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Here’s the certified Mechanics view point on the 3.7L transit. (I’m the mechanic) I wanted to buy a van, and The sprinter and transit vans were narrowed down. Medium roof, short wheelbase was what I was looking for. I didn’t want to be too long because I get into some tight spaces at times. I...

You are entirely correct about the joints being limited out at full droop but I think that quality replacements would help it in the long run. We can make all the speculations we want, but has anyone tested the Foes set up to see how long lasting it actually is? As for complexity, more parts to...

Not many people can give their real-life experiences as not many have bought the FOES kit yet. I’m a certified mechanic though, and have made an educated guess based on the pictures that I’ve seen of both kits installed on vehicles. The VC lift kit does add more weight then the FOES kit because...

Other things to mention for now. The factory tire size was 235/65R16 which is a 28” tire. I increased the diameter to 29” with a 225/75R16. I got a Toyo Open country ATII on the recommendation of a very experienced tire guy. I was a tire guy at the start of my automotive trades career which...

So one of the final things I had built for the van, was rear rack. I did a trip to Tuktoyaktuk this summer and wanted to carry the Jerry cans outside the van. This seemed like the cheapest, most manageable option for now.

It’s all in an effort to get better fuel mileage at highway speeds. The truth is, you’re still driving a van, not a race car. Even the ecoboost struggles to get fuel mileage like that.

You can’t really crawl, that is true, but on my van, I can use the park brake to balance out the power between the rear wheels. The other thing I did was get the 4.10 differential so the finals drive would be lower. It does make a difference off-road but I notice it even more on the hills where...

Sorry, bad sentence. It’s better to have as much insulation as possible even when there is thermal bridging. It’s “better to have some (insulation) then none”

Yes, thermal bridging.... I did a lot of research on this too. I found that it’s better to have some then none. Inside each of the pillers, I stuffed more Rock wool and even some spray foam in certain sections. I paid close attention to areas that I may need to get into later and didn’t stuff...

Next on the list of things to do was cabinets and a bed. I used Western Red Cedar for The drawers and shelves. It smells nice, is strong but still very light. Notice the cut out in the wall. This allowed me to get an extra two inches of depth to the counte The folding bed is all...

Yes, I’ve been wondering the same however it did not in my last van build and has provided excellent insulation for all my Canadian excursions. Your 49 years in the residential construction Business has yet to yield me a proper answer. Give me some constructive information.

The reasons I did, after research, was because it isn’t effected by moisture. I’m curious why you think it’s a bad product?

The floor was done differently then I’ve seen anyone else do it I filled in all the gaps between the metal ribs. The final surface area of the plywood between the gaps in the metal was greater then the surface area of the metal ribs. This means, I only had to put 1/4” plywood down for the floor...

Next it was time to sheet the walls in. I went thin and used self tapping screws to put the wood up. I also painted the ceiling and one wall white, leaving one wall with the natural wood grain colour. Trying to be all Martha Stewart you know. Also installed a roof vent fan, which was probably...

The next order of business, was the painful process of stuffing Rockwool insulation in every nook and cranny. I did a mixture of different methods on this build. Rockwool to fill the big areas and areas that might need some access later for rust proofing and such. Hard foam insulation to fill in...

This is the van shortly after I bought it. I had to wait from November 2018 till the following spring for the van to show up, because I custom ordered it. It’s cheaper that way. Part of the reason I decided to go with a new van, is because I would know the history of it and will maintain it...

Hello Portal, I wanted to share with you my van build. It’s nothing special but it is special to me. In 2018 I was contemplating a Vanlife/overland build. I couldn’t decide what to do exactly (Truck off van) but I did want one thing, to get out of bed and into the drivers seat without leaving...

Not new to expedition portal, but I don’t post much. Here’s a picture of my 2019 Ford Transit van in Tuktoyaktuk this summer.

Heres a link to the latest things Ive been working on with my truck! Been awhile since theres been an update so I just had to! ENJOY! http://travaland.com/the-minilander-update/

Well I did it, a year ago I bought a pretty well used, 1992 Toyota pickup, 4x4. Its a single cab short box which seems rather small for an overland truck platform, but how much equipment do we need anyways? I like to keep things simple and tidy. It has a small 413000 kms on its 3.0 V6, some rust...