lol 

I can't see how. A traditional twin mattress which is considered the minimum for one adult is 38" wide. 
I have an REI 30x80 camp pad that sees tent duty and I never sleep very well on it because of the narrow width.
Is your companion particularly miniscule? How big are you?

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

probably the wrong coast... NJ or Pa...rent in NJ own in Pa lol

Hey deryk just saw you were in NJ, I'm in the Burlington/Bordentown area, I work in Princeton.
If you need any tools or a hand with anything let me know.

 

[B and C]

A full size bed is 54" wide. In our old '77 dodge custom van, I made a U shaped couch that made into a 48" wide bed. We slept well on it but wouldn't want 2 on it full time. Of course both of us were well under 200 Lbs each. Girth would be a major factor.

 

[deryk_the_gypsy]

I can't see how. A traditional twin mattress which is considered the minimum for one adult is 38" wide. 
I have an REI 30x80 camp pad that sees tent duty and I never sleep very well on it because of the narrow width.
Is your companion particularly miniscule? How big are you?

I am 5'10, 187 lbs and tend to like my "companions" to be slightly built.  Some of the VW van's had a 45" wide Rock n'Roll bed in them and plenty of dirty hippies made those van's rock!

 

[deryk_the_gypsy]

Hey deryk just saw you were in NJ, I'm in the Burlington/Bordentown area, I work in Princeton.
If you need any tools or a hand with anything let me know.

Thanks!  So any community around here?  I have looked on meetup and didn't see any van groups in NJ

 

[deryk_the_gypsy]

I plan for Dobby for some snowbirding when my mom is gone and my disability kicks in, and I am fine as a solo person with the bed size. If I run into a tasty snack along the way you make it work. I remember having *** on dorm beds and they were pretty narrow and I was probably a good 30 or so lbs heavier back then lol. Dobby is a small van, I won't sweat it

 

[TnTravel]

and bed is pretty much done... will get treated since the frame is oak, the sliders are pine. I bought myself a new 9" memory foam mattress from Ikea for 1/2 price in their lightly used demo furnishings. The queen size was still sealed in plastic, got it for $200. My few year old 9" memory foam will be going into Dobby. Sitting compacts it down nicely but its like laying on a cloud.

Hi deryk
What is the size of the mattress in your van? The bed frame out looks terrific.

 

[Tony's Dream]

I have a Ford Transit too.....it's awesome. You are really doing well with your build. Mine is very simple but functional.

 

[spd2918]

The "Humble Road" youtuber is building a newer Transit Connect called "Mini Me."

 

[TnTravel]

Hi deryk
What is the size of the mattress in your van? The bed frame out looks terrific.

Saw the answer in another post you made. Looking to get transit connect soon I hope.

 

[rruff]

I can't see how. A traditional twin mattress which is considered the minimum for one adult is 38" wide.

I slept long term with 3 different ladies in my truck with a 36" pad. I'm 6' 170 lbs, and they ranged from 5'6" and 110 lbs to 6'2" and 145 lbs.

Very cozy! I always got the "fall off onto the floor" side, while they were against the wall. My new rig has a humongous sleeping berth over the cab, but I'll probably keep the 36" unless I get a roommate.

Great build Deryk, thanks for posting!

 

[Jon Donahue]

Well I have been looking for the last few months, I like the nv200, but I would be leery of the older models because of the transmissions. Would I consider a 2020 model...possibly. A 2013/14 nah. I like the look of the promaster city but they were out of my budget. Looked at a few minivans but I wanted more headroom for an eventual build. I kind of like the look of the Transit Connects and after seeing "Josh Oakes" video's on youtube I started looking. Prices at dealers were 10k+ for under 60k miles. I missed out on an orange 2013 xlt wagon with 43k miles for 8300 dollars that was a private seller. I saw a few 2010-2013's under 30k miles around 14k.

I kept looking, really for a 2013 xlt wagon premium but when I found Dobby, the seller didn't use good pictures, and I think it went overlooked. I was on facebook marketplace daily checking when it finally popped up on one of my searchesand I saw it was listed for over a week at that point. Messaged the guy wanted to go see it the next day it was an hour and a half away and he didn't get back to me with an address and by the time he did I was already heading to my cabin and he was heading to the shore for the weekend. Finally got a chance to drive out wednesday.

Dobby is a 2010 FTC XLT model with (now) 43,030 miles. The van was pretty clean, no accidents. It did some deliveries for an optical manufacturer upstate NY, The guy I bought it from is a mechanic, who owns a shop that did some oil changes on the van and when the company went under he bought the van to tune it up, new tires/brakes and sell it. Got it for 8k. Drives pretty well, test drove it for an hour. Up and down hills, on the highway and he drives pretty well. Tranny fluid smelled about the same before and after the ride...wasn't displaying any error codes. The car isn't a rocket but I am supposed to be taking it slow and I had it up to 70 mph and it was ok..bit louder then my subaru but once I add insulation that should change some.

Going to be a while till I can save up for the build...but I plan on tossing a pullout bed frame and put in a maxaire deluxe roof fan asap, I had a fantastic fan in my old camper and the first muggy rainy night it sucked...replaced it with the maxaire and it worked great after that!

one day when my disability kicks in I would love to snowbird for the winter months, and I have seen those awnings that is basically a tent against the van for bad weather/privacy or screen rooms. I guess the whole point is to be outside the van... but weather happens.

Happy Trails!

Ooohh... an XLT, wow! Envy, mine's the base model. You'll love the TC... perfect balance, a real driver's vehicle. Designed by John Broadley at Ford of England, son of Eric Broadley who made the Lola racing cars. You can tell the heritage — every control is placed exactly right. All the small details are perfect. European van of the year for what, five years? Talking here about our old one, up thru 2013... the new ones are, well, boring, with less interior space.
You can go anywhere in your TC. Offroad most anywhere, slowly... it's got great ground clearance. Watch out for deep sand and mud. It's stable in strong crosswinds. Great gas mileage. Only drawback is that you can't stand up inside. But then, you have the whole world to enjoy outside. Glad you found a good one, you'll love it!

 

[deryk_the_gypsy]

oh yeah I love my transit...good fuel economy and a nice size. I try not to ride her rough so it will last. I added a trike rack on back.

 

[Tony's Dream]

It's looking really nice!