2019 Ford Transit van built my way. Dead simple.

[1stgenoverland]

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 the vehicle. So, it had to be a van. I did a van before in 2014/15. It was an old 1980 Dodge b250 long wheelbase/extended length with a fiberglass high top. This time around, I wanted a short wheelbase van and after months of looking, I came up with nothing. Okay, maybe I’ll bite the bullet and buy a sprinter... I’m a certified mechanic so I started looking into the newer vans and found that the Ford Transit was actually the easiest to maintain, and the right engine and differential combo would probably be reliable too.

November 2018 had me at the dealership, ordering a van in Wes Spec. The poor car salesman didn’t know what hit him I had researched for months by this point and new exactly what I wanted.

Short Wheelbase
Medium roof
3.7 NA V6 (ecoboost has added complexity)

4.10:1 rear diff
Magnet grey paint (didn’t want a white van)
A fully stripped out interior.

and that’s what’s I got. It’s cheaper that way.

build pictures will follow shortly. It’s getting late

 

[1stgenoverland]

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 properly. The warranty is nice too.

 

[1stgenoverland]

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 the areas that needed to be thin. And spray foam to hit those tight hard to stuff spots.

 

[1stgenoverland]

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 most stressful part.

 

[1stgenoverland]

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 and it wouldn’t sag. Because I got the medium roof van, height was going to be an issue. I didn’t even put flooring down on the plywood. I merely sealed it with a good quality deck paint.

 

[ober27]

Looks great so far!

 

[s.e.charles]

why on god's green earth did you use rockwool?

simple is fine, but you gotta read up first.

 

[1stgenoverland]

why on god's green earth did you use rockwool?

simple is fine, but you gotta read up first.

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?

 

[luthj]

The Rockwool is going to settle down in those larger vertical cavities. Hard to say how much though.

 

[s.e.charles]

49 years in the residential construction business.

 

[1stgenoverland]

The Rockwool is going to settle down in those larger vertical cavities. Hard to say how much though.

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.

49 years in the residential construction business.

Your 49 years in the residential construction Business has yet to yield me a proper answer. Give me some constructive information.

 

[1stgenoverland]

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 about planning for the future.

 

[rruff]

The reasons I did, after research, was because it isn’t effected by moisture.

I don't know about moisture or settling, but the thermal bridge from the steel frame is going to nullify nearly all the insulation value. Seems like a layer of rigid foam on the inside walls, ceiling, and floor would work the best (with thin ply glued to the interior, or fiberglass layup). Too late to worry about that though!

I like your rig! 2wd will take you all sorts of interesting places off the beaten path if you are careful. Planning any suspension upgrades?

 

[1stgenoverland]

I don't know about moisture or settling, but the thermal bridge from the steel frame is going to nullify nearly all the insulation value. Seems like a layer of rigid foam on the inside walls, ceiling, and floor would work the best (with thin ply glued to the interior, or fiberglass layup). Too late to worry about that though!

I like your rig! 2wd will take you all sorts of interesting places off the beaten path if you are careful. Planning any suspension upgrades?

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 things in there.

As for off-roading and suspension. The van is very capable as it is. I did a trip to Tuktoyaktuk this summer which you don’t need a lift for, but was happy to have a taller skinnier set of tires as there was deep mud on sections of the road and cutting down to the gravel base was helpful. Eventually, I would love to install the Foes 2” lift kit.

 

[shade]

Yes, thermal bridging.... I did a lot of research on this too. I found that it’s better to have some then none.

Please explain. Ideally, I'd expect the goal would be to eliminate it.