Hi All,
I have hesitations over posting this build. I don't want to make people feel bad or inadequate with their vans. My only intent is to show what can be done if time and money are no object, just so that people have some idea of what is possible. So please, don't take offense or feel inferior because of the incredible quality of this build.
The van was purchased 1/31/20 in Fontana, CA and driven home to NorCal the following Sunday. Being incredibly patient we held off on a first expedition until 2/8/20. While it was hard to wait that long, that gave time for the attention to detail that an upfit of this caliber requires.
Due to the complexity of life and gathering all of the various materials required, the actual build didn't start until approximately 11AM on 2/7/20 and wasn't complete until about 4PM. There were a few delays such as lunch and looking for parts that threatened to derail the timeline. Nonetheless, with dogged determination we managed to complete the work.
By noon the sleeping arrangements were complete. A deluxe and finely made frame provided the foundation. On top is a custom mattress of the highest quality. Truly a bed fit for a king.
The galley area took much consideration as to the layout and choice of materials. After much deliberation we chose a beautiful hardwood counter top with a hand rubbed finish. Some might have used an old piece of plywood salvaged from goodness knows where but not us. The cabinet supporting the countertop is made using a brand new, just on the market storage system. They are constructed from plastic and are approximately 12' x 12' x 14". As the price comes down I expect you will start to see these become more common in the upfitting world. These units make accessing the kitchen utensils and what not a breeze. Simply turn off everything on the stove, find a place to put all the hot pots and pans, put the stove somewhere, remove the bungies holding down the countertop and take the top off. Voila! as easy as 1,2,3 you are digging around to find whatever cooking essential you forgot. The simply reverse the process and re-light the stove. What could be easier or more convenient?
To keep both the bed and the kitchen cabinet in place is another innovation of the upfitting world that you probably haven't seen before. It is a strap with a ratcheting stop to keep it in place and hooks on the end for attaching to a variety of places. If you look closely at the pictures you can see it in action. Very handy device and again I would expect to see these be more common as they are adopted by the industry.
Few realize the importance of properly insulating their van. Even fewer know that paint on the inside of a Ford Transit provides R-0.0037. So no further insulation is needed. Also largely unknown is the amazing sound deadening qualities of the factory paint. So the ride is as quiet as it is warm.
As I am the holder of an Extra Class Amateur Radio license, naturally I had to had to have a sophisticated communications system installed. With this system I can talk anywhere in the world, anytime. This gives us the confidence that we can reach out for help if need be.
As we all know the Ford electrical system is less than ideal. For one thing the cargo bay lights remain on if any of the doors are open. Therefore we had to do extensive modifications to the electrical to get it just the way we like. Luckily, me and Ohms law get along well and we got it done.
My knees are shot from a lifetime of stupid self inflicted sports injuries. If they weren't, my van would still be a fifty pound backpack. I am also a safety nut. So, I needed to find a step for the slider door that would provide both safety and a good step up. After much searching I found this and while it wasn't cheap, I'm worth it.
I have seen a few threads recently about soft storage solutions. There are many options out there but we decided upon the best (and most expensive). It holds all you need it to and drums out a happy camping song on the side of the band as you drive along. Really a two-fer!
Of course, once the build was complete we needed to do a lengthy shake down cruise. We wanted to put in some serious windshield time and make sure that we had all the bugs out of the system. So, we put in a 177 mile round trip cruise and spent one night in the van. It was quite chilly outside on our only night so far sleeping in the van but our insulation meant there was at least a 1.53 degree difference from the outside to inside temperature, truly impressive! There was only about an 1/8" of frost on the inside of the van in the morning. Once we started coffee in the morning we had a test of the fire extinguishing sprinkling system and enjoyed listening to the pitter patter of interior rain drops as we had our coffee.
Overall I just couldn't be happier with the build. I hope you aren't too dejected about your van build. Not everyone can afford to do what we did so don't feel too bad about yourself and and enjoy your inadequate van anyway!
Boondox
I have hesitations over posting this build. I don't want to make people feel bad or inadequate with their vans. My only intent is to show what can be done if time and money are no object, just so that people have some idea of what is possible. So please, don't take offense or feel inferior because of the incredible quality of this build.
The van was purchased 1/31/20 in Fontana, CA and driven home to NorCal the following Sunday. Being incredibly patient we held off on a first expedition until 2/8/20. While it was hard to wait that long, that gave time for the attention to detail that an upfit of this caliber requires.
Due to the complexity of life and gathering all of the various materials required, the actual build didn't start until approximately 11AM on 2/7/20 and wasn't complete until about 4PM. There were a few delays such as lunch and looking for parts that threatened to derail the timeline. Nonetheless, with dogged determination we managed to complete the work.
By noon the sleeping arrangements were complete. A deluxe and finely made frame provided the foundation. On top is a custom mattress of the highest quality. Truly a bed fit for a king.
The galley area took much consideration as to the layout and choice of materials. After much deliberation we chose a beautiful hardwood counter top with a hand rubbed finish. Some might have used an old piece of plywood salvaged from goodness knows where but not us. The cabinet supporting the countertop is made using a brand new, just on the market storage system. They are constructed from plastic and are approximately 12' x 12' x 14". As the price comes down I expect you will start to see these become more common in the upfitting world. These units make accessing the kitchen utensils and what not a breeze. Simply turn off everything on the stove, find a place to put all the hot pots and pans, put the stove somewhere, remove the bungies holding down the countertop and take the top off. Voila! as easy as 1,2,3 you are digging around to find whatever cooking essential you forgot. The simply reverse the process and re-light the stove. What could be easier or more convenient?
To keep both the bed and the kitchen cabinet in place is another innovation of the upfitting world that you probably haven't seen before. It is a strap with a ratcheting stop to keep it in place and hooks on the end for attaching to a variety of places. If you look closely at the pictures you can see it in action. Very handy device and again I would expect to see these be more common as they are adopted by the industry.
Few realize the importance of properly insulating their van. Even fewer know that paint on the inside of a Ford Transit provides R-0.0037. So no further insulation is needed. Also largely unknown is the amazing sound deadening qualities of the factory paint. So the ride is as quiet as it is warm.
As I am the holder of an Extra Class Amateur Radio license, naturally I had to had to have a sophisticated communications system installed. With this system I can talk anywhere in the world, anytime. This gives us the confidence that we can reach out for help if need be.
As we all know the Ford electrical system is less than ideal. For one thing the cargo bay lights remain on if any of the doors are open. Therefore we had to do extensive modifications to the electrical to get it just the way we like. Luckily, me and Ohms law get along well and we got it done.
My knees are shot from a lifetime of stupid self inflicted sports injuries. If they weren't, my van would still be a fifty pound backpack. I am also a safety nut. So, I needed to find a step for the slider door that would provide both safety and a good step up. After much searching I found this and while it wasn't cheap, I'm worth it.
I have seen a few threads recently about soft storage solutions. There are many options out there but we decided upon the best (and most expensive). It holds all you need it to and drums out a happy camping song on the side of the band as you drive along. Really a two-fer!
Of course, once the build was complete we needed to do a lengthy shake down cruise. We wanted to put in some serious windshield time and make sure that we had all the bugs out of the system. So, we put in a 177 mile round trip cruise and spent one night in the van. It was quite chilly outside on our only night so far sleeping in the van but our insulation meant there was at least a 1.53 degree difference from the outside to inside temperature, truly impressive! There was only about an 1/8" of frost on the inside of the van in the morning. Once we started coffee in the morning we had a test of the fire extinguishing sprinkling system and enjoyed listening to the pitter patter of interior rain drops as we had our coffee.
Overall I just couldn't be happier with the build. I hope you aren't too dejected about your van build. Not everyone can afford to do what we did so don't feel too bad about yourself and and enjoy your inadequate van anyway!
Boondox
